Primer pocket swagging??

[gcollins]

Howdy All,
Once again I have came to stop:x I started swagging 5.56 military brass, and after about a hundred my back when to killing me AGAIN:x The problem I have is getting the case to come loose from the Swage, I tried setting it so it wasn't going very deep, but then they were hard to prime.
Anyone got any ideas???? It feels smoth not ruff, maybe I should polish it??
I guess I can go back to the way I did it for the last 25 years, I have a tool that looks a lot like a deburing tool except it will fit my Dremel tool, I don't like taking off excess material but i am never goingf to get them done with the swagger if I can figure out something to make it easier.
Please let me know.
G

[454PB]

My primer pocket swager is an RCBS, and includes a washer that fits over the press ram and removes the case from the ram upon withdrawal. I requires a bit of a "snapping" action to dislodge the grip, but nothing violent enough to bother my back. If you try to "muscle" it off the ram, I can see where it would take considerable force.

Am I missing something?

As far as primers not seating deeply enough after swaging, a primer pocket uniformer cures that problem.

[FISH4BUGS]

I use a Dillon Swager. It is the best way bar none.
Actually I have never used anything else.

[dragonrider]

Yes you need the extraction part, looks more like a cup than a washer tho, fits over the swage that is in the top of the ram, when you come down with the ram the extration part his the base of the press and removes the case from the swage.

[selmerfan]

I've never swaged a primer pocket. I've only ever chamfered the rim so they would seat well. Is there something wrong with my method?

[mdi]

I've never swaged a primer pocket. I've only ever chamfered the rim so they would seat well. Is there something wrong with my method?

Nope! I use a 1/2" 60 degree countersink I got from McMaster-Carr

[Doc Highwall]

I have swaged with the RCBS swaging tool and it is a pain in the @ss. I have a Sinclair/Wilson trimmer that uses the case holders to trim to length and by changing the cutter it allows you to remove the crimp leaving a nice radius edge for the primer to enter. They are made in both large and small primer sizes and by changing the cutter again you can use a VLD or regular reamer to chamfer the case mouth. Sinclair International sells them and is the trimmer I would recommend to start out with because of the high quality and versatility of it.
http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/pid=39292/Product/Sinclair_Stainless_Ultimate_Trimmer

[roysha]

"I have swaged with the RCBS swaging tool and it is a pain in the @ss."

Could you please explain why?

I have swaged 1000s of 308, 30-06 and 223 MIL cases with ease and speed using the RCBS dies and a Rockchucker press. Fast, easy and fully satisfactory for what I use MIL brass for.

While the Sinclair/Wilson system is really nice, (still have mine from my bench shooting days) it seems to me that it is a bit of over kill for this particular job.

[Jim]

My Lyman reamer has a 5/32" diameter hole in the base. I epoxied a 5/32" rod in the hole and chucked it in a drill in a vise. A microsecond spin and the crimp is gone.

http://fgsp.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/pics-e1299518596844.jpg

[Swede44mag]

I use a Dillon Swager. It is the best way bar none.
Actually I have never used anything else.

I second on the Dillon Swager. I have tried others none have worked as well.

[gcollins]

Hi Fella's,
I do have the RCBS set with everything, it is the snap that I have to do at the end of the up stoke of the handle that hurts me!
I am very great full all the advice, I should of stated that I had the proper tools.
Thanks
G

[midnight]

I have to agree with Doc Highwall. The Sinclair/Wilson tool is fantastic. When you get to the really big cases like the BMG you will understand how well it works. 5.56 and 30-06 are a piece of cake. I first used the *** BMG crimp remover that RCBS sells for use with their Case-mate and almost crushed the first BMG primer I tried to seat. I went to the the Sinclair/Wilson tool and never looked back.

Bob

[justingrosche]

I started out cutting the crimp out of the pockets of 5.56 and 7.62 because thats what I had available at the time. Then I got the RCBS Mil crimp swage and used it for some time, and found between the different brass makers I was getting inconsistent primer seating and I would squash a number of them or they just wouldn't seat at all. I've returned to chamfering the pockets and have not had any issues thus far. As a matter of fact, I processed 1,300 5.56 cases and loaded 600 of them in the last couple days. I wouldnt be opposed to trying a Dillion, but some one have to show me the improved difference from what I 'm doing now to change.
To amend, I use a Lee hand primer. The RCBS old style hand primer that uses regular shell holders is an aggravation with out end. If a primer wont fully seat, your stuck, and have to dissasemble the whole tool to get it running again. With the Lee, simply push down on the primer tray enough to pull the case and Auto prime shell holder free, pop the primer free with a small screw driver and continue about your buisiness. I think the Lee Auto Prime is the best tool Richard Lee ever made.

[jcwit]

Put a longer handle on your press, or take the ball or whatever is on the handle to hold on to off and use a short piece of pipe.

More leverage=less work.

[Mk42gunner]

I have both the RCBS and Dillon primer pocket swagers. I agree the cnap to remove cases from the RCBS unit are a pain in the lower back. The Dillon while a lot easier, is also a lot of expense if you are not going to use it often.

You might try some lube on the swage button, maybe a dusting of graphite or a light coating of STP. It always seemed to me that the case was getting stuck, almost like getting a case stuck in a sizing die.

Robert

[Lloyd Smale]

no such thing as the perfect tool but ive found the dillon works better then anything else.

[songdog53]

Have to agree with those that use Dillon, i tried every other way but finally got a Dillon an haven't looked back.

[ronbo]

The Dillon is the only way to go about $100 now, if you get tired of it they have good resale and keep going up in price and work so slick.

[GabbyM]

I chamfer them before running over the RCBS swag tool in a Rock Chucker press.
Keep an acid brush soaked with Imperial die wax or lanolin and keep the die lubed good.

first thing I do with mil brass is use a flash hole uniformer (#1 C-drill) through the case mouth to remove the burrs from the punched flash holes. This little step almost cures issues with broken decap pins. Since it’s these burrs which cause broken pins not the crimped primer pockets. Next step after removing crimp is to use a carbide primer pocket uniformer to clean up the pockets and get the depth into spec. Then trim to length then de burr the case mouths inside and out then tumble clean in corn cob then prime with an RCBS hand tool. Whew sounds like a lot of work don’t it.

[curiousgeorge]

I have the Dillon, the RCBS, and an old Wilson with the Large Pocket cutter only. Of the three, the Dillon is by far the fastest and uses the least amount of effort. I readily admit that the Wilson does the BEST job of the three, but as stated I only have the larger primer pocket cutter. I now only use the RCBS tool occasionally, but it does work. By the way, it seems to work best with the older Rock Chucker presses. The 2 I have are from 1969 & 1974. I had a RCII for a short time and the "cup" that pops the case off of the swager button did not sit level on the frame at the bottom of the up stroke. Made it more difficult, to me anyway, to pop the case off than the older ones. But, I really did not keep that press very long, so not 110% sure that I remember it all absolutely correctly, but that was the impression at the time.

Steve