New brass problems

[Rye Miles #13621]

I got some new Starline brass .38 spl. Some of the primers are very hard going in. I use a Dillon 550 and Federal Primers. It’s not every one just a few here and there. Is it the brass or primers? Anyone else experience this?

Thanks ahead of time

Rye

[I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321]

It's probably the brass.  Did you tumble the brass for a little bit before using?  Sometime the cleaning agent they use will make the brass not makes things slide, especially during sizing the brass.  Tumble it before loading, that might help.  

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Sometimes new brass is sticky at the mouth end and dry tumbling first can help like I.M. said, also spraying the mouths with One Shot lube can help.  I'll bet the same thing would help for the primer pockets.  Easy to test a small batch, just place them neck down in a loading tray and give a shot into the pockets and see if that helps.

[SouthwestShooter]

46 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

Sometimes new brass is sticky at the mouth end and dry tumbling first can help like I.M. said, also spraying the mouths with One Shot lube can help.  I'll bet the same thing would help for the primer pockets.  Easy to test a small batch, just place them neck down in a loading tray and give a shot into the pockets and see if that helps.

Could that compromise the primers during reloading????

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321 said:

It's probably the brass.  Did you tumble the brass for a little bit before using?  Sometime the cleaning agent they use will make the brass not makes things slide, especially during sizing the brass.  Tumble it before loading, that might help.  

I do not tumble the new brass, I spray it with one shot lubricant. It seems like the primer pockets are not sized right on a few here and there.

[Marshal Ruger]

Have you look into using a primer pocket uniformer when you prep the new brass?  I use my RCBS case prep machine and it ensures wall and depth is consistent. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

12 minutes ago, Marshal Ruger said:

Have you look into using a primer pocket uniformer when you prep the new brass?  I use my RCBS case prep machine and it ensures wall and depth is consistent. 

I have not and I don’t have one. Maybe I’ll look into it. I never even heard of that tool. How about this?

Edited August 10 by Rye Miles #13621

[Marshal Ruger]

Personally I have not used the Lyman primer pocket hand tool. It seems it will work.  However when I get an order or box of brass from Starline i.e. 500 the hand tool will take alot longer in my opinion.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

You should call Starline and ask them.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

2 hours ago, SouthwestShooter said:

Could that compromise the primers during reloading????

No.  And I recalled that I did have to do this last year with new starline 32-20 brass.  I could have tried tumbling it but I had the One Shot and spraying the pockets did the trick.

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

37 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

You should call Starline and ask them.

There’s not enough to warrant a phone call. I loaded 40 rounds this morning and had 3 that were really hard going in. 

[Sedalia Dave]

2 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I have not and I don’t have one. Maybe I’ll look into it. I never even heard of that tool. How about this?

 

All that tool does is clean the primer pocket. It does not make them uniform.

 

 

3 hours ago, SouthwestShooter said:

Could that compromise the primers during reloading????

 

Once dry, there is no possibility of contamination.

Edited August 10 by Sedalia Dave

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

There’s not enough to warrant a phone call. I loaded 40 rounds this morning and had 3 that were really hard going in. 

It might be a good idea to call Starline, not to complain, but to see if they have run into this before and they may have suggestions on how to deal with the issue.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

There’s not enough to warrant a phone call. I loaded 40 rounds this morning and had 3 that were really hard going in. 

Any chance it could be your primers? 

[Scarlett]

5 hours ago, SouthwestShooter said:

Could that compromise the primers during reloading????

No. So long as you let the One Shot dry. I use it on all my brass - new and used (I only load Starline) and it makes for a smoother loading session - easier on my joints and my 650’s 😂🤣 One Shot Dry Lube by Hornady. 
 

Hugs!

Scarlett

 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Any chance it could be your primers? 

I don’t think so, I’m using Federal primers. 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Take one of your problem cases, deprime the Federal primer (if it is stuck in the pocket), and try priming with another brand.   If another brand of primers fit, you have a bad lot of Federal primers.  If other primers do not fit, you have a bad bunch of Starline brass.  Starline, at least, will usually work with you to get you new product.  Federal, in my experience twice now, will not.

 

So, if it is a few Starline cases with tight primer pockets, use a pocket swager or uniforming tool (cutting head) to make the pockets standard size.

 

Break your problem down into two separate possible conditions, then eliminate one condition by testing.  The problem lies with the other situation.

 

good luck, GJ

Edited August 11 by Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

[Rye Miles #13621]

34 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

Take one of your problem cases, deprime the Federal primer (if it is stuck in the pocket), and try priming with another brand.   If another brand of primers fit, you have a bad lot of Federal primers.  If other primers do not fit, you have a bad bunch of Starline brass.  Starline, at least, will usually work with you to get you new product.  Federal, in my experience twice now, will not.

 

So, if it is a few Starline cases with tight primer pockets, use a pocket swager or uniforming tool (cutting head) to make the pockets standard size.

 

Break your problem down into two separate possible conditions, then eliminate one condition by testing.  The problem lies with the other situation.

 

good luck, GJ

Good idea, thanks 🤠

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Load um, shoot um, and if they are still tight after the first reload then worry about it.

[SouthwestShooter]

On 8/10/2025 at 4:19 PM, Scarlett said:

No. So long as you let the One Shot dry. I use it on all my brass - new and used (I only load Starline) and it makes for a smoother loading session - easier on my joints and my 650’s 😂🤣 One Shot Dry Lube by Hornady. 
 

Hugs!

Scarlett

 

 

Thanks,  your info makes a difference.....

Windy City Red 

[watab kid]

my issue with new starline brass was that i had to resize it befor reloading 

[Rye Miles #13621]

6 hours ago, watab kid said:

my issue with new starline brass was that i had to resize it befor reloading 

Oh yea me too. I do it just to make sure they’ll fit in the chambers .

[Snake-eye, SASS#45097]

I’ve had that problem occasionally with my Starline brass, but they have been fired a few times not new. I’ve been using a recently opened box of Federal SPP and every once in a while the primmer is hard to seat. I dry tumble the brass with the old primer still in. This is all range pick up brass but it’s only my brass, if any other brass is picked up I just leave it on the unloading table. Just my opinion but I think it might be the primers. I just keep on reloading, They all go bang.

[Boggus Deal #64218]

7 hours ago, watab kid said:

my issue with new starline brass was that i had to resize it befor reloading 

Any brand of new brass should be sized. 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

33 minutes ago, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

Any brand of new brass should be sized. 

THIS 

[watab kid]

12 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Oh yea me too. I do it just to make sure they’ll fit in the chambers .

ya , i didnt think of that until after id loaded 50 , i guess i should have asked before i loaded , i just assumed they were correctly sized and that was my mistake , now i know - lesson learned the hard way 

[watab kid]

10 hours ago, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

Any brand of new brass should be sized. 

thanks , i learned that , i should have asked when i got it - would have saved me some issues