I'm getting ready to do some 5.56/.223 for the first time. Some of the brass has crimped primers. Took a bit of muscle to punch them out before cleaning.

I took a deburring tool by RCBS, the one you'd use after trimming a case, and it put a nice little bevel around the edge of the pocket.

Is this an acceptable method? I need to get a shell holder for my LEE auto prime so I can try priming them.

I was wondering what low cost method others around here use. This stuff will not be loaded for max performance. Just looking for inexpensive ammo to keep the barrel warm.

RCBS has a primer pocket swager that works well. I've also used several different brands of deburring tools and primer pocket uniformers in a drill motor which makes it faster.

I've used it on a few dozen '06 and 308 cases but soon got tired of mucking about with crimped pockets as brass without crimps is cheap and plentiful. Basically a PITA as far as my reloading is concerned.

I used an old Lee hand loader primer popper to get the primers out, but you can find primer poppers just made for handling crimped primers in any reloading parts catalog.

Luck

quote:

I've used it on a few dozen '06 and 308 cases but soon got tired of mucking about with crimped pockets as brass without crimps is cheap and plentiful. Basically a PITA as far as my reloading is concerned.

I gotta agree.

If you desire to occupy yourself w/this endevour ..... I've used both the RCBS Primer Pocket Punch Die set & the 2 cutters from Lyman (Small & Large).

For me, neither worked 100%. Every now & again a primer gets hung up in the works and just causes alot of cussing.

Both of these items are stashed back in the deapest dark realms of my reloading equipment stash; hopefully to never see the Light of Day again.

I have use the swage and use a lyman primer pocket reamer. Now I just sell crimp casings for scrap.

I once got some .45 ACP brass with crimped primers. Since I am a tacky Suebian I just used the already mentioned RCBS deburring tool. Worked fine, I cannot complain.

Dillon. Nothing wrong with crimped primers.

I use the RCBS primer pocket swager with complete satisfaction.

I have the RCBS and Dillon. I have the Lyman and Hornady cutters. The Dillon is the way to go if you have the $$'s for sped. The RCBS is perfectly suitable but I would not want to do 1000 pieces of 556 with it.

The cutters are OK if you mount them in a drill or powered screw driver. I took the Lyman out of the wood handle and chucked it up in my Black and Decker and it worked fine.

Greg

Dillon.

Gee, I just sit down with a bowl of crimped cases and a reamer and watch TV. Next thing you know, they're done.

bee, I did about a gallon of .45 ACP brass a little at a time and my first batch of 500+ 7.62 shells that way. That's when I decided to buy the Dillon. I do mine watching TV too.

The Dillon is the only way to go, if you have a thousand or so. You can sit and watch college basketball all winter long and just prep them.
They also offer a punch and base set to knock primers out. I took a piece of 2x12 about three feet long, and just set it across the arms of my Lazy Boy. 3lb WW ingot knocks the primers out.
Step 2 is swaging the crimp out.
Step 3 is priming, unless you were smart enough to buy a Dillon 550.

Waaaay back when I was able to buy 12K from a friend who was the armourer at the NG unit. I'm still processing that stuff.

Good Luck

Rich

Nowadays I try to stay away from anything with crimped in primers. I learned my lesson once when I was depriming a bunch of surplus 223's and managed to break my last decapping pin on a berdan case that sneaked into the mix.

When I did have a bunch of cases to remove crimps from I chucked a 4 flute countersink into the drill press on slow speed and held the cases to it by hand, takes a fraction of a second to do.

Here is a picture of a 6 flute, but just use what you have:

Interesting replies here. Never dealt with crimped primers before but it seems hard to toss this stuff, especially after cleaning it with stainless steel media.

Mark, you're saying stick with that RCBS reamer/deburring tool? It does seem easy and I was going to try a few and then see how easily the primers can be pushed in.

FWIW, some of the old time reloading books suggest that you trim the crimp out with your pocket knife.

If you only have a couple hundred you might as well just keep using the RCBS tool. I have one of those and also the Lee version which cuts significantly less per revolution so it takes a bit more time to use but still gets the job done. As mentioned, just get 2 buckets and do it while you are watching TV or something else mindless and it'll be done before you know it.

If I had a zillion cases to do I'd get a swage as I'd rather reshape metal instead of removing it, but a wimp like me has found the simplest thing to do is just try to stay away from crimped brass in the first place.

I have used the RCBS deburring tool for the last 35 years and have been completely satisfied. I chuck the little shaft on the end up in a small drill and have at it. As some said brass without crimps is easy to come by so I don't do that much anymore. Good thing about this way is that the deburring tool is pretty cheap.

Steve E.......