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Evening all,

Can anyone advise me on what I've got here?

https://flic.kr/p/t4g85A

The orange and grey handled Lyman primer pocket cleaner does a reasonable job, but the green handled Sinclair tool is much more effective but seems to strip out more of the brass ... realising I hadn't done the obvious, Google / Youtube tells me this is in fact a primer pocket uniformer.

After using the uniformer the seating of a primer in the Lapua 6.5x55 brass feels noticeably lighter than seating a primer after only using the Lyman pocket cleaner.

Is this a good thing?
What are peoples view on uniforming vs simple cleaning?

Cheers,
Mat

I always use a primer pocket uniformer similar to the Sinclair tool. If nothing else, it ensures that the pockets are square at the bottom and a uniform depth. I did 1000 Lapua Palma cases recently and although the ammount of brass coming out was less than with Remington cases, there were variations in the pocket depth. I also noticed that there are significant differences in primer thickness, so I might measure the primers in batches to try and get more even firing pin pressure? Your primers shouldn't go in easier with the Sinclair tool, because the cutting edges are on the front, so be careful how you put the cutter into the primer pocket and try to keep it square as it goes in!

I use the Sinclair Primer pocket uniformers, do not use them before you have fired the brass once.

Thanks for the replies fella's.

North Star - Perhaps the seating pressure is incidental. I didn't test it thoroughly - thought I'd wait to see what the advice was before I did too many.

David - after I posted this I saw that you posted on another thread about only uniforming the pockets after a first firing. Why is this? Also spotted that you're in the process of a move.... good luck with that! Moving "The Shed" must be quite a task in itself!

ps.. this is once fired brass from Saddler, so I'll crack on with the uniforming..

The primer pocket can open up slightly when the case is fired for the first time, if you uniform the case before first thing you may find a vastly reduced case life due to loose primers after only 2-3 firings.

Don't ask me how I know this...

We are surrounded by cardboard boxes right now and have been trying to get as many jobs out as possible in anticipation of the closing the workshop down this coming Tuesday. We have John Taylor Cranes coming in again to do all the machinery lifting, they will be craning out a couple of lathes and mill plus others stuff and heading up with it the following Monday. Meanwhile we just have to shift the contents of the cottage, 95 pressure bearing items, our somewhat eclectic collection of personal firearms and ammunition plus John the Vikings Corn Snake some 125 miles north.

are you going to rip the roof off the shed and crane it straight out over the house?