Primer pocket uniformers and drilling flash holes

[Grrzrr]

Anyone here go to the effort of uniforming primer pockets?

And slightly more ghetto, just drilling the flash hole with a regular bit?

I know this is one of those debatable benefit topics for most shooting, just curious what peoples experiences are.

Thinking of giving it a got just for the sake of it and to keep myself busy.

Cheers.

[Chronos]

Primer pocket uniforming, yes. Every case as part if the usual case prep but the carbide uniforming tool is so good I use it to clean pockets too

Drilling flash holes? No, some ream them for uniformity but the general rule is smaller is better and the smoother the hole the better the burn.

I do however deburr the inside of the flash hole using the lyman tool, it removes any burrs from manufacture but don't chamfer the hole

Chronos

[Atter]

No pocket uniforming here.

I'd read about drilling the flash holes to make the holes evenly round, just with a drill bit that's the size the hole should be and takes off the burs and excess. Not actually widening the holes at all.

I did it to a few batches for kicks and to see if there was anything to be gained. No improvement that I could see for your average shooter.

[Wobble]

I gotta admit I got half way through reading a little blurb on the Lyman packaging and gave it up

Shooting MOA anyway as it is. Keeping yourself busy with your reloading is fair enough, can't see any benefit in it outside of competition shooting personally.

Too much effort for too little reward for anything else IMO.

[Varmtr]

Primer pocket uniforming yes and deburring the flash hole. But with my 22 Hornady Hornet brass I have to drill the flash hole out slightly do to the decapping pin on my RCBS won't fit and my Redding one jams. Once drilled out I deburr and uniform the pockets on these case's.

[Aster]

I did it to a few batches for kicks and to see if there was anything to be gained. No improvement that I could see for your average shooter.

TBH just pushing a drill bit through the flash hole probably isn't going to be enough of anything to make a difference IMO.

Uniforming the primer pocket for even seating depth and uniforming the inside with the appropriate tool to remove burs and make the hole less restrictive would have some benefit.

For your 'average' shooter it's going to be significant work... Whether or not the benefit is worth the time is up to them.

For most shooters you can easily live without it, as you're doing yourself obviously...

[Chronos]

here's one good reason to do some case prep and not just load, charge and seat, this shooter found this inside of one of his new cases

Chronos

source: http://home.comcast.net/~jesse99/caseprep.html

[Grrzrr]

Thanks for the feedback all around guys.

Chronos, lucky find for that bloke with the brass shavings.

I wonder if that would make it out of your barrel upon firing or get stuck in your rifling... Not good either way,

[Blackened]

Not to mention the potential increase in pressure from the reduced case capacity.

4 grains it said in the article Chronos linked. If you were loading at the hot end of the scale that end 4 grains could be a real problem...

[Bills Shed]

I do Uniform and internal deburr the flash holes only. Does it improve my shooting, maybe. I am only an average shooter and spend little time on the bench. BR accuracy is not required. I reloaded for 10 years before I took the time to do the extra case prep. My reasoning is that if the cases are more consistent I will be more consistent and I have no excuses.
Uniforming the primer pockets helps primer depth consistency and positive feel while seating.

[Chronos]

My reasoning is that if the cases are more consistent I will be more consistent and I have no excuses.

And there in lies the answer to most shooting questions asked on forums

Why? Bacause then I will have no excuses!

It's about what you feel you need to do to improve your shooting.

It's why we buy better glass than we are told will do the job. It's why we upgrade rifles that have done the job already and it's why we seek to improve our reloading techniques.

It's about removing variables, will extra case prep improve our groups? Maybe.

Maybe one case out of 100 will be improved to the point where it will stop that flyer that ruins a group or causes an unexplained miss at an animal at longer than normal ranges.

Maybe weighing every charge will do the same

Maybe sorting bullets by weight will do it

Maybe changing your bipod will do

Maybe adjusting your trigger from 5lb to 2lb will do it

Maybe changing your alloy rings to steel or lapping them will do it

At the end of the day it comes down to what you feel gives you the confidence to take the shot and know it will hit the mark.

I'm trying to convince some mates to do that little bit extra, I even offered my gear to use but they don't feel the need to change what they do. And that's fine.

Yesterday I spent a around 4 hours prepping 250 new brass. I squared the case head, full length sized, trimmed to length, chamfered necks inside and out, deburred flash holes, uniformed primer pockets and I still have to turn the necks with a skim that cleans up around 50-70%

This brass is going to feed an Israeli Mauser in .308 that I hope to get shooting around 4" at 100m.

So why do all that work just to shoot 4" groups?

Because I'm concerned that if I don't do it and work up a good load that it will only shoot 5" and that could mean at an upcoming competition the difference between mid field and last LOL

Chronos

[brisb]

Whether you're doing the basics or the whole hog on reloading, I reckon just as something to pass the time is one of it's best benefits.

Keeps you busy instead of just veging out in front of the TV or something equally useless.