Removing military primer crimps

DarthNul · March 26, 2012, 11:30 AM

How much of a pain in the posterior is it to remove primer crimps from 5.56 brass?

I am building myself an AR and I plan to start reloading for 5.56x45 after I break in the barrel (and the rest of the gun) with commercial ammo. I've been reloading for pistol calibers for a few years now but this will be my first foray into bottle-neck rifle cartridges, and possibly military brass.

I plan to use commercial ammo for barrel break-in and to build my confidence in the gun before I void the warranty with my hand-loads. The other goal is to generate some once-fired brass with which to get started on the reloading.

The best deals I'm finding (that are actually "in stock") are for bulk cans of Federal/Lake city, but if it's going to be too much of a pain, or cost too much in new tools to de-crimp what may be only one batch of brass, I'll have to find something else.

sc928porsche · March 26, 2012, 11:44 AM

RCBS makes a military crimp remover that works well. It is well worth the money.

ScottRiqui · March 26, 2012, 11:47 AM

The Dillon "Super Swager" makes it a breeze, but at ~$90, it's pricey. I have several thousand pieces of 5.56 brass, but I've ended up just de-crimping a few hundred, and I'll use those until they split or I lose them, then I'll do up another batch.

erikivy · March 26, 2012, 12:59 PM

I use the $10 Hornady reamer. If doing more than an handful of cases, I remove the bit from the tool and chuck it up in my cordless drill. It makes it very easy to mow through a few hundred cases in no time.

If money were no object, I'd get the Dillon unit for sure, but the Hornady one above is great if you're on a budget.

RobertInIowa · March 26, 2012, 12:59 PM

I like the RCBS swager. I works great on the Trim mate work center. I've swaged out the crimp from a couple thousand LC brass and it works like a charm.

Jim243 · March 26, 2012, 01:04 PM

If you have a bunch to swage then the RCBS unit is cool and saves a lot of time

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/319...-pocket-swager

I bought mine before this came out so I use the single stage press one.

Jim

oldreloader · March 26, 2012, 07:18 PM

I use the Hornady one like erikivy. It woks good for me

DarthNul · March 27, 2012, 03:05 PM

Thanks for the replies!

I already have Lyman primer pocket reamers from a case prep tool set that I bought a while back, but they fit pretty loosely even in crimped pockets.

I'll give it a shot anyway before I spend any more dollars on this. The budget is already blown on the AR project anyway. That's the trouble with reloading: Every time I buy a new gun I also have to get dies, shell holders and a new sampling of bullets etc, on top of the cost of the gun.

tom234 · March 27, 2012, 04:12 PM

Take the Lyman primer pocket reamer and chuck it up in a drill or drill press. The reamer will cut until it bottoms out on the case web.
If your reamer is loose then either the reamer is worn out or there isn't a crimp.

CrustyFN · March 27, 2012, 04:16 PM

If you are talking about the future brass you will have from the ammo you are going to buy then don't buy 5.56 ammo. Buy 223 ammo and you won't have to swage the primer pockets. I use the pocket reamer that will fit in a drill.

jdillon · March 27, 2012, 10:40 PM

+1 on the Dillon Super Swager. Solid and does the job well.

DarthNul · March 27, 2012, 11:02 PM

Crusty,

The .223 ammo would eliminate the crimp issue but it tends to cost more than the bulk milspec 5.56 stuff.

I'm trying to find something that will yield quality brass, be accurate enough for me to be able to tell when the barrel is "broken in", the bullets can't stick to a magnet or they won't let me use it at the nearest range, and I don't want to spend too much.

I know where I can get a decent deal on cans of M193 5.56x45 NATO rounds. That stuff won't stick to a magnet, unlike most NATO rounds, and it's in Lake City brass. In .223 all I've found in my price range so far is Remington UMC FMJ for just under $8 a box. If you or anybody else can suggest ammo that fits the bill, I'm all ears.

CrustyFN · March 28, 2012, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Crusty,

The .223 ammo would eliminate the crimp issue but it tends to cost more than the bulk milspec 5.56 stuff.

I didn't know that. I have never bought factory ammo except 9mm and that was six years ago. If you can buy it quite a bit cheaper then it's worth removing the primer crimp.

Jim243 · March 29, 2012, 01:24 AM

Crusty

I purchase all my 223 brass as once fired at a gun show around here. The dealers will tell you it's all 223 brass, well it isn't. 40 to 60 % turn out to be 5.56 once fired that needs to be swaged or reamed.

