I have an idea for a primer pocket swaging tool

[C. Latch]

Tell me why this wouldn't be dead-simple, reliable, cheap, and easy to make.

(And if you're a toolmaker who thinks it's a good idea, make one for me, then make some more to sell).

You know the little priming arm on a Rock Chucker Supreme press?

There's an arm that mounts to the press with a single screw, on the other end is a spring-loaded cup with a ram in the bottom; drop a primer in it, when you raise the press ram up all the way, it lowers the case down and forces the primer in.

Simple ideas here:

1) replace the cup, ram, and spring with a swaging tool that screws right into the hole the priming ram normally mounts to. Use as-is; if a case hangs on the upstroke, hold the arm down with your left thumb, raise the press ram with your right hand, it should pop right out. Or, while using your press to swage pockets, just zip-tie the priming arm down in place.

2) For heavier use, replace the entire priming arm with a heavier arm and a correspondingly shorter swaging ram.

Option 1) could be made with virtually no effort by someone who had the right tools. Why wouldn't this work?

Why hasn't Lee thought of this yet? They're brilliant at making cheap but workable tools.


edit:

You *might* need a tighter-than-normal shellholder for this to work.

[Mk42gunner]

It might work, and is worth a shot.

The problem I see is making the arm stout enough in both directions to take the pressure of swaging the primer pocket and still being strong enough to not distort when pulling the case off the swaging pin. It took quite a bump to get cases off the swaging plug (both 5.56 and 7.62mm) when I still had an RCBS press mounted swaging kit.

I'd start with some stock that is just thin enough to fit in the depriming slot of the ram, and make it more of a triangle than an L shape.

Good luck,

Robert

p.s. The easy but not cheap way is to buy a Dillon Super Swage.

R

[mozeppa]

actually for the last week i've been building a tool that could be for swaging primer pockets.

but it wasn't to be for that!

more after i get it powder coated...........

stay tooned!

[VHoward]

http://www.ch4d.com/products/equipment/case-tools/psk
This is a less expensive alternative to the Dillon Super Swage.
Your idea might work.

[dragon813gt]

Case will not be supported on the inside w/ this method. This is the problem I had w/ the CH4D and RCBS tools. There are many ways to skin this cat but I've found the Dillon Super Swage is worth the price of entry. I'm sure the 1050 is worth the price as well. It just happens to be more machine then I need.

[ikarus1]

My RCBS kit supports the case from the inside, and the caseholder mounted button does the swaging.

[mold maker]

The RCBS bench mounted pocket swagger is cheaper, has internal support and easy is to use. The Dillon can easily be made to self-eject which improves speed.

[C. Latch]

I'm curious, what internal support is needed for this? I don't understand that. I thought you could just jam a swager into the pocket, remove, and go on.

[No Blue]

I'm curious, what internal support is needed for this? I don't understand that. I thought you could just jam a swager into the pocket, remove, and go on.

Without the internal thang, it's the extraction groove that takes the load; and some times rips off.

Just use a $3 countersink in a cordless drill, count to two (2) while it's in contact with the bit. That's all you need.

The peeps with near absolute inability to do anything mechanical don't like reaming, they spend a couple of minutes on each brass; like they're drilling to China and ruin it. So they buy the expensive "piita" tools...

[C. Latch]

Without the internal thang, it's the extraction groove that takes the load; and some times rips off.

Just use a $3 countersink in a cordless drill, count to two (2) while it's in contact with the bit. That's all you need.

The peeps with near absolute inability to do anything mechanical don't like reaming, they spend a couple of minutes on each brass; like they're drilling to China and ruin it. So they buy the expensive "piita" tools...

Alright, that makes sense.

FWIW I had been reaming and it works fine, but I was doing it without a proper tool, and I overdid some cases and ended up with a primer down the gas tube of an AR. That forced me to get serious about doing this 'right'. I bought a reaming tool, it seems to work fine (Lyman) but I like the idea of swaging even more. I just don't want to pay much for another tool.

If I was smart I'd probably buy a boatload of commercial brass, or new LC brass, and go on with life. 1k of .223 brass will last me the rest of my days, even with ARs to shoot. I just don't shoot *THAT* much.

[dragon813gt]

My RCBS kit supports the case from the inside, and the caseholder mounted button does the swaging.

You're correct, I was wrong. It's been many years since I used the RCBS tool and I thought it was like the CH4D version. I grew tired of distorting or ripping off case heads which is why I switched to the Dillon.

[ikarus1]

You're correct, I was wrong. It's been many years since I used the RCBS tool and I thought it was like the CH4D version. I grew tired of distorting or ripping off case heads which is why I switched to the Dillon.

I find that using the kit in a small Lee C loader with a bit of lube on the swage button works well. Pretty cheap too $65 for the both on Amazon plus Im getting an extra press