Difficult to remove Mil Crimp from A-USA carts

[gifbohane]

I was removing the military crimp from 4 or 5 hundred 223/556 carts yesterday.

I found that it was almost impossible to remove the crimp from the headstamp A-USA.

I first used the RCBS head then graduated to the manual Wilson (SInclair) Tungsten Carbide and finally gave up and tossed them all.

My theory was/is off center pockets? Ideas?

 

[sevt_chevelle]

Dillon super swage.

 

[edwardware]

I was removing the military crimp from 4 or 5 hundred 223/556 carts yesterday.

What's a cart?

You mean a cartridge? The assembly of a case, bullet, powder, and primer? There's your problem; you're supposed to fire the cartridge, deprime the case, then remove the crimp from the case.

. . . finally gave up and tossed them all.

I once threw out a $20 bill because I couldn't fold it straight down the middle the first time I tried.

Perhaps asking for input before pitching brass in a fuss will yield better returns in the future.

 

[gifbohane]

Dillon super swage.

SEVT-

I have toyed with that purchase many times but decided against it every time, mainly for the $120. Also I dislike the idea of adjusting it every time for different headstamps I am not sure that the swager would have done anything to these pockets, the tungsten reamer was sticking in the head of the cart.

Thanks for the positive and helpful comment.

 

[Engineer1911]

I use a solid carbide countersink in my drill press, crimp removed every time. Just a touch to the primer pocket and primer seating problems are over. Yes, it is not "Perfect" , but it certainly is effective -- once and done.

 

[milsurpguy]

Countersink in a cordless drill for me.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

You don't need to adjust it, you can feel it.
Mine has no problem with that headstamp.

 

[gifbohane]

I appreciate the helpful comments.

SEVT-

Are you saying, for example, you set up the Dillon swager for 223, and it will regularly and effectively remove the military crimp from EVERY 223 (regardless of headstamp?)

BTW I really wasn't asking for help in removing mil crimps, I was asking if anyone noticed that certain headstamps, and A-USA specifically, are difficult to work with.

Do any of you have trouble working with A-USA headstamps?

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

When i do the crimps with my RCBS swage. I give it a good bump when it reaches the top. Then on the down stroke another good bump to release the casing. I use my Lyman brass smith turret press for them. Yes some are harder to swage.

 

[Kaldor]

I use the RCBS decrimper on A-USA brass with no issues. I just run it in my drill press. Hornady decrimper works fine too.
The only issues I had was I got some that the flash holes were off center, so I canned those.

 

[bullseye308]

I have noticed the A-USA brass to feel like Fiocchi. They both seem to have tight pockets and the RCBS swagger in a single stage takes care of them just like any other brass. What I do when I encounter one that is real tight like those is once I swage it, turn it 90* and hit it again. Seems to work and no problems priming them.

 

[entropy]

There is no need to remove the mil-crimp from A-USA brass. Because it should be going right into the trash.

 

[LoadingPirate]

It’s Armscor brass. It’s Meh.... brass, but bottom of the spectrum for quality in my opinion. I have a bunch new unprimed 9 and it sucks to load. I toss a lot of the 5.56 fired stuff.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I use a Lyman small primer pocket uniformer in a drill and haven't had issues with A USA brass.
It seems to be the same as all the other cheap ammo brass.

 

[mdi]

FWIW; I remove mil-spec prime crimps. I don't try to reshape them. Life long machinist mechanic here and the first time I encountered primer crimps I went to my tool box and pulled a out 1/2"x60 degree countersink. I cut some crimps out by hand then installed the countersink in my hand drill and cut out the remaining 100 5.56 primer pocket crimps. I cut just enough to remove the disrupted metal and in the thousands of crimps removed, hand gun and rifle cases, foreign and domestic, annular and stake crimps, never had a problem. K.I.S.S.

 

[CMB]

That USA stuff kept getting stuck in the depriming die. The flash holes are super off center. As much as I wanted to like that brass because of the name...... NOPE can't do it, too much hassle

 

[gifbohane]

That USA stuff kept getting stuck in the depriming die. The flash holes are super off center. As much as I wanted to like that brass because of the name...... NOPE can't do it, too much hassle

Any possibility that A-USA is related to AMERC?

 

[Demi-human]

Do any of you have trouble working with A-USA headstamps?

Nope. Directly to the round file with any I find.

Any possibility that A-USA is related to AMERC?

Only in that they are both not great brass. As well as the flash holes ridiculously off-center, mine were being hard and springy, resisting sizing.
But then, some aren’t, too. I culled the bad and haven’t gotten any new brass lately.
The inconsistency is why they are not good.

As far as factory ammunition goes it’s not bad and sometimes great. Which isn’t that good.
But their rimfire is very consistently okay, and that’s pretty great.

If one isn’t hurting for brass, less headaches in just scrapping them.