Crimped primer pockets

Rmitch223

Beginner
Nov 9, 2012
72
0
I recently acquired 200pcs of once fired federal .223 Rem brass.

I'm fairly new to loading for .223 and all the brass I have worked with up to this point has not had crimped primer pockets.

So last night I made a quick trip to bass pro to get a Lyman primer pocket reamer to remove the crimps. I attached the reamer to my RCBS trim mate it ran 25 cases threw using it. Visually it looked like the reamer removed the crimp.

Then I went to prime these 25 cases and the primers would not even start into the primer pocket.
So I guess this Lyman reamer did not remove the crimp.
The O.D. of the reamer measured .169" and a unspent primer (CCI No. 400) measured .175".

What in-expensive tool do I need to remove these crimps?
 
RCBS makes a swager that works like a regular die in your press. They're like 20-30 bucks. If you're going to do a lot of military brass prep, get a Dillon super swage 600.
 
+1 on the Dillon. It was a great investment. All I get is military crimped cases (can't complain they are free to me). It is quick once set up correctly.

Corey
 
Rmitch,

when I came across your topic I twitched, fell off the chair, and went hiding. :x

I hate the military crimp. Oh how I hate it. It isn't hard to remove but what comes along wiht the military is usually many pieces of brass that need the crimp removed.

The biggest PAIN IN THE ASS in all of reloading.

Having said that if you have a trim mate life just got easier. Here is a tool I use on my trim mate center for doing 5.56 military brass to rid that pesky crimp. https://shop.rcbs.com/WebConnect/MainSe ... uctId=6217

You dont have to use this tool but it makes life easier as it is designed with a stop so you don't remove too much of the crimp. Having said that you already have a tool on that center to get rid of the crimp. The chamfer tool for the I.D. will work and get rid of the crimp. It is more crude as there is no stop but it does work.

As far as not removing enough...yep sounds accurate. Sounds like someone who is dealing with the military crimp for the first time. If the primer pocket looks like you put a good chamfer on it, then you got enough of it removed. If it doesn't, you didn't and you will wind up smashing more primers than seating them proper like.

I went and grabbed two cases for examples that you can see the difference. The one is removed completely and will prime just like new brass without a crimp. IMG_20130409_144220.jpg

The other has the crimp only slightly removed. Although it seems the primer should go, and it might with some fussing with the priming tool, more than likely you will smash the primer.IMG_20130409_144245.jpg

My picture taking ability leaves a lot to be desired but you should be able to see a case that has the crimp removed 100 percent...the second pic although chamfered still has some crimp.
 
I use the RCBS tool and it works really well. Plus, you only have to swage one time.

The Dillon is nice, I've used them in the past, but at over $100, its not necessary for the amount of military .223 that I load.


With the RCBS, use a decap die to remove the primers. If you size, the rod will not fit through the neck.
 
300WSM":1d4jghae said:
Rmitch,

when I came across your topic I twitched, fell off the chair, and went hiding. :x

I hate the military crimp. Oh how I hate it. It isn't hard to remove but what comes along wiht the military is usually many pieces of brass that need the crimp removed.

The biggest PAIN IN THE ASS in all of reloading.

Having said that if you have a trim mate life just got easier. Here is a tool I use on my trim mate center for doing 5.56 military brass to rid that pesky crimp. https://shop.rcbs.com/WebConnect/MainSe ... uctId=6217

You dont have to use this tool but it makes life easier as it is designed with a stop so you don't remove too much of the crimp. Having said that you already have a tool on that center to get rid of the crimp. The chamfer tool for the I.D. will work and get rid of the crimp. It is more crude as there is no stop but it does work.

As far as not removing enough...yep sounds accurate. Sounds like someone who is dealing with the military crimp for the first time. If the primer pocket looks like you put a good chamfer on it, then you got enough of it removed. If it doesn't, you didn't and you will wind up smashing more primers than seating them proper like.

I went and grabbed two cases for examples that you can see the difference. The one is removed completely and will prime just like new brass without a crimp. View attachment 1

The other has the crimp only slightly removed. Although it seems the primer should go, and it might with some fussing with the priming tool, more than likely you will smash the primer.

My picture taking ability leaves a lot to be desired but you should be able to see a case that has the crimp removed 100 percent...the second pic although chamfered still has some crimp.

That's exactly what I did, I used the chamfer tool to remove it. It took a little more time on the chamfer than I anticipated but after doing so the primers seated just fine.
 
A few things...


- It sucks. At least we only have to do it once for each case. I take it as my opportunity to handle each piece of brass and do my visual inspections.

The Dillon is a very nice piece of kit, and if you're going to be doing a lot, the money is well spent.

That said, I started with hand tools and found they were inconsistent, extremely taxing for long runs, and were not very efficient.

I've now used two other RCBS products and I'm happy with both.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/235832/rcbs-primer-pocket-swager-combo-2
This one works. Once you get it setup right, it cleanly punches out the crimp and does it consistently. I used it on my Hornady single stage.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/319662/rcbs-bench-mounted-primer-pocket-swager
After getting my hands on about 5k military cases, I wanted something more efficient/faster and grabbed this one. It's fast, ergonomic, and I found I had minimal adjustments between the different headstamps of brass.

Lastly, I have also taken to using a primer pocket uniformer after taking out the crimp. What I've found is that I'm not really cutting out material as much as using it to make sure the primer will seat without issue. If the primer pocket uniformer runs in and out cleanly, then the primer will seat perfectly. On any of the tools I've used, including the dillon, you will still occasionally find some that need a second pass to be fully decrimped. (At least from what I've seen.)
 
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