Swage-IT on XL750

[Alex G]

Does anyone here run a Swage-It on their Dillon press? If you’ve got one, let me know how it works. On the fence about getting one for when I process 9mm brass to catch any crimped primers that get mixed in.
Thanks!

and yes, I know it “voids the warranty”

 

[Erief0g]

Potential void Dillon warranty has dissuaded me from looking. Double check that information but a device that would void dillons warranty is a strong no go for me

 

[jmorris]

The swagers that work good all have backup rods that hold the case from the inside to oppose the force from the swage arbor.

The swage-it counts on the shell plate/center bolt, why it doesn’t do as good of a job and voids the warranty.

This is a 1050 and shows the relationship between the back up rod in the die and the swage rod coming up from underneath. This can’t be done on the 650 because they remove the priming system and put their rod in place, so the swaging happens opposite the dies.


While it doesn’t allow the ease and speed of a collated case feed, Hornady did come up with a solution with a backup rod equipped shell plate and a swage die.

 

[ParallelCode]

Potential void Dillon warranty has dissuaded me from looking. Double check that information but a device that would void dillons warranty is a strong no go for me

I don't own a Dillon, but I know their warranty is very good -- I too would be hesitant to risk voiding it.

OP, have you considered a Dillon Super-swage 600? I've seen videos of people getting a decent throughput rate.

 

[EricBu]

It just doesn't work reliably. Went back to the Dillon 600 swager. I had to swage at least 50% of the brass I ran over the Swage-it on my 750 and my 550 a second time, so just ended up not being worth it.

 

[derek45]

I have one for my DILLON XL650

it works very well on LC 5.56 NATO brass

.

 

[Bassfishing54]

I have the "Swage It" I use on a dillon xl 650. I try to pick up al of my brass and ocassionally ended up with military brass mixed in, for both rifle and 9mm. The task of sorting thru them and using Dillon Super Swage just took to long. With the case feeder and the swage it, you can move right along. Recently went to one of the brass catcher bags, so I don't have to reswage anything I have already loaded.

 

[Klaatu Barada Nikto]

Potential void Dillon warranty has dissuaded me from looking. Double check that information but a device that would void dillons warranty is a strong no go for me

That's the reason I passed on the Swage-It as well.

 

[Bassfishing54]

That's the reason I passed on the Swage-It as well.

Undestood. Both of my xl 650s are coming up on 20 years old and have had enough rounds through them they are more than paid for. Having 2 of them, I figured I would try the swage it and see how it worked. I was tired of using the swage it. I figured if I was lubing the cases and running them through the xl650 to size, deprime and trim, if I could also swage it would go so much faster than the dillon super swage. To me taking that chance was definitely worth it. It really could have broken or bent something, but as long as you take your time, it works like a charm.

 

[Alex G]

Thank you everyone!

OP, have you considered a Dillon Super-swage 600? I've seen videos of people getting a decent throughput rate.

^I have, though I think it would be slower than the Lee APP w/swage kit I currently have set up. The appeal to the swage-it was not having to run the case through multiple pulls of the handle for case prep. It currently goes through the 750 and gets deprimed, neck reformed from the inside if there are any dings, then sized.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

I've reamed with a drill, used an APP, and tried the Swage It for my 750. After all that, I went with the Super Swage and it's been the best option for me. It does a better job than the other options and ends up being faster or just as fast with a few mods.

 

[runner3264]

Swaging sucks. I did it then I found a better way. Just get a Hornady reamer for small and large primer holes. Chuck it in a drill and cut the crimp away like butter. I had a Dillon swagger and depending on the type of casing it would swage differently. And some cases, if you looked inside you will notice it made a deep mark inside around the primer hole which could potentially cause a rupture.

 

[jmorris]

The appeal to the swage-it was not having to run the case through multiple pulls of the handle for case prep. It currently goes through the 750 and gets deprimed, neck reformed from the inside if there are any dings, then sized.

For a number of years I used a 650 to size/deprime and trim to length and a 1050 to load (and swage) with.

Side by side, I could prep the number of rounds I needed for the next week, then load them out without changing anything.



And the 1050 swages with the best of them (crimped right, swaged left).



It is incredibly fast and easy on the swage equipped presses but still have to have the prep pass to trim.

