This is probably an amateur question, but I have reloaded for 35 years, but have never loaded any military brass. I have picked up range brass in .223 for half my life, and have a ton of LC brass that I need to load for two AR's. What is the process for removing the primer and taking out the crimp? The LC brass seems to have a roll crimp, there is some other that is just staked in place. There also is quite abit of PMC that appears to be roll crimped, and S&B that looks to have no crimp and some that is marked PMP that doesn't look like it is crimped. I just hate to waste all that good brass, and I'm sure this has been discussed before, it just hasn't been an issue for me.

Let me start by saying that I have never done this, but from what I have read (and no I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night) you deprime like any other brass. Then you either swage the primer pocket with the RCBS tool or you can cut out the crimp/stakes with a chamfering tool like you use for case mouths. Once that is done reload as normal. Good luck!

I use a seperate deprimer only, RCBS. Then full length resize. Next I use a primer pocket swedge (use the one from RCBS). No other changes needed. I do chamfer the inside of the necks to help keep the projectiles from getting any material scraped off and affecting accuracy.

I have just done this very thing with 1000+ FC military brass.

I put an 82deg c'sink tool in the collet chuck on the lathe and hold the cases against that for knocking the military crimp out of the primer pocket. Works very well, but mind numbingly tedious. With the amount of force that can be applied by hand the chamfer tool stops cutting at just the right spot then burnishes the chamfer, I've tried to over cut a couple on purpose just to make sure I couldn't get too deep and I'd have to really lean on the case to do it.

I tried a 90deg chamfer tool for the first 150 or so and it wasn't getting quite deep enough before it stopped cutting and the primers were still hanging up on the edge of the crimp. The 82 is perfect, knocks the crimp burr off and the primers slide right in like they were comercial brass for the vast majority. I'm getting around 5 failure-to-seat per 100, what I think is causing it is the edge of the cup get hung up on an offcenter stake mark. I've gotten so that I can feel if the primer cup is hung up and if I give the case a turn while applying light force to the press handle the pimer will find the pocket and then I seat as normal.

Before I had the tecnique down I would pop out the messed up primer, knock the new burr off with a knife and seat a new primer.

I have about 500 or so to still decap and debur and am thinking of making a stakeing punch and shell holder kit that will work on my Redding press. Slide a shell in a threaded shell holder that screws into the top of the press and snap a stake punch in where a shell holder normally fits.

quote:

Originally posted by idahoelk101:
***** Then you either swage the primer pocket with the RCBS tool or you can cut out the crimp/stakes with a chamfering tool like you use for case mouths. Once that is done reload as normal. Good luck!

Good info but If you do a lot, build yourself a depriming tool that you hit with a hammmer . No joke! After you've bent or broken a number of knock out pins in your dies( Think Lee ) you'll see why. Mine stared life as a Phillips screw driver. You'll also need some sort of base to put the cases on while doing your hammering. Goes faster than you might think.

to knock out the primers you can do this as you normally size the case, just like anything else. only difference is that you'll
probably go through a decapping pin or 2. you can then either cut out the crimp or swage it. There is a lot of military brass today that is not crimped.

I just resized a bunch of them and had no problem with the depriming. Used the chamfer tool, and cut the crimp off and primed them- no problem. The first time I tried, I did break a decapping pin, that is when I decided maybe something wasn't right.

I've gone the whole evolution from depriming and taking the crimp out with a knife tip, to using a case chamfer tool to using the RCBS swaging tool. Recently bought a Lee universal deprimer that works just fine and allows you to deprime, decrimp and then tumble the brass before it touches your sizing die.

The most accurate reloads I've cooked up have been in LC brass sorted by year, and it'll last till the AR finally throws it into the bushes where you can't find it.

Military brass is deprimed just like any other boxer primed case. True it sometimes takes a little more pressure to overcome the crimp, but the basic operation remains identical.

Do expect to break a decapping pin as some flash holes aren't located in the center of the case. That is exactly why some recommend decapping with a separate tool.

The crimp can easily be removed with a simple hand tool from Lyman, or something fancier by Dillon (think large volume)

In general LC brass is top quality and will prove to be long lived, so it's definitely worth the time you've invested.

+ 1 on what buckshot said.
Right on the money.

The Lee decapping die lasts 10 times as long as the RCBS decapping die.



I bought a replacement 308 de capping rod from a Lee for $2.50.
http://www.leeprecision.com/cg...229115371.3867=90245

I then put the "decapper" in a Forster .308 bullet puller. The collet is tightened with pliers.

That is even better than the Lee Decapping die.

For removing the crimp, everyone with an RCBS warned me against it.
I got a Dillion super swage 600 and it really works well, but needs to be screwed to a big board that is clamped to the bench.




If you are going to do 10,000 pieces of 223 brass, don't do it in the basement with the radio. Do it up stairs in front of the TV.

If you are going to do 10,000 pieces of 223 brass, do not use a stock sizer with expander ball. Buy a sizer die from Forster or other mfg with the neck honed out to .003" smaller than finished ammo.

Learn more about handloading before you unnecessarily bend the necks 10,000 rounds of .223 brass with an expander ball.

For the average reloader, I certainly agree with the recommendation above of a Lee De-capper, and a Dillon primer pocket swager.

