Which brass needs swaging?? Recommended tools?

[Lugnut]

I didn't want to continue my old thread regarding S&B brass on this topic. But several of you have mentioned that S&B brass needs to be swaged to remove the crimp (I didn't even know it had a crimp!).

Are there any other brands of 9mm, .40S&W or .45ACP that require or benefit from swaging? I've used mostly CCI, Win, Ind and a couple others without issue.

How about .223? I don't reload it yet but have been saving cases- mostly American Eagle .223 and Federal XM193.

 

[Jose]

Anything that is of military origin will need to have the primer crimp removed either by swaging or by reaming.

American-made commercial brass does not need it. Anything milsurp (XM193, XM855, M2, etc,) will.

 

[bpm990d]

The Dillon tool is very nice, but I've tried to buy all my brass that is either commercial or has been processed to get rid of the crimp. I hardly use it.

B

 

[LoginName]

How about .223? I don't reload it yet but have been saving cases- mostly American Eagle .223 and Federal XM193.

I use a Dillon Super Swage 600 for my .223/5.56 brass (and some 7.62).

http://dillonprecision.com/template/p.cfm?maj=15&min=0&dyn=1&cookieClean=1

The thing is as rock solid as their presses and I've yet to have any problems with it.

A few manufacturers make a swagging die that fits a reloading press. I've never tried them, but some comments I've read regarding them aren't that great.

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

S&B commercial brass is not crimped but a benefit will be recognized by swaging the primer pockets to slightly enlarge them and make priming easier.
With the Dillon swager, you can adjust the depth of the swage necessary to facilitate easier repriming without stretching them.
All military NATO spec ammo and most others are crimped and will need to be swaged on the first reload only. In .223 and .308 these include, Lake City, Radway Green(British), Malaysian, Adcom, Hirtenberger, PMC, PMP, Guatemalan and others.
If you plan to use and process large quantities of military brass, a swager is a tool worth buying.
I have recently done 8000+ Lake City .223, 2400 Radway .223 and 4000 Lake City .308 military brass. The swager has more than paid for itself.

 

[Lugnut]

I use a Dillon Super Swage 600 for my .223/5.56 brass (and some 7.62).

http://dillonprecision.com/template/p.cfm?maj=15&min=0&dyn=1&cookieClean=1

The thing is as rock solid as their presses and I've yet to have any problems with it.

A few manufacturers make a swagging die that fits a reloading press. I've never tried them, but some comments I've read regarding them aren't that great.

Looks nice. Are these things adjustable? Do they only open up the mouth of the pocket?

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Looks nice. Are these things adjustable? Do they only open up the mouth of the pocket?

Yes they are adjustable. You can set the depth as shallow or as deep as you want, to the point of destroying the web of the brass.

 

[crak]

You said the Dillon swager adjusts the depth too. Does this eliminate the need for a primer pocket uniformer?

I thought I would be able to skip the whole primer pocket dance by buying reamed .308 military brass, but a response in my other thread said I still need the uniformer. So I'm wondering if unprocessed brass + Dillon swager would make money sense because I wouldn't be saving much time if I still had to uniform every pocket of the processed brass.

The uniform step is done only on the first reload, right? Do people uniform the pocket for non-match ammo?

 

[Lugnut]

Thanks for the info. For .223 and XM193 (5.56 variant I guess)- can I use the same dies? I've never reloaded rifle and I have some reading to do....

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

You said the Dillon swager adjusts the depth too. Does this eliminate the need for a primer pocket uniformer?

I thought I would be able to skip the whole primer pocket dance by buying reamed .308 military brass, but a response in my other thread said I still need the uniformer. So I'm wondering if unprocessed brass + Dillon swager would make money sense because I wouldn't be saving much time if I still had to uniform every pocket of the processed brass.

The uniform step is done only on the first reload, right? Do people uniform the pocket for non-match ammo?

I only swage out the military crimp and reprime. I don't clean the primer pockets or uniform or deburr flash holes.

I don't reload match ammo so I skip all the tedious steps involved.

For the number of times I'll ever need match ammo, I'll buy a small supply....the rest is plinking ammo or machinegun fodder.

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Thanks for the info. For .223 and XM193 (5.56 variant I guess)- can I use the same dies? I've never reloaded rifle and I have some reading to do....

Yes, same dies.

 

[Lugnut]

You guys are awesome.

I went to check out some brass I have laying around that is deprimed. Interesting to see that R&P seems to have a significant "chamfer" on the pocket. Winchester and S&B don't seem to have a chamfer at all but the S&B are absolutely much tighter. I can easily seat a used primer into the Win, Fed, and S&P (by pushing in on top of table... not so with S&B!).

 

[bpm990d]

Does this eliminate the need for a primer pocket uniformer?

Nope, if you want to make sure the primer is all the way down, get a primer pocket uniformer.

The one from Sinclair is very nice if you get an electric screwdriver and the attachment.

B

 

[Jose]

You said the Dillon swager adjusts the depth too. Does this eliminate the need for a primer pocket uniformer?

Maybe, but a primer pocket uniformer cleans and uniforms in one pass. A swager will uniform the depth to some degree, but you will still have to go in a clean out the crud.

For max accuracy, a clean and uniform pocket is desireable. For less demanding pursuits, not so much.

 

[Gammon]

Military brass isn't the only stuff that is crimped. I recently came across a bunch of Federal .40 brass with crimped primer pockets at a local range,

The Dillon tool is nice, but pricey. CH makes a swaging tool that attaches to a single stage press and works just as well as the Dillon (I've used both) for just a little over $20. Check out their web site.

 

[BIG GUN]

I use a primer pocket uniformer every time I reload rifle brass. I cleans the carbon out of the pockets, and always removes a small amount of brass in the process. I use a Midway tool.

 

[Gammon]

CH Tool and Die has a primer pocket swager that works just as well as the Dillon and only costs about $22. This unit is cheaper than the Dillon because it is in the form of a die and must be used with a press. I have used both the CH and the Dillon and find that both are very effective. CH has a web site.