Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Cleaning primer pockets

How often do you do this? I have a tendency to scrape too hard, and this has to led to misfires from the primers being seated too deep. Happened in two different guns, so I’m pretty sure my technique is the cause. Any help is appreciated.

Only when super duper bored as really unnecessary. If I do I use a brush that doesn’t remove metal

I'll do it after about 4 firings. As the carbon starts getting caked in there by that time. I hit it with my frankford arsenal case prep tool. Its not a wire brush, but it works well.

I use a primer pocket tool from Sinclair and do it every time.

Get a cleaner that shoulders on the base of the case, then it will not constantly get deeper...

This but I don’t do it every time. I do it the first time and they get clean when I clean the brass.

I pop the primers out with a Frankford Arsenal deprimer, then wet tumble the brass. No need to ever clean them again.

"every time" is an overkill. Cleaning the flash hole and making sure it is burr free is far more important. Also, if the tool removes any brass from inside the primer pocket, you are taking life away from the brass each time you do that and may end up in the same boat as the OP..

I'd throw that hand deburring tool as far as I could chuck it.. Then I'd probably run it over with the lawn mower. I hate those fugging things..

A Sinclair tool should only remove brass once. They have a stop collar.

That is a good thing. No harm in cleaning the primer pocket with that tool then. I understand that guys can be real anal about some things, but I have not found cleaning primer pockets to be a necessity for getting the utmost precision out of your handloads. Now, if the carbon is interfering with seating depth or you are getting some weird detonation problems like hangfires or something, I'd investigate the primer pockets and make sure the primers are getting seated properly. Also keeping in mind this is the "big game" reloading section, not the precision reloading forum.. If you are into shooting in the .1's or .2's with a full blown bench rest rifle you may want to be that nit picky, but for reloading hunting rifle ammo, nah..

I've had the Sinclair tools for a long time, but in almost sixty years of handloading, I've not seen a need to clean primer pockets. I did uniform some primer pockets for a benchrest gun once, but I'm not sure that was really a necessity.

I think it’s not necessary to clean primer pockets, though I have at times. I have a wet tumbler that cleans everything but I think that’s a PIA. I also have a vibratory cleaner and I have the same steel pins in it that are used in the wet tumbler, I like that more than the wet tumbler for most uses. The wet tumbler is the way to go with black powder cartridges cases IMO.

I use a brush and clean the pocket every time I reload, no big deal it takes about 5 seconds.....Hb

I’m waiting for someone to prove that cleaning a primer pocket is even necessary. I doubt anyone here has shot many more rounds than I have, and I will guarantee, no one has cleaned less primer pockets.

Zero, out of 10’s if not 100’s of thousands of rounds.

I won’t argue someone shooting bench rest competition, I have never done that. Outside of that, there has never been any evidence that cleaning a primer picket was the least bit necessary.

One comment “it only takes 5 seconds” would add so much time to reloading, I wouldn’t have time to shoot for the time I would spend cleaning primer pockets…

I clean pockets with an RCBS brush to make sure primers are fully seated.

For test loads, I have reprimed rifle cases without cleaning when I see a clear passage and feel the primer fully seated.

All my rifle loads, cleaned or not - fired at expected fps.

FWIW - on a few pistol loads, I've had primers not fully seated due to grit causing cylinder rotation stoppage on a Ruger and Colt.

So at least on pistol loads, I'll check every one for flush fit.

+1

Clean them every time with a hand held RCBS wire brush. Sometimes I put the brush in a cordless drill. Does it help with accuracy? IDK? Does it make me feel better? Yes.

It is a pain though, I am almost done with about 300 .243 cases right now.

There's 50 7x57 cases in the tumbler now....

If you think that it helps, then it does. Competitive shooters understand this.