Primer crush…does it matter?
- Thread starter Justice1327
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Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
I have purchase most of the equipment mention above over the past year. My problem is also everything is in Montana, and it will stay there. Not moving it back to Mexico-North either. To me seating your primers is just as important as any other part of reloading. Anything that can be done to cut down on SD & ES helps. A change of Velocity of 30fps bullet drop of 8.5" @ 1000yds, and 50fps is 14" @ 1000yds. You just missed that animal or wounded it. Not much to worry about if 500yds or less. The farther you extend your range the better the reloads have to be, if you want to continue making 1 shot kills. It will be interesting to see how the primer seating comes out. I have a new rifle that has only 2 shot fired through it. I know little about, so I will be starting off on a new adventure here shortly. I will able to apply all these aspects into load for that rifle. If you don't wants to spend the time, so be it. You'll never know until you tried it.
Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
You missed the point. All my reloads are done with Large rifle primers. I don't have anything that requires a mag primer.
It makes sense to me to prep your brass, which includes uniforming the primer pockets and clearing the flash hole of any tag that may or may not be there. That's about as far as I go other than clean, trim, anneal, and chapher the mouth.
Parkerized
Well-Known Member
I hand dip all of my reloads in holy water and air-dry in the shade...
I do prepare my primer pockets with a primer pocket uniforming tool. I'm pretty anal with my reloading procedures.
But I'm not gonna measure seating depths below case head face. Not unless, and until, there's irrefutable evidence that it will measurably improve the precision of my ammo. That I'll be rewarded with better precision for taking the time and effort to go thru that additional process.
I'm not convinced the benefit is there for my LRH needs. Said another way, when the majority of top level benchrest competitors are measuring primer seating depths, maybe then... but even then the improvement in precision may still not be significant enough, or necessary, for acheiving my goal of 1/2 moa precision.
If top performing benchrest competitors currently measure primer seating depth to 0.0005" as a standard operating procedure, I'd like to be aware of that. Maybe it's classified "top secret". The secret weapon to placing in the top 10.
But I'm not gonna measure seating depths below case head face. Not unless, and until, there's irrefutable evidence that it will measurably improve the precision of my ammo. That I'll be rewarded with better precision for taking the time and effort to go thru that additional process.
I'm not convinced the benefit is there for my LRH needs. Said another way, when the majority of top level benchrest competitors are measuring primer seating depths, maybe then... but even then the improvement in precision may still not be significant enough, or necessary, for acheiving my goal of 1/2 moa precision.
If top performing benchrest competitors currently measure primer seating depth to 0.0005" as a standard operating procedure, I'd like to be aware of that. Maybe it's classified "top secret". The secret weapon to placing in the top 10.
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This is another interesting thread on the on the many aspects of the reloading process. If I was competing, I would probably add primer seating depth to my testing. I just can't justify this extra step in my process based on the evidence I have reviewed. To each their own.
Ooopppsss!
INTERESTING VIDEO… I have predominately observed differences in accuracy, ES, and velocity between brands of primers, as opposed to seating dynamics. I have always used "feel" when seating primers and can't say that I've seen material differences due to this factor….At least with the primers I use and my shooting requirements.
My attention to reloading detail, time invested, and the sophistication of the tools has run somewhat of a bell shaped curve over a 5+ decade period. From the simplicity of using a Lee Loader(red box) that cost me $2, to peaking with the employment of various "state of art" reloading creations available at any given time.. All with the goal to deliver the "Silver Bullet". In more recent times I have evolved to making sure that I only exert the required time and energy, using the tools necessary to make sure that I will hit what I'm shooting at in any given discipline. I surely do less today then I once did, eliminating those steps with questionable returns. The improved quality of many of today's components certainly contributes to this. I find that my desired results are still achieved, enabling me to use what little time is left, to hunt and shoot.
My attention to reloading detail, time invested, and the sophistication of the tools has run somewhat of a bell shaped curve over a 5+ decade period. From the simplicity of using a Lee Loader(red box) that cost me $2, to peaking with the employment of various "state of art" reloading creations available at any given time.. All with the goal to deliver the "Silver Bullet". In more recent times I have evolved to making sure that I only exert the required time and energy, using the tools necessary to make sure that I will hit what I'm shooting at in any given discipline. I surely do less today then I once did, eliminating those steps with questionable returns. The improved quality of many of today's components certainly contributes to this. I find that my desired results are still achieved, enabling me to use what little time is left, to hunt and shoot.
jsthntn247
Well-Known Member
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- Jan 14, 2009
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99% of folks can't shoot or reload good enough for it to matter.
QuietTexan
Well-Known Member
Being better than ninety-nine in a hundred isn't really all that special, at least judging by the last time I went to a public range. Getting out alive was the highlight of my range time, followed closely by the Fudd opinions on everything I was shooting
It's all about goal sets - pure precision, set precision with accuracy, precision AND accuracy, with and without sighters, the game is played in many ways.
marchboom
Well-Known Member
Well that video was a waste of 15 mins that I'll never get back.
Primers are designed to be seated until the cup bottoms out in the primer pocket. This sets the anvil to the proper position. They are NOT designed to be "crushed". I challenge any handloader to show me where the primer manufacturers instruct handloaders to seat the primers to a certain measurement.
I would prefer to spend my time on more productive pursuits such as reading the wind, rifle position in the bags, etc.
Primers are designed to be seated until the cup bottoms out in the primer pocket. This sets the anvil to the proper position. They are NOT designed to be "crushed". I challenge any handloader to show me where the primer manufacturers instruct handloaders to seat the primers to a certain measurement.
I would prefer to spend my time on more productive pursuits such as reading the wind, rifle position in the bags, etc.
