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Flattened and cratered primers

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puppy

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Sep 3, 2011
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East TN
Has anyone ever experienced this issue with every load you shoot through a gun? Factory, reloads, hot, light is doesn't matter all are flattened and cratered. This is on a Rem 700 action, Shilen barreled gun in 300 RUM that I had put together several years ago, I even bought a box of reduced recoil loads from Remington and same general look to the primer. Gun shoots great with loads it likes and cycles as should. I just started reloading for this gun about a month ago but I have reloaded for others for 30 yrs so not my first try at reloading but also I could be contributing to it in some way if wasn't seeing it on factory loads too I would be thinking it was all me. I was examining the brass and noticed it but then started looking at factory brass that hadn't been de-primed and sized yet and it was on all of them. Obviously, I was concerned as thought it was high pressure but everything is doing the same thing. Thoughts from anyone who regularly reloads a 300 RUM or anyone else for that matter???
Thanks in advance
Puppy
 
Your barrel seen 1,000 or more rounds? Or, Prior to this you been shooting a lot of max load recipes? The round goes into battery without muscling the bolt closed?

I think you need to see a gunsmith. I believe your chamber is at life's end.

Nearly for sure the cartridge has room to move backwards meaning space exists where no space should exist.
 
Less than 125 rounds, 20 reduced recoil Rem loads, 60 HSM 210 gr Berger loads, 20 180 gr Barnes TTSX loaded by Barnes, 20-25 reloads and down to 92 gr of H1000 with 165 gr bullet and still see it. The reloads were FL sized and I received a neck sizing die in the mail to day thinking the same thing and wanted to try fire formed to the chamber cases. No issues with chambering the rounds, unless chamber was cut incorrectly in the beginning how could it be shot out?
 
Okay, the number of rounds is not the cause.

Load and fire a piece of brass with just a primer. No powder, no bullet. What do you see?
 
Fired on with just primer but nothing else, no cratering but did seem a little flat considering no powder, bullet etc.
 
Post some pictures.


My old boss had a factory rifle that just plain wouldn't shoot reloads. Factory stuff was fine but any reload period would lock the bolt up. Sent it back I think to Remington and it checked fine. He eventually sold it. Not sure why but it's a pain.

Personally, I don't may much attention to craters. A lot of firing pin holes are over sized. Now the flattening would be a concern for sure. But if your bolt works fine and you're not getting extractor marks I would just roll with it. A chronograph may help you out as well


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So I showed the cases to a gunsmith and he said that the primers weren't flatten since it was still rounded on the edges and that he wouldn't be concerned about the perceived cratering as in "his" opinion it was just hard firing pin strikes as the primer rolls up around the pin strike indentation. This according to him is why I was seeing it on all loads shot through the gun and this wasn't the same smith who assembled the gun for me BTW. I guess I must have just been over cautious when started reloading for this one. If I can remember how to post a pic I will do so when get a few minutes.
Thanks
 
A picture would've saved you a trip to the gunsmith. Excessive clearance between the striker and the hole that surrounds the tip can lead to cratering.
 
Send your bolt to gretan rifles and have Greg Tannel bush the bolt face and turn your firning pin down to match the hole in the bolt face and you wont have any more cratered primers..

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
Send your bolt to gretan rifles and have Greg Tannel bush the bolt face and turn your firning pin down to match the hole in the bolt face and you wont have any more cratered primers..

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
If the bolt is locking or hard unbolt sounds like you are not resizing your brass correctly, and for the ones saying it don't matter on primers, well it does. This is trying to tell you pressure issues. Which if I'm not mistaken has around 65,000 psi. So it's your head beside this not them !!
Best of luck.

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hittingsteal":30zvsas9 said:
If the bolt is locking or hard unbolt sounds like you are not resizing your brass correctly, and for the ones saying it don't matter on primers, well it does. This is trying to tell you pressure issues. Which if I'm not mistaken has around 65,000 psi. So it's your head beside this not them !!
Best of luck.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone has said primer signs don't matter, but flattened and cratered primers are indicative of two different things.
 
infoman jr.":1zj541v9 said:
hittingsteal":1zj541v9 said:
If the bolt is locking or hard unbolt sounds like you are not resizing your brass correctly, and for the ones saying it don't matter on primers, well it does. This is trying to tell you pressure issues. Which if I'm not mistaken has around 65,000 psi. So it's your head beside this not them !!
Best of luck.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone has said primer signs don't matter, but flattened and cratered primers are indicative of two different things.
Click to expand...
Guess we read diffrent post then !

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

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