Primer seating questions

[huntandjeep]

So this is my first attempt at reloading and have a few questions about seating the primers.
1st. Is it OK that the primer be slightly lower ( more towards the flash hole) than flush with the base of the case?
2nd. I just primed 50 Winchester 7mm cases with CCI 250 primers and some of the primers ( maybe 10)  went in a lot easier than the rest . Is that normal?
Thanks Allen

[jay.sharkbait]

1) That's normal

2) Do you have mixed new and fired brass? My guess is the ones that were easy had been fired more or at a higher pressure than the others.

[magnumb]

1) That's normal

2) Do you have mixed new and fired brass? My guess is the ones that were easy had been fired more or at a higher pressure than the others.

 

1)  I use a 1/8in. thick piece of 'unbreakable' glass, 4" x 4" and after I prime each case, I place the primed case on the glass and slightly tip the case and let go.  If the case stops rocking immediately, the primer is seated into the primer pocket  adequately.  If it doesn't stop immediately and rocks a bit more before coming to a complete rest, simply reprime it down just slightly until you get the desired depth.  Any hard, very smooth surface will do, but sometimes I prime in a different area than my reloading room, so I just take this piece of glass, primers and cases with me.

2)  If some primers seat so easily that you feel very little pressure when seating it, your primer pockets are enlarged......discard and/or recycle them as they now cannot be reloaded safely.  You also don't want them anywhere around your bench so that you accidently place them back in with your good brass 

Enlarged primers pockets can occur in a few ways.  Manufacturer made the pockets too large (rare, but possible), your pocket uniformer is too large (again, rare), the primer pockets were uniformed too much or improperly or most likely, from excessive pressures from a particular load which can occur after the first firing or any subsequent firings.

I don't buy brass unless it's new and I buy the best brass that I can afford.  It is no guarantee of anything, but it does make your odds better of having more uniform brass from the get-go.  Knowing the history of your brass is, IMO, very important.  If these cases were new and only reloaded by you, your suspicions are then more easily eliminated.  Reducing your load is likely the most prudent approach.

Good luck and good for you for asking........

[huntandjeep]

OK good to know its OK if the primers are a little low.
As for the brass they came loaded with the rifle from the guy who built the rifle, so I'm not sure on the times its been loaded. I've shot all that up so now I'm starting to reload them to his recipe.
Are they safe to shoot ?

[magnumb]

OK good to know its OK if the primers are a little low.
As for the brass they came loaded with the rifle from the guy who built the rifle, so I'm not sure on the times its been loaded. I've shot all that up so now I'm starting to reload them to his recipe

Again..........enlarged primers pockets can occur after just one firing from a load with excessive pressures or it could show up after any subsequent firing.  IMHO.....enlarged primer pockets have always appeared within the first 2 firings......3, at most.

Good luck!

[jay.sharkbait]

you don't have a picture of a fired case with the spent primer still in it?

[300rum]

Yes, you want to seat the primer fully.  If you don't, when the firing pin hits your primer it will have to push the primer in until it contacts the web of the flash hole (for a lack of a better term).  This may give you a "light strike" and the primer may not touch off as the firing pin is using its energy on seating the primer instead of denting it.  Fully seat your primer and run a finger over it, it should be slightly inset in the primer pocket.  Once you have ran your finger over a few, you will eventually get a "feel" for a correctly seated primer or (more importantly) a high primer.

What are you priming on (progressive, hand primer, single stage?)and what cartridge are you priming?  It is normal to have varying levels of resistance when seating.  Resistance can be caused by a crimped primer pocket or not having the primer perfectly centered to the hole when seating.  When you have really loose primer pockets because of over use or over swaging you may have a primer back out under (typically heavy) recoil.  This is common in higher recoiling rifles and revolvers.  It will lock up a revolver quick (revolvers don't jam, right?) or will/can cause a "light strike" as explained above.  In a worse case scenario, it can cause a slam fire or touch off out of battery (which is real bad), especially in auto loading rifles........       

[300rum]

Are you using his brass that has already been loaded at least once?  I would start over especially if you are shooting 7mm Remington mag or something like that. 

OK good to know its OK if the primers are a little low.
As for the brass they came loaded with the rifle from the guy who built the rifle, so I'm not sure on the times its been loaded. I've shot all that up so now I'm starting to reload them to his recipe.
Are they safe to shoot ?

[HawkCreek]

What brand of brass is it? Some , like Federal, have pretty soft brass. I have some .308 Federal brass that had sloppy primer pockets after being reloaded only 2 times (they weren't from hot loads either).

ETA: never mind I see it's Winny brass. First time I read it I thought it was a Winchester rifle.

[huntandjeep]

Jay.Sharkbait no I don't have a picture.

300RUM Im using an RCBS hand primer . Priming Winchester brass for a 7mm Rem mag,  and yes this is his brass. When I bought the rifle he gave me 50 rounds already setup to the load the rifle likes. I have since shot those 50 and am reloading them again. And Im sure he has shot/loaded them before . So this "could" be the 3rd reload on them.

