Primer Pocker Reamer

[milanuk]

My advice: get over the bit about having to have something mechanical hold the case for you, unless its due to some physical disability. It ain't that tough. Then get a primer pocket uniforming tool from one of the quality shooting supply places like Russ Haydon Shooter's Supply, Sinclair International, etc.

Monte

 

[LB]

If you want specifics, I have one called the "Whitetail" primer pocket uniformer. I think it's solid carbide? Well made tool. You don't need anything other than your fingers to hold the case.

The Wilson tool you mention is specifically for reusing military brass with a crimped primer pocket; has no other use, that I'm aware of? But, for that purpose, it works very well.

Good hunting. LB

PS, the primer pocket reamer has cutting surfaces on the sides, whereas the uniforming tool only has the cutting blades on the bottom.

[ 11-13-2004: Message edited by: LB ]

 

[ricka0]

I'm just clumbsy. thanks for the advice. I just didn't want to end up with brass that was *less consistent* that what I started with.

 

[milanuk]

Somehow, I don't think it's physically possible to be *that* clumsy. Take it easy, take your time, it's not that complicated. After you do it a little bit, you may start to see that some of the hand operations are actually sort of self centering; when you push a little bit too much w/ one hand the other one gives a little bit, assuming you aren't trying to use a death-grip here. Some things work a bit better actually in my experience done by hand: chamfering the inside of the case mouth after trimming is one. I have the top-shelf Sinclair kit for my Wilson case trimmer, complete w/ Starrett micrometer, etc. When I started shooting VLD's I figured the best thing to get would obviously be a Wilson deburring tool (the one that inserts inside a Wilson trimmer in place of the normal cutter). Problem was I couldn't get an even chamfer for love nor money. Talked w/ one of the local guys that used to be a machinist at Wilson, and he said that was a pretty common complaint. The issue lies in that the true center of the cylinder where the cutter is may be a few ten thousandths off of the center of the case holder, which doesn't matter much for trimming, which is what the setup was originally designed for, but it won't give a consistent chamfer. Doing it by hand w/ a Lyman VLD chamfer tool... visibly better results, every time. Consistency is a touch-feel experience on this, to be sure, but easily mastered.

Try it!

Monte

 

[LB]

Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this is funny, but here goes, any way.

My wife and I, and my brother and his family, and my sister and her family were caravaning from the Olympia, WA area, to Lake Kerlew, which is close to the Canadian border, and happened to pass through Cashmere, where Wilson is located.

When we stopped at the next town for lunch, (don't remember the name), I made a big deal out of passing through Cashmere. Everybody was less than impressed, when I told them how "famous" it is, and why. Especially the sister-in-law who is anti gun anyway. In fact, she needled me for several days, said she couldn't wait to drive through Cashmere, again!

Woo Hoo!

Good hunting. LB

 

[ricka0]

good info monte. I've been using a hand chamfer tool for years, but figgured I'd upgrade that to a Wilson.

A chamfer doesn't have to be axially perfect, so doing it by hand should be no problem. Inspecting my hand chamfered brass, I can visually detect an unevenness.

I'm guessing primers don't have to be that perfect either.

I do sort my brass by run-out. I think that may be more important.

I'll probaby drive thru Cashmere someday, but I'm gonna stop for a tour. If my liberal sis in law is with, bonus.

--thx rick

 

[milanuk]

LB,

I'm probably in or around that next town over, most likely 'Wenatchee' if that sounds familiar. There is another little one in btwn, but its' a blink-and-you-miss-it place, called Monitor. I actually live down outside the south side of Wenatchee aways, so its probably about a half-hour to 45 minutes to their door for me. That, and one of the local gunsmiths (general purpose, not BR) works right behind them and has access to some of their tools and machines as needed

Rick,

yep, my hand chamfers aren't perfect by any means. But they are, as I said, visibly better than the ones from the Wilson setup. Beer logic would seem to indicate that an even chamfer would increase the likelihood of getting the bullet seated straight to begin with; but I for one have never done any actual testing to see if it really does matter.

