Military crimp removal, Swag or Ream you make the call

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Rule3

Rule3

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As stated above. The swaging is more of a pain to me, I have the RCBS die unit. Not as handy as the Dillon . Also have reaming tools which I can chuck in a drill or do by hand but that is to much work,;). When it reams it seems to just bevel the crimp and can still see some of it. Oh, this is 223 Rem.

What do you all prefer or use??
 
I prefer the RCBS unit I have used for 40 years.

A few things make it work very well.
1. Sorted brass with the support rod adjusted properly for each brand.

2. A shot of spray sizing lube in the primer pockets before swaging them.
You are moving brass where it came from just like case sizing after all.

3. On my old one, I had to remove a few thousands of an inch off the end of the swage plug to get complete crimp removal on some / all brands of cases.

Once all that is done, I see no need to replace it with a better method that does the same thing as effortlessly.

I reamed for a long time.
But I can swage 100 cases while I am reaming 10.

And all the swaged ones will be the same, whereas the reamed ones may or may not be.

rc
 
RCBS swaging. I recommend contacting RCBS to find out if you have an obsolete rod (made out of softer metal) or the upgraded version made of hardened stainless steel. My swager was new from MidwayUSA, but I guess they have some inventory on the shelves. RCBS sent me a free replacement, and I had it within a week of contacting them and they paid the shipping - excellent customer service.

I went for a swager because primer pockets loosen up over time and it seems even faster with my Federal brass. If that is the area that seems to fail first or more frequently (primers wont seat, just fall out) it seemed more logical keep as much metal on the pocket as possible, and force it open rather than cutting/removing metal.

Just my reasoning...
 
I use my Dillon swager. Must faster than using the RCBS Trim Mate. I also think it is more uniform. But you just have to make sure you have the Dillon swager set up for the correct OAL or you risk crushing cases.

CB
 
RCBS swaging. I recommend contacting RCBS to find out if you have an obsolete rod (made out of softer metal) or the upgraded version made of hardened stainless steel...RCBS sent me a free replacement, and I had it within a week of contacting them and they paid the shipping - excellent customer service.
Click to expand...

Xelera, are you referring to the Bench Swager?
 
My RCBS die swager is the older version. I see that they have a new version out now. Is it really any better??

To be honest I have no used it much so I do not know how or what to compare it to.
 
I like the CH4D swage setup that I have. Works well and it is cheaper than most. It also comes with a ram prime too.
 
I'm also a fan of the RCBS swagger kit for the press. I like the fact all the material is back where it should be when you're done instead of removing material from the primer pocket area when you ream.

I must admit when I come across a few cases which still have the crimp when not processing crimped cases I will use the case chamfer/deburring tool to "fix" the pocket. It's especially quick when processing 223/5.56 brass but like I said, I would rather swage the primer pockets.
 
Xelera, are you referring to the Bench Swager?
Click to expand...

I have the press swage kit. Specialized shell holder (2) for either large or small primer pockets, a die, threaded rod (2) again, one large, one small rimer pocket (these rods are the parts that you need to check which version you have), and a stripper tool, it's like an upside down cup with a hole in it, that goes over the shell holder, so when you lower your press ram, the cup bottoms out before you finish the downstroke, and "pops" the brass casing off of the shell holder.

I was going to link it, but it seems it has been recently discontinued by the manufacturer according to MidwayUSA.

A similar, or what looks like almost identical tool, is now available:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/235832/rcbs-primer-pocket-swager-combo-2

I will add, that the directions that come with it are fairly vague. Best thing to do is go to youtube and watch a few of the videos there, on how to set it up and use it.
 
2. A shot of spray sizing lube in the primer pockets before swaging them.
You are moving brass where it came from just like case sizing after all.
Click to expand...

Never thought about it, but that makes perfect sense. I will do that the next time I swage some cases. Thanks.
 
swagers don't fit on progressive presses so I try to ream. Lyman and hornady reamers, hornady is better. But, in the end, I still destroy every12th primer - which is a real pita on a progressive press. I avoid crimped brass as a result.
 
At first, I didn't like the idea of chamfering primer pockets due to potential consistency issues. But I haven't noticed any practical downside. It's very quick and easy.

Try using a chamfer tool rather than an actual reamer. They work smoother and don't chatter or enlarge the uncrimped portion of the pocket. I doubt you'd ever go back to a reamer tool. I've never come across a primer pocket that is too tight.
 
I do it exactly as Gloob does it and that's after I sold my RCBS Swager and my Dillon 600 super.
 
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