Tula primers/primer pockets/Dillon Swager

[mousegunner]

Seems that the Tula SRP fit tight in Speer .223 brass (crimp removed) and take a little more effort to seat. CCIs go in easier. Some of the Tulas seem to have been slightly flattened. I'm wondering if a Dillon primer swager will open up the pocket to make seating easier, anyone have an idea? I did measure the primer pockets on Speer and Winchester brass and the Speer is about .001 smaller. FYI-I want to use the Speer brass for 55gr FMJ but my Winchester brass is for match shooting. One more thing I use a deburring tool to cut the primer crimp, has worked so far on my Winchester brass but maybe I need to swage the Speer brass.

 

[mousegunner]

Just got off the line with Dillon, their swager only works on the mouth of the pocket and will not enlarge the pocket so its going to remain tight.

 

[tenring]

After a few reloadings, the PP will open up slightly and then will seat easier.

 

[stool]

i have not had this issue with the primers,,but i typically use milsurplus or win brass.
i have put together 55fmj plinking ammo with mixed brass..no issues
all my mixed brass goes sb and primer pocket ream, trim to length

 

[amlevin]

Some of the Tulas seem to have been slightly flattened.

What kind of priming tool are you using. I bought a Hornady Hand Priming Tool and first thing I noticed was how it flattened, almost to the point of "dishing" the Wolf/Tula primers. The tool's "punch" had a radius that actually "domed" the top of the punch and it flattened any primer that was a little stiff to seat (like the Russians tend to be).

I merely removed the punch and "flattened it" by first grinding then stoning while chucked in a drill press. Bring the turning tool down on the fine side of a sharpening stone and it will square right up.



BTW, if you're "cutting" the primer crimps out, chances are you aren't getting all of the distortion our of the primer pocket mouth. I use the Dillon Super Swage on all crimped brass, large and small primer pockets, and have no issues with seating primers. FWIW, swaging is a lot easier and faster than dinking around with a reamer. Better results too.

 

[stool]

one mans opinion...
i use a reamer most of the time.
i own the dillon super swager,and it works great on single lots of brass, but can hiccup on mixed brass. there is a reason why the swaging punch is adjustable. case head thickness varies and this will affect the swaging.
on the other hand a reamer that stops cutting when it hits the end of the primer pocket is very useful
chuck the cutter in a power source..i use my lathe.....yeah i know over kill...
it takes aprox 2 sec of cutting to do a case.
total time on one case 5-6 secs.
10 cases a min....100 case in 10 min....i cannot do that with a swager even with brass that is the same lot.
and i am typically doing 2-4000 at a time....

i use vld inside neck reamers ground shorter to get the job done....narrow taper little material removed, good primer support.

FWIW, swaging is a lot easier and faster than dinking around with a reamer. Better results too.

 

[Bob3700]

The Russian primers are actually slightly larger in diameter than the American stuff.

I would not enlarge my primer pockets by any other method than shooting them.. Use American primers first, when the pockets start to loosen up, use the Russians. Extend your brass life.

Just a thought.

Bob

 

[navyrad8r]

well said bob

 

[amlevin]

one mans opinion...
i use a reamer most of the time.
i own the dillon super swager,and it works great on single lots of brass, but can hiccup on mixed brass. there is a reason why the swaging punch is adjustable. case head thickness varies and this will affect the swaging.
on the other hand a reamer that stops cutting when it hits the end of the primer pocket is very useful
chuck the cutter in a power source..i use my lathe.....yeah i know over kill...
it takes aprox 2 sec of cutting to do a case.
total time on one case 5-6 secs.
10 cases a min....100 case in 10 min....i cannot do that with a swager even with brass that is the same lot.
and i am typically doing 2-4000 at a time....

i use vld inside neck reamers ground shorter to get the job done....narrow taper little material removed, good primer support.

FWIW, swaging is a lot easier and faster than dinking around with a reamer. Better results too.

If you like brass processed by that method I have a few pounds of it I can send you. The primer pockets are reamed so badly that half the primer is unsupported. Oh BTW, it was done by a commercial ammo re-manufacturer with a big name.

 

[amlevin]

The Russian primers are actually slightly larger in diameter than the American stuff.

I would not enlarge my primer pockets by any other method than shooting them.. Use American primers first, when the pockets start to loosen up, use the Russians. Extend your brass life.

Just a thought.

Bob

OR, just shoot the Russian Primers period. They fit fine in new brass and yield lower "stat's" (ES, SD, MAD).