How many of you fuss with crimped primer brass?

[Mobuck]

"Guys using angle reamers & counter sink tools in drills get carried away, which is why I recommend mounting the drill and developing a positive stop of some sort."
+++
Although many recommend such poorly controlled crimp removal operations using countersinks and such, I've seen lots of brass permanently deformed and ruined by doing so.

[Nathan]

Most of the time, i have found i can decrimp and reprime without doing anything. Having issues on even 1:100 makes having a swage nice for loading progressively.

[bfoosh006]

Just food for thought...

While the crimped brass may seem like a hassle....don't throw them away or such.

During the various "bans" ... finding once fired brass was even more of a hassle.

Save them for a rainy day.

[jepp2]

Just curious if many even waste the time. I know I'll be a little more attentive when I purchase in the future now that I'm reloading again.

If you limit yourself to only buying brass that isn't crimped you are going to pay more and seriously limit your selection.

I swage the primer pockets. Takes maybe 2 seconds per round. And over the life of the brass (25 to 35 loadings) 2 additional seconds is nothing. YMMV.

[Metal god]

"Guys using angle reamers & counter sink tools in drills get carried away, which is why I recommend mounting the drill and developing a positive stop of some sort."
+++
Although many recommend such poorly controlled crimp removal operations using countersinks and such, I've seen lots of brass permanently deformed and ruined by doing so.

Boooooo Hissssssss , It works great if you know how to work it I use the Lyman crimp remover chucked into my hand drill . Once you get a feel for it , it's fast and consistent . I ruined maybe 15 cases when I started 5000+ cases ago . I'll admit I'm sure it's not as consistent as using a drill press with a stop but it seems gtg the way I do it .

I do have and first used the RCBS swager that you use in the press . I don't like that thing . It's slow and when you swage those crimps that are individual stakes . It often would push part of the staking up and leave a burr that would result in inconsistent head to datum measurements . Cutting the crimp out is the best way for the way I prep and reload .

[totalloser]

*Shrug* It's been a while for me, but IME, almost no 5.56 mil brass needs a decrimp at all. I set the decap to just barely push out the primers, and when one has a real crimp, it deforms the primer and leaves it hanging out of the brass. Those ones I decrimp with RCBS, though I have some buyers remorse for not getting a Dillon due to the RCBS taking up space in my second press since it occupies the shell holder, not just a hole in the turret.

Obviously different folks have different goals with this sort thing. My goal was volume, reliability and brass life. With accuracy attempted, but not a priority.

Other crimped primers, I have not found this to be the situation- like 9mm and 7.62 nato- most need decrimp.

[disseminator]

I have wrecked many primers trying to press them into crimped pockets thinking it would be fine. After about the hundredth crushed primer, I bought the Dillon Super Swage and it has been perfect priming ever since....

[ScottC]

I now only use crimped FC and LC brass. The intact crimp and sealant on the primer is really the only sure way to tell if range brass is once fired. Sure, I probably bypass a lot of good brass, but dealing with only two head stamps makes everything more consistent. Hornady primer pocket reamer on the drill press to remove the crimps. I run a brass catcher on my AR when possible and track the # of uses for each batch of brass.

[Schnitzjr]

I'm guilty of loading many hundreds of ..223 rounds without removing the primer crimp. I stopped because I got tired of prying crushed primers out of my Lee primer cup on the turret press.
It was slowing things down a lot for me.
Now I use a drill bit thingy that makes the primers go in like buttah.

I haven't loaded any crimped cases on my progressive and don't plan to.

[Reloadron]

How many of you fuss with crimped primer brass?

I would hardly say I fuss with it. Initially a few hand twist with a #2 Phillips was adequate. I do have a RCBS swaging tool but for the most part I just run them across my little case prep center and then hand prime using either my old Lee or RCBS hand priming tool. A few seconds per case and done. Have a few fancy tools which I never really use or need to use. I do run my cases over a brush in the case prep center and clean the pockets which is likely a waste of time but they look pretty.

Ron

[michaeldarnold]

I mount my drill in an adjustable workbench which allows me to run the drill hands off. The drill has adjustable speed control which makes it much more controllable.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

[GCbroker]

Buy the RCBS Swager Die Combo and a Conversion Cup so it woks right. It's the best on the market.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDvFwC6P6g&t=13s

[llowe53]

I know military brass, i.e 5.56 needs to be swaged. What I'm confused about is .223 also considered "military" and must also be swaged?

[Road_Clam]

No fuss for me, chamfer out the crimps on my Lyman case prep station, done.

