Spade5
Member
I am a low volume reloader. I use a single stage press a build one round at a time so high volume loading is not my deal.
I hadn't reloaded .223 in twenty years or so and at that time all I ever saw was commercial brass. I dusted off my gear and decided to load a few and then I met for the first time Mr. Military crimp.
I tried using my hand held reamer without a lot of luck and although a lot of folks use a hand held drill to remove the crimp that just didn't seem right for me. I thought about the swagger and RC swears by that method so there is some value there.
I decided to try the hand crank Lyman setup and couldn't be happier. It stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and has a short crank arm of about 1 1/2 inches. The tool takes standard 8-32 thread and come with everything you need to deburr, chamfer, and ream, clean and uniform the primer pocket.
You need a pretty good grip on the brass to ream it and it is easy to see if you are holding it straight. A few turns of the crank and the crimp is gone. To me it is just natural. Pick up a piece of brass with one hand and turn the crank with the other and you can get a feel for how it is cutting.
I used the RCBS pocket brush and it really cleans the pockets and only take a couple of turns. I also used a neck brush just to clean up the tumbling dust.
I do prefer my Hornady hand held reamer head in the Lyman crank. It just seems a little less aggressive than the Lyman tool which does work fine.
I paid a little more than I would have for the swagger set up but I can do more things with it. If you aren't a high volume loader, you might want to give it a try.
Of course I am the guy who still uses beam torque wrenches.
I hadn't reloaded .223 in twenty years or so and at that time all I ever saw was commercial brass. I dusted off my gear and decided to load a few and then I met for the first time Mr. Military crimp.
I tried using my hand held reamer without a lot of luck and although a lot of folks use a hand held drill to remove the crimp that just didn't seem right for me. I thought about the swagger and RC swears by that method so there is some value there.
I decided to try the hand crank Lyman setup and couldn't be happier. It stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and has a short crank arm of about 1 1/2 inches. The tool takes standard 8-32 thread and come with everything you need to deburr, chamfer, and ream, clean and uniform the primer pocket.
You need a pretty good grip on the brass to ream it and it is easy to see if you are holding it straight. A few turns of the crank and the crimp is gone. To me it is just natural. Pick up a piece of brass with one hand and turn the crank with the other and you can get a feel for how it is cutting.
I used the RCBS pocket brush and it really cleans the pockets and only take a couple of turns. I also used a neck brush just to clean up the tumbling dust.
I do prefer my Hornady hand held reamer head in the Lyman crank. It just seems a little less aggressive than the Lyman tool which does work fine.
I paid a little more than I would have for the swagger set up but I can do more things with it. If you aren't a high volume loader, you might want to give it a try.
Of course I am the guy who still uses beam torque wrenches.