Monte

 

[ricka0]

I don't cut anything without the aid of a collet to align (ie, no deburr by hand, etc).

I like my Wilson trimmer (recommended by Ken of K&M because his only trims the 50 BMG).

The Wilson site states: "
This is not a primer pocket uniformer, and does not cut the bottom of the primer pocket."

You have to hunt the directories to find that link http://www.lewilson.com/Wilson_Products/Pocket_Reamer/Pocket_Reamer_Inst_/pocket_reamer_inst_.html
As the Wilson site is living in the 70's (Bush league)

Any recommendations for a "primer pocket uniformer" ?
Comments on the best (and best for the money) case trimmers. No question, the best case trimmer is the Giraud Trimmer - but he has only a very few shell holders (50 BMG, all the major match cartridges). You need to send him a reamer for cartridges he doesn't support.

 

[Centre Punch]

As a former Benchrest shooter, i used nothing but K&M Services hand held tools to prep my brass(flash hole de-burring,primer pocket uniforming,case neck turning etc.)powering them with my electric screwdriver i achieved excellent results.So much so,that i now benchrest prep all my brass,this gives me upmost confidence in my handloads. My advice would be to do what YOU think gives you the best possible handload

 

[ricka0]

K&M makes the best tools, no question. He makes a trimmer for my 50 BMG. I called him saying I wanted a trimmer and other tools for my very popular hunting cartridges (WSM and RUM) - he doesn't make those - only for benchrest cartridges - he recommended I buy a Wilson trimmer (for trimming anyway) or a benchrest rifle

.

Ken doesn't believe in the internet - a big negative in my opinion. I'd gladly build him a nice site if he'd send me a complete set of tools (I didn't even ask)

I talked to John Hills, gen. mgr of L.E. Wilson Inc about his sorry *** Web site. It's not his site, someone put it together 7 years ago. They don't know who and they haven't paid a cent for it. I'm looking into domain names and a new site for him, hopefully for some tools. I also mentioned to John the problem people talked about using his debur tool. He said the trim shell holder is polished, not made with a reamer, and that happens (maybe I'm getting all the facts backwards, but he knows of the problem). He said you could send in the shell holder and they would align (fix) it.

I was asleep when he called, I don't know that much about these tools - but he did say it was a problem and they could fix it. (And one set of parts is made with a reamer and something about a polisher)

Anyone care to guess what he really said or should I embarras myself further and call John back?

 

[milanuk]

Oh, I imagine they polish the shell holders to finish diameter before sending them out. There's still a certain amount of +/- there. I'm sure if I griped enough they'd take it back and make me one that would be just perfect for my trimmer... for that caliber. Still a potential issue w/ any other shellholder I might buy down the road. Easier to just do it by hand, or as I've been doing lately, chuck it up in a drill press, and set it at a slow speed. Two handed operation; one hand reaching for a new case from one bin, the other holding a case up to the spinning VLD chamfer reamer for a second, then pitching it in the second bin. Repeat for the deburring. Not quite as fast as a Gracey or Giraud, but probably the next thing to it.

Monte

 

[ricka0]

Ya, that was it. I didn't know you could polish a metal cylinder down to a diameter - I thought that had to be done on a lathe. Must be cheaper to polish - and less round/exact. Thx for the info

 

[JustC]

I use the sinclair tool with the drill attachment. The cutter is pre-set and the body which holds it, is machined square. As soon as a few revolutions pass when the case-head hits the body of the cutter,..you're done. I prep this way for matches,..and I don't think I have ever not won due to primer pockets. Some things are overrated.

 

[LB]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR> and I don't think I have ever not won due to primer pockets. Some things are overrated. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, but you got to admit, it's all incremental. Hard to say which "thousanths" are harder to come by, but, if you do it all, you have whittled it down to either you or the gun.

Good hunting. LB