primer questions

[gizer]

do i need to ream the primer pocket in .223 that had a crimped primer?

Is reaming or swedging better?

if i test fit a new primer into a case can i remove it safely?

 

[Kracken McGraw]

#1 Yes
#2https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/best-way-to-remove-primer-crimp.4100498/
#3 There’s no guarantee it will be safe to do so.

 

[gizer]

thanks for responding

 

[SecondsCount]

Yes

I prefer swaging but reaming works well enough.

I've decapped hundreds of live primers over the years without an issue. Slow is best.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Just buy some decent non-crimped brass and don't look back.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Just buy some decent non-crimped brass and don't look back.

Why?

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Why?

These days it costs as much as a happy meal. I don't think it makes sense to wrestle with a crimp, my $0.02.

 

[Dgd6mm]

In my hands to cut the crimp 2 seconds to do 1 case. After hundreds of cases I'm ready for another cup of coffee, and well rested. To each their own I guess.

 

[searcher]

These days it costs as much as a happy meal. I don't think it makes sense to wrestle with a crimp, my $0.02.

I swage a few thousand at a time. Takes about 5 seconds each. So - figure about three hours +/-. The Lake City cost me about $158.00 for the two thousand. That would buy me two boxes of premium brass. Even brass at $40.00/100 would cost me $800.00. So - is saving $642.00 for three hours of work worth it? Some think so. For those of us who shoot high volume in A/R's and such - it adds up pretty quick. Some of us - like me - are retired and would do it even if there was no cost savings. Just because we can.....

 

[Rsadams]

Just remove the crimp but if reloading on a progressive press prime with a hand primer it's easier sometimes a crimp won't get 100 percent removed and can hang up.... I highly recommend buying a Lyman case prep station and replace the small crimp remover that comes with it with the Hornady small primer crimp remover which just screws in like the one that comes with the Lyman.... Your hands will thank you.... A cheap pair of rubber coated gardening gloves from harbor freight will help you hold the brass and once again your hands will thank you....

 

[searcher]

Just remove the crimp but if reloading on a progressive press prime with a hand primer it's easier sometimes a crimp won't get 100 percent removed and can hang up.... I highly recommend buying a Lyman case prep station and replace the small crimp remover that comes with it with the Hornady small primer crimp remover which just screws in like the one that comes with the Lyman.... Your hands will thank you.... A cheap pair of rubber coated gardening gloves from harbor freight will help you hold the brass and once again your hands will thank you....

Yeah - I've run into that too with my Dillon machine. I have noticed it more prevalent on brass that has the primers "stab staked", rather than the round circular stake. You see the stab stake on some years of Lake City, especially more recent production. If the reamer isn't making the edge of the primer pocked a bit rounded, need to adjust the swager to go deeper if it will do so. Worse case, if the reamer won't go any further in, run an inside neck chamfer lightly on the pocket to provide a slight bevel for easy primer entry. Doesn't take nearly as long as swaging - but shouldn't be necessary if the swager is set up to provide the round-over on the edge.

 

[Rich S]

I swage a few thousand at a time. Takes about 5 seconds each. So - figure about three hours +/-. The Lake City cost me about $158.00 for the two thousand. That would buy me two boxes of premium brass. Even brass at $40.00/100 would cost me $800.00. So - is saving $642.00 for three hours of work worth it? Some think so. For those of us who shoot high volume in A/R's and such - it adds up pretty quick. Some of us - like me - are retired and would do it even if there was no cost savings. Just because we can.....

I agree it is an individual choice and likely depends on shooting volume. I’ve done both. I’ve been buying new more recently . One issue I found buying fired LC is you don’t know what chamber it was fired in. I’ve had to size with small base die because they had been shot in a loose chamber. Not a big deal but something to watch for. I’ve found Starline to be a high quality brass at a reasonable price $240/1000.

To remove a crimp, I preferred to swage them.

