Primer Pocket size issue... .308

[Nathan Krynn]

Don't fret on a swager. I use the dillon one and it is fool proof. There is not a way to "over do it" that I have ever noticed once set up. Also like someone mentioned it does make the primer pocket uniform which is a plus, more consistency = more accuracy (results may vary).

I reload a crap ton of LC 5.56 and all have the crimp. When I pick up brass sometimes I do not know if it is once fired (still has crimp) or reloaded (crimp removed) as the people I shoot with normally use m193's and I do not know if it is my brass or theirs. Long run on sentence later, I swage every case on this brass.

[NYY]

yeah i hear you. at this point its a decision where either i am interested enough to buy a swager, or just not even pick up crimped brass

[Ferrum]

yeah i hear you. at this point its a decision where either i am interested enough to buy a swager, or just not even pick up crimped brass

The swaging die (ie- RCBS) is very easy to use and inexpensive. I have both styles of swagers and can't say one is better than the other...

[huckberry668]

don't waste you money buying dedicated 'primer pocket swaging' tools. Go to Home Depot and get yourself a counter sink chuck it up on a drill and spin it for half a second or till you get the crimp off or a shiny chamfer and it's done.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-1-2-in-Titanium-Countersink-CST1/203530165

It just chamfers the edge and doesn't change the pocket depth or diameter cuz you want the pocket tight. The chamfered edge seats primer much easier and helps you ID the processed brass next time.

'Swaged' brass can still crushes primer once in a while. My chamferred brass never crushed a primer. I chamferred, loaded and shot 10s of 1000s of brass with this method. Never an issue.

[elemenope]

don't waste you money buying dedicated 'primer pocket swaging' tools. Go to Home Depot and get yourself a counter sink chuck it up on a drill and spin it for half a second or till you get the crimp off or a shiny chamfer and it's done.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-1-2-in-Titanium-Countersink-CST1/203530165

It just chamfers the edge and doesn't change the pocket depth or diameter cuz you want the pocket tight. The chamfered edge seats primer much easier and helps you ID the processed brass next time.

'Swaged' brass can still crushes primer once in a while. My chamferred brass never crushed a primer. I chamferred, loaded and shot 10s of 1000s of brass with this method. Never an issue.

I hadn't thought of trying this. Does that bit work for both 223 and 308 brass? I had issues even after swaging where the primers would get crushed occasionally.

['ol shooter]

I used the RCBS unit on a bunch of.45 acp mil brass, and it worked great. It just swages the outer third of the pocket, so primers still go in nice and snug.

[huckberry668]

I hadn't thought of trying this. Does that bit work for both 223 and 308 brass? I had issues even after swaging where the primers would get crushed occasionally.

works with all brass

['ol shooter]

If you get one that feels tight even after swaging, pop the primer back out, and swab the hole with a light application of moly neck sizing powdered lube, it will go right in.

[Dutch3]

I have used this to remove crimp rings and slightly chamfer the pocket on many thousands of rounds of 5.56 and 7.62 brass. Just a 45 degree countersink bit mounted in a cabinet knob. A couple of twists is all it takes.

If prepping a large quantity, I remove it from the knob and chuck it in a drill press to save time (and my fingers).

[bsumoba]

PLEASE DO NOT OVER REAM...speaking from experience. i lost about 30 good brass over reaming the crimp and causing loose pockets. I now use a dillon super swage. i use a lot of once-fired range brass since its cheap (free), readily available at my range 10 minutes from me and dang nabbit....mil brass is damn good brass

[sdkevin]

.. the benefits of hand priming..

Reminds you the Lyman tool is perfect for this, no overpenetration, no oversizing.

[NYY]

so with the RCBS swager kit, it wouldnt happen to fit into my single stage Lee press would it...? or do i need a damn RCBS press. hand reaming/swaging just doesnt seem right to me. this is fricken reloading. small explosions are going off for every shot. i would rather trust a machined,mechanical process to do cutting than my own free-hand wobbling and "thinking" its good "enough". swaging just seems more safe and exact.... i mean, am i the only one who also thinks this way...?

[bsumoba]

so with the RCBS swager kit, it wouldnt happen to fit into my single stage Lee press would it...? or do i need a damn RCBS press. hand reaming/swaging just doesnt seem right to me. this is fricken reloading. small explosions are going off for every shot. i would rather trust a machined,mechanical process to do cutting than my own free-hand wobbling and "thinking" its good "enough". swaging just seems more safe and exact.... i mean, am i the only one who also thinks this way...?

I have a single stage Lee press, and the RCBS swage kit did not fit in my press. The shellholder was the problem and was oversize. I returned it and with the amount of mil brass I have obtained over the years, i went with the dillon super swage.

[NYY]

I have a single stage Lee press, and the RCBS swage kit did not fit in my press. The shellholder was the problem and was oversize. I returned it and with the amount of mil brass I have obtained over the years, i went with the dillon super swage.

dillon super swage. $100. about to buy it.

and with mil brass, you like it so much that you dont mind decreasing the powder load by whatever % it is...?

[ptmn]

bsumoba mentioned that you can ruin brass by taking off too much metal just as I did. I've done just that before by not using the proper tool. Ruined a bunch of beautiful military 30-06 Lake City cases.

I switched over to the correct tool at only $9.99, here's the Midway link: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/682...ProductFinding

It's the Lyman and it bottoms out on the base of the primer pocket to ensure that you don't remove too much metal. I did make one modification to the tool, I removed the head from the handle and I chucked it into my cordless drill to speed things up.

It's the economical and safe way to remove primer crimps. I wouldn't use makeshift means to remove the crimps.

Eventually, I purchased the Dillon Super Swager. Really fast way to remove crimps from a lot of brass. It's a bit pricey, but it's worth it.

Either the Lyman with the head chucked in a drill or the Dillon will serve your needs quite well and it will do it safely