[jay.sharkbait]

Jay.Sharkbait no I don't have a picture.

300RUM Im using an RCBS hand primer . Priming Winchester brass for a 7mm Rem mag,  and yes this is his brass. When I bought the rifle he gave me 50 rounds already setup to the load the rifle likes. I have since shot those 50 and am reloading them again. And Im sure he has shot/loaded them before . So this "could" be the 3rd reload on them.

No worries

I am curious what the pet load is though. Care to share?

[huntandjeep]

Jay.Sharkbait no I don't have a picture.

300RUM Im using an RCBS hand primer . Priming Winchester brass for a 7mm Rem mag,  and yes this is his brass. When I bought the rifle he gave me 50 rounds already setup to the load the rifle likes. I have since shot those 50 and am reloading them again. And Im sure he has shot/loaded them before . So this "could" be the 3rd reload on them.

No worries

I am curious what the pet load is though. Care to share?

Winchester brass , CCI 250 primers , 168 gr Berger's , 67.5 grs. Imr 7828ssc. 3125fps

[jay.sharkbait]

Jay.Sharkbait no I don't have a picture.

300RUM Im using an RCBS hand primer . Priming Winchester brass for a 7mm Rem mag,  and yes this is his brass. When I bought the rifle he gave me 50 rounds already setup to the load the rifle likes. I have since shot those 50 and am reloading them again. And Im sure he has shot/loaded them before . So this "could" be the 3rd reload on them.

No worries

I am curious what the pet load is though. Care to share?

Winchester brass , CCI 250 primers , 168 gr Berger's , 67.5 grs. Imr 7828ssc. 3125fps

That's why

It might be on the warm side.

Hell, if it's shooting well stick with it.

I'd buy new brass though.

[huntandjeep]

Jay.Sharkbait no I don't have a picture.

300RUM Im using an RCBS hand primer . Priming Winchester brass for a 7mm Rem mag,  and yes this is his brass. When I bought the rifle he gave me 50 rounds already setup to the load the rifle likes. I have since shot those 50 and am reloading them again. And Im sure he has shot/loaded them before . So this "could" be the 3rd reload on them.

No worries

I am curious what the pet load is though. Care to share?

Winchester brass , CCI 250 primers , 168 gr Berger's , 67.5 grs. Imr 7828ssc. 3125fps

That's why

It might be on the warm side.

Hell, if it's shooting well stick with it.

I'd buy new brass though.

So your saying because I'm running the 67.5 grains instead of the max load of 65.3 grs ( according to the Berger manual ) that's why the primers are loose ? Why would only 10 ( i didnt actually count them all ) of the 50 be like this ?
The rifle is shooting this load extremely well.
I have a new box of brass on the reloading table now, just wanted to use these 1 more time.

[jay.sharkbait]

Jay.Sharkbait no I don't have a picture.

300RUM Im using an RCBS hand primer . Priming Winchester brass for a 7mm Rem mag,  and yes this is his brass. When I bought the rifle he gave me 50 rounds already setup to the load the rifle likes. I have since shot those 50 and am reloading them again. And Im sure he has shot/loaded them before . So this "could" be the 3rd reload on them.

No worries

I am curious what the pet load is though. Care to share?

Winchester brass , CCI 250 primers , 168 gr Berger's , 67.5 grs. Imr 7828ssc. 3125fps

That's why

It might be on the warm side.

Hell, if it's shooting well stick with it.

I'd buy new brass though.

So your saying because I'm running the 67.5 grains instead of the max load of 65.3 grs ( according to the Berger manual ) that's why the primers are loose ? Why would only 10 ( i didnt actually count them all ) of the 50 be like this ?
The rifle is shooting this load extremely well.
I have a new box of brass on the reloading table now, just wanted to use these 1 more time.

My guess is those 10 have been loaded more than the others.

[yorketransport]

So your saying because I'm running the 67.5 grains instead of the max load of 65.3 grs ( according to the Berger manual ) that's why the primers are loose ? Why would only 10 ( i didnt actually count them all ) of the 50 be like this ?
The rifle is shooting this load extremely well.
I have a new box of brass on the reloading table now, just wanted to use these 1 more time.

That's more than a little on the hot side by my standards.

Trying to get one more load out of those is false economy. A blown primer can cause pitting on the bolt face which is much more expensive to fix than buying a box of new brass.

Each case will react differently to the same load. It's also possible that there was something different (seating depth, charge weight, etc) about those 10 cases.
Andrew

[fastdam]

I have had new Winchester brass, with primer pocket tension variations.  I never measured the primers themselves before either...everything has tolerances.

[300rum]

I would start over with new brass too.  If that is the load the rifle likes then that is the one you should use, SAMMI is just a guide,not a rule.  Make sure that you know the signs of pressure.  When shooting that hot just know that brass life (and barrel life) is going to go down.