A. It comes down to about 10 cents a case or less if they really want to get rid of it, a lot cheaper than new cases. So far the best new case price I have found was Winchester at $24.95 per 100.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Winch...h-All+Products

B. Most dealers at the gun shows are now asking $20.00 per 100 cases, and that's mixed brass (223 & 5.56)

The best thing is to keep every case you fire, it is getting imposible to find any non-steel cases at the range anymore. I use to be able to pick up 2 to 3 hundred cases of 223 per range visit, not any more.

Jim

The last time i went to the range, I thought I struck paydirt, I am totally out of 7.62x39 brass and it is $34.95 per 100, and yes that is a magnet they are hanging from.

Rifleman1776 · March 29, 2012, 08:14 AM

Already answered but I'll add.
Easy, just use a hand swager. Cheap, works. I have done many military 30-06 rounds.

thedaddycat · March 29, 2012, 02:22 PM

I have used the RCBS swaging die in a Lee Challenger press. It works OK but some cases seem to not get swaged quite enough. I think it has more to do with the brass than the swaging die.

mikld · March 29, 2012, 03:00 PM

Having been a machinist/mechanic/electrician for the last 30 years I had a tool on hand for this job; a 60 degree countersink. I have a few left and use one that has a hex shank in mt electric screwdriver. Hold screwdriver in right hand, left hand reaches into bucket for brass, push brass against countersink mebbe 1 second, drop brass into "finished" bucket. I've done about 1k 5.56 and a bunch of 45 ACP...

CrustyFN · March 29, 2012, 05:22 PM

Jim243,

I have been lucky. I pick up all of my brass at the club I belong to. When I RO a match I really make out because the RO's get all the brass. We have three different police departments that use our range to qualify. Most of the AR brass I pick up is 5.56 and I have to swage the pockets. I got lucky getting to the range after a special traning session and picked up around 700 pieces of 223 brass, no pockets to swage. The only brass I have ever had to buy is 357 mag, you just don't find that stuff at the range.

Striker1 · March 29, 2012, 07:00 PM

Quote:

In .223 all I've found in my price range so far is Remington UMC FMJ for just under $8 a box. If you or anybody else can suggest ammo that fits the bill, I'm all ears.

I get Federal American Eagle .223 in the black box 20/$5.99 at Walmart

hawkeye10 · March 29, 2012, 07:46 PM

I bought a 1000 rounds of new Lake City brass at Mid Way for $149 per thousand. It has no crimp.

Years ago when I was broke and dumb I removed the crimp from 45ACP with my pocket knife. The brass was free and I had the knife. Don

Toolman · March 29, 2012, 08:15 PM

I use the RCBS decrimp die, works well for me. Too bad RCBS is discontinuing this die once stocks are depleted. The RCBS die is being replaced with a new RCBS decrimping tool that looks amazingly like the blue Superswage.

snuffy · March 30, 2012, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Already answered but I'll add.
Easy, just use a hand swager. Cheap, works. I have done many military 30-06 rounds.

Get your terminology straight. The hand tool is a REAMER, the swagger that goes in a press looks like a reloading die. The shell holder is replaced by a button the forces the crimp back to the sides, out of the way of a new primer.

Quote:

Thanks for the replies!

I already have Lyman primer pocket reamers from a case prep tool set that I bought a while back, but they fit pretty loosely even in crimped pockets.

There's a difference between the primer pocket UNIFORMER and a primer crimp reamer. The uniformer is made to cut the primer pocket BOTTOM square, to a uniform depth, and square up the rounded corners. It will NOT take the crimp out, because it is made looser than the inside diameter of the pocket,(so it won't cause loose primers).

I use the Hornady reamer tool in my RCBS case prep center. I have both the large and small.

F. Guffey · March 30, 2012, 10:30 AM

Before the Internet, Hatcher suggested using a pocket knife. I use the RCBS case prep center, the RCBS prep center has 5 stations.

F. Guffey

BaldEagle9 · March 30, 2012, 06:56 PM

I've just been using a small knife on my 9mm NATO brass. I need one of those Hornady tools.

medalguy · March 31, 2012, 10:35 PM

You're all paying way too much for brass. I just checked Gunbroker and about the second ad I saw advertised 5.56mm brass 1000 pieces for $65. And OP, you can buy processed 5.56mm brass that has been resized, trimmed, and primer pockets swaged and uniformed for 9 cents each, ready to be primed. Why go through the hassle of processing your own brass when you can get it this cheap???

