Loose Primer Pockets

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Cobber

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I've been looking at various items on the web about loose primer pockets. I have some Imperial .308 Win brass with pockets that don't all hold their primers. I'm using it in my Norc M14S so accuracy isn't a huge isuue. Getting a supply of brass is.

Has anyone had any luck or experience with methods of swaging the heads of brass cases to re-establish tight primer pockets? I know Magna Engineering offers a tool to swage the skirts off .45 ACP brass but I'm not sure that helps the primer pocket area.

Any suggetions would be appreciated. I have a Dillon super swager so over sizing the heads and then swaging the pockets back likely would work too.
 
Loose primer pockets are usually a sign of over pressure. I would never use these cases again. 308 cases are easy to find and inexpensive. Higginson's Powder sells once fired commercial 308 cases for $9.00/50. It's just not worth to fool around with trying to swage the old ones. Anyway, just my $0.02 worth
 
As has already been said, the brass with loose primer pockets is past it's useful life. I might add, if this loosening is occurring in any less than 6 or 7 firings, your load is too hot for the components you are using or the firearm it is being used in. I would be backing off that load a bit. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Brass doesn't last forever my friend,...

so in case you do not like to get a "facial",
dump it and get new or once fired brass, like the other guys suggested.

loose primer pockets is a sure sign of over pressure, bad brass or just plein simple old brass which was fired too many times.
 
In my experience, Imperial brass was never very good for reloading; its life was always short. As already said, it is junk and there is no point in spending a lot of money and effort to try to fix it. .308 brass is readily available. I cannot tell where in the country you live, so we cannot help you in discussing brass in your area, but it is available on this site, and others. Check the site sponsors as well.
 
Many thanks for all the replies, especially about Higginson brass. To put some minds at ease the brass was probably fired in a machine gun in the good old days when guys lkie me who are grandfathered could also legally shoot their autos at a range.

My standard load in the Norc is 42.1 grs IMR4064 behind a 168 Sierra Matchking and in front of a WLR primer. That's way below the usuall maximum listed in any reputable manual and I have upwards of 20 of those accumulated over time since 1972 when I started reloading. One thing I liked about the Imperial brass in my Norc was that the good ones I have (no loose primers) seemed to last for multiple firings without the slightest indication of deterioration. This also means I'm not tempted to run my Lapua match brass through the M14S. After the first trip thru the spout all cases are FL sized with the die (Hornady Evolution) to just set the shoulder back about 3 or 4 thou. I guess with the cavernous chamber on the Norc I have now got 7.62 x 53.5 brass but other than the tiniest trim in my Gracey these guys go round ofer round without trouble.

This is gratifying when you consider that a guy like Zediker calls the M14 and its relatives brass monsters.

Anyway, my skills as a machinist usually tempt me to try tool experiments which add a lot to the pleasure I get from gunsmithing and reloading.

To sum up, I will bow to collective concern and chuck the suspect brass. I will get in touch with Higginson (where are those wonderful bulk powders from the AMmomart days?) to see if I can get a good batch of 308.

By the way, to answer the question of where I am, the answer is Headingley, Manitoba the west side of Winnipeg.

Regards
 
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