223 NATO Brass -how do u get rid of that &$€¥ primer crimp

[Remadl700]

I have about 10,000 rounds of this assorted 223 NATO stamped brass. Instead of buying the Dillion swagger does anyone have some suggestions on how to clear that crimp out without making the investment on that Dillion component?

The best I can come up with is a process where I decap them then use a vertical drill with a countersink and chamfer that crimp followed by a primer pocket uniformer tool.

This works about 85% of the time with some primers still deforming on the Dillion press. If I hand prime I have no problems.

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[Izzy]

<broken link removed>

 

[Remadl700]

Looks like that's the ticket!

I called Wholesale Sports and they have one. I'll pick it up tonight.

 

[eganx]

The RCBS Primer pocket swager didn't work very well for me with .308 military brass.......I'd say it worked %50 of the time. The cases that the swaging tool didn't work on just needed to be touched up with a chamfer tool.

Good luck......when I did 1000 pc of military 308 it was a nightmare

 

[Biped]

I have used the RCBS on 5.56 and 30-06 military brass with good results. Just be sure to seperate brass by head stamp and adjust swager accordingly as the web thickness variation can bend the support rod.

 

[Nwcid]

The RCBS swager works well in small amounts. You need to have a very solid bench your press is mounted to due to the upward force (vs downward for normal press operation) to remove the brass from the swager.

I really like the job the these do, <broken link removed> but you need a prep center. Again IMHO these do the best job but is very slow and hard on the hands having to hold each case down on it.

Hands down the Dillion is the best all around. It does a good job (but not as nice as the cutter) and does it quickly with little effort Super Swage 600: Case Preparation Equipment They are not cheep but well worth it. If you mount it upright on the edge of your bench vs flat on the top it is even quicker. You can do a search for how.

 

[MichaelStrick9]

Can that RCBS unit work in a Hornady Lock'n'load progressive press? I see it's recommended for use in single stage presses, but the Hornady seems to be one stout mutha.

 

[Nwcid]

Can that RCBS unit work in a Hornady Lock'n'load progressive press? I see it's recommended for use in single stage presses, but the Hornady seems to be one stout mutha.

No because there is no place for the "cup" that goes over the ram to remove shell. Plus there is no where to mount the actual swager piece to a progressive......

Plus the ad does not say "recommended" it says "fits single stage or turret presses"

 

[jake2far]

You indicate 10,000 case preparation is needed. The Dillion case prep tool is the best for doing this many.
Check this auction at Ebay: Dillon 600 Super swage | eBay
Not mine just passing it along. I have used the "center" and the RCBS die, I own the Dillion and trust me if you really are doing 10,000 cases buy a Dillion. Your hands and fingers will thank you, plus you will do about 99% without rejects.

Jim

 

[bmgm37]

Trust me, with having to do 10,000 cases, $98 for the Dillon swager is well worth it. I used to use one all the time and you can get pretty fast at it. I now just load on a Dillon 1050 Nd it does it for me.

 

[t.huynh]

Thanks for that ebay link! I've been looking for one of those.

 

[Kevatc]

Granted if you are doing large volumes of brass this tool may not be the best but I have found it very valuable: Primer Pocket Reamer Tool Small

 

[deadshot2]

You indicate 10,000 case preparation is needed. The Dillion case prep tool is the best for doing this many.
Check this auction at Ebay: Dillon 600 Super swage | eBay
Not mine just passing it along. I have used the "center" and the RCBS die, I own the Dillion and trust me if you really are doing 10,000 cases buy a Dillion. Your hands and fingers will thank you, plus you will do about 99% without rejects.

Jim

A big +1 on the Dillon.

Not only is it easy and fast, it does the job right. Rather than cutting out metal it actually returns the primer pocket to correct shape and dimensions. Crimping can distort the "bore" of the primer pocket. Reaming doesn't do anything to remove any of this, it just cuts a "funnel" to allow one to jamb a new primer in.

