primer-pocket crimp removers

[tommag]

Which type of primer-pocket crimp remover would be the best to buy, the chamfering type or the swaging ones?
Thanks
Tom

[NoDakJak]

Depends on your circumstances. If you only need to do a few cases the little hand reamers will suffice. I used them for years. they are labor intensive if you have to do very many cases though. I upgraded to the RCBS Primer Pocket Swager and used it in my RCBS A2 press. It is faster and easier. Quality control is enhanced as all the pockets are now the same diameter.
My latest acquistion is a Webster Primer Pocket Reamer. I remove the handle from the cutter and chuck it to my electric drill. I just finished reaming the pockets of several hundred military 30.06 cases in a quarter of my previous time. The Webster tool is simple, precise and quick. Hope this helps you. Neil

[felix]

Try your current inside neck deburring device. If not fast enough, do what Neil says. You don't need any more than about half pocket depth to hold the primer firm. Objective is to get rid of the crimp ring, and that is all unless you are going for BR quality. For that, you would want a primer pocket uniformer, in addition to a crimp ring eliminator. ... felix

[quasi]

I started with the RCBS press type, moved on to a C-H which was better than the RCBS. I got a used Dillon at a gun show, it is wonderful, much better than either of the above.

[Cherokee]

Dillon is the best for a lot of usage. I did use the RCBS for 20+ years but the Dillon is easier and faster.

[Sprue]

I got the RCBS swaging type for xmas. I mainly got it for 223 brass. Recently I started loading 9mm. I have tons of range brass stored in plastic bottles ( so why not get a 9mm). Anyway, the very first 9mm brass I went to hand prime, the darn thing had a crimped primer pocket. No problem though cause I had the primer pocket swagger over on the shelf. It works good but kinda crude when returning the ram, pulling or popping it out of the pocket. Glad I had it!

[Lee W]

The Dillon is nice, but I found if you have different head stamps you spend more time adjusting than swaging.
YMMV

[DLCTEX]

I use the RCBS swage in a Rockchucker for large volumes, Lyman hand reamer for small lots. DALE

[Hip's Ax]

When I asked this question years ago, those that helped me out told me:

If your doing a few, your chamfer tool or a pocket knife will work

If your doing dozens then the crimp cutters work good

If your doing hundreds the RCBS is the tool to get

If your doing thousands then the Dillon is the only way to go.

I bought the Dillon and have never regretted it. It has already done thousands and thousands of 5.56, 30-06 and 7.62.

[Chunky Monkey]

When I asked this question years ago, those that helped me out told me:

If your doing a few, your chamfer tool or a pocket knife will work

If your doing dozens then the crimp cutters work good

If your doing hundreds the RCBS is the tool to get

If your doing thousands then the Dillon is the only way to go.

I bought the Dillon and have never regretted it. It has already done thousands and thousands of 5.56, 30-06 and 7.62.

Hip's Ax, I am looking to get a Dillon swager. I will be using it for 223 and 45 acp and am wondering if I need to order any accessories with it. The Dillon Precision web site says that it comes complete with large and small swage rods. Will I need anything else? Don't want to order it and find that I need something else.

Thanks,
Chunk Monkey

[gnwy]

Chunky Monkey

It comes with everything you need to do .223, .308, 30-06, 9mm, and 45ACP. I have tried them all over the years, and by far the dillon is the fastest, and best I've used so far.

Lee W

I just sort all the brass by head stamps, and do all of one head stamp, then adjust for the next head stamp, ect. I like having different head stamps for different loads/and/or guns.

[LAH]

Mount this in a drill, mount the drill in a vise, and you can chamfer primer pockets as fast as you can touch them to the tool.........Creeker

[Hip's Ax]

Chunk Monkey, gnwy hit it right on the head. The Dillon is complete, nothing else to order.

I must confess that it gave me a little bit of a hard time at first, it was hard to get the primer in but then someone told me a light chamfer on the primer pocket helps a lot so I just hit the primer pockets quickly on my Trim Mate after swaging, I also put them on the uniformer quickly too to make sure that enters easily and therefore the primer should enter easily too. In my mind anyway.

In any event I don't think I had it adjusted right in the beginning, I swage much "harder" now. That is the rod is adjusted out more and the lever takes noticeable pressure to operate.

I haven't used it much in the last few years as being a match shooter time gets to be a problem, I found and bought a large amount of 30-06 and 7.62 LC MATCH brass years ago to avoid the extra steps associated with crimp removal. For 223 I bought IMI. Wish I could get more IMI as it is great stuff made to mil spec but alas, it hasn't been available for some time now.

Recently with brass prices climbing the way they have instead of buying 1000 new pieces of 223 brass for my NM AR I went in the cellar and dug out 800 or so LC 5.56 pull down I had separated by head stamp and swaged years ago. I finished prepping them and am now priming them, 200 down and 600 to go and the primers "snap in" very nicely.

I had abandoned the LC pull down 5.56 years ago and bought 1000 IMI because the LC's even though I separate them by head stamp must be from all different lots as they are all different lengths after firing. I had to trim every time. I plan on shooting 100 yard and 200/300 yard reduced matches this year and wanted a different lot of brass just for this and to leave my IMI's for 200/300/600 matches. Having the Dillon and that stash in the cellar sure did come in handy this year!

[toecutter]

Ugh, primer pocket crimp removal sucks... I hate it so much. But I load thousands of rounds of .223 so i feel your pain. I started out using the deburring tool, then went on the the RCBS primer pocket swager (which works, but is somewhat slow) and I have tried the dillon tool. I also have the CH4D swager.

All of these solutions work to a certain degree, the chamfering tool being the most primative, the RCBS is the easiest to set up. The problem with the RCBS/Dillon swaging tools is that it depends greatly on the thickness of the case head. Thus you need to adjust for each type of brass. The best solution I have found is to do this on a dillon 1050 as it has a primer-pocket swage assembly. None of these work especially well, and I'm working on a custom tool for the job.

The CH4D is probably the best compromise of most of these, in that it uses a standard shell-holder to hold the shell in place while the pocket is being swaged. If you were handy in the machine shop, you could probably modify a Lee Auto Prime II (the one which mounts to the press) to do the same function (you just need to make the swaging punches). The thing I don't like about this unit is the case rim sometimes isn't strong enough for a full swage, so it can damage the case rim. But it's still one of the better tools.

The other option is to go with a primer pocket reamer. Gracey (the makers of the case trimmer) make an attachment which will ream the primer pocket. I have used it, it's a pretty good solution, but it's still not perfect (IMHO).

[tommag]

I have three different chamfering reamers. When I get to it, I'll see which one works the best in a drill press and go from there.