Struggling to seat primers deep enough

EastMT

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Wouldn’t adding tape add space to the base so that the primer wouldn’t be able to be pushed into the pocket as far?


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No, the press comes from the bottom, it holds the shell holder just a bit lower, and seats it a touch more


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rayporter

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if you have had high primers it is very possible that they would cause poor ignition.

ignition is a topic that can be argued till the cow dies. but it is real.

i had an ignition problem with a benchrest rifle related to the trigger hanger. i got some new parts and cured it.
 
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Is there a sliding sleeve around the primer ram? If that is too long it may bottom before the priming ram fully pushes the primer into pocket. Would feel like it's seated.
 
OP
T
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Thanks all... think we got it figured out. Used the uniformer and it removed enough brass from the bottom of the primer pocket to allow the primers to be seated just ever so slightly below flush. This was on the press, I will try the hand primer tomorrow when it gets here


On a side note, I’m getting this ring around the head of the case after I prime the on the press (blue arrows pointing to the ring). Any idea what is causing this?
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rayporter

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the ring is no big deal, you wont get it with the hand primer.

i assume frankfort copied 21st century's adjustment [or sinclairs]
which works well. i like the tray as it speeds up the process a lot.
 
OP
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Following back up... uniformer worked well, hand primer worked just fine but I don’t see any benefit over my primer on my Lee press. From measuring the seating depth with the hand priming tool, my press seems to seat primers anywhere from .002-.004 ish.

I’ll likely be sending the hand primer back since it doesn’t provide any extra “feeling” when the primer bottoms out on the bottom of the primer pocket


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OP
T
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i guess good luck is all i have to say -even though i was going to add more.

.

Curious what more you would say....? Those are the kind of comments that concern me and make me question my process and if reloading is worth the “risk”

So far the primers are now seating below flush and I can feel the primer bottom out on the bottom of the primer pocket. Am I doing something wrong?


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rayporter

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what you have works

i am a hand seater guy. accuracy shooters in short range and most long range will hand seat. no presses for SR have primer seaters on them. i like to handle each case and hand seating allows one more check and believe it or not i think it is faster. [probably wrong there]

the same with wilson dies and an arbor press. more accurate is not really likely but i think so and i can seat bullets much much faster than any single stage press .

dont let me change you mind. that is what i started out to do and nearly all hunters can get by with the press primer!!!!!!!!

i have said before that new reloaders should start slow and gather gear as they grow into the sport. that applies here. as you grow you will find what is needed to improve.
i have many trinkets that never get used.
spend wisely and try to avoid the useless trinkets.
luck-ray


edit
i probably should add that i do a significant amount of loading outside on a portable set up. it changes my perspective.
 
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I had this issue once...went back and cleaned the primer pockets by holding down on the gear driven primer pocket brush on the RCBS case prep center, and problem solved. Now I make it a point to do that every time I am prepping brass. Also, after I seat a primer, I will quickly place the case on the surface of the reloading table, and if it wobbles too much before coming to rest, that is a sign that the primer may not be deep enough.
 

tdot

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Following back up... uniformer worked well, hand primer worked just fine but I don’t see any benefit over my primer on my Lee press. From measuring the seating depth with the hand priming tool, my press seems to seat primers anywhere from .002-.004 ish.

I’ll likely be sending the hand primer back since it doesn’t provide any extra “feeling” when the primer bottoms out on the bottom of the primer pocket


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Just to double check something. You want approx .002" of crush. This is additional compression after the primer is bottomed out. Not just .002" below the rim of the case.

The fact thay you have are measuring .002" to .004" after seating makes me think that the primer is floating in the primer pocket and not fully seated.

If your press is not adjustable, it's a crap shoot where it will set the primer. Plus different primers have different thicknesses.
 
OP
T
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Just to double check something. You want approx .002" of crush. This is additional compression after the primer is bottomed out. Not just .002" below the rim of the case.

The fact thay you have are measuring .002" to .004" after seating makes me think that the primer is floating in the primer pocket and not fully seated.

If your press is not adjustable, it's a crap shoot where it will set the primer. Plus different primers have different thicknesses.

Thanks for the concern but I can assure you that the primers are fully seated. This is because I give it a little extra “push” on the level arm of the press that seats the primer into the pocket. The lever arm is approx 1’ long so the force applied to the primer is amplified


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