A crimped primer pocket "swaged" on a Dillon has parallel walls and a nice radius on the "mouth".

As for cost? $100 for a Dillon Super Swage works out to only ONE CENT per case. If you're a "cheapskate" just buy the Dillon Super Swage, swage all your brass, and then sell it on e-bay or craigslist. Used Dillon equipment sells for a high percentage of it's original price so your per case cost will be even less.

 

[Remadl700]

Thanks everyone for the input.

And yes there is truly 10k plus cases. My buddy is a trainer for some state agency's and he gets it all and gives it to me to clean and prep. I also have about the same amount of 40 brass. He doesn't have the equipment to clean and we just split the brass after it's cleaned.

I am loading on the Dillion 550 right now with a 55 BT FMJ over 24grn of TAC. It's dialed in and easily producing 400 an hour. With stops for primers and powder.

 

[Greenbug]

Get a Lyman, Lee, or RCBS primer pocket swager tool ($6-$12 most places). Unscrew it from the tool handle and chuck it in a cordless drill. It works very well.

 

[deadshot2]

Get a Lyman, Lee, or RCBS primer pocket swager tool ($6-$12 most places). Unscrew it from the tool handle and chuck it in a cordless drill. It works very well.

These are not "swaging tools", they're reamers. They cut. A Swaging tool is a punch that is forced into the primer pocket to reform it, including the crimped area.

 

[Remadl700]

Ok got the RCBS one last night and set it up just like the directions said to. It also has you separate the brass before hand. Ok, so I started with the same kind of brass and set the swaging die up and adjusted as stated in the foldout. It says to keep adjusting until the crimp ring is removed. Well .........after the fourth adjustment the crimp was still there so another quarter turn and pull down and now the case won't slide back out and is staying in the die?????? Well I pull the shell off and now the steel rod that the shell slides on is bent into an "S". Sh!!tttt.....and the crimp is still there!!

Also, I can see this is a much slower process then the videos of the Dillion swagger.

Taking it back! and ordering the Dillion.

 

[deadshot2]

Ok got the RCBS one last night and set it up just like the directions said to. It also has you separate the brass before hand. Ok, so I started with the same kind of brass and set the swaging die up and adjusted as stated in the foldout. It says to keep adjusting until the crimp ring is removed. Well .........after the fourth adjustment the crimp was still there so another quarter turn and pull down and now the case won't slide back out and is staying in the die?????? Well I pull the shell off and now the steel rod that the shell slides on is bent into an "S". Sh!!tttt.....and the crimp is still there!!

Also, I can see this is a much slower process then the videos of the Dillion swagger.

Taking it back! and ordering the Dillion.

You will need to sort cases by mfr when using the Dillon too. Some cases have thicker webs than others and you'll need to adjust the "anvil" for each otherwise some won't get enough swaging and some won't actually slide in place.

Also, pay attention to the adjustment of the small block that the case head rests on in the dillon swaging tool. If not, small cases will fall in too far and you'll put a big gouge in the side of the primer pocket. Dillon makes it pretty clear in the instructions but the tool looks so simple many forget to read the instructions.

BTW, your post reminds me of a saying attributed to Will Rogers

"There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading; The few who learn by observation; The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves."

 

[Remadl700]

You will need to sort cases by mfr when using the Dillon too. Some cases have thicker webs than others and you'll need to adjust the "anvil" for each otherwise some won't get enough swaging and some won't actually slide in place.

Also, pay attention to the adjustment of the small block that the case head rests on in the dillon swaging tool. If not, small cases will fall in too far and you'll put a big gouge in the side of the primer pocket. Dillon makes it pretty clear in the instructions but the tool looks so simple many forget to read the instructions.

Roger that!

 

[Nwcid]

Get a Lyman, Lee, or RCBS primer pocket swager tool ($6-$12 most places). Unscrew it from the tool handle and chuck it in a cordless drill. It works very well.

They do work, and they do work well as I stated above.

They SUCK when doing 10,000 rds of brass.