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Sorting Cases before Swaging Primer Pockets

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9mmepiphany

9mmepiphany

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I'm looking at preparing my .223 cases for reloading to use through my AR platforms...so we're not talking about precision bolt action shooting

I'm looking to have access to a couple of different swaging systems on different progressive presses...I only have about 3k cases

As I'm doing my research, I've come to understand that folks recommend sorting cases by headstamp and then adjusting the swage tool for the depth of the primer pocket. I have to admit, it hadn't occurred to me that pocket depths varied much.

Am I understanding this correctly?

If you don't sort, how do you accommodate for different pocket depths?

So the question is:
1. Do you sort by casehead?
2. Are you okay just sorting out the LC cases or should you also sort by year of manufacture?
 
I'm using a Dillon 600 and I do not sort cases before processing the primer pockets. Would it hurt, no but I also see no need. If there were that much difference in pockets the primers wouldn't fit all of the brass. (IMO of course)
 
I use a CH4D swage kit, and I adjust it so that it's kind of in the middle of the road. Most primer pockets are swaged completely, but some maybe not quite (but still enough to seat a new primer). On the rare occasion when the primer won't seat, I hit it with a couple of turns from a pocket reamer.

I load rifle rounds on a turret press, so it's no big deal to stop and fix one if need be. If you're loading on a progressive, this might not work too well.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
I'm using a Dillon 600 and I do not sort cases before processing the primer pockets. Would it hurt, no but I also see no need. If there were that much difference in pockets the primers wouldn't fit all of the brass. (IMO of course)
Click to expand...

Agreed!

Another Dillon 600 user here. 100% of my 5.56 mil brass with crimp primers, get swaged and run back through an AR.

I've chronographed loads in my AR reloaded in mil brass, if there were inconsistencies due to primer seating depth it should show up with larger ES & SD and I haven't noticed it, nor have I had any missfires. IF it is a big deal, this would be the first time I've heard of it.

Some of my defensive 5.56 brass I do sort by LC, the rest used for classes or practice are just sorted into MISC MIL.... I use commercial brass for my .223 bolt gun and that gets sorted by manufacturer and put into 100 rd "lots".

Chuck
 
I don't sort any brass for my ar. I do run all my brass through the D600. I also trim and clean up the mouths after every firing. I always come home with brass that I didn't fire. I figure better safe than sorry. I do everything in large batches. You can scoot through a lot of brass once you get into the tempo on that Dillon. I only plink with factory iron sights. My load is far from max so I don't worry about mil brass in the mix.
 
.
I'm a brand spankin'-new reloader and I cannot fathom loading brass without first sorting to headstamp. There are differences in internal volume between makes of bottleneck cartridges (at the very least, military spec brass has less internal volume due to a more robust construction) and now I am being made aware of differences in primer pocket depth. Granted, these differences may be minute and something to be cautious with only when loading maximum charges, but, still... I'm sorting my stuff.

If I had 3000 cases to sort, I'd still do it if only a few hundred at a time...
 
NO EXPERT HERE, so take what I say with a grain of salt. :p

I don't think it is the primer pocket depth that varies. I think it has to do with the web thickness that can vary. Some of the swagers (Dillon 600, and the RCBS press mounted, I believe) that push against the web from the inside of the case. If the web varies in thickness, it can change the amount of swage taking place.

Someone correct me is I am wrong.
 
I'm looking to have access to a couple of different swaging systems on different progressive presses...I only have about 3k cases
Click to expand...

Make one of the different progressives a 1050 it will take you less than two hours to size, swage and trim all 3000 cases if you also use the Dillon trimmer. Once I set the swager I don't mess with it and load mixed brass for most of my 3 gun ammo.

The only other progressive swage systems I know of is the one for the LNL that's not really very progressive IMO you have to place each case on a post then pull it back off, so no case feed or auto eject.

And the swage it or GS custom swaggers for the 550/650 that void the no bs warranty from Dillon and have mixed reviews on how well they work.
 
200Apples said:
.
I'm a brand spankin'-new reloader and I cannot fathom loading brass without first sorting to headstamp. There are differences in internal volume between makes of bottleneck cartridges (at the very least, military spec brass has less internal volume due to a more robust construction) and now I am being made aware of differences in primer pocket depth. Granted, these differences may be minute and something to be cautious with only when loading maximum charges, but, still... I'm sorting my stuff.

If I had 3000 cases to sort, I'd still do it if only a few hundred at a time...
Click to expand...

