Thread: A question I've not seen posed;

Is it acceptable to prep your cases, including priming? I've got all these wonderfully polished cases that want to be ready for powder and bullets but don't know if it's a recommended practice to do this.

From a safety standpoint, i don't see why not. I normally don't because i usually have more brass than I do primers and once you install them... although I once accidentally de-primed a live primer. No it did not blow up on my face. Lucky me! I've purchased primed brass at the gun show. Go for it. Id' store primed brass in dedicated ammo cans, to be on the safe side.

Do it while you have the free time

It was just an interesting question I'd thought of. Never read anything about it either way in the many reloading stories/threads I've read. As long as you're not introducing dirt or oils into the prepped cases I would think that logically there is no negative to being able to just measure out your powder and seat some lead.

I personally believe that as long as they are stored in a place that is suitable for primers you will be fine. Good question.

Even UPS/Fedex does not consider primed brass hazmat if you are looking from a safety standpoint.

The only minor condition is proper storage of the brass as to not contaminate the primers.

I've been doing that for years... once brass goes thru final polish (and any necessary trim/primer pocket prep), they're primed & batched in ziplocs. Makes it easy to whip up loads quickly.

I prime all my cases after prep. I just make sure they never come in contact with lube and I throw a couple moisture absorbing silica gel packs in with them. I do the same when I put ammo away for long storage.

For the cases I load on my progressive I don't bother. For those I load one at a time, for my bolt action I do this regularly. My .308 cases are typically primed, 50 at a time, and sealed in a zip-lock bag to wait for a loading session. I don't bother with dessicant as the bags don't have enough air space to contain enough moisture that would harm the primers. Only time I use dessicant packs is when storing finished ammo in GI ammo cans and only when I don't plan on shooting it within 90 days to 6 months.



As a hint, when polishing those cases, use a car wax like Nu-Finish Liquid as the polishing compound. It does a great job of cleaning and shining up the cases while the residual "wax" keeps the cases from tarnishing in storage.

Originally Posted by deadshot2

As a hint, when polishing those cases, use a car wax like Nu-Finish Liquid as the polishing compound. It does a great job of cleaning and shining up the cases while the residual "wax" keeps the cases from tarnishing in storage.

I use whatever is on sale at Bi-Mart...

Originally Posted by darkminstrel

It was just an interesting question I'd thought of. Never read anything about it either way in the many reloading stories/threads I've read. As long as you're not introducing dirt or oils into the prepped cases I would think that logically there is no negative to being able to just measure out your powder and seat some lead.

I can't see any negative, I have purchased new cases that were already primed