Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles reloading order - prime before sizing??

Just wondering:
If I wanted to, could I prime cases BEFORE full length resizing? I OF COURSE would remove the primer punch (or at least raise it) first.
These are cases that don't need to be trimmed at this point.

Any real safety problems with this??

I don't see how there would be if you remove the depriming pin.
of course you would still want the center spindle in there for the neck.

So what is it going to gain you other than saying I did it my way?

The case lube might contaminate the primer, rendering it useless. I'd just wait until after I sized it. It MIGHT stretch a fuzz coming out of the sizer die, too, which might mean you'd have to trim it anyhow.

I don't think you'd gain a single, solitary thing by priming before sizing.

I've done it when I hurriedly primed some brass that was not sized yet...stupid me. I removed the decapping pin. I also used the old fashioned lube pad to prevent contaminating the primer. I even had to trim a few. No issues for me. YMMV

If I had to do it all over again, I'd just pop out the primer with my universal decapping die. Done right, the primers can be reused.

RH

I wouldn't. While primed new cases are probably okay, just pull the decap pin and lightly size the neck to get it round, I wouldn't prime-then-resize.

You should make it a practice to prime only when the next step is to powder and load. It's just smarter. I say this not just for all the reasons noted above, but because I've been "burnt" with a stuck, primed case from time to time, you know, going light on the lube in order not to wreck the primer? I HATE that.

Further, when it comes to FL resizing, I'm getting to the point where I won't even put the decapper and button rod in the die for the "big squeeze" for cases that need an FL size.

Instead, I will run the batch through the FL die, if I stick one I can drive it out with a nice beefy drill rod instead of messing with an extractor kit, or risking breaking the decapper.

If I'm feeling really paranoid, I will hose the cases down with lube, I mean REALLY hose them, then wash/tumble them clean after FL sizing and before the next step. Can't do that with primed cases.

Once I have the big squeeze done on the batch, and the lube off, then I will come back with an NS die, deprime/prime at that point. I suppose there's a little runout risk, but probably no worse than any case that isn't fireformed to the chamber.
I've just found that doing FL size runs like that, especially for ARs in 223, takes less overall time then trying to FL size a big batch while hoping you don't stick a case.

You could always do what I do... skip FLS altogether and just use the Lee Collet Neck Sizer Die, which requires no lube...

If you like to run through a tumbler you could use the universal decapping die, then reseat primers, tumble, size w/ Lee Collet Neck Sizer, charge and seat?

I guess I'm not sure what you figure to be gaining by doing things in that order, but to each his own... I don't even bother tumbling or removing primer residue anymore.

Neck size, prime, charge, seat, BOOM, neck size, prime, charge, seat, BOOM, ad infinitum so far as I can tell.

The rifles I've used this sytem on haven't "needed" FLS for something like 15 loadings? I'm pretty sure I have really old '06 cases that have been loaded close to 20x w/out "fatalities," although around about that time annealing of the necks is in order. I say "pretty sure" cuz back when I was carefully prepping each case I wasn't as careful about keeping track of lots and number of loadings per case... it was all once-fired brass from factory-load shooting heathens... I mean, friends.

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If he already has a batch of cases that were already primed then it would be logical to remove the decapper pin and size the cases, That's what I would do.

Well yeah, JB, but again, if he's FL sizing and gets stuck, he's got a live primer to deal with (not THAT big a deal, but still an issue) or he risks lubing the primer.

OK guys,
I have already gotten my dies and have NOT done anything stupid (or marginally dumb). Will be doing things in the recommended order. Wasn't PLANNING to do this, but seeing if there are good enough reasons NOT to - which all of the above are definitely good enough!!!
Thanks for the advice/concern.

Size first, then trim, then prime as a separate step after you wipe the lube off the case. If you have to.

Yep.............

Funny thing is... I ended up doing what I didn't want to do anyway. AFter I loaded a few 100 the way I am supposed to and shot them. I need to load more, so I primed 100 cases and added powder. As I was seating bullets, I found that they all just fell into the case??? Then I realized I hadn't sized them ! (first time I only sized the amount I wanted to load right then...) SO... I emptied one case of powder, raised my primer punch and FL sized them with the primer in (which is what I was TRYING to avoid!). Put the powder back in & seated the bullet. As I was checking for COAL, I found that the punch pushed out the primer about .008" , so I had to use my hand priming tool to push it BACK in (AFTER I seated bullets). Took a lot longer than I was plannign to load those 100 cases. Certainly made me a bit nervous re-seating primers on LOADED ammo!
I can guarantee I WON'T make this same mistake again (at least I hope not).

I suspect that you won't........

When I first started handloading, I kept a note on my reloadin' bench stating in the exact order what I needed to do from tumbling cases to seating the bullet. I kept it up for about a year and referred to it whenever I sat down to do any reloadin'. I've made up many such notes for other's whom I have since taught how to reload. They have found such notes to be of great help.

Beats wonderin'.........IMHO.

Good luck.

huh I'm impressed and disgusted at the same time

+1 Great advice, in fact, I still have two lists framed above my bench, one for rifle and one for handgun loading. Make sure you are 100% focused with no distractions while you are loading. It only takes a second to make what may be a serious mistake.

Good Hunting,

Bob

Good advise from Bobcats quote...

Mark....
Someday, in the dark distant future, you WILL make a mistake again. Next time, unscrew the ball and take the punch pin OUT.

I admit to using a universal deprimer for all of my depriming..

on my dies, I take out the deprimer pin from the sizer ball, on ALL of them...

If I need to resize a case that has somehow gotten primed first, between a Redding Body Die and a Lee Collet Neck sizing die, with no decapping pin on it, I'm pretty much set...

as far as depriming a live primer.. I know it is usable again..but after hearing about a few guys that had one go off doing that, I decided to quit doing that one..

After I resized a case with a primer already in, I place it upside down with the primer in the air..that way lube doesn't drain down to the primer..
then I throw it in the tumbler for a 5 to 10 minutes, to remove any potential of lube contamination...

dust from the tumbling media doesn't seem to phase the primers..

this is a lot safer than depriming a live case...

if I don't do it this way, then I will fire the primer off in the rifle and then deprime and put a new primer in...

the loss of the price of a primer, vs the safety risk....isn't worth it just to save a 3.5 cent primer..

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I'm with you, Seafire, that is my procedure as well.

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