Ohio Rusty
03-13-2007, 11:54 AM
Everything started coming together this weekend to start doing something with all these 38 brass shells I've been depriming, sizing and cleaning. Saturday when I arrived home from work, there was a package from LEE. Remember the issue I had with the wrong shell holder for my autoprime? Lee sent me the correct one, no charge, no shipping. Definitely a +1 for Lee Customer Service !!! Probably 95% of the brass empties I have been getting for free have been once fired military with a primer pocket crimp. I found out I had to remove the crimp because I mangled two primers trying to prime the shells (Surprisingly, they didn't detonate). I know there are two ways to do that ...either remove metal or swage back the brass. I didn't have anything to do either and no extra money to buy more 'stuff'. After thinking about the problem, I needed something with a taper just big enough to fit the primer hole but not go to the bottom of the primer pocket that would swage the brass ..... VOILA !!! (Lightbulb comes on over head)
I ground the pointed tip off of one of my arrow field tips and chucked it in my drill press. I made the perfect swage for swaging the primer pockets !!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/100_0654.jpg
But there was a problem. Not all were swaged the same size. Some still needed the pocket relieved more. I needed a pocket measurement so I could check them as I swaged them. VOILA !! (second lightbulb comes on) I took a drill bit that was a tad bigger that the primer pocket hole and worked down the smooth end until it was a perfect fit in a normal primer pocket.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/100_0655.jpg
Now I had something to check holes. If the shell stuck to the measuring tool, then the hole was still too tight and it needed swaged on the drill press for just another nano-second or two. Consequently, I was able to start working on these shells and they prime perfectly. I know it seems like alot of work, but hey ...it works perfectly and it was free. Besides ... there is nothing better I like doing with my spare time than fiddling around with my boolet stuff and accomplishing something that pleases me.
I've started cleaning the new 38 brass I acquired this weekend, so I'll be busy playing boolet-boy for a while.
Ohio Rusty
I ground the pointed tip off of one of my arrow field tips and chucked it in my drill press. I made the perfect swage for swaging the primer pockets !!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/100_0654.jpg
But there was a problem. Not all were swaged the same size. Some still needed the pocket relieved more. I needed a pocket measurement so I could check them as I swaged them. VOILA !! (second lightbulb comes on) I took a drill bit that was a tad bigger that the primer pocket hole and worked down the smooth end until it was a perfect fit in a normal primer pocket.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/100_0655.jpg
Now I had something to check holes. If the shell stuck to the measuring tool, then the hole was still too tight and it needed swaged on the drill press for just another nano-second or two. Consequently, I was able to start working on these shells and they prime perfectly. I know it seems like alot of work, but hey ...it works perfectly and it was free. Besides ... there is nothing better I like doing with my spare time than fiddling around with my boolet stuff and accomplishing something that pleases me.
I've started cleaning the new 38 brass I acquired this weekend, so I'll be busy playing boolet-boy for a while.
Ohio Rusty