Prier seating

[Joe King]

After reading the thread about top tier priming tools, I had a nagging question that I haven't been able to get a good answer for by searching the interwebz.

You go through your load development have your load nailed down showing good grouping down range say 1/2 moa at 500yrds on paper. So now you see this new to you idea of seating your primers to a specific depth. I never gave it much thought just seated em fully.

What benefits should a guy expect to see? Tighten up groups even more from your 1/2 moa load, lower your E.S. a bit? How much of an improvement could a guy stand to realize?

My thinking is that with all the other factors that influence down range velocity and trajectory, the things that change through out the day. Temp, baro, humidity, not to mention shifty winds, hell even ambient light and direction can start coming into play. Is any improvment enough that an above average LR shooter would be able to realize it above the pile of other variables we account for? or is this one of those things that you can see on a **** good chrony and it just make a guy feel better about his loads? Don't get me wrong I'm all about the "I just do it because it makes me feel better about it"

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Bear in mind that some (but not all) of those things you see on the chrono, DO translate into downrange results. Better priming tools mean better feel when you're seating primers, and holefully, better results from keeping that uniform. You can get the same degree of uniformity with other tools susch as the bench mounted versions, but it takes more attention to detail to accomplish this. The better tools just make it easier.

Different types, or even different lots of primers can make some major differences at long range. This is why the best LR competitors take such pains in selecting primers for match ammo.

 

[Joe King]

I can see that for the competition shooter. I'm not though, I'm playing the game more like say Broz does, where the point is getting that 1st round on target is the priority more so than say the 5th or 10th round. Just trying to decide if the extra expense would be worth it for me to do, or am still better off placing all of my resources into rounds down range. I'm not opposed to picking up another tool, but I'd rather not if I'll be better served by spending that money on bullets, powder and primers.
The old bull and young bull joke

 

[Eagle Six]

.....ditto...on Mr. Thomas ^^^^

Although I'm competitive, I don't participate in the formal sports shooting competition. So, like yourself I'm more interested in the results of the first shot, than the results of attempting an X ring on the 10 round.

When developing loads and tuning a rifle, I strive to get that elusive 5th and 10th round into the group. Through the years, however, I have had my share of flyers on the 1st shot!!

Like many others I have a budget, and if it comes between getting a new improved tool or having lead, powder and primers.....I will choose the components to keep me shooting. The flip side is, in my experience, the type, lot, and method used to seat those primers, can and has made a substantial difference. When I was younger I didn't think much about primers (...actually when I was much younger I probably didn't think much...period ), but I was wrong.....primers and seating has proven to me to be a part of the loads I pay a lot more attention to than in the past.

I press each with a hand tool and if it doesn't feel right, it goes in a separate pill or goes to the trash. Just my opinion, but the I think the better I do at getting every round in the center, the more of those 1st rounds will center. But, I do admit.....it adds more time to detail and more cost for the tools to get there.


Best Regards......Eagle Six

 

[Joe King]

I appreciate the feed back guys any feed back at all is useful, maybe useful for somebody else that's just lurking. Being that I'm not real good at communication I'll probably try rewording the question a couple of time.

So I'll try it a different way. Take my 270. It's just my general hunting rifle, not one I'm concerned with it driving tacks at all, if I can hit a gallon milk jug out to 500 with it I'm tickled. As for the details I go through with it, brass prep is neck sized, trimmed if need be not sorted, bullets are not sorted but are seated at a standard 0.020 off the lands as long as they fit in the magazine if not then seated to fit, powder charge is weighed out to 0.1gr, I tried 5 different primers, and choose the one that showed best repeatable accuracy. End result is moa with fliers, for that rifle that's good enough.

On to my 7mag and 22-250. Both are semi custom, both are capable of sub 1/2" at 200 actually better if I'm up to it. I used to sort my cases untill I realized that a few $ more spent on a 100 top qualty cases is cheaper than buying a but load of common of the shelf case to cull until you end up with a few that are consistent in all aspects, same thing with bullets, buy good stuff to start with you cull way less if at all. These cases are neck turned, neck sized with controlled amount of sizing, annealed every firing, and ran through a body die, inspected at each step to make sure they fit in the tolerances I set for them. Seating depth is controlled by micrometer seater, primers are chosen by firing groups at 300, then fired again at 300 and 500 to confirm, sometimes I have done this with 2 or 3 different primers to confirm which was most consistent when several show the promise. That doesn't mean this load will pass muster yet, it still has to show what it can do farther out. Currently my method for seating primers is to seat them with my Lee hand held which for some reason won't always seat them fully, then each primer reseated in my press mounted seater. You try to apply the same pressure every time. I haven't listed every step, to much typing for that, but with the accuracy I'm getting now with either rifle, and that I can consistently shoot 1/2 moa provided the wind isn't getting to nuts ( at which point I may just pack it up if it's beyond my ability to judge it). Would I see a realistic difference in the field with a primer tool such as the K&M? or am I better off waiting until my windage abilities are better?

Just trying to get a feel for what other guys have seen with these tools so that I can decide if it's worth it for me to buy now or down the road. That it very well can help I have no doubt, and I'm sure that I'll have on my bench at some point.