S&B brass hard to prime?

[Lochaber]

Hi all.

I'm new at the reloading thing, so maybe this is a stupid question. I started reloading for 9mm, and I have a huge pile of brass, most of it S&B. However I seem to have a lot of trouble priming it. I am using one of the Lee hand priming things and CCI 500 small pistol primers. With Win and Fed brass the primer goes in smoothly, almost no resistence at all. However, the S&8 requieres a lot of force, sometimes denting the primer while seating it.

Does anyone have any similar experiences?

Loch

 

[Arub]

Ain't no such thing as a stupid question, but may be a stupid answer that follows:

First, did you clean the pockets?

Second, I reload quite a bit of S&B in .357magnum and .40S&W. Primers are somewhat harder to seat than with Federal, Remington and Speer brass, but not so difficult as to dent the primer.

Just another thought, you may want to try some different primers. I have used both Winchester and Federal small pistol primers. The Federals seem to seat easier (this on the basis on only 200 Federals used).

Let me know how this turns out as I'm fixing to reload, for the first time, some S&B .38 special and S&B .45ACP when I accumulate enough brass to go in the tumbler. I may experience the same difficulty to seat with these new calibers.

Thanks

 

[MoNsTeR]

S&B can exhibit more priming resistance, but CCI primers compound the problem. If you have a whole bunch of S&B brass, switching primer brands might be a better solution, try some Winchester.

 

[P95Carry]

Yep ... Win or Fed primers would help I'd think .... this brass does exhibit that tendency.

I'd suggest too ..... 2 things ...... first, fit a Lee primer pocket chamfer cutter in a hand drill and give every case the slightest of touches on it .. get a bit more chamfer to act as a ''lead-in'' for primer.

Secondly .... use the press for priming ... IMO you'll get a more positive and stronger priming stroke .... and maybe slightly faster too .... which helps get primer seated with more ''inertia''.

 

[Lochaber]

I guess I will try different primers as well as doing it on the press. Being that everyone seems to think that the CCI's dont help, what in particular is special about the CCI's that would make it harder? Are they made of steel or something?

Loch

 

[HSMITH]

CCI primers SUCK, they vary in size greatly. They vary by twice as much as anything else. The ONLY priming problems I have ever had have been with CCI primers. Buy some Federals or some Winchesters, then you know it is not the primers.

S&B brass also sucks, the primer pockets are extremely tight. Ream the pockets and it is fine, or seperate and go on like I do. Life is too short to fuss over a couple pieces of brass.

Combine CCI primers and S&B brass and you have one first class headache on tap.

 

[Lochaber]

Update

So based on your adviced I picked some Winchester primers and everything is good. The priming of S&B was a bit stiffer then that of Win brass, but not by much. It kinda felt like priming Win brass with CCI primers. Of course the Win brass with Win primers, makes you double check tha there is a primer there, its soft as butter.

Oh yeah, no pocket riming was requiered, and the S&B brass may be harder to work with but it seems to be thicker and heavier so it might have a longer life.

Thank you all.
Loch

 

[Carlos]

I'm positive I'm staying away from S&B brass. Never had problems with the CCIs, at the same time acknowledging their inferior quality. The Lee primer never burped once with 1000s of rounds

I have lately switched to better primers, after I bought a Dillon, which sometimes hates CCI.

No reason to go back.

 

[larryw]

S&B brass is great stuff! Brass lasts forever, doesn't get loose in the neck or pocket like others. Harder to prime the first time, but fine after that; no need to chamfer pocket as its not crimped.

 

[rammy]

I noticed this last night while priming some brass. Found that it was S&B brass in the 9MM size. My Winchester primers did seat but it did take some pressure. I use the lee hand primer.



edit because I can not spell!!!

 

[hopper_64]

I load .45acp with S&B brass and I've also had problems with CCI primers, switched to Federal and that works much better.

 

[mparris71]

Lee says not to use Federal primers in their hand primeing press. Wear a good set of saftey glasses if you don't allready

 

[stans]

I have found S&B brass to have slightly undersized primer pockets. I usually avoid it since I use a progressive press and such tight pockets can be a problem.

 

[dleong]

S&B brass is great stuff! Brass lasts forever, doesn't get loose in the neck or pocket like others. Harder to prime the first time, but fine after that; no need to chamfer pocket as its not crimped.

Couldn't agree more! I usually separate out S&B brass to use in my "match grade" 45ACP and 40S&W reloads, as they also tend to be more dimensionally consistent than the other brands of brass.

One other quirk about I have noticed about S&B brass: for whatever reason, they tend to be the cleanest-looking fired brass on the range floor.

DL

 

[Gary H]

S&B is OK, but CCI primers are now prohibited from entering my reloading room. I've loaded thousands of them and they are a pain.

 

[JPM70535]

When I started reloading XX years ago, I used CCI primers exclusively, however, over the years I found them to be harder than WW or FED, both as to seating and ignition. I could live with the extra effort involved in seating, but the tendency of them not to go BOOM every time caused me to relegate them to my do not use bin. IMO, WW, FED, or REM are a far better product at a lower price.

 

[caz223]

My dillon 550 hates s&b 9mm brass.
It primes so hard and the rim is radiused so much that it just pops out of the shellplate, unprimed.
Then I throw it away.
It does that with WIN or CCI primers.

 

[Mikke]

I have also had problems priming S&B 9mm brass, as someone said, their primer pockets is undersized. I have use mainly Fed primers for them using both a Lee and RCBS handprimers. I was almost going nuts first time I was priming a larger batch of it with the RCBS, had mangled primers about 1 in 20 for some time, later I managed to get down to 1 in 100 failure. Very annoying when trying to prime 500 cases...

Haven't had that problem with S&B .38 and .357 cases.

 

[PaulTX]

I prime my cases using a Lee Auto Prime II. I can always tell when I am priming S&B because the primer pockets are tighter - but I have never had a problem and I use CCI primers. I like S&B brass and CCI primers. S&B bress seems to be a quality product. The Winchester cases' primer pockets seem almost too loose.

 

[TKHover]

Same problem with Fiocchi

I just had the same problem with Fiocchi cases in .45ACP. Never had the problem with all the other major brand cases. I use a Hornady hand primer which has never failed me before. I tried using some once fired Fiocchi brass yesterday and only was able to get one primer seated out of the first four I tried. I've got too much good brass on hand so I stopped messing with those cases and went back to what works. Anyone else ever run into this with Fiocchi? By the way, I use nothing but factory Fiocchi .32 in my KelTec P32 and it works great. By the way, I always clean my pockets.
Tom

 

[C1PNR]

Don't like S&B anything. Load CCI primers only when specifically called for, and then usually not! Will occasionally use Remington primers, but not often and not without argument.


Also don't like Remington brass!!! Very long story and not worth the effort, just don't like it.

But this is the High Road, so let's take it.

Really like Winchester and Federal primers. NO FTF (unless I forget to put some powder in the case! ) with them and they run through my RCBS bench primer without a single hiccup! Man, you can prime a bunch of brass in a hurry!!

Winchester brass, bullets, and primers have been very good to me. Also many bullets by Sierra GameKing, Nosler, Speer, Hornady, and some others. Think I mentioned Federal.

Anyway, that is JMHO, and worth all of that.

Regards,

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

The .45acp brass from S&B that I have loaded has had the primers crimped in place. Maybe this is your problem.

 

[Carlos]

and everybody knows sometimes you have to clean out those primer pockets.

I use CCIs all the time, but am now experimenting with new stuff. Good Luck with Winchester and Federal so far.