Swaging Tips

[ARog]

I picked up a Dillon Super Swage 600 to swage my 223 / 556 brass...is it normally that each "swage" pull of the lever would have different resistance from one brass to the next? Just want to make sure that is normal. Thanks.

Also if anyone has any tips related to the Dillon Swage..I'm all ears...thanks!

[Dutch Henry]

In my experience, yes. Resistance can vary. You need to experiment a bit to get the right amount of swage. Too much and primers will be loose. too little and they won't fit. You need to separate brass by headstamp, then set up your swage for each.

Start by just lightly swaging brass and check to see if primers will fit; it doesn't take much force. Turn the anvil in to increase the swage until primers enter the brass smoothly.

I use calipers to check the primer pockets after swaging. Pockets that are .001 less than the primer's diameter seem to seat well for me. YMMV.

[ARog]

Will the swage depth differ from headstamp to headstamp?

[klewan]

Will the swage depth differ from headstamp to headstamp?

Sure, the web in the case, that's the brass the flash hole is punched in, will vary in thickness among the different ammo. The anvil pushes against the web, so if the web is thicker, you might not get full depth into the primer pocket. This is why I ream, I don't have to worry about sorting headstamps. Just go to town and get it done.

['ol shooter]

I use an RCBS swager, and some pockets are definitely tighter than others. I did a large amount of .45 ACP cases, and they varied quite a bit. They were mixed lots of mil brass.

[longrange99]

Take a look at this:

http://ballistictools.com/store/three-gage-pack

[Kablemodem]

I use an RCBS military crimp remover tool in their case prep center. I also use the primer pocket uniformer. At first I thought I was removing too much metal, but when I went to seat primers they still wouldn't fit. I reamed them out until there was no resistance on the tool and then the primers seated as they should.

[ARog]

thanks all!

['ol shooter]

I use an RCBS military crimp remover tool in their case prep center. I also use the primer pocket uniformer. At first I thought I was removing too much metal, but when I went to seat primers they still wouldn't fit. I reamed them out until there was no resistance on the tool and then the primers seated as they should.

Use the swager die set that fits in the press, makes short work of them, and no metal cutting involved. I have that crimp cutter too, and it doesn't work worth a darn.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

I love my Dillon 650...

I hate my Dillon Super Swage. If I had it to do over, I would get something else.

[chknlyps2]

Take a look at this:
http://ballistictools.com/store/three-gage-pack

I have that set and love all 3 tools!

[Divernhunter]

I like my Dillon unit.
What I did was to adjust it deep. Then swage by feel. I do not need to smash the lever all the way down to remove the crimp. Doing this I have no need to separate brass as to the headstamp etc.
My brass then can be hand primed with no trouble or I can run them thru my Dillon 650 and prime on the machine.

[ARog]

Thank God...separate by headstamp!!?? Ain't nobody got time for that! lol

[45R]

I've had pretty good luck with mine. Mine has done Federal, Tula and LC just fine. I just set find the average tension used on all of them and set it up for that. I don't separate by head stamp. Don't have any problems with loose primers.

[bigedp51]

ARog

I do not use a swage and ream the crimps as pictured below, the hand reamer in the front of the photo is only used as a GO-NO GO gauge to see if enough crimp has been removed.



I then check the primer pockets with pin gauges and if the pin gauge enters the primer pocket the case goes in the scrap brass bucket. Using the pin gauge tests the case to see if a primer is even worth seating and having to remove a good primer from a loose primer pocket. The pin gauges come in .0005 increments and can be better matched to your actual prime diameter for setting standards on primer pocket rejection diameter.

And again the hand held reamers can be used as a quick check for adjusting the swager and not over do it and have over size primer pockets also.



Any case that feels loose when seating the primer gets the "push test" if I can move the seated primer with just finger pressure the case goes in the scrap bucket.



This may seem nit picky to some of you but "Dad" is also reloading for his two sons AR15 rifles and "Dad" isn't going to be blamed for bolt faces that look like below.



NOTE: On a bolt action rifle you can lower your standards "slightly" but remember the military crimped the primers for a reason.