Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Tell me about loading military 223 with crimped primers

Hello all!
I've come into 1,000 pieces of 223 brass with crimped in primers. I have worked with 308 brass with the crimped in primer in the pat and it seems I remember broken decapping pins. Is this a problem with the 223? Reaming primer pockets? Is this brass worth working with?
Thanks for any tips,
Rick

I've used a Lee decapping die to punch out many a crimped in primer without problems. You will have to remove the primer crimps by reaming or swaging.

If it's Lake City brass, yes. I haven't had issues with broken pins personally, and I ream the pockets instead of swaggeing..

Starting loads might need to be lower than commercial brass.

Almost all I use. I buy big boxes so I can leave it where it lands when I’m shooting up bunches of pigs.

I use plain old Hornady FL dies, never broke a pin yet. Lube and size. Use VLD chamfer tool to ream crimp out. Seat primer and rock on.

Hornady makes a dandy little tool you can chuck in a drill and remove the crimp in seconds; costs $10 or $15. Some of the Euro brass has small or off center flash holes and pretty fiercely crimped primers, they still come out, just don't slam them. The Lee universal deprimlng tool is great, but if you have LC brass you shouldn't need one.

I use the Lee Universal Decapping Unit, and then picked up a Pocket Swager by Dillon, used from a Texas member for $50.

I have squared away thousands of crimped military primed brass... I get pretty long brass life out of such brass, most military stuff...

Standard dies for decapping and I have a Lyman brass prep tool for removing crimps.

Make sure the brass is not some of the newer stuff coming out of Europe. It has a very small flash hole and you will either bend or break your decapper. Lee has new decapping pins that work well. I made new pins for mine that are tool steel and are tapered so they knock out the primer and opens the hole slightly so a regular decapper will work next time.


Or just buy these. Its where I got the idea to make my own. I was bored and have a lathe, and no I don't make stuff for other people.
https://www.squirreldaddy.com/Decapping-pin-s/336.htm

The RCBS primer pocket swaging tool works well and is inexpensive even if it is slow. Virtually all complaints come from those who haven't taken the time to adjust it properly. Once adjusted right, it never needs to be done again.

RCBS SB die, just finished doing 1000 rds, no broken pin, ream the pockets

RCBS SB die, just finished doing about 1000 rds, no broken pin, ream the pockets

This makes quick work of removing crimps:

https://www.dillonprecision.com/s000277

Thanks everyone! Looks like I need a reamer.
Take care all!
Rick

Not exactly true.

I've got two of those... of course I didn't pay $143 for either. I paid $50. for each, used.

and I like depriming with the Universal Decappers. I use Lee's manufactured ones. I keep 3 on hand.

Its not often, but I've broken pins, multiple times on each one of them. I bought them for $10 each new.

I do a lot of handloading, and most of my brass is range pick up. so by the numbers, eventually things break.

Most of it is usually from some sort of Russian or foreign brass sneaks in, with Berdan primers. Will call up LEE and order 5 decapping pins. Shipping costs more than the decapping pins.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165253550?pid=253550

Just plan works for $13. Buy an 8-32 coupling nut from the hardware store and chuck it in an electric screwdriver or drill. I bet you can cut out the crimp as fast as any of the swagers.

That is what I did and it is fast.

drover

There's an advantage to swaging over reaming. Reaming removes a bit of brass and will lead to loose primer pockets sooner than if they were swaged instead.

Checking some of my old Ultramax and black hills lake city brass from remanufactured reloads and some have some pretty severe chamfering

I tried the swaging tool that mounts on your press like a forming die. It was just a waste of money in my humble opinion. I did buy the off press RCBS swager. I mounted it to a board and clamp it to my worktable when I use it. Any pocket that doesn't get fully swaged is easy to find when I use my pocket uniforming tool. It may not be as fast as the Dillion swager but it's head and shoulders above the one that goes into your press.
kwg

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012924654?pid=319662