I've been using the Lee decapping pin (and its base which can be ordered with it) for over 40 years, and have never broken one. Opreration is simple. Put the pin in the mouth of the case, and on down into the flash hole. Set base of cartridge case on the decapper base, and hit top of pin with a hammer. Out pops primer. To avoid peening the top of the pin, use a plastic hammer. Lee sells one pin and base for the .30-06 diameter case head and flashhole, and another for the appropriate .223 diameters.

I've only been using my Dillon primer pocket swager for about 25 years. Have never broken any part of it, and it works far better for me than the various other tools I had tried before (Lyman, Lachmiller, RCBS, et. al.)

Together they work so well, it almost makes the operation fun.

+1 on the Lee De-Capper and Dillon.

Buy two of the Lee De-Cappers. They are cheap and will break at the worst time. They will replace the pin if you send it in, but it takes time for the turnaround.

Yep Dillon I picked up and older one about 6 months after I had bought a new one !.A garage sale $10.00

So being the Genius I'm not , I had a machinist friend turn the older one into a De-priming

Tool. Simply by removing the Swivel Pin or swedge end he made another piece which fits in there

swing it down and the hardened pin drives out the primer .Simple because if I ever want to change it

back I can without modification other than replacing stock piece back in .

That baby has Yet to Break . I did near 5K last year on it alone . It's going on 12 years old now .

Golly ! Am I the only one who uses a hand punch and a hammer? roger

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Am I the only one who uses a hand punch and a hammer?

Nope. I thought Wilson, though.

+1 for the Dillon Super swager.
Its fast and painless.

Roger ; I simply wasn't smart enough to keep my fingers off the slamming end of the punch .

Pretty soon I was unable to get my trigger finger inside the trigger guards of my rifles .

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Golly ! Am I the only one who uses a hand punch and a hammer? roger

No Roger, you aren't. The Lee decapper I describe using above IS a hand held punch, hit with a hammer. You're the guy we all copy.

Hey ,AC, I want to meet that poor country gal. roger

I have the Lee deprimer punch and it works for me. Nobody warned me about the RCBS swager, however. It works ok but you can almost lift the front of the bench to get the damn thing to release a case sometimes. Also, the little teat deal that forms the primer pocket appears to be wearing quite a bit. The Dillon seems cheap now.

Telly

quote:

Originally posted by Doc224/375:
Yep Dillon I picked up and older one about 6 months after I had bought a new one !.A garage sale $10.00

So being the Genius I'm not , I had a machinist friend turn the older one into a De-priming Tool. Simply by removing the Swivel Pin or swedge end he made another piece which fits in there.

Swing it down and the hardened pin drives out the primer .Simple because if I ever want to change it back I can without modification other than replacing stock piece back in .

That baby has Yet to Break . I did near 5K last year on it alone . It's going on 12 years old now .

Now Doc, that is one Hell of a great idea! All these years I have had the primer pocket swager sitting on top a bench right next to one of my lathes, and I never hought of doing that! Oy, such a schmuck!! Now I HAVE to make one of those punches to fit MY Dillon.

BTW- although the Dillon really does need to mounted on a plank to use it easily and smoothly, I have found no need to anchor the plank to a work bench during use. I just mounted the Dillon tool on the plank (a piece of 2 x 12 about 32"long) so that I pull the handle toward me as it swages the primer pocket. By having the tool mounted a little more than half the length of the plank away from me, all effort expended pulling the handle is also vectored into holding the plank flat on the bench. No clamping needed.

Best wishes, y'all.

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Hey ,AC, I want to meet that poor country gal. roger

One of these days Roger, one of these days....

Must warn you though, I am the one who keeps her poor. I buy ALL her "shine" for 50-cents per Mason jar, and the more she makes, the more I've learned to drink. Keeps her from gettin' 'nuff money saved up to run off with some city feller... Gawd help me if she ever thinks of hiring some kid to chop wood for her b'iler. Then she'd crank production way up and I'd go blind and broke meself!!

This Lee decapper is sold to be used with a hammer, but works much faster when mounted in a collet bullet puller die.

AC ; Here is another one which may or may not be helpful .

I put everything on my loading bench which is an L shaped affair .

Any of us who have been cranking the handles for more than a few decades knows just HOW much

stuff that can become !. So one vacation week when my wife's work screwed up our plans I became inventive !.

I laid everything out Where it was most convenient for me to use . I then devised a plan .

Rather than Bolt everything too the bench , I drilled holes where everything mounted even spray

painted press out line on the bench top . I had about 100 different quick disconnect pins lying around .

So now rifles or pistols or shot gun presses fit RIGHT where I want them in Seconds .

Besides I could never seem to find wrenches other than for the Tool Heads when I needed them .

So now I have it all organized in an acceptable chaotic fashion , with racks of dowel shelf's for

the Dillon tool heads mounted too the wall with a nice drop cover keeps em cleaner .

Primer tubes and accessories under those shelf's and under those shell plate shelf's .

Powder bullets in one LARGE cabinet too my right side .

Brass Primers Wads Shot in the cabinet too my left .

Tumbler sets on the right cabinet top , and the screen tub on the left one .

I actually had enough room on my L or in my case left side of the bench to mount a Hardwood

gun vice with soft jaws I made out on the front edge . Cleaning supplies are on a large over head self

with a rim around it . Get shakers Earthquakes here once in awhile .

My Bins under the bench serves as my excess bullet powder shot wads primers storage area

and an excellent foot rest as I set in my Bankers chair and load and load and load and !.