Loose primer pocket causes

[Pineman]

Question for everyone: Federal nickel brass and Fed 210M primers. Found a great load for 270WSM with Federal nickel brass and Fed 210M primers. Here is the problem/question: what would case the primers to just fall out. It has happened about 4 times out of 50 handloads. They seem to seat fine but sometimes the primer just falls out. This doesn't happen with Winchester or Nosler brass, just Federal. Also, it just seems it does it with Fed210M primers. Looking for some help/insights.
TIA

 

[ShadeTree]

I can't make an absolute statement on that particular brass, but my logical assessment without you even saying this does not happen with other brass would be to say that it's the Federal brass.

Federal brass can be easy to work with accurate brass for a couple loadings, maybe even a decent amount of reloads on milder loads. Load them up near the top of a 60,000 PSI or higher cartridge and they wont hold up. Too soft. Primer pockets loosening up prematurely is not a surprise. Doesn't mean it's junk depending how you use it, but it is what it is.

 

[walkinhorseman]

The short answer is that your load is at the pressure limit for that manufacturer and lot of brass. Is it reloaded factory ammo or new brass? I don't know who makes brass for this caliber. This short brass life is just a reality that you have to work with. In my experience, Hornady is another maker that you won't get many cycles out of.

 

[hunter24605]

All brass will eventually get loose pockets, especially running near the top, Some softer brass will get loose pockets quicker than others. It’s just part of it. I would however make a note of the lot number and see if it’s perhaps a known issue with that lot.

 

[Pineman]

Thanks for the replies. All the brass is factory Federal brass. Haven't been able to secure any new brass from Federal so use factory brass, shoot it and then use the brass to reload.

 

[TackDriver284]

When I got my first custom built .308 back in the 90's and I used factory Federal Gold Medal Match 168 grain bullets, about 10 boxes I had bought, after firing the ammo, and saved the brass. When I seated the primers, forgot what brand they were, and they seated real loose. Fired them once and tossed the brass, they were so soft that reseating them a second time was not possible.

 

[walkinhorseman]

Ammo manufacturers aren't selling brass. They are selling loaded ammo. Look at Lapua, Peterson, Alpha, and Norma for better brass. Rumor has it that Nosler is Norma brass.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

Loose pockets are caused by casehead expansion, which is caused by pressure. How many times have they been loaded after firing the factory ammo?

 

[RL338]

I’m guessing it’s 1x factory brass. A co-worker of my brother gave him a pile of brass years back to see if I had a use for them. There were 60pcs of 270 WSM in the mix , if it wasn’t for the blue sealant those primers would have fallen out. I believe that cartridge was load way too warm from Federal.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

Could be they were loaded with powder on the fast burning side causing pressure to peak early.
Or bullet in the lands creating high pressure

 

[TXbaldhunter]

Many of the WSM loads are running 63k-65k pressure to start with.Those pressures are considered too high for most cartridges,so to start with you have that working against your brass.As stated before,Federal brass has been known to be a little on the soft side.You can have brass that has soft necks,but the cases are harder the farther you go down to the case head.Those cases can take more pressure before you have enough case head expansion to make your primer pockets too loose.I use a lot of Winchester and Remington brass.I very rarely have issues with loose primer pockets with those.Then there is brass that is soft all the length of the cartridge.You will get loose primer pockets with that brass before you reach the pressure limits for that cartridge.Norma brass is one of those types I've had the most issues with.Nosler brass is another that is a little on the soft side.The only solution I've found to save your primer pockets is,reduce your load a grain or two and it should go away.

 

[6.5_sWv]

Ammo manufacturers aren't selling brass. They are selling loaded ammo. Look at Lapua, Peterson, Alpha, and Norma for better brass. Rumor has it that Nosler is Norma brass.

Lapua, Peterson, Alpha arent likely to make 270wsm brass, but your right, those 3 companies no doubt put out some of the best brass available.

Nosler used to have Norma make their brass, however when Nosler bought out the Silver State Armory (SSA) they started manufacturing their own. This is only my opinion, but Nosler might be an option, and im not saying its bad, but its no worth what they want you to pay for it. I bought 50 pieces of 280 AI brass a little over a year ago and I had to do more prep to that brass than I do remington or winchester. I emailed Nosler and got no response. I dont care for it but thats just me.

 

[Winshortmag]

Question for everyone: Federal nickel brass and Fed 210M primers. Found a great load for 270WSM with Federal nickel brass and Fed 210M primers. Here is the problem/question: what would case the primers to just fall out. It has happened about 4 times out of 50 handloads. They seem to seat fine but sometimes the primer just falls out. This doesn't happen with Winchester or Nosler brass, just Federal. Also, it just seems it does it with Fed210M primers. Looking for some help/insights.
TIA

How many times did you fire your brass before the primer pockets got loose enough for them to fall out? My experience with this cartridge is the brass don't last long if your pushing the limit.

 

[TackDriver284]

Question for everyone: Federal nickel brass and Fed 210M primers. Found a great load for 270WSM with Federal nickel brass and Fed 210M primers. Here is the problem/question: what would case the primers to just fall out. It has happened about 4 times out of 50 handloads. They seem to seat fine but sometimes the primer just falls out. This doesn't happen with Winchester or Nosler brass, just Federal. Also, it just seems it does it with Fed210M primers. Looking for some help/insights.
TIA

Try to measure the diameter of the primer pocket for the unfired ( if any ) and fired brass, see what the measurements may be. Measurements of the diameter of Federal and different primers would be helpful. I had some Winchester primers that was more narrow than the other brands that it seated very easily.

 

[TXbaldhunter]

Try to measure the diameter of the primer pocket for the unfired ( if any ) and fired brass, see what the measurements may be. Measurements of the diameter of Federal and different primers would be helpful. I had some Winchester primers that was more narrow than the other brands that it seated very easily.

I bought some of the Winchester primers between 2008-2012 that had issues.Those primers had nearly zero resistance when you seated them.It didn't take much for your primer pockets to become so loose the primer would fall out before or after they were shot.Winchester recalled the bad lots and paid me back for the ones I had.I bought new ones after that and they seat much tighter and have had zero issues with them since.I had some ammo I had loaded years ago with those bad primers.I had forgot that I had loaded that batch with those defective primers.I fired a couple of those and a primer fell out after I shot.I ended up pulling down all that ammo and decapping all the primers from the brass.This is a good reason to keep some track on your ammo.I had an issue with some powder that had been recalled.It was great until it went bad and when it went bad,it went bad quick.Ammo that I had shot great groups for a couple of years with the powder without any issues,suddenly gave me high pressures,enough to smear the headstamp after I fired a round that I failed to pull down after I received the recall notice.I thought I had pulled all that I had loaded with that powder.I was at the range and found three in a box that I had missed.I write on every cartridge the bullet weight and powder.I had shot some of this ammo a couple of months before without issues,so I decided to just go ahead fire them off instead of breaking them down when I got home.After firing the first one and seeing the high pressure,I broke the others down after I got home.The powder was damp and clumpy and the base of the bullets where turning green from the powder deterioration.