Loose primer pocket tips.

[vossman]

Been loading a lot of .223 rounds this month. I like to prime them by hand to get a feel for loose primer pockets. I set aside the cases that I think are not as snug as I'd like then stick a dull wooden kabob stick in to see if I can easily press the primers out. The loose ones slide right out then they go into the trash.

Anybody do it differently? I used to just toss the cases without really checking but I was throwing out about 10%, now it's more like 3%.

V

[Tim K]

I did a test last weekend on .223 with loose primers. I loaded 5 rounds with cases that had known very loose primers and attempted to fire them in my AR. The first shot went off and knocked the primer out of the round next up in the magazine. The loose (live) primer got stuck in front of the bolt and kept it from going into battery. In the course of trying to get it all unscrewed, the loose primer actually got popped off inside the action. That was a head scratcher for a couple minutes, let me tell you. The remaining 3 rounds all had primers that were in the process of backing out but had not yet fallen out.

I also fired about 50 rounds that had primers that were marginally loose, but could not readily be pushed out with a kabob (or in my case, a piece of wire). They functioned fine, though I did notice a couple cases which had parted ways with their spent primers.

I got myself in a jam with an upcoming match this weekend, and I'm forced to shoot some of it with brass with similar marginally loose primers. I'm going to glue them in with a little fingernail polish to try to keep them in the spent cases. Moving forward, I'd never trust a marginal pocket in a situation where I cared a lot if I tied up the gun. For plinking, practice, or malfunction drills, no problem.

[Madusa]

I do just like you have been doing.
p.s. You can use primmer seal to glue them in.