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Thread: 5.56 Lake City brass prep problem

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    5.56 Lake City brass prep problem

    Not sure if this is right forum, but here goes. I deprimed my LC brass and ss pin tumbled it. Cases were then trimmed. I swaged the primer pockets with the RCBS tool. I then used the Lyman case prep center primer crimp remover just to make sure. I uniformed the primer pocket depth. I even used the debur tool on the Lyman to put a slight bevel on the primer pocket opening.

    I prime using a hand held RCBS priming tool. After all that prep I have about 5% of cases that there is no way to seat a primer into the case. No way. primer wont go it, and if it does it gets terrible deformed and is not fully seated and in some cases is damaged. What is up with this?

  2. #2
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    ShooterAZ's Avatar
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    Your primer pockets most likely aren't swaged quite enough. I've never used the RCBS tool, so I don't know exactly what's happening there. I use the Dillon Super Swage 600. Once in a very blue moon, I will have to stop and run a case through again. Once set, it's very repeatable.

  3. #3
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    Swaging brass, you need to separate the brass by manufacturer/years, different manufacturers/years may have different base thicknesses IF you set up the swager for a thick base piece of brass it won't properly swage a piece of brass with a thin base.
    You may find that all the brass that won't prime is the same brand/brands.

    I gave up on stabbing the 223 on the pin hidden under the top of your press so I traded for a Dillon Super Swage 600. I installed a spring on it and swaged 2,000 pcs in a short time.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master



    TNsailorman's Avatar
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    I found the same problem on a few .223 military cases and nearly always the problem was the rim being slightly deformed by the gas ejection system and would not allow a case to go deep enough into the shell holder to line up correctly. Most of the time a rotate of the case about 1/3 of a turn would take care of it. If not I would pull the case out of the shell holder and look for a tiny burr on the rim and I have found burrs also create problems fitting the case into the shell holder. Gas systems can be tough on brass. my experience anyway, james

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master



    M-Tecs's Avatar
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    Never used the RCBS but on the Dillon Super Swage 600 if you over swage you can collapse the primer pocket. This is mostly a problem with 22 cal. The larger calibers use a larger support rod. The support rod pushes material into the primer pocket making it too shallow.

    https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/1...rimer-pockets/

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy Big Wes's Avatar
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    I recently had a similar problem with LC 308's swaged on my Dillon Super Swage 600 but on several cases my no-go gage wouldn't fit. I re-swaged and still no go. I then used my RCBS primer pocket brush and cleaned the primer pockets, everything was a go from there on. You might want to try cleaning the primer pockets.
    "Hollow Points"-"From Those Who Care Enough To Send The Very Best"


  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy

    BUCKEYE BANDIT's Avatar
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    Was this new or older production Lake City,the older stuff with the ring crimp would give me grief now and then. The newer stuff with just three stakes is much easier to deal with.
    "The remedy for evil men is not the abrogation of the rights of law abiding citizens. The remedy for evil men is the gallows." Thomas Jefferson

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy Big Wes's Avatar
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    Three stakes here
    "Hollow Points"-"From Those Who Care Enough To Send The Very Best"


  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    The RCBS primer pocket swaging tool will work as well as any such tool (even if it's a little slower), but the fine adjustment is critical; the lack of proper adjustment is what generates the unfounded complaints regarding the tool. It requires some trial-and-error work to get set up right the first time, but once adjusted properly, it needn't be adjusted again. Brand of brass makes no difference. Test the adjustment by taking the swage unit (the part that is inserted into the shellholder receptacle) and manually trying it in a variety of primer pockets.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Since LC military brass is easy to come by, I've done the whole bit with the RCBS swaging tool, etc. But I have found that all that I've come across are really not intended to be re-used. I opened a box I reloaded about 30 years ago, and which I was very careful with. Swaged and cleaned the primer pockets, etc, but I found that there was quite a bit of spring back in the case necks, and some of the bullets were quite loose. So I reckon they'd need to be annealed again. Due to spring back I also had trouble chambering them at all. In the future I am going to just go with commercial brass.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master 1bluehorse's Avatar
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    I agree with you, that just doesn't make any sense to me either. If you used both the Lyman primer pocket reamer (a good tool) AND a primer pocket uniformer I can't imagine a primer not "fitting" in the pocket. There must be something really wrong with the case heads OR the primers themselves. Could it be a possibility that with a "bent" case head that both the reamer and uniformer could cut an off center primer pocket ????? I'm thinking primer problem.

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    I use a lot of LC brass along with RCBS primer swaging die and I never had any problems seating primers. That RCBS does take quite a bit of force and you have to make sure you go all the way down or it wont fully remove crimp. I actually broke my little Lee C single press from that die. Upgraded to stronger model now.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check