Primer Pockets ?

[Greg Duerr]

Ive been shooting fireformed Lapua Brass for my .243 AI..............when seating my primers Ive noticed that some cases the primers go in really easy. At what point do you get rid of them ................on some I can push in the primer with my fingers, are those cases done?

G

 

[Tikkamike]

Yes those cases are done. You should be getting 10+ reloads out of your lapua brass if you arent getting that much id back it down a half grain at a time until you start getting better brass life. Unless short brass life doesnt bother you then keep on keepin on. When the primer pockets loose resistance like the ones you have then replace them

 

[Black Tail Hunter]

I have this same issue with my 7.82 Warbird. R.W. Hart makes a tool to swage the primer pockets so they will still retain primers. I have read mixed reviews, some say it works great and others say that the punch is too soft and mushrooms easily. I would like to try one myself though because it may be a good way to extend the life of expensive and time consuming brass. I am just a cheap A** and havent sprung for one yet. Probably when i accumulate more loose brass I will get one.

 

[varmintH8R]

Yes those cases are done. You should be getting 10+ reloads out of your lapua brass if you arent getting that much id back it down a half grain at a time until you start getting better brass life. Unless short brass life doesnt bother you then keep on keepin on. When the primer pockets loose resistance like the ones you have then replace them

+1. If you can push them in easy it's time to scrap.

 

[johnnyk]

It is hard for me to let go of brass, especially if my loads are turning out good accuracy. Add to the fact that it's somewhat pricey and hard to find these days and it makes me more reluctant to toss it!
I have some .300WinMag Frontier brass (Hornady) that I have been shooting for about 8 years. I have "stepped" on it quiet a bit and shoot mostly book max or slightly above. A few years back I noticied the primer pockets getting loose so I purchased the RW Hart & Sons Case Saver. IME, it does not return it to factory tight but does give you a little more life out of your brass.

I make a small red Sharpie mark on the case belt during primer seating, if it feels looser than I think it should be. During the next prep session I look for these particular pieces and use the Case Saver on them.
I did it this way because not all the primer pockets have the same tension. It seems to be working pretty good and I have not had to re-tighten a previously tightened piece of brass.

I'm not sure this will extend the life of ones brass forever but between this and annealling I should get a little longer brass life. Happy, happy, happy!

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Why the heck would you up run to charge levels that would loosen primers?? Playing with fire, man....

 

[Greg Duerr]

Thats the one thing I dont like about the Ackley rounds like my .243 AI I dont now what Max is and I have run some hot loads through my cases........

100gr bullets at 3350fps........................some of my cases I can drop a primer into the case.............those are gone now but at least when I had a standard round the book gave me an idea of what was max................

 

[backwoods83]

There is nothing wrong with tightening primer pockets, a friend of mine has been using the same Lapua(norma) 300wm cases in his bench rifle for 7 or 8 years, the primer pockets have been tighened 3 or 4 times. He says he don't care what the pockets are doing, he mics the case heads to check for exspansion so that he won't have a seperation, I know his loads are hot because its almost 70grns of Imr4350 under a jammed 210 berger, but those cases probably have 30+ loads a piece on them.

 

[Black Tail Hunter]

There is nothing wrong with tightening primer pockets, a friend of mine has been using the same Lapua(norma) 300wm cases in his bench rifle for 7 or 8 years, the primer pockets have been tighened 3 or 4 times. He says he don't care what the pockets are doing, he mics the case heads to check for exspansion so that he won't have a seperation, I know his loads are hot because its almost 70grns of Imr4350 under a jammed 210 berger, but those cases probably have 30+ loads a piece on them.

Backwoods83, Is your friend using the Hart Case Saver or is there another tool for tightening primer pockets?

 

[backwoods83]

They are custom made, the guy that makes them uses a 4" piece of an old barrel that is chambered for a specific cartridge, in this case 300wm, 300 wby and 6.5x55 imp, he then uses a mandrel underneath to keep from over stressing the cases, then he has a punch made of 441c stainless that he taps with a medium weight brass hammer. The method is very effective but after the second tightening you must start sealing the primers to prevent gas leakage even though the pocket is super tight, it may have a spot or two around it that wants to leak, which will erode the bolt face and screw up your extreme spread. He uses clear finger nail polish. He has won several matches, a couple championships, and several other awards, shooter of the year, etc.. so I guess he knows what he's doing, even running a 300wm at about 68k and the wby at about 73k.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

There is nothing wrong with tightening primer pockets, a friend of mine has been using the same Lapua(norma) 300wm cases in his bench rifle for 7 or 8 years, the primer pockets have been tighened 3 or 4 times. He says he don't care what the pockets are doing, he mics the case heads to check for exspansion so that he won't have a seperation, I know his loads are hot because its almost 70grns of Imr4350 under a jammed 210 berger, but those cases probably have 30+ loads a piece on them.

High stresses on both the cases and rifle. You beat up your stuff if you want. I'll buy a bigger gun.

 

[Greg Duerr]

To much gun is to much gun most guys over bore themselves, must be making up for something.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

To much gun is to much gun most guys over bore themselves, must be making up for something.

Buy a bigger rifle and let it loaf; it'll last forever. Beat up your little stick and wonder why you have isues that you have to buy gadgets to fix. I've lost 2 primers in the last 5,00 rounds or more, and those were test loads out of the hornady book for the 270 win. Their rifle must be shot out or dang loose because the charges they show at top with some powders would likely pop primers in both of my 270's. I've gone to data that better mirrors my rifles and no more issues.

 

[Greg Duerr]

That's the fun of the Ackley's not know where you can go...................the results can be hard on cases but you never know where you can go until you try...................Ive had 100gr bullets @3350 but then ended up at 3140. There is pro's and con's


I really enjoy my .243AI much more than when it was a 7mm-08

my other rifle is a 19 Badger and I can not think of another cartridge that would be more enjoyable as those two