What should I do with these? 223 cases with loose pockets.

[Twmaster]

During the panic I bought 1000 5.56 LC brass cases from a member here on this forum. Here it is a couple of years on and I'm just now getting around to using some. But no. All of these have loose primer pockets. Dunno if worn out or whether somebody got crazy with their swager.... I wish I could figure out who I got them from. Even if only to shake my fist at them. :evil:

Anyhow, man, I really cannot just toss these into the scrap just yet. There has to be some hope to re-use them somehow....

Suggestions? I know there is a tool out there to re-tighten primer pockets but since I'm not going to be reloading 223 in the future I'm not interested in that work.

Thanks.

[dh2]

have you tried a different brand of primer

[Twmaster]

It's not the primers. You can see a raised edge around the pocket where the brass moved out of the way for the swager tool on more than a few of these cases.

I really wish it was that easy.

[bangerjim]

Someone really got heavy handed with their Dillon gizmo!

You can "move" the brass back in place with a gasket punch of the right diameter. It will be a long slow process because you have to mount each case so you can get to the head and get the punch in there and hit it hard enough (and repeatably enough!) to swage the brass back down all around the primer pocket.

Probably a modified shell holder with a large center hole?????????

You would have to make a gauge to test every one to see if you moved the brass enough.

A THOUSAND of them????????????????

Sounds to me like it is time to watch scrap brass prices and jump when it goes back up!!!!!

Good luck!

banger

[Twmaster]

As I said, *I* am not going to mess with them. I guess it's to the scrap pile... Seems a shame.

[mwells72774]

Not sure if it's possible but could they be reamed to LRP?

[bangerjim]

Not sure if it's possible but could they be reamed to LRP?


Could be done if you have a metal lathe, the correct tooling, and lots and LOTS of time on your hand.

I pick up tons of that brass (many 100's of rounds) at the range ever time I go and, for me, would not be worth the time. Take it to the scrap yard, get the going brass price, and buy some lead. Now that would work!

banget

[Horace]

recycle them

Horace

[3leggedturtle]

I have heard of people drilling them out to use 209 primers with pellets. Tho have never really tried to find out what drill bit is used. If anyone has done that would like to hear your experience with them. Todd/3leg

[Twmaster]

Somebody could cut them down to make 35 cal jackets for swaging.

[wordsmith]

Hurts, but I'd scrap them and buy these...

http://monmouthreloading.com/product/lake-city-556/

[dtknowles]

I send enough perfectly good .223 brass to the scrap yard, seems like the right place for defective stuff.

Tim

[Charley]

You can make 35 or 351 WSL cases from them. Will function in most rifles, even with no semi rim.

[waltherboy4040]

Rw hart makes a case saver tool to tighten up the pocket.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I would be skeptical about the safety of reforming the primer pockets, which can only be done on the outside, and extraction of the fired primers, slightly bell-shaped, would probably undo it. I also don't trust the strength of small cases reamed to large rifle size. What you need is a .375 rifle (not .35), since they can be used to make jackets for swaged bullets.

[Hickory]

A guy I know built a swaging die to push .223's through that reduces the web area by .001-.002, enough to hold primers securely again. This my work for you also.

[georgerkahn]

I always try to make a half dozen or so dummy cases for each caliber I load. I drill four holes across each cartridge, near base, to readily see they're dummies. Sized and trimmed like the real McKoy, I also seat my bullet as for live ammunition. I fill the primer pocket with hot glue. 'Specially cycling cast boolits often becomes a challenge, and I'd rather have a dummy to remove than a live round if/when one gets stuck. (Common in Rem 14's if everything's not +/- 1/zillionth of an inch to firearm's liking ;) ).
I feel badly for you re your "1,000 or so"... but, you can readily make a few test dummies from them -- and should you get one stuck, really be ahead of the game as opposed to -- imho -- getting a live round out.
BEST!
geo

[bearcove]

Scrap. They are not worth much more in good condition.

[Eddie2002]

String them up and make wind chimes out of them:bigsmyl2:

[Cmm_3940]

String them up and make wind chimes out of them:bigsmyl2:
Shiny Xmas tree garland, maybe?

[Geezer in NH]

Suggestions? I know there is a tool out there to re-tighten primer pockets but since I'm not going to be reloading 223 in the future I'm not interested in that work.

Thanks. With that give them to someone who will.

[Hamish]

Can't someone who swages cases into bullets use them?

[Twmaster]

Can't someone who swages cases into bullets use them?

There's an idea....

[Twmaster]

Problem solved. Took them to the scrap yard today. $1.40 a pound.... [smilie=1:

[Retumbo]

Too bad. A lot of people say that S&B primers seem oversized.

[Huvius]

223 brass makes very nice .375 bullets but there is so much out there I think you made the right decision.
One thought though, I do buy brass at the recycler for low demand loading (light cowboy loads for example) and doing so expect there to be bad pieces in the mix.
If I take junk brass to turn in, I squeeze the mouth down in an effort to make it un-reloadable so another thrifty gent like myself can avoid the real junk. That, and I can keep from buying my own bad brass back!:veryconfu

[Twmaster]

Too bad. A lot of people say that S&B primers seem oversized.

I was using Wolf primers. Those are slightly oversized. Sadly this brass was ruined.


223 brass makes very nice .375 bullets but there is so much out there I think you made the right decision.
One thought though, I do buy brass at the recycler for low demand loading (light cowboy loads for example) and doing so expect there to be bad pieces in the mix.
If I take junk brass to turn in, I squeeze the mouth down in an effort to make it un-reloadable so another thrifty gent like myself can avoid the real junk. That, and I can keep from buying my own bad brass back!:veryconfu

I wish the scrappers here sold their scrap cases. Also, like you I smash the mouth on cases I deem to be un-usable junk.

[paul h]

I'd be bummed about being burned on the brass, but then I keep in mind a visit to the Dr. for something as simple as getting a prescription for an infection costs me $100, and a case failure could easily damage or destroy a gun and result in me looking at 1000's of dollars in medical bills, lost time from work and possible permanent injury.

When I keep that in mind, it's easy to scrap questionable brass let alone brass that I know is no good.

[Good Cheer]

If it weren't in a semi-auto I'd be tempted to try securing the primers in position with a drop of sealer of some sort. I'd at least have to try it out.

Primer deformation under pressure would probably hold the primer in the pocket of the spent round.

[Big Dog]

despite what many may claim, swaging primer pockets is truly a "art",

in order to do them correctly you must start by sorting by headstamp, and continue sorting to a point that is on the verge of near crazy

I have the Dillion super swedge (purchased way back when they were first offered) and you must develop a "feel" for pushing the crimp out of the way or you can easily turn all of the cases into scrap

you do not just slam thru the cases as some may claim,

often you must make very small changes to the depth that the rod goes to in order to make good cases

do not forget to deburr the flash hole after swaging, you can partially block it if the burr gets folded over the hole during the swaging process

the 3-pack of gauges at the link below are a must if you do not want scrap
I gauge every case so that I do not scrap a large lot of cases


http://ballistictools.com/store/reloading-products/three-gage-pack


but if you have lots of money and cases to throw away,
just ignore my advise that I learned the hard way ...........

[monmouth]

Thank you for the link to Monmouthreloading!

I would caution people about buying brass from scrap yards. When it's time for me to haul in scrap, don't have the time or machine to bend up the brass. However, a lot of my scrap brass may look good but probably didn't make the cut due to a bad "ring" sound. That usually indicates a crack or bad primer pocket somewhere. Even worse is buying brass from ranges who are notorious for shooting reman ammo, just never know how many times it has been loaded.