Reloadable or not

[bz538]

Can you tell if this is reloadable by this picture??

[DarthNul]

Definitely reloadable! LC = Lake City. The 2 digits indicate year of manufacture. It's Federal military brass. You will need to swage or ream out the primer pocket the first time you load it because primers in mil-spec cartridges are crimped into place.

[mmb713]

Maybe. It looks like brass and it is centerfire so that says reloadable. The primer looks crimped so that says PITA but still reloadable. What you can't tell from the pic is whether it is a boxer or berdan primer. If it berdan primed it is not reloadable. There is no indication of what cartridge it is on the headstamp either so I would assume it is military brass and should be loaded lighter than commercial brass, if you can determine what cartridge it actually is.

[Louca]

I am betting against it having a Berdan primer. Easy to tell, look inside the case and if you see two holes where the primer is located, it is a Berdan primer and you might as well toss it.

[Slamfire]

Lake City is good stuff. Remove the crimp and reload.

[serf 'rett]

Remove primer.

Remove primer crimp.

And reload.

Welcome to the forum.

[DarthNul]

I've got a couple thousand pieces of LC brass and they are all boxer primed. I am not aware of any USA manufactured rounds that use Berdan primers.

[boondocker385]

Any suggestions on reamers for removing the crimp?

[mchris80]

The only tool that makes it easy is the Dillon Super Swage 600. Everything cheaper is slow and a pain. Most people I know bought 2 or 3 different $20 options, still hated them and regret not spending the money up front.

[Sierra280]

Remember start a couple of grains lower than normal, surplus brass is thicker-slightly less internal space.

[FrankenMauser]

Any suggestions on reamers for removing the crimp?

Just use a standard chamfer/deburring tool. A couple turns of the tool will remove the lip created by the crimp.

If you need to go beyond that, you'll need a primer pocket uniformer or swager.

[DarthNul]

Any suggestions on reamers for removing the crimp?

I've used the RCBS primer pocket swager-2 which goes on any single-stage press, and the Hornady reamer mounted in a power unit.

They both get the job done but the swager is more work and requires more setup time. I haven't used it since I got the Hornady reamer. I also have a Lyman reamer with a screwdriver type handle but it didn't help much. The Hornady reamer can be used manually if you get the handle for it but I would not want to do that for any moderate to large quantities of brass.

[Khaot1c]

Removing the crimp is easy, and all the popular methods have all been hit.
There's the chamfer/debur tool method. I have a few of these in my
reloading bench .
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/789...-to-45-caliber
Like FrakenMauser said, just insert the chamfer side of the tool into the primer pocket and give it a couple of turns. You could also use a carbide cutter from the Dremel tool isle to get the same effect. This method takes a little practice and isn't the best for bulk processing.

I have the RCBS Swage tool..
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/319...-pocket-swager
and the Dillion Super Swage 600
http://www.dillonprecision.com/conte...uper_Swage_600

I like both and can't say with any certiantly that one is better than the other. The dillon runs best standing over the bench, and there's a few handy videos out there that show how to route a rubber band around the tool to make it more 'automatic'. The RCBS can be used sitting down (for bulk processing) and requires less work to change the large/small swaging bits.

With all of these methods, trial and error is king. Do a case or two and try and seat a primer. If you cut or swage too deep, it is possible to ruin a primer pocket. So do a case or two and seat a primer. You should still have that happy medium of firm resistance when the primer seats.

[boondocker385]

Awesome tips on the crimp!