 

[Burnt Powder]

I prefer to cut the crimps out. I have the RCBS swagger but am not happy with the results. It depends entirely on how thick the base of the case is and whether the flash hole burrs are trimmed out. The stem can and indeed will bend and then it’s too short for a thinner case base. I have a RCBS case prep center with rotating outside and outside neck chamfer tool, primer pocket brush, flash hole burr cutter, and primer pocket uniformer reamer stations. It only takes a few rotations of the inside neck chamfer tool to cut the crimp right out. I’m doing all the other procedures at the same time anyway so it’s no big deal just cut the crimp out then. It doesn’t hurt to cut a nice little chamfer in the primer pocket, look at commercial processed and reloaded crimped primer cases and see how much brass they cut out leaving a fairly wide/deep chamfer in the primer pocket. I’ve still got my swaging tool but haven’t used it in years. Rather than buy a swaging tool put the money against a powered case prep station, if you don’t already have one.

My brother in law said I was a damned fool for not having one some 20 years ago, I got one just to find out. He was right!!!

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

I swage a few thousand at a time. Takes about 5 seconds each. So - figure about three hours +/-. The Lake City cost me about $158.00 for the two thousand. That would buy me two boxes of premium brass. Even brass at $40.00/100 would cost me $800.00. So - is saving $642.00 for three hours of work worth it? Some think so. For those of us who shoot high volume in A/R's and such - it adds up pretty quick. Some of us - like me - are retired and would do it even if there was no cost savings. Just because we can.....

I hope I never shoot that much anymore. I use to shoot about 600 a month, for a single day, but you shoot a lot more than that. The best thing I ever did was switch over to Black Hills Ammunition from Lake City. I'm not a military type person I guess...

 

[Dgd6mm]

I have a RCBS swage die, large and small. I've never used it and will never use it. I cut the crimps out so fast and simple, I'm 100% satisfied. I also don't know if it's true or not but I've read that swaged brass pockets tend to open faster than ones with the crimp cut out. I do not shoot over pressure. 223 rounds.

 

[joshb]

I have plenty of time during the evenings to cut the crimp out. I do a few hundred an evening. A couple weeks, a couple thousand done. Wasted time, otherwise, just sitting around. I’ll put the money I save into primers.

 

[searcher]

I agree it is an individual choice and likely depends on shooting volume. I’ve done both. I’ve been buying new more recently . One issue I found buying fired LC is you don’t know what chamber it was fired in. I’ve had to size with small base die because they had been shot in a loose chamber. Not a big deal but something to watch for. I’ve found Starline to be a high quality brass at a reasonable price $240/1000.

To remove a crimp, I preferred to swage them.

Yes - I size all mil brass in a small-base die the first time

 

[Rsadams]

I prefer to cut the crimps out. I have the RCBS swagger but am not happy with the results. It depends entirely on how thick the base of the case is and whether the flash hole burrs are trimmed out. The stem can and indeed will bend and then it’s too short for a thinner case base. I have a RCBS case prep center with rotating outside and outside neck chamfer tool, primer pocket brush, flash hole burr cutter, and primer pocket uniformer reamer stations. It only takes a few rotations of the inside neck chamfer tool to cut the crimp right out. I’m doing all the other procedures at the same time anyway so it’s no big deal just cut the crimp out then. It doesn’t hurt to cut a nice little chamfer in the primer pocket, look at commercial processed and reloaded crimped primer cases and see how much brass they cut out leaving a fairly wide/deep chamfer in the primer pocket. I’ve still got my swaging tool but haven’t used it in years. Rather than buy a swaging tool put the money against a powered case prep station, if you don’t already have one.

My brother in law said I was a damned fool for not having one some 20 years ago, I got one just to find out. He was right!!!

I didn't like the rcbs either and have been using the Hornady cutter for the last few years and like it.... I have been wondering if the Dillon swagger is any better....

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I use a Lyman vld chamfer tool head in a drill press, cut the crimp out and flip over case to chamfer the neck. Final step after cleaning,sizing range brass. Very fast.

 

[dusterdave173]

I like the Dillon --one you get it set up and a little experience it will fly through a pile of brass--