[lamarw]

I am another Dillon 600 swage fan. Cost a bit, around 106 bucks, but after about 6,000 pieces of Lake City 5.56 brass it will be paid off. I could probably still put it on eBay and get seventy five bucks back.

I buy the damaged 5.56 brass from EverGlades at about $45.00 per thousand and get over thousand pieces of usable brass. The Dillon will de-crimp the brass as fast as you can move your hands. (at least a piece per second or faster)


I de-prime and size the damaged brass on my Lee turret press, de-crimp with the
Dillon swage, and clean the brass with my ultrasonic. Some the culled brass can still be used with a .300 BLK.

[hounddawg]

zombie thread 22 months old bumped by someone on their first post lol

[Unclenick]

Most all zombie thread revivals are by new members. I finally, after a number of communications with folks finding their way around the board, realized that many don't spot the button in the upper left for starting a new thread or realize you have to enter the apropos forum to see it.

A new thread is always better than an old one because many of the original contributors are gone or have lost interest in the subject. You generally get more responses with a new thread.

[hdwhit]

Joe-ker asked:
How many of you fuss with crimped primer brass?

With some exceptions, I prefer crimped primer brass. If the primer is crimped, I can be reasonably sure the brass is actually "once-fired". Removing the crimp is an additional step in the reloading process; but not an onerous one.

[RC20]

I hate the crimped stuff.

While I am guilty about not reading Forster admonition (and likely would have ignored it) I had a couple of crimped 06 military rounds mixed in with my regular that I had ground the crimp out (or so I thought)

Broke the entire spindle/insert decaping Assembly and had to buy a new one (last of 3 HXP)

Unlike RCBS Forster just referred me to the not crimp pockets (these did accept primers fine with a hand primer).

When I can get range pick up once fired RP or order it at a good price? Nah. Not worth futzing with and I sure don't want to buy another spindle for the Forster.

So I won't touch them, I hate crimped primers and no reason to use them

You can pick up 223 brass at the range all day long and military brass is intended for once fire use, I don't think its anything special and maybe a bit harder than most and harder to size.

Not that I feel strongly about this mind you.

[armoredman]

I have a second hand RCBS swage combo die. It works, but is a HUGE PITA...I am probably doing it wrong. The center pin is flat and off center slightly, so I have to hand work it on to the pin, then raise the ram to the pocket, THEN complete the stroke. If the primer pocket doesn't "catch" on the reamer, the brass hangs up halfway out and I have to work it off the mandrel by hand. Is pain. I sent a note to RCBS on social media about it, no word back yet.

[Grey_Lion]

goes into my pile to make swaged hollowpoint rounds out of - i.e. any "whole" brass in 9mm and .40 that I don't like, be it a brass I don't like or mil brass with crimped primer pockets - I turn into the jacket of a swaged hollow point round - I've posted pics in the past if you care to look at the work. Frankenmauser does as well.

[LineStretcher]

My neighbor buys military ammo with crimped primer pockets and say's it's a cheap way to get brass. I finally told him to go buy good brass, fire form it to the gun and then use it for that gun only. I said to him "You've invested a lot of money in your reloading equipment and now you're being cheap about brass. Where's the logic in that. You can't reload that cheap stuff for less then you can buy it".

His rebuttal was that he looses a lot of brass at the range so when he reloads the cheap stuff and can't find it at the range it doesn't cost as much as loosing quality brass. That was a point I hadn't considered and it does have it's merits.

[F. Guffey]

Cheap stuff? I purchased 1,400 fired military cases for $14.00, I purchased another 800 30/06 cases strung up in belts. And I stopped by Pat's Reloading in Ohio and purchased another 3,000 new pulled down/never fired cases and called friends to ask if they were interested and the answers were no, no and no.

When I got home one of the 'near-by' reloaders changed his mind. I kept the 3000 I purchased from Pat's and called Pat to see if he had any deals I was not aware of, he made us a better deal, He charged us the same price of another 3000 cases and then charged us $10.00 shipping.

There is nothing about reloading that drive me into mortal combat with case prep. I have the RCBS case prep center with all of the attac-h-ments. I paid for it by the time I finished 200 cases. By the time I formed 100 8mm57 cases from 30/06 cases I paid for the forming die.

New unfired 30/06 cases cost $44.00 a hundred, I had rather form 100 cases with my forming die. After I finish I still have cases to form and the die is paid for.

F. Guffey

[RC20]

I sent a note to RCBS on social media about it, no word back yet.

If you want to get results, and email with a subject line or a call.

Social Media is for social, not tech.

[cw308]

You guy's are hard core , I bump them . Why did you have to post that picture , my eyes are bad enough . Will move to another post .