You've got to look at the "big" picture for this. As long as you're not loading close to max, there won't be an issue with slight variances. Since we're talking ARs and the OP stated:

reloading to use through my AR platforms...so we're not talking about precision bolt action shooting
Click to expand...

This is either plinking or training ammo, normally shot at relatively short distances, for instance most carbine classes I've taken are 50 yards an under. The normal steps for accuracy loading won't show much effect at the distance used, and the odds are you won't get your brass back at the end of the day.

So most of us do minimal brass prep, check OAL, fire up the Dillon and crank rounds out.

Precision ammo is a whole different story.....

Chuck
 
FWIW most of my .223 AR's with mixed brass 55g FMJ reloads will out shoot my Mini 14 with good factory ammo.

So while they are not what I would choose for prarie dog hunting they are not what I would call inaccurate.
 
Even my crappiest mixed brass 55gr FMJ reloads will shoot groups roughly half the size of any factory milsurp ammo I've ever shot in my guns.

I don't load a ton of .223 by any stretch, but I set my Super swage 600 up using LC brass, have never adjusted it since, and never had a problem.
 
200Apples said:
.
I'm a brand spankin'-new reloader and I cannot fathom loading brass without first sorting to headstamp. There are differences in internal volume between makes of bottleneck cartridges (at the very least, military spec brass has less internal volume due to a more robust construction) and now I am being made aware of differences in primer pocket depth. Granted, these differences may be minute and something to be cautious with only when loading maximum charges, but, still... I'm sorting my stuff.

If I had 3000 cases to sort, I'd still do it if only a few hundred at a time...
Click to expand...
As a new reloader I will suggest you pay more attention to what you read, it's important. The OP asked about sorting brass before swaging the primer pockets, not before loading. Your post was more about loading different cases and hardly anything about the primer pockets.
 
Last edited:
There is no faster way to render a primer pocket swage scrap than to sewage case heads of different thickness, especially the RCBS type.

F. Guffey
 
As I'm doing my research, I've come to understand that folks recommend sorting cases by headstamp and then adjusting the swage tool for the depth of the primer pocket. I have to admit, it hadn't occurred to me that pocket depths varied much.
Click to expand...

I absolutely hate sorting brass. For years, I have only reloaded handgun calibers and, with the exception of cases in need of heavier crimp (.357 or .44 for example) I have never been able to tell a lick of difference in accuracy or reliability. Because of this, I never worried about it. For .357 and .44 I put a crowbar in my wallet and ordered new Starline brass.

I recently started reloading .223 and still didn't want to sort brass so that was my solution. I ordered once fired brass all of the same head stamp without crimped primer pockets. I still check them all to make sure I haven't picked up anyone else's stragglers, that the necks are good and that they are within the right length but they all go in the same bin. It has been well worth it.
 
I have had a Dillon 600 since they first came out.I never sorted cases due to primer pocket depth issues with the swager. I DO sort cases by head stamp and year if LC/WCC and the like.

Sometimes I get a little ring of brass left in the primer pocket and a dental pick pulls them out no problem.
 
Just for consistency and record keeping.Lets say I have 1k pieces of LC 2002 5.56 and they weigh an average of 93.2gr and another batch of LC 2012 5.56 that weighs 93.7 on average.

I would load each group of said cases in two seperate batches.I start from "zero" when using a new batch of brass.

But as far swaging them on the Dillon,no need.
 
Just wanted to update my adventures into loading .223/5.56mm

I sorted out my LC and Federal brass, about 800 pieces each...might separate out the .223 and the 5.56 Fed later. I have smaller batches (100-200) of PMC, Wolf, GFL, R-P, and W-W; and about 200 pieces of mixed military brass

Found the Hornady Swaging Kit for about half price and ordered it for my LNL AP.

Set the swaging depth using some military brass, then tried it out with a few pieces of LC and R-P. Using the same setting, all the primer pockets seemed uniform and primers seated smoothly and to a uniform depth. The system is blazingly fast, with the limiting factor being how fast I could reach for the next case

I'm guessing I didn't "need" to sort the cases, but I feel better for having done it.

Now to wait for a buddy to get his Dillon RT1500 set up for trimming
 
Top Rudder (#7) said exactly what I was thinking. I did not sort at first. Soon I noticed that some cases seemed to be much harder to swage...some very easy. So I sorted by maker and adjusted the swager...and adjust for each change. Much happier.

Mark
 
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