Reloaders, how do you remove Primer Pocket Crimps?

[nortac]

As with many of my threads, I ask questions I already have the answer to just to compare options with others and perhaps provide info for prospective reloaders who may be bewildered by all of the various aspects of our multifaceted hobby. So, what is your preferred method of dealing with crimped primer pockets and why. Most military brass have crimped primer pockets to prevent primers from backing out and potentially disabling a weapon. The crimp may not make depriming difficult, but it surely hampers repriming the resized brass. There are generally two ways of removing the crimp, either cutting it away or swaging it out of the way. The cutting can be done either by a hand tool or an electric powered tool. The swaging method is done with a bench mounted tool or a tool on a reloading press. Do you think one method or the other makes any difference in precision reloading?

 

[Ad Astra]

Hand tool, on 7.62x51 brass. Might be Lee?


AA

 

[Whisky]

I have an RCBS brass boss so I use that now. I’ve used an RCBS swag die but had too many issues with it. I will say that when I bent one of the rods RCBS sent me 2 replacements free. Prior to the swag die I used a Forster primer pocket chamfer tool in a Forster case trimmer. Trimming/cutting is easier but if I could find a setup that would swag reliably I would probably choose that path because it doesn’t remove any brass.

 

[nortac]

I initially just used a standard chamfering tool to trim away the crimp by hand. A bit labor intensive and eventually will cause your fingers to cramp up. I was gifted a Lyman brass prep center and it works well for processing lots of brass quickly. I also have a "Swage It" device that replaces the priming mechanism on the Dillon 550, works as advertised. Of course, Dillon makes a bench mounted swage tool, but I didn't want to dedicate the space for one, I don't process enough military brass to justify it.

 

[rickw]

As with many of my threads, I ask questions I already have the answer to just to compare options with others and perhaps provide info for prospective reloaders who may be bewildered by all of the various aspects of our multifaceted hobby. So, what is your preferred method of dealing with crimped primer pockets and why. Most military brass have crimped primer pockets to prevent primers from backing out and potentially disabling a weapon. The crimp may not make depriming difficult, but it surely hampers repriming the resized brass. There are generally two ways of removing the crimp, either cutting it away or swaging it out of the way. The cutting can be done either by a hand tool or an electric powered tool. The swaging method is done with a bench mounted tool or a tool on a reloading press. Do you think one method or the other makes any difference in precision reloading?

As with many of my threads, I ask questions I already have the answer to just to compare options with others and perhaps provide info for prospective reloaders who may be bewildered by all of the various aspects of our multifaceted hobby. So, what is your preferred method of dealing with crimped primer pockets and why. Most military brass have crimped primer pockets to prevent primers from backing out and potentially disabling a weapon. The crimp may not make depriming difficult, but it surely hampers repriming the resized brass. There are generally two ways of removing the crimp, either cutting it away or swaging it out of the way. The cutting can be done either by a hand tool or an electric powered tool. The swaging method is done with a bench mounted tool or a tool on a reloading press. Do you think one method or the other makes any difference in precision reloading?

Many years since I did military cases but I had a hand reamer.

 

[Whiterook]

I have the RCBS swaging tool. It works, but the handle is a bit short and lacks leverage. Plus pulling from the side tends to drag my bench around! If I buy another tool it will be the ram swaging tool.

 

[Possum092]

Primer pocket reamer bit chucked in a cordless drill. Fast, guaranteed to remove the crimp, and cheap.

 

[Yuritau]

I don't load for any calibres where military crimps are a thing, and for my hunting rounds I only use modern brass. My only experience with the military primer crimps was when I was collecting and cleaning/processing range brass to sell to a few other guys. To avoid messing up their own processing I'd just punch the primers out, hit the pocket with a very flat angled chamfer tool I found, then run it in a cleaner until it was pretty. It took the lip of the crimp off, but didn't touch any other part of the pocket. Stopped doing that pretty quick though as the dollars per effort ratio was very low.

 

[alpster]

I just avoid crimped primer pockets. I don't handload very many rifle rounds anyway.

 

[nortac]

I just recently tried the RCBS swaging ram tool, too problematic, sending it back today.

 

[Whiterook]

I just recently tried the RCBS swaging ram tool, too problematic, sending it back today.

Good to know. I am beginning to think the Dillon tool is top of the heap, no surprise there. I've not tried one though.

 

[nortac]

There’s also the “Swage It” that fits on the Dillon 550 press. But the easiest is one of the various electric brass prep centers.

 

[The Pontificator]

Hornady Primer pocket reaming kit (cutter and knurled handle). You can buy it the small only, the large only, or both large and small reamers with the handle.

I went to Lowes and purchased a coupling nut I believe it was 3/32" thread. You screw the reamer into one end of the coupling nut and then you can chuck the nut into an electric drill.

The beauty of the Hornady tool is that it will not over-ream or over-cut and when used with a drill/coupling nut it's FAST.

 

[Mhinagoya]

I have had three different swage tools and gave them away. I have tried the Lee deburr tool (it works, but painful to use). Now, I use this;

The shape limits how far it can enter the primer pocket, so I don't remove too much metal. In other words, it's pretty much brainless to use and very consistent.

Bill.

 

[The Pontificator]

As (un) luck would have it I have managed to misplace my Hornady reaming tool. I have been looking for it for 3 days and can't find it.

Ugh.

Off to order a new one from MidwayUSA. You just know that as soon as it arrives I'll find the one I lost.

 

[nortac]

^ I hate when that happens! Been there, done that.

 

[oc_in_fw]

As (un) luck would have it I have managed to misplace my Hornady reaming tool. I have been looking for it for 3 days and can't find it.

Ugh.

Off to order a new one from MidwayUSA. You just know that as soon as it arrives I'll find the one I lost.

I blame quantum physics.