Lee Ram Swage for primer pocket re-conditioning ?

[big5ifty]

I see there are some tools for primer pocket crimp removal, and some for primer pocket re-conditioning.

I understand that crimp removal is for swaging out the crimp that holds the primer in place so a new primer can be seated, and re-conditioning is to shrink expanded primer pockets.

The tools appear to be identical, and operate on the same principle.

Does anyone use a Lee Ram Swage to shrink an expanded primer pocket ?

 

[ebb]

I have an RCBS die that claims to shrink primer pockets, but its too short to do the RUMs that I have problems with. Friends tell me it works buy i have no real experience. But expanding a primer pocket, I have no idea why anyone would want to do that. If you shoot them with a close to max load they will expand soon enough.

 

[SeabeeKen]

My MA decap die also swages out crimps but doesnt have a tool to tighten pockets

 

[Bill K]

I must have missed the boat, have not heard of a tool to tighten the primer pocket. But my RCBS primer swage kit does remove the crimp on small and large primer pockets.
Other makes, I have seen or read about do the same.

 

[big5ifty]

There are several products out there, for example, this one says it can correct an expanded pocket :

Primer pocket correction tool.

So far as I can tell from the pictures, the Lee ram swage is the same thing.

I got onto this train of thought from the video

Primer pocket repair.

I have a batch of Lapua 260 Rem brass that was loaded a bit hot a couple of times, and the pockets stretched enough for them to be scrap. I was thinking to get this ram swage to try recover the brass then size down to use in my 243.

 

[big5ifty]

The Lee Ram Swage is not a primer pocket correction tool.

It is just for removing the primer pocket crimp.

The anvil is the wrong shape, and the rod is not hardened steel, it will deform under load.

I replaced the original Lee swage rod with a long Lee decapping rod that previously had the point broken off, set into a dome nut with epoxy, and bought the correct primer pocket correction anvil. The Lee decapper seems to be hardened steel.

 

[jcm800]

Great idea! I have rcbs swage around somewhere. Would be easy to modify the swage shellholder to hold a sm/lg ball bearing. Make up a couple different dia rods. More precise than a hammer.