 

[Alex G]

For a number of years I used a 650 to size/deprime and trim to length and a 1050 to load (and swage) with.

Side by side, I could prep the number of rounds I needed for the next week, then load them out without changing anything.

View attachment 1016060

And the 1050 swages with the best of them (crimped right, swaged left).

View attachment 1016058

It is incredibly fast and easy on the swage equipped presses but still have to have the prep pass to trim.

I wish I could afford a 1050 or 1100. The setup is great, it’s just more than I can cover at the moment with just getting a new 750 not that long ago

 

[jmorris]

I fully understand that, I guess the swage-it is only a $100 gamble to see if it works well enough for you. Give use a review once you get a chance to use it a bit.

 

[Alex G]

I fully understand that, I guess the swage-it is only a $100 gamble to see if it works well enough for you.

Ended up going for it. Since I only need it to swage occasional (less than 10%) of crimped 9mm brass during the processing cycle, it’s not going to get heavy use yet saves me having to run all the brass through a separate swager or hand sort it. Will keep posted how it works

 

[runner3264]

I use a hornady reamer. Super sharp and easy to use and consistently cuts the crimp. Just chuck in a hand drill and go to town!

 

[Alex G]

Ended up going for it. Since I only need it to swage occasional (less than 10%) of crimped 9mm brass during the processing cycle, it’s not going to get heavy use yet saves me having to run all the brass through a separate swager or hand sort it. Will keep posted how it works

Update: Have had the Swage-It on my 750 for some 9mm brass. It works…kinda. The two complaints I have are as follows:

1. It’s hard to feel whether a primer pocket is crimped or not when the swage punch enters the pocket. That means you have to put a decent bit of force into every case, which leads to complaint #2…
2. Removing the swage pin from the primer pocket. This is seriously what caused me to sell the unit-once you’ve swaged the pocket, the swage punch is now stuck, and requires a hard downward pull on the handle to free it, leading to a very jerky operation. Like seriously, they couldn’t have spring loaded it like Lee does? Had they done that, I may have kept it, but as it is it’s not smooth at all.

All that to say I’m glad I gave it a try, but it’s not for me. The force on the shellplate is decent for sure, but it’s not ridiculous. I even ran with imperial sizing wax on the swage punch to keep it from sticking, to no avail. While it’s an innovative idea that sorta kinda works, the real issue is in the roughness of press operation, and the slower speed. In all honesty I’m probably faster running the brass through the Dillon to deprime and size, then running it through my Lee APP with swage kit to knock out any crimped primers. The APP is much smoother to swage with, reliable, and the punch extracts from the swage pin every time. Also, with that I can feel whether a primer pocket was crimped or not, or if it’s a case with a tight pocket (like X-Treme brand cases)
Thanks again for all your help, and I hope my review helps someone else out there!

 

[packetloss]

Swaging sucks. I did it then I found a better way. Just get a Hornady reamer for small and large primer holes. Chuck it in a drill and cut the crimp away like butter. I had a Dillon swagger and depending on the type of casing it would swage differently. And some cases, if you looked inside you will notice it made a deep mark inside around the primer hole which could potentially cause a rupture.

I wouldn't call it better. If you have 5000 cases with some occasional military getting mixed in it's just not efficient.

 

[Alex G]

I wouldn't call it better. If you have 5000 cases with some occasional military getting mixed in it's just not efficient.

Agreed. I use to use a reamer method, but then you have to deal with reaming it, then cleaning out the brass shavings, then your case head has lost some strength because you removed material, and…
All little things, but being able to swage ~1000 pcs/hr on the LEE APP with swage kit, it’s much more efficient.

 

[jmorris]

Thank you for the review. With the force you were using that stuck them to the anvil, were they swaged about the same as the Lee or +/-?

 

[runner3264]

Agreed. I use to use a reamer method, but then you have to deal with reaming it, then cleaning out the brass shavings, then your case head has lost some strength because you removed material, and…
All little things, but being able to swage ~1000 pcs/hr on the LEE APP with swage kit, it’s much more efficient.

Case head lost strength? That's not true at all. The little bit that is taken off will not affect the strength. I've never had an issue. Take a look inside the cases when you swage. It usually make an indent in the inside of the primer pocket making the pocket thinner. Now this would weaken the case. Unless you do it in the press and it is held into place by the cover-late.