Tight primers...

S

Smokey Joe

New member
Eager to load for my new 6.5 Creedmoor. Got 100 Nosler cases. Have had good results for my "serious" rifles with CCI BR-2 primers, so that was what I used to prime them. The BR-2's I have used for years, with no problems; they have inserted normally into all my cases up 'til now.

That's as far as I've gotten. Results: Found that the CCI BR-2's went into the Nosler cases VERY stiffly. 2 cases I had to really force, the other 98 were just "hard to insert." All 100 primers were finally inserted into the primer pockets, many with noticeable flattening. They all went in, though, just a whisker below flush, just like they're supposed to.

Used a Lee Auto-Prime XR for this--Have had it for some time and have had zero difficulties with it, with other cartridges.

IMX, any primer that goes straight into the primer pocket of a cartridge, without being actually crushed, will go bang when struck by the firing pin.

My questions are these: 1. Does Nosler brass come with notably tight primer pockets? 2. Is 6.5 CM brass normally made with tight primer pockets? 3. Did I encounter a run of CCI BR-2's just a hair bigger in diameter than normal? 4. Or, if none of the above, what in the dickens IS going on here???

Would appreciate any & all opinions.
 
My experience is CCI is a tad bigger than other primers.

Seems to be true of the BR2s I have as well

Not sure why your other BR2s were ok in other brass, I expect the CCI to be a tighter squeeze to get inserted but never had a problem with them going bang like they should.
 
I uniform all my pockets. Once you uniform your pockets your problems with seating are over. Get yourself a primer posket uniformer.
 
Most of the brass I use is military, so there's swaging and uniforming to perform. Ballistic Tools makes a primer pocket gauge that I've really come to appreciate, since if the gauge goes in, the primer will as well. I've not used Nosler brass, but for my purposes, the gauge is a handy tool to have.
 
Why not test 1 or 2 by putting them in the gun without powder/bullet and see if they go bang? It is only going to get easier to seat them next load so as long as they go off your GTG.
 
I had this problem with some new Nosler .308 brass. It turned out some of the primer pockets were too shallow. As others have stated it is best to uniform your primer pockets although it is a bit dissapointing when you pay that kind of money for premium brass. There is an old thread in this forum about it where Unclenick gives some excellent information on primer compression.
 
Re: primer pocket uniformer
The Redding primer pocket uniformer may do the job but note that this tool is for uniforming the primer pocket depth rather than the width where your problem is. I guess you have eliminated crimped primers or the situation would be worse. However the uniformer might still widen the primer pocket slightly as it is forced in to trim the depth as needed, but that is not it's primary purpose.

You might try using an electric drill with a proper sized bit and just slightly cut away the primer pocket opening to provide more of a tapered entrance for the primers. I'll bet a cup of coffee that doing that will fix the problem. No need to get a primer pocket swager for that purpose. And as others have indicated, the CCIs are or seem to be slightly larger in diameter than others which is generally beneficial.
 
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Not all primers are created equal.
Different install depths, some manufacturers recommend a 'Crush' on the primer cup, some don't.

When I started building my own reloading equipment I started 'Uniforming' primer pockets,
Actually cutting the pocket for size & depth of the primers I use most.

Cutting in a two step process,
One rounds the head to primer pocket, cutting a smooth radius that guides the primer into the pocket GENTLY,
The second to cut diameter/depth and remove the radius at the bottom of the primer pocket some brass has that leads to overly compressed primers even when the depth is correct.
Square cut at the bottom of the pocket is mandatory for consistency.

Hope this helps.
 
Next time try using the end of your chamfer tool in the pocket. Two half turn twist with very light pressure works for most. If it is still too tight then repeat the two half turn twist until things ease up. I had the problem using Norma brass with Wolf primers. The chamfer tool worked fine, and I already had it on my bench to start with.
 
Taper/chamfer tools didn't seem to be doing the job for me.
Brass with press/die formed primer pockets had the radius at the very bottom of the primer well a pointed chamfer tool can't hope to reach/remove,

Milled pockets were often too small in diameter (worn cutting tool at the factory?) and had to be widened.

Depending on who made the brass and how sharp/clean & adjusted the tooling was, depth was all over the place.
Not just once fired, but brand new brass...

Since this is a one time operation, I looked into getting it right for the primer,
Couldn't find a single application cutting tool that did both jobs correctly,
So now I radius the primer pocket to head portion,
Then cut the primer pocket with an end mill type cutting tool that has a positive stop that contacts the case head.

Nearly perfect primer pockets every time, no more crushed primers, no more primers that sink into the pocket,
Primers that slide easily and quickly into the primer pocket without snagging.
 
Per my earlier post, I'm sure the Redding primer pocket depth uniformer would not expand the width at all so disregard that suggestion. But have you tried chamfering the primer pocket opening with a drill bit? With crimped primers I find that method to be more satisfactory than using a primer pocket swager.
 
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