Trouble Removing Military Primer Crimp

Harvey · Jan 27, 2015

Here's what I've tried:

Dillon superswage: works like a champ but slow

Hornday pocket reamer on a Frankford Arsenal case prep center: faster but can kill a case if you don't keep the cases perfectly straight.

GS swager upgrade for Dillon 650: thought this with the RT1500 case trimmer (which works great BTW) would knock out my case prep fast but the swager did not live up to expectations. Primers still jammed on 5% of cases.

My solution: preswaged brass from brassdepot.com at $.12 a piece, resize and trim with RT1500 (necessary all the brass was too long) and then crank out a few hundred rounds within an hour, then off to the range.

After all the $$$ I spent on swaging tools, I could have bought 1000s of rounds of preswaged brass and been a lot less frustrated.

BUFF7MM · Jan 27, 2015

Harvey said:
Here's what I've tried:

Dillon superswage: works like a champ but slow

Hornday pocket reamer on a Frankford Arsenal case prep center: faster but can kill a case if you don't keep the cases perfectly straight.

GS swager upgrade for Dillon 650: thought this with the RT1500 case trimmer (which works great BTW) would knock out my case prep fast but the swager did not live up to expectations. Primers still jammed on 5% of cases.

My solution: preswaged brass from brassdepot.com at $.12 a piece, resize and trim with RT1500 (necessary all the brass was too long) and then crank out a few hundred rounds within an hour, then off to the range.

After all the $$$ I spent on swaging tools, I could have bought 1000s of rounds of preswaged brass and been a lot less frustrated.

so what do you do with your range pickups, or don't you do pickups?
I'm curious as I've never bought a single 223/5.56 case.

Jmorrismetal · Jan 27, 2015

My solution: preswaged brass from brassdepot.com at $.12 a piece, resize and trim with RT1500 (necessary all the brass was too long) and then crank out a few hundred rounds within an hour, then off to the range.

After the first 15,000 cases you buy, you could have paid for a 1050. I too have never bought .223 brass.

Harvey · Jan 28, 2015

Here's why I gave up and paid for brass:

I know what I'm getting. All Lake City once fired brass. My other options are either buying ammo for the brass and shooting bullets that are not the weight or charge I want or scavenging at the range. I leave my brass after 4-5 reloads, so the latter may include acquiring my worn out cartridges. So in my opinion the first is not cost effective and the latter may be unsafe.

Cost: $.12 a round at brassdepot (I've bought cheaper and regretted it). I shoot roughly 5000 rounds a year of .223. Also about the same for .308. But lest stick with .223. 1k rounds $120, reused 4-5 times give puts me roughly at $.02 a round a year. It would take me 15 years to buy a 1050 at that rate. I could stash $75 a month and get it in two.

I invested allot in my rifles and I want to know what I'm feeding them. And they are happy with this diet.

Lastly time, I'll get a few thousand cases (bulk discount available), resize and trim them. Now I got a few ammo cans worth of cases ready to go when I want to crank out some ammo and go shooting.

It's not for everyone but this is what works best for me.

coopermania · Jan 28, 2015

You paid $120.00 a thousand for unprepared 223 brass ?
Man did you get hosed...

trickg · Jan 28, 2015

Some people believe that paying a price for ease, peace of mind, and time saved is well worth it.

Me? I'd rather spend the $40 from Champion, or $100 from Dillon one time to buy the ability to do it myself. You've got to figure that if you buy brass that has been de-crimped, they are probably using similar tools to do the job, right? Why pay them 12 cents a round to do it for you when you can do it on your own for much less than that over time?

DaemonAssassin · Jan 28, 2015

Where is the 1700-1800 price tag coming from. I don't see it when it comes to a swaging tool. :confused:

Weber · Jan 28, 2015

Dillon SS!

j8064 · Jan 28, 2015

I don't understand paying money for what one can get for free. Over time I've stashed thousands of free 223/556 range cases. Primer crimps? A Dillon SS dispatches them quickly and easily. There are other methods, but I like my SS. Either way, once is enough.

With respect to "knowing what one's rifles are fed" that's fundamental. All shooters and reloaders always should. Fact of the matter is all those thousands of free range cases I've reloaded and fired are more accurate in my guns than any factory ammo.

If the going rate is 12 cents for once fired 223/556 cases I may have to sell some next time I need powder, primers or bullets. :innocent0

To each his own.

coopermania · Jan 28, 2015

DaemonAssassin said:
Where is the 1700-1800 price tag coming from. I don't see it when it comes to a swaging tool.

To buy a Dillon 1050 machine. Just to blowout primer pockets.. Lol

Jmorrismetal · Jan 28, 2015

It is a reloading machine that swages all cases while reloading, as part of the process.

No one in their right mind would buy one just to swage but worth the cost of the system if you reload a lot of brass that may need to be swaged.

lmorrison17 · Feb 9, 2015

I chuck a counter sink in a drill press and go to town.

Traveler · Feb 9, 2015

lmorrison17 said:
I chuck a counter sink in a drill press and go to town.

Does it work automatically when you are in town? :innocent0

trickg · Feb 9, 2015

Traveler said:
Does it work automatically when you are in town?

Nice! I actually LOLed! :party29:

pcfixer · Feb 14, 2015

Wfilardo said:
I am having a hard time removing military primer crimp from 556 brass being resized to load 300 BLK. Any suggestions on best toll to use?

I have used a drill bit with my electric drill, works pretty quickly..

K31 · Feb 14, 2015

DaemonAssassin said:
Where is the 1700-1800 price tag coming from. I don't see it when it comes to a swaging tool.

It comes from someone with experience buying and trying a number of tools and then shares that experience with others so they can decide and not necessarily have to re-learn his lessons. Then someone comes along and bashes him with exaggeration as if he is recommending that everyone buy all the same tools.

BenL · Feb 16, 2015

Seabee said:
Dillon super swage is by far the best and fastest

^ Yup, this. Did a bunch with a deburring tool; immediately ordered a Dillon Superswager and never looked back.

Melnic · Mar 9, 2015

I was having issues priming some range pickups. Mostly LC brass giving me fits. Was really slowng down the priming process and wasting primers. I got the RCBS swager and used that to inspect/swage out a test run of 100 cases. If I could not just slip it onto the swager head, I just put it aside. Then came back and swaged them at the end. About 20 out of 100 needed to be swaged. Then primed them all and not one caused me a problem when priming.

So far, if I've had a problem de-primming (lee dies), I just push the rod back in, tighten then toss the case. I have not had to toss that many cases.

Speedluvn · May 30, 2020

I moved to depriming .223/.556 brass. I discovered that when I was priming this brass the primer would not seat smoothly or flush with the bottom of the shell. After a few minutes of research, I discovered the primer casing issue. I ordered a RCBS Swager Tool. When using the tool a shell will get stuck on the rod. I have to stop and remove the shell, usually by cutting the brass off of the rod. I’m lubing the brass but still have problems with a stuck brass. Any thoughts on what’s going on?

I already ordered a Dillion SS :party29:

Pinecone · May 30, 2020

Speedluvn said:
I moved to depriming .223/.556 brass. I discovered that when I was priming this brass the primer would not seat smoothly or flush with the bottom of the shell. After a few minutes of research, I discovered the primer casing issue. I ordered a RCBS Swager Tool. When using the tool a shell will get stuck on the rod. I have to stop and remove the shell, usually by cutting the brass off of the rod. I’m lubing the brass but still have problems with a stuck brass. Any thoughts on what’s going on?

I already ordered a Dillion SS

Problem solved. Move on.

Trouble Removing Military Primer Crimp

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