March 26, 2012, 11:30 AM	#1
DarthNul Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2010 Location: Minnesota Posts: 288	Removing military primer crimps How much of a pain in the posterior is it to remove primer crimps from 5.56 brass? I am building myself an AR and I plan to start reloading for 5.56x45 after I break in the barrel (and the rest of the gun) with commercial ammo. I've been reloading for pistol calibers for a few years now but this will be my first foray into bottle-neck rifle cartridges, and possibly military brass. I plan to use commercial ammo for barrel break-in and to build my confidence in the gun before I void the warranty with my hand-loads. The other goal is to generate some once-fired brass with which to get started on the reloading. The best deals I'm finding (that are actually "in stock") are for bulk cans of Federal/Lake city, but if it's going to be too much of a pain, or cost too much in new tools to de-crimp what may be only one batch of brass, I'll have to find something else. __________________ The most feared gun control law proposal: Require buyers to register all gun purchases with their wives

March 26, 2012, 11:44 AM	#2
sc928porsche Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: now living in alabama Posts: 2,433	RCBS makes a military crimp remover that works well. It is well worth the money. __________________ No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.

March 26, 2012, 12:59 PM	#5
RobertInIowa Senior Member Join Date: March 4, 2012 Location: Iowa Posts: 149	I like the RCBS swager. I works great on the Trim mate work center. I've swaged out the crimp from a couple thousand LC brass and it works like a charm. __________________ Guns don't kill people, fathers with pretty daughters do. Two wrongs don't make a right, but three comes pretty close. Proud NRA member

March 26, 2012, 01:04 PM	#6
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	If you have a bunch to swage then the RCBS unit is cool and saves a lot of time http://www.midwayusa.com/product/319...-pocket-swager I bought mine before this came out so I use the single stage press one. Jim __________________ Si vis pacem, para bellum

March 27, 2012, 03:05 PM	#8
DarthNul Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2010 Location: Minnesota Posts: 288	Thanks for the replies! I already have Lyman primer pocket reamers from a case prep tool set that I bought a while back, but they fit pretty loosely even in crimped pockets. I'll give it a shot anyway before I spend any more dollars on this. The budget is already blown on the AR project anyway. That's the trouble with reloading: Every time I buy a new gun I also have to get dies, shell holders and a new sampling of bullets etc, on top of the cost of the gun. __________________ The most feared gun control law proposal: Require buyers to register all gun purchases with their wives

March 26, 2012, 11:47 AM	#3
ScottRiqui Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 2,905	The Dillon "Super Swager" makes it a breeze, but at ~$90, it's pricey. I have several thousand pieces of 5.56 brass, but I've ended up just de-crimping a few hundred, and I'll use those until they split or I lose them, then I'll do up another batch.

March 26, 2012, 12:59 PM	#4
erikivy Member Join Date: August 29, 2011 Location: Central VA - 22903 Posts: 84	I use the $10 Hornady reamer. If doing more than an handful of cases, I remove the bit from the tool and chuck it up in my cordless drill. It makes it very easy to mow through a few hundred cases in no time. If money were no object, I'd get the Dillon unit for sure, but the Hornady one above is great if you're on a budget.

March 26, 2012, 07:18 PM	#7
oldreloader Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2009 Location: Magnolia, Arkansas Posts: 251	I use the Hornady one like erikivy. It woks good for me

March 27, 2012, 04:12 PM	#9
tom234 Senior Member Join Date: February 14, 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 753	Take the Lyman primer pocket reamer and chuck it up in a drill or drill press. The reamer will cut until it bottoms out on the case web. If your reamer is loose then either the reamer is worn out or there isn't a crimp.

March 27, 2012, 04:16 PM	#10
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	If you are talking about the future brass you will have from the ammo you are going to buy then don't buy 5.56 ammo. Buy 223 ammo and you won't have to swage the primer pockets. I use the pocket reamer that will fit in a drill. __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

March 27, 2012, 10:40 PM	#11
jdillon Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 2011 Location: Southern NM Posts: 141	+1 on the Dillon Super Swager. Solid and does the job well. __________________ "Emergencies have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded" - F.A. Hayek

