June 2, 2002, 05:02 PM | #1 |
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Fixing High Primers
Some of my .40 and 9mm have uniformly seated, but ever so slightly high primers. Do I pull them apart and go at it again, or have some of you tried to gently seat the primer? The latter seems like it might not be 100% safe. I've never had a primer go off when seating, but I'd hate to do it when the powder and bullet are in place.
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June 2, 2002, 05:23 PM | #2 |
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Always Always Always pull them first, it is the only safe way to do it, in other words do as I say, not ...
What if some powder fell through the flash hole, and is pushing on the Anvil, this might never cause the primer to go off, or?? Also I have heard of primers going off while seating them.
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June 2, 2002, 07:44 PM | #3 |
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First, find out why the primers are seated high...
I keep a sheet of glass on my reloading bench, and every completed cartridge get set on that glass. Any with a high primer (and they are very few and far between) gets placed once more in the shellholder, and a gentle push with the priming arm works wonders. I have never had any of them "go off".
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June 2, 2002, 08:59 PM | #4 |
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If you are discovering this with loaded cartridges......pull em down.
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June 2, 2002, 09:07 PM | #5 |
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"...it might not be 100% safe."
It isn't --- you shouldn't. As jj pointed out, reseating a primer after powder has been added is a whole nother problem. It lowers the safety factor from just about 100% safe to ... who knows? |
June 2, 2002, 09:59 PM | #6 |
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The slower pistol powders probably won't reach any higher pressure than it takes to rupture the brass. Faster powders are another matter. Get someone you don't like to pull the lever.
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June 2, 2002, 11:37 PM | #7 |
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Ruptured primer can cut you or cancel an eyeball.
Pushing your luck too often can make it run out. Sam |
June 3, 2002, 03:20 AM | #8 |
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I don't know why I am getting high primers. I'm using the RCBS 2000 and I'm over 200 pds. and seat with some force. I have about 100 bad rounds to take down, so I thought that I would ask. I'll have to work on my technique. I must be doing something, because this number amounts to about ten percent of my production.
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June 3, 2002, 07:10 AM | #9 |
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It's possible but unlikely that the primer pockets need cleaning before you prime. I sometimes clean pockets if the brass is much used and has a lot of residue visible.
A stronger possibility is that you may need to switch to a different brand of primers. My experience is that there is more variation in primer and primer pocket size than many reloaders realize. Generally I try to use Remington primers with Remington cases or whatever. Oddly enough, CCI primers never seem to really anything especially well, and they are always a snug fit in virtually any case. I always use an RCBS or Lee hand-held priming tool which gives a lot of "feel" to the priming process. If I had any real concerns about the ammo and their primers, I'd pull everything and find the cause of the high primers. Obviously something isn't fitting like it should. Finally, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear eye protection when loading - especially during the priming operation. |
June 3, 2002, 11:10 AM | #10 |
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Even when I'm using a progressive, I seat all my primers by hand. I usually use a Lee tool.
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June 3, 2002, 05:02 PM | #11 |
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Today I pulled everything. I also started to load 38 Special with new Federal cases and every single CCI primer has been perfect. Perhaps I need to take extra steps to make sure that the primer pocket is free of debris. Never thought to do this in pistol calibers.
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June 3, 2002, 06:10 PM | #12 |
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CCI primers are thicker (hope that's the right term) than all other primers and leave very little room for error in seating depth. If you seat it either side of the minute depth range, you will crush it or leave it high. Presses which have a primer seating stop require a good bit of effort to adjust the depth properly. I finally gave up on CCI and use Winchester or Federal primers. I've never had the problem since.
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June 3, 2002, 07:49 PM | #13 |
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For some reason I always will get high primers IF I dont clean my pockets each reloading. I have heard of those that never clean them and never get a high primer. I am not one of them.
Really its easy to do I use the RCBS brush and chuck it in a 3/8 VSR Black&Decker drill and clamp the drill in my vise, and turn it on to a slow speed with the brush looking up. I then grab a handful of sized de-primed cases and just give each one a little "pass" om the rotating brush. Its quick and it works. |
June 4, 2002, 12:52 PM | #14 |
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I never clean primer pockets and I never get a high primer. On the Dillon 650, you have enough leverage to "feel" the primer into the bottom of the pocket. (You can also crush it if you're heavy handed or careless)
If your reloader has a "primer stop" that may be the problem. Take it off and throw it away. Primers should always be seated to the bottom of the pocket. BTW, for the last 20+ years I've used Remington primers exclusively. Perhaps that's the main reason that I've not had ANY primer problems. I switched from CCI to Remington 20+ years ago because of problems with CCI.
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June 4, 2002, 01:02 PM | #15 |
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How do the Remington primers compare, sensitivity wise with CCI/Win/Fed?
Just curious, my Wife's taurus loves Fed, works with Win (maybe 1 out of 1000 rds just will not go) and doesn't like CCI at all. And no, I'm not seating them high ;-).. Use an RCBS hand primer myself.
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June 6, 2002, 03:49 PM | #16 |
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Braindead,
In my experience, Remington primers have excellent sensitivity. I've never had a misfire in any of my guns. Target tuned handguns are notorious for light strikes. I have several target tuned revolvers and autos, and I've never had a Remington primer fail to fire. I can't really compare them to Win. or Fed., since I haven't used anything but Remington for 20+ years.
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June 7, 2002, 07:23 AM | #17 |
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It might be the primer fit or dirt in the pocket but I find that most often it's that the primer pockets are too shallow or have a radius in the inside corner.
I ream all of my primer pockets with a "whitetail" tool sold by Sinclair. I also clean the pockets with this tool. This tool only reams the bottom of the pockets and does it in a uniform manner. |
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