Primer Crud

[Jack Flacket]

So, i'm just wondering, after you've tumbled your brass and begin reloading, All of the soot from the primer that is left there while you're installing the next primer- will it get in the way and keep you from getting the new primer all the way in? or is it just ash? I am using a progressive machine and it deprimes just before priming and the crud is never cleaned out. Do you guys deprime and then clean and then continue on?

 

[sunray]

"...will it get in the way..." Not likely. It's not quite ash, but it usually gets burned enough not to cause any grief. Mind you, I'm not using a progressive press either.
There's two schools of thought for cleaning. Deprime then clean or clean first. Not cleaning first may scratch the die if the carbon on the case gets hard enough. That'd be rare. Depriming then cleaning can result in clogged primer pockets too. The tumbler media sometimes gets stuck in the pockets. A finishing nail takes it out.

 

[joe-nwt]

Most likely anything you are reloading on a progressive will show no appreciable accuracy gains by cleaning the primer pockets.

Matter of fact, I think you would have to be a heck of an accomplished shooter with a very accurate gun to notice any difference what so ever. IMHO.

I have NEVER cleaned the primer pockets on a pistol round, and I'm not accomplished enough to notice much difference on rifle. I do it anyway for rifle, probably for no other reason than it can't hurt.

 

[Jack Flacket]

thanks for the replies!

 

[RePete]

I did side by each tests with my .308, and there wasn't any difference in the results.

Based on that, I don't clean my primer pockets.

 

[agent_mango]

My reloading is done for precision rifle, so I deprime, tumble, size, etc, etc, and then the last thing I do is use a primer pocket uniformer. It's essentially a cutting tool you use with your drill that opens up each pocket to the same depth, and by doing so of course cleans most of the crud.

w ww.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=RECPUN&item=UN-8001&type=store

Does it have an effect in downrange precision? I don't have enough shooting experience to say. But I can tell just by eye and touch that without using it primers seat to different heights in once-fired winchester brass, but with using it they seat to the same depth every time.