Sitting here priming some 1x fired Federal GGM brass. Shot through my rifle. Primer pockets uniformed, flashholes deburred, and trimmed to uniform length. Occasionally come across (6/100) whose primer pockets were excessively loose. What is the cons of just shooting these one time and throwing them away? Not too tight to throw away the primers, just hate to throw away the effort on the brass to no avail. What is worse possible scenerio on loose primer pockets? Thanks
- Thread starter krw
- Start date
Re: Priming Federal brass questions
Not questioning your competence in any way but how are you determining your primer pocket are loose?
okie
Not questioning your competence in any way but how are you determining your primer pocket are loose?
okie
Re: Priming Federal brass questions
I don't see a reason to worry about it until the pocket is so loose you can take a decap pin and push the spent primer out without a press, just using finger pressure.
If you can't push it out by hand, I just keep shooting it til I can do that.
When you find a soft piece, it's not going to hurt the live primer to check with this method either. I place the pieces of "loose" brass on the side and check them while wearing safety glasses and a leather glove just to be safe, but in thousands and thousands of rounds that have been reloaded umpteen times, I've never popped a live primer like this and I've never had a primer problem from a soft primer pocket.
I have problems when I run the brass at 70ksi and try to load it more than a few times or shoot it in hot weather.
I don't see a reason to worry about it until the pocket is so loose you can take a decap pin and push the spent primer out without a press, just using finger pressure.
If you can't push it out by hand, I just keep shooting it til I can do that.
When you find a soft piece, it's not going to hurt the live primer to check with this method either. I place the pieces of "loose" brass on the side and check them while wearing safety glasses and a leather glove just to be safe, but in thousands and thousands of rounds that have been reloaded umpteen times, I've never popped a live primer like this and I've never had a primer problem from a soft primer pocket.
I have problems when I run the brass at 70ksi and try to load it more than a few times or shoot it in hot weather.
Re: Priming Federal brass questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Easy, never know unless you ask. See you knew and I didn't, now I'll throw the brass with loose pockets away.
</div></div>
NO, NO !! recycle it or give it to someone who saves brass, copper, lead or any of what i refer to as "precious metals" OK ??
thank you.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Easy, never know unless you ask. See you knew and I didn't, now I'll throw the brass with loose pockets away.
NO, NO !! recycle it or give it to someone who saves brass, copper, lead or any of what i refer to as "precious metals" OK ??
thank you.
Re: Priming Federal brass questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use an RCBS hand priming tool, and you can feel how much resistence,or how snug primer goes in. </div></div>
Ya, thats what I've used for years too. I've used them that felt really loose with the hand primer but never have had one push out even with pretty stought loads like 45 gr. of Varget pushing 178's. I've always read on here that FGMM brass is soft and not good for reloading but I'm on the 5th loading on some of mine now and have had no problems. Its consistant, sizes well, dosn't stretch fast like you would expect soft brass to do and I get it free so I'm gonna use it for 5 loadings anyway.
okie
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use an RCBS hand priming tool, and you can feel how much resistence,or how snug primer goes in. </div></div>
Ya, thats what I've used for years too. I've used them that felt really loose with the hand primer but never have had one push out even with pretty stought loads like 45 gr. of Varget pushing 178's. I've always read on here that FGMM brass is soft and not good for reloading but I'm on the 5th loading on some of mine now and have had no problems. Its consistant, sizes well, dosn't stretch fast like you would expect soft brass to do and I get it free so I'm gonna use it for 5 loadings anyway.
okie
Re: Priming Federal brass questions
I've got Federal brass that is into 9 and 10 reloads with no annealing, always full length resized too. Loaded 43.5-46 grains of Varget each time. Not refuting anyone who shoots more in a week than I do in a year!
Just lucky I guess, and cheap too, but my amazing good looks are still paramount to me and the ladies
so I'll watch out for this.
I've got Federal brass that is into 9 and 10 reloads with no annealing, always full length resized too. Loaded 43.5-46 grains of Varget each time. Not refuting anyone who shoots more in a week than I do in a year!
Just lucky I guess, and cheap too, but my amazing good looks are still paramount to me and the ladies
Re: Priming Federal brass questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sitting here priming some 1x fired Federal GGM brass. Shot through my rifle. Primer pockets uniformed, flashholes deburred, and trimmed to uniform length. Occasionally come across (6/100) whose primer pockets were excessively loose. What is the cons of just shooting these one time and throwing them away? Not too tight to throw away the primers, just hate to throw away the effort on the brass to no avail. What is worse possible scenerio on loose primer pockets? Thanks </div></div>
I take the primed case by three fingers and whack it the heel of my open palm. If it doesn't fly out or move out of the pocket at all, it's good to go for me.
If it moves any, I scrap it. I've had one or two go flying out, in the past, so it does happen.
Chris
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sitting here priming some 1x fired Federal GGM brass. Shot through my rifle. Primer pockets uniformed, flashholes deburred, and trimmed to uniform length. Occasionally come across (6/100) whose primer pockets were excessively loose. What is the cons of just shooting these one time and throwing them away? Not too tight to throw away the primers, just hate to throw away the effort on the brass to no avail. What is worse possible scenerio on loose primer pockets? Thanks </div></div>
I take the primed case by three fingers and whack it the heel of my open palm. If it doesn't fly out or move out of the pocket at all, it's good to go for me.
If it moves any, I scrap it. I've had one or two go flying out, in the past, so it does happen.
Chris
Re: Priming Federal brass questions
Consistently shooting with loose primer pockets will etch a ring around the firing pin on your bolt face. Also, when fired, the primer can back out slightly at the moment of ignition then the brass swells and comes back and "reseats" the primer, flattening it so you think you have higher pressure than you really have.
Consistently shooting with loose primer pockets will etch a ring around the firing pin on your bolt face. Also, when fired, the primer can back out slightly at the moment of ignition then the brass swells and comes back and "reseats" the primer, flattening it so you think you have higher pressure than you really have.
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