Is there an official specification for primer poctet depths?

[WHG2]

Is there an official specification for primer poctet depths? I was just wondering since I got a bunch of 223 brass given to me and noticed some of the brass seemed to have much shallower pockets than others.

If there are specifications could someone list them for small & large rifle, small & large pistol please.

Information

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[JohnF]

SAAMI Specifications for primer pockets are as follows:

Small Rifle/Small Pistol .118" to .122".
Large Rifle .128" to .132".
Large Pistol .118" to .122".

[MEHavey]

What you probably have is brass with rounded corners in the bottom, Go get/use a Primer Pocket Uniformer and make the problem go away. I now do that with all new brass, and am amazed at the amount of brass shavings that result from doing a batch of only 20 cases at a whack.

[jjroth]

Brass? If mil-surplus, maybe remains of a crimp? need a swager to remove it.

[Matt Anthony]

I agree with MEHavey, buy a primer pocket uniformer and also a flash hole deburring tool. I bought the EJS uniformer from Midway, small and large on the same tool, it's completely adjustable. On the deburring tool I use the Lyman, it's well made and foolproof.
The best primer pocket cleaner I have found is the RCBS small and large brushes, they really clean the crud quickly.
I have stopped using my uniformer to clean primer pockets, it was made to cut brass not clean carbon although many use the uniformer for cleaning. I just can't see ruining a cutter with the carbon residue.
Matt

[MEHavey]

Matt,

How does EJS instruct the adjustment for precise control of the 0.01" depth difference between pistol and rifle? I looked at the Midway & Possom Hollow sites, but didn't see a description.

[Maury Krupp]

I think you may find the fixed Sinclair uniformer(s) to be preferable to an adjustable one.

Made from a single piece of carbide steel so there's nothing to get out of adjustment and it'll still be sharp when it's sold at your estate sale.

Chuck it into a drill or power screwdriver and go to it.

Maury

[Matt Anthony]

Matt,

How does EJS instruct the adjustment for precise control of the 0.01" depth difference between pistol and rifle? I looked at the Midway & Possom Hollow sites, but didn't see a description.

You can use a micrometer or a good quality dial caliper. There is a set screw on each end of the body which locks in the adjustment for each cutter. The way I did it is to measure the body first. Then I took the small cutter out of the tool and set the large cutter to the max depth. I then added that distance to the body length and set the small cutter. I don't uniform pistol cases so I only use them for rifle cartridges. I would doubt the .001 difference would even matter.
About 2 years ago I thought I lost my original uniformer and purchased another one. Seems a week of so later I found in in a die box so I set one up for small rifle primer pockets and the other for the large rifle pockets.
I know some reloaders might not wish to have to set them up, and in that case buying a fixed cutter would be their way to go.

[Dan In Indiana]

I bought the one from Midway once, never again. Nice if you only have a few cases to do, bummer if you do them by the K's. Broke down and got the one from Sinclair [large and small pocket] with the drill adapter. High priced to be sure, but this hobby sure 'aint a for profit endeavor.

OFC

[MEHavey]

Dan, I just unscrewed the Lyman flash hole/primer pocket uniformer(s) from the handles and chucked them in the drill. `Works like a charm and I only have to dio it once.

Matt, like you I just keep separate uniformers. They're cheap.