March 27, 2012, 11:02 PM	#12
DarthNul Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2010 Location: Minnesota Posts: 288	Crusty, The .223 ammo would eliminate the crimp issue but it tends to cost more than the bulk milspec 5.56 stuff. I'm trying to find something that will yield quality brass, be accurate enough for me to be able to tell when the barrel is "broken in", the bullets can't stick to a magnet or they won't let me use it at the nearest range, and I don't want to spend too much. I know where I can get a decent deal on cans of M193 5.56x45 NATO rounds. That stuff won't stick to a magnet, unlike most NATO rounds, and it's in Lake City brass. In .223 all I've found in my price range so far is Remington UMC FMJ for just under $8 a box. If you or anybody else can suggest ammo that fits the bill, I'm all ears. __________________ The most feared gun control law proposal: Require buyers to register all gun purchases with their wives

March 29, 2012, 01:24 AM	#14
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	Crusty I purchase all my 223 brass as once fired at a gun show around here. The dealers will tell you it's all 223 brass, well it isn't. 40 to 60 % turn out to be 5.56 once fired that needs to be swaged or reamed. A. It comes down to about 10 cents a case or less if they really want to get rid of it, a lot cheaper than new cases. So far the best new case price I have found was Winchester at $24.95 per 100. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Winch...h-All+Products B. Most dealers at the gun shows are now asking $20.00 per 100 cases, and that's mixed brass (223 & 5.56) The best thing is to keep every case you fire, it is getting imposible to find any non-steel cases at the range anymore. I use to be able to pick up 2 to 3 hundred cases of 223 per range visit, not any more. Jim The last time i went to the range, I thought I struck paydirt, I am totally out of 7.62x39 brass and it is $34.95 per 100, and yes that is a magnet they are hanging from. __________________ Si vis pacem, para bellum Last edited by Jim243; March 29, 2012 at 01:54 AM.

March 29, 2012, 08:14 AM	#15
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	Already answered but I'll add. Easy, just use a hand swager. Cheap, works. I have done many military 30-06 rounds.

March 29, 2012, 02:22 PM	#16
thedaddycat Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2011 Posts: 388	I have used the RCBS swaging die in a Lee Challenger press. It works OK but some cases seem to not get swaged quite enough. I think it has more to do with the brass than the swaging die.

March 29, 2012, 03:00 PM	#17
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	Having been a machinist/mechanic/electrician for the last 30 years I had a tool on hand for this job; a 60 degree countersink. I have a few left and use one that has a hex shank in mt electric screwdriver. Hold screwdriver in right hand, left hand reaches into bucket for brass, push brass against countersink mebbe 1 second, drop brass into "finished" bucket. I've done about 1k 5.56 and a bunch of 45 ACP... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

March 29, 2012, 05:22 PM	#18
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	Jim243, I have been lucky. I pick up all of my brass at the club I belong to. When I RO a match I really make out because the RO's get all the brass. We have three different police departments that use our range to qualify. Most of the AR brass I pick up is 5.56 and I have to swage the pockets. I got lucky getting to the range after a special traning session and picked up around 700 pieces of 223 brass, no pockets to swage. The only brass I have ever had to buy is 357 mag, you just don't find that stuff at the range. __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

March 29, 2012, 07:46 PM	#20
hawkeye10 Member Join Date: August 27, 2011 Location: Murfreesboro,Tn. Posts: 52	I bought a 1000 rounds of new Lake City brass at Mid Way for $149 per thousand. It has no crimp. Years ago when I was broke and dumb I removed the crimp from 45ACP with my pocket knife. The brass was free and I had the knife. Don __________________ Don't worry be happy!

March 29, 2012, 08:15 PM	#21
Toolman Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 514	I use the RCBS decrimp die, works well for me. Too bad RCBS is discontinuing this die once stocks are depleted. The RCBS die is being replaced with a new RCBS decrimping tool that looks amazingly like the blue Superswage. __________________ Crime Control. NOT Gun Control.

March 30, 2012, 10:30 AM	#23
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	Before the Internet, Hatcher suggested using a pocket knife. I use the RCBS case prep center, the RCBS prep center has 5 stations. F. Guffey

March 30, 2012, 06:56 PM	#24
BaldEagle9 Junior Member Join Date: March 30, 2012 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 1	I've just been using a small knife on my 9mm NATO brass. I need one of those Hornady tools.

March 31, 2012, 10:35 PM	#25
medalguy Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2009 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,033	You're all paying way too much for brass. I just checked Gunbroker and about the second ad I saw advertised 5.56mm brass 1000 pieces for $65. And OP, you can buy processed 5.56mm brass that has been resized, trimmed, and primer pockets swaged and uniformed for 9 cents each, ready to be primed. Why go through the hassle of processing your own brass when you can get it this cheap???