Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Tight primer pockets on new Hornady 6.5CM brass???

I was prepping some Hornady brass and after checking length and case mouth I started priming them on an old Rock Chucker. I found that in about 60-70% of the cases I would have to retry to set the primer to the proper depth and was amazed at how much force was required. A question pops into my mind if this would affect accuracy out at extended distances. If I were hand priming these I don't think I could have set the primer to the proper depth. I was using some Fed 210M primers and wondered if those primers seem to run on the outside of sizing or if the brass was just cut with tight pockets???

Hopefully after shooting these 100 rounds thing will loosen up but not sure....................

Maybe switch to a different brass manufacturer.

Just talked to a tech at Hornady and he assured me that the brass was withing spec without looking at any lot numbers and that there wasn't much he would do. After talking to him I get the feeling that if I were to send a case back to them after firing, I would be told that it was withing spec.

It don't sound like your 'prepping' includes uniforming primer pockets......

I've had Hornady brass with pockets on the tight side, and for a long time I've found Federal large rifle primers to fit snugly in many types of brass.

Ditto. For Hornady brass, I suggest Winchester or Remington primers. They seem to seat easier in the tighter Hornady pockets. And my experience with Hornady tech support has been equally unimpressive. And just to really annoy me, they crimp their primer pockets on all their .308 and .223 factory ammo, just to make it a bitch to reload.

Put in three more grains of juice than ya think you need. They will loosen up just fine.

Yes, It would probably take almost 5 minutes to uniform the pockets of 100 rds.

Thanks to Mathman and 2nd Timer for some meaningful input. I hadn't used these 210m primers before and only used Federal primers in general on a limited basis.

Fred III - I like your recommendation and it did cross my mind but with a new gun and a new caliber I was thinking to change things up a wee bit and be more conservative....but I like the way you think.Thanks.

Yep.


Its better than loose pockets....

One thing to try, take a no2 pencil and go around the sides of pocket a couple times. Then seat the primer, it makes seating them easier. Might have to do that next time you load as well. Give it a try, don't cost anything.

I had the same problem with Hornady brass, and also with Starline. Maybe 20-30% were tight, and just the lack of uniformity is troubling. Called Starline and they basically blew me off, just as Hornady did with you.

The Hornady brass came from once fired factory loads. Some of the primer pockets were so shallow that I couldn't seat primers deep enough to get the case out of the priming tool holder. The loading machines they used must have tremendous pressure. In both of these situations, the pressure I needed to seat primers was so hard that I was afraid I'd set off a primer or break the tool.

You can get large and small primer pocket go no/go gauges from Brownell's. Not expensive, and I find them extremely useful in that you don't need to guess whether the primer pockets are within spec.

I found a way to fix the brass, but it requires a lathe and would be difficult and less precise to do it by hand. A #4 reamer is just about .0005 over minimum primer pocket diameter for large rifle. I ream the pockets and also use the bottom truing tool. A bit tedious, but it makes the pockets perfectly uniform and you only need to do it once.

Paul

I just primed 50 Hornady 6.5 CM cases and all the pockets were very tight with Winchester LR primers.

Do you think this is a quality control issue or are they made that way due to the high pressure (62 000 or 63 000psi).

The lack of uniformity suggests QC. According to the chart that the maker of the gauges has on their website, there is an acceptable range of diameters for primer pockets. So long as they are within the range specified, they should be safe. I can't imagine that deliberately making primer pockets undersized would allow higher pressures.

https://ballistictools.com/articles/primer-pocket-depth-and-diameter.php

https://ballistictools.com/store/reloading-products/small-and-large-primer-pocket-gauges

Paul

Federals always seem a bit tight for me in standard size cases. I only run them in Magnum cases nowadays, they seem to slide into them a little better. I use a CCI 250 Mag for my Hornady CM brass and haven't had a problem getting them below flush even when I don't clean the crud outta the pockets.

My thinking wasn't that tight primer pockets allow higher pressures.

It was that maybe that the primer pocket stays tight for more firings with high pressure cartridges.

Your issue is twofold... schitty primer pockets and one of , if not the biggest diameter LR primers. Check this out.



http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy177/laFiere/RiflePrimerDimensions_zps40268d47.jpg

The thread ends with this.

Uniforming primer pockets should be a refinement, not a necessity to make the brass load properly. Average Joe Handloader should be able to seat primers in brass just as it comes from the box (or bag).

Paul

Average Joe Handloader don't prep......

Which was my point, but he shouldn't have to.

On a somewhat related note, the other day I was talking with an experienced shooter and handloader who didn't know what a case trimmer was, said he never had to trim cases. Geez!

Paul

Well, my point was he said he prepped. Most anyone who preps, takes care of the pockets and flash holes while doing that prepping.