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

Good point. You hear about guys having issues with loose primer pockets in the FC 223 brass, where I have never seen it. Wondering if those guys reamed the pockets, where I swage them???

I've had loose primer pockets in Federal 223 brass from factory loaded ammunition, no primer crimp or removal involved.

I've also reamed the crimps out of quite a large number of LC 223/5.56 cases and never had a loose primer pocket in those.

No broken pin yet with Lee. Use reamer and works good.

Take a look at the Hornady reamer it is designed so that it will not ream to deeply or allow too much reaming, the bottom of the reamer will hit the bottom of the primer pocket and from that point it will not ream more.

A case of the simple and inexpensive solution.

drover

It's what I use also.

I de-capp on an old RCBS RockChucker using an RCBS Universal Decapping Die. Then I clean with SS Pins by wet tumbling. After drying in a re-purposed dyhydrator I check all the pockets with a gauge, serte the loose pockets (discard them) and the crimped. When I get enough I run the crimped pockets through the Dillon swager.

Regular RCBS dies, Wilson primer pocket reamer and an adapter chucked in a drill clamped in my bench vise. I have it turning slow, can ream crimp out as fast as I can pick them up. I sold my swaging tool when I discovered this. I think I sold it to Seafire.

I swage with the RCBS set up. It works fine for my purposes.

You will break decapping pins with some brass cases with small primer holes. Out of the 1000 mixed range brass I bought I had 7 or 8 of these. Sorry, can't remember the head stamp. I found this out the hard way. If you don't want your operation to be stopped in its tracks, buy some extra pins to have on hand.

I use LC, toss the rest, decap and light swage to remove the crimp, then prep all the brass with a case prep center including a pocket uniform currer and a Pro Trim, 3 way cutter. But I do not use Mil for my match brass, ever, commercial only and all preped.

I just cut out the primer crimp with a chamfer tool you should already own if you reload rifle brass.

[quote=hanco]Regular RCBS dies, Wilson primer pocket reamer and an adapter chucked in a drill clamped in my bench vise. I have it turning slow, can ream crimp out as fast as I can pick them up. I sold my swaging tool when I discovered this. I think I sold it to Seafire.

Yup ya did! It sits on my reload bench in a convenient spot. Best $50 I've ever spent.

I bring home anywhere from 500 to 1000 pieces of brass a month to every 6 weeks, from range pick up brass. Most of it 223. That little Dillion Swager sure has seen a lot of action here in Oregon, since it left Texas.

Haven't even managed to wear it out yet. Tough and simple little item.

Thanks again for the Swager Hanco!

I use a 5/16” counter sink chucked into a drill. Run it to the count of one, and the crimp is gone,

I’m glad it is working for you!

Old post, but yeah Hanco, I consider it one of my useful tools on the Reload Bench...certainly well worth the cost I bought it from you for...

thanks again Buddy!

I use RCBS dies, not so fast in case you have a tough primer, Rcbs will send you free stems if you break one. Awesome service!
I use a cordless drill & a bit about 5/16 or a little bigger & just a second to touch the case & done.
Swaging is to slow & I want the crimp removed not balled up somewhere else. Remember a slight taper at the edge of the
pocket, if you only have a few cases just use yer hand with a bit. Get rid of the edge thats it, don't go too far.

I don't remember the stamp either but the primer is sealed with pink sealer. They are easy to spot.

kwg

lot of good advice here for you. when you remove the crimp you can either cut it or swag it . if you swag it I especially recommend getting a primer pocket go and no go gauges. you can over swag primer pockets, as well as not swagging them enough. it sucks to have to reduce stuff.. and the gauges are also a good help for some types of cutters.

Several years back, WalMart sold 100 round value packs of 55 gr fmj 223. It was wonderfully accurate, but the brass had loose primer pockets. That’s the only 223/556 brass I ever saw with loose primer pockets.

I have had some Federal ammo and range brass with the loose primer pockets. But, it's been several years in the past. It appears that Federal has heard about the complaints and has fixed the problem.

kwg

I picked up a used RCBS swagging set for $10. It seems to work just fine for me.

^^^ This ^^^

I use a different brand de-capping tool (Wilson), but that's not important. I punched the primers out. I swaged the primer pockets. Some people prefer reaming/drilling.