Best Method For Eliminating Military Primer Crimp 0n 223/556 Brass?

[danny]

The swagers are good if all your brass is the same make. They make a much more uniform pocket. But if you have mixed head stamps, then all your case heads will be different thicknesses. You will end up either bending the swaging rod that goes inside the case if the case head is too thick, or not get your pocket completely swaged if the case head is too thin.

For mixed cases I use a cutter chucked into a high speed drill and hold the drill in a hobby vice. It takes about 3 seconds or less per case, and you get the rhythm and feel of the operation down fairly quickly.

That is my observation with swaging, even with using less variable brass. I have the Dillon and am basically doing them in about two or three passes, redoing ones where the case varied slightly and did not receive enough swage. Even then, when priming, I find some that did not get swaged enough and I have to do them a bit more. I have never bent a swage rod, though. If I ever have to do a bunch again, I will get the primer pocket reamer for my Wilson Trimmer and try that. I think it would give a smoother opening, more easily. What I don't like about swaging (among other things) is that you are forcing the mouth of the primer pocket wider. Does it loosen primer fit in some cases? My feeling is "yes", sometimes.

Danny

 

[skeeljc]

RCBS primer pocket swager and a RCBS Rock Chucker. When extraction of the swage becomes difficult I chuck it up in the lathe and polish it with some green Scotch Bright.

 

[mac86951]

RCBS primer pocket swager and a RCBS Rock Chucker. When extraction of the swage becomes difficult I chuck it up in the lathe and polish it with some green Scotch Bright.

Or a dab of imperial die wax.

When running brass in batches, I would sort out the crimped primer brass and remove before cleaning / tumbling; to then size / trim and load.

If I'm processing range brass, or have an odd case or two that the primer doesn't seat without hanging up, I just cut out the crimp with the chamfering tool.

-Mac

 

[Fotheringill]

I tried the Lyman. I didn't care for the shavings.

I read reviews on the RCBS and Dillon. I went with Dillon and am happy with the purchase.

 

[Scalloper]

Discovered the best method for dealing with this is to throw them in the trash and order some up from Lapua.

Me also

 

[justpassinthru]

I've used a Dillon for about 25 years and have no desire for anything else.

 

[ronsroom1]

Best Method For Eliminating Military Primer Crimp 0n 223/556 Brass?​

Buy Commercial Brass.....................DUH!!!!!!!

Sorry, just couldn't resist this.

When I was doing Military .308, and .223, I used a Dillon, nuff said.

 

[MGYSGT]

5/8 inch counter sink from lowes. Chuck it up and a count of one, two. It's gone

 

[scope eye]

This is the way I do it, be it good bad or indifferent it works for me I have done them for me and others to the tune of tens of thousands. It takes about three seconds to proccess a case, one sec to pick it up, one sec to drill it, and one sec to put it down. and it does not affect the primer being loose since the chamfer is above where the primmer sits.

Dean

 

[dannyjbiggs]

Discovered the best method for dealing with this is to throw them in the trash and order some up from Lapua.

Shame on you...my man? That stuff is valuable in times like these!

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I use an RCBS swager, bench mounted. I have one of those that goes in the press. Never use it, PITA. I also bought an RCBS tool, kinda like a reamer thingy that fits in my lectric screw driver. I have been looking at one of these tools to adapt to my screw driver. The one I use is on the end of this tool.Hornady Primer Pocket Reamer Tool Small (midwayusa.com)

TRIM MATE MILITARY CRIMP REMOVER-2 These are out of stock everywhere but look good​

 

[Uncle Ed]

The best method depends on how many cases you need to do. If you hand ream the primer crimp you will get sore fingers and hands doing large amounts.

I like the RCBS reamer below made for their case prep station. It will remove the crimp and round the primer pocket mouth. The best feature is it will not touch the primer pocket side walls and score the walls. It also self centers and does not make the primer pocket egg shaped.

Another good reamer is the Hornady crimp remover below, "BUT" it must be held straight or it will score the primer pocket side walls.

I now use the press mounted Hornady swage at the link below. The swage itself is carbide and very slick and works very well.

https://www.hornady.com/reloading/presses/lock-n-load-accessories/primer-pocket-swage-tool

 

[EOD Rob]

This is the way I do it, be it good bad or indifferent it works for me I have done them for me and others to the tune of tens of thousands. It takes about three seconds to proccess a case, one sec to pick it up, one sec to drill it, and one sec to put it down. and it does not affect the primer being loose since the chamfer is above where the primmer sits.

Dean
View attachment 1237015View attachment 1237016View attachment 1237017View attachment 1237018

Yep, I use a chamfering tool on my prep station! Works great!

 

[wkdickinson]

On another thread I mentioned that I had an RCBS Swaging Die and about 60% of the cases still need to be chamfered. So I quit using it and just chamfered them all, in a drill press. Ultimately I quit doing that also and just bought 1,00 pieces of "new" LC brass on sale. No issues with crimps anymore.

 

[EOD Rob]

On another thread I mentioned that I had an RCBS Swaging Die and about 60% of the cases still need to be chamfered. So I quit using it and just chamfered them all, in a drill press. Ultimately I quit doing that also and just bought 1,00 pieces of "new" LC brass on sale. No issues with crimps anymore.

Totally understand that! It is a bit of a pain, however I'm not willing to throw out the other 5 to 6,000 pieces of brass I have sitting at the house. I'll just keep trimming away! 223, 300 Black out, 6x45mm, and 17x223.

 

[lightman]

Over the years I have dealt with a lot of crimped brass and have used several different tools. I may be the only guy alive that didn't care for the Dillon tool. Currently I use the reamer that Wilson sells to work with their trimmer. The knurled knob on it is rough on the fingers and I wear one of those skin tight athletic gloves. I've used reamers made by Lyman, RCBS, Forster, and maybe a few others and felt like they dulled too quickly. The Wilson seems to be made from better steel. Used in their trimmer it doesn't wobble like the ones that are hand held. It is slower than the Dillon tool.

 

[sw282]

l'm still using my RCBS primer pocket swager l bought 3yrs back. l find it 'uniforms' the primer pocket too.
A recent addition to my reloading has been a ''case check gauge'' by ''Shooters Box''
lt has a 3 step face. Top face is for MAX headspace. Middle step is for MAX case. Bottom step is for
MINIMUM case. The gage is a lifesaver for checking loaded ammo. To my knowledge they only come
ln 5.56/223 and 308W for rifles
lf l am loading for more than one gun in the same same caliber, chamber and extraction are NUMBER ONE for reliable ammo. Sometimes guns heat up and need changing during a vicious prairie dog 'attack'. l want ammo that works in BOTH guns to defend myself!!

 

[Hoser]

Best, for me, is a Dillon 1050/1100.