Primer thing?

[LG65CM]

Hey Everyone: I am new to reloading. Using RCBS press and RCBS dies. A couple weeks ago I was doing some loading. Loading once fired (by me) Hornady brass and using Winchester WLR primers. I had sized my brass, cleaned brass, including primer pockets. Upon priming, I noticed that a few times, a very fine filament (thread or hair like) piece of primer case about a third or so the circumference of the primer laying in the (now) empty primer holder. A sliver of shaving would be a description. Hard to describe and I did not take any photos.

Akin to what a clipped finger nail looks like only much much smaller and thread like in diameter. It was extremely difficult priming all the cases with these primers . The primers were old (judging by the box they were in) and I bought them at a reputible gun shop up in Prescott. I can't see any damage to the primers this happened to. The filaments seemed to have peeled from just below the round edge of the top of the primer (upper side of primer).

With effort the primers seated properly. Took effort to seat all of them, not just the ones I am talking about. Question: Has this happened to any of you? And what did you do? Use them anyway? Thanx all.

 

[Billl223]

Did you clean the primer pockets with a primer pocket uniformer? It should not take a lot of effort to seat primers. Primer diameters haven't changed. Not likely with Hornady, but by any chance were the original primers crimped?

 

[supercorndogs]

It sounds like you have crimped primer pockets. You need to remove the crimp before priming.

 

[LG65CM]

Thanx for reply superCD. Hornady brass, not crimped. I've used CCI and Federal and another box of WLRs in the same brass, and they seated nicely without any hitch, glitch or b... or additional force.

My own inexperienced thinking was at one point in the past Winchester changed the outside diameter of their WLRs to a smaller diameter. I had all of these loaded, so did not take any measurements among the primers to check.

I'm hoping someone else has encountered this same thing, and can tell me what their thinking is and whether they went on and used the rounds.

 

[ZR2Chevy22]

Thanx for reply superCD. Hornady brass, not crimped. I've used CCI and Federal and another box of WLRs in the same brass, and they seated nicely without any hitch, glitch or b... or additional force.

My own inexperienced thinking was at one point in the past Winchester changed the outside diameter of their WLRs to a smaller diameter. I had all of these loaded, so did not take any measurements among the primers to check.

I'm hoping someone else has encountered this same thing, and can tell me what their thinking is and whether they went on and used the rounds.

You might double check because about half the hornady brass I have loaded for my 308 had been crimped.

 

[supercorndogs]

Me too. I bought some long time ago that wasn't, but all the hornady 308 brass I have brought in the last few years has been crimped. And little crescent moon shaped pieces of metal is what i get when I don't get the crimp cut all the way out.

 

[LG65CM]

ZR2- thanks so much for your suggestion. I checked my factory boxed ammo of different weights, all 6.5 Creedmoor. No sign of crimps. Then did an internet search re: crimped cartridges and 'hornady crimped primers'. To make sure I knew what I was looking for. Then double checked my Hornady ammo and my Federal and Winchester. No crimps. I found that Hornady crimped, at one time, their 6.8 rounds.. So, I called Hornady.

Got ahold of a great sounding guy who told me, 'yes they do crimp 6.8. And 'no' they do not crimp their 6.5 Creedmoor. I asked whether there were any other rounds they made that they do crimp. Here is what he said: 'We do crimp our .556, their 6.8, some 300 Blackout, and some 308.' He mentioned that they tend to crimp the military calibers and because they are mostly used in semi/full-auto guns and they crimp to make sure the primers do not come loose.

His thinking was same as mine. That I got a 'batch' (100 round box) where the primers were larger in diameter than the norm. I then asked him whether I should fire the cartridges where the filings came from the primers. He said it was 6 of one and half dozen of the other. He did not state to absolutely not shoot them. I kept them segregated and won't use them.

I got the drift that what happened to me did not sound like a new problem or issue to him. He sounded like he had been around a long time. He sounded like a good guy. Took only 5 minutes to get through to him. My first time trying customer service of Hornady's. I'm satisfied.

 

[spife7980]

Primer specs from saami if you wanted to compare

 

[LG65CM]

Thanx Spife, saved that for future reference in a folder where I save these sorts of things.

Primer specs from saami if you wanted to compare
View attachment 6891015

 

[jet_lagged]

Shaving is a thread of brass from the crimp. Rounds are perfectly safe to fire, but will have a chance of a mis-fire due to the crimp not being removed prior to seating the new primer.