Best way to remove military crimp from 223 and 308 brass

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RCBS has a press-mounted tool to swage out the primer pocket which works well.

If you have a case neck deburring tool, you can use it to essentially cut out the crimp, but you have to keep an eye on what you're doing so you don't put too much of a taper on the rim of the primer pocket.
 
You asked for the "best" way so I'll throw this out . . .the Dillon Swage tool. . . they're hard to find used but I found on one on Ebay for $60 and I think it' s the "best" short of a Dillon 1050 reloader which does it automatically.

Just my .02

Regards,
Dave
 
The RCBS tool mounts like a regular 7/8 14 die, it soesn't use a shell holder as such but the swager mounts where the shell holder usually goes. I havn't seen mine for a while, I think I got that right.
 
Correct Chewbaccer, The normal shell holder isn't used. I just did about a 100 of them last night with the RCBS one.
 
No shell holder required. I think it meant to say it the base slides in place where the shell holder normally goes. I recall someone mentioning the size of the ram on your press needs to fit in the "cup". I have an RCBS single stage I use it on so this is not a problem for me. I love this tool by the way. I've removed the crimps using the RCBS pocket reaming method on my case prep center (the motorized doo-hickey RCBS sells) and let me tell you that method is for the birds.
The RCBS Swagging tool just plain rocks. :D I can process one case every 2-3 seconds with no mess and no brass lost from the case.
 
I've used the RCBS swagging tool in a single stage press, and its OK, but I keep coming back to using the common hand deburring tool-- that one about the size of your thumb in the drill press.

Run the drill press as slow as it will go, while wearing leather gloves, just bump the primer pocket against the tool for about a second or less.

I use it for inside & outside neck deburring after triming a batch of cases too.
 
Ihave the RCBS tool

it's a swager, and will fit any standard single-stage press, but I don't know about progressives.

It works well for .223, but I find with .30-'06 that it swages incompletely and I have to run a chamfer/deburr tool in the pocket afterward. Anymore I just use the chamfer tool for '06 and the swager for .223.
 
It works well for .223, but I find with .30-'06 that it swages incompletely and I have to run a chamfer/deburr tool in the pocket afterward. Anymore I just use the chamfer tool for '06 and the swager for .223.
Click to expand...

I experience with the RCBS swaging tool is the complete opposite. Works great on large primers (.308 and .30-06), but doesn't do anything for small primers. I had to ream the .223 LC brass that I got from once fired XM193.

Not a big deal for me, though. I just buy processed LC .223 brass for my short line competition loads.
 
I've been reloading crimped primer military brass for a very long time, for most of that time I've used the RCBS swager set up, many years of frustration and agony with a kit that doesn't work very well. After many ears of reading how well the Dillon Super Swager worked I finally broke down and bought one....I've been kicking myself ever since!

Why in the heck did I wait so long to buy the Dillon? The Dillon Super Swage worked far better and was far faster than the RCBS, no comparison at all. The Dillon Super Swage is not cheap...but it's worth it!
 
Military crimp removal

Forget most of what you read. Wanna know how to remove a military crimp? Without buying a $100.00 Dillon tool..DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! First you have to understand what a crimp is. It's merely a stamp that stamps the case and "crimps" the primer in place, so it won't back out. Simple and there's not much to it. There is absolutely no reason to use a drill bit or any fancy/expensive tool that is probably not all that fast anyway. The very best, fastest and simplelist method is to attach a RBCS champering tool to the end of a high speed hand drill and champer the primer pocket edge. The "crimp" is removed in less than a second. Trust me, you thank me under your breath, when to try it.
 
I have used most of the tools out there over the past 40 years and finally made the switch over to a Dillon Super Swager, and I believe it's the best and fastest tool available. I have cut out primer crimps using most every type of cutter there is, and frequently cut too much and have to throw the brass away. With the Dillon, you don't remove any brass, just push it to the side. Every case is usable and it's extremely fast. I can swage over 1,000 cases an hour and not end up with a sore hand afterwards. Not expensive if you use it very much. It pays for itself in no time in my opinion.
 
33736
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Join Date: March 3, 2010
Posts: 1

Military crimp removal
Forget most of what you read. Wanna know how to remove a military crimp? Without buying a $100.00 Dillon tool..DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! First you have to understand what a crimp is. It's merely a stamp that stamps the case and "crimps" the primer in place, so it won't back out. Simple and there's not much to it. There is absolutely no reason to use a drill bit or any fancy/expensive tool that is probably not all that fast anyway. The very best, fastest and simplelist method is to attach a RBCS champering tool to the end of a high speed hand drill and champer the primer pocket edge. The "crimp" is removed in less than a second. Trust me, you thank me under your breath, when to try it.
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Your first post is to drag up a 3 year old thread, just to disagree with what everybody else was saying? Hopefully you will have more to add in the future!
 
Your first post is to drag up a 3 year old thread, just to disagree with what everybody else was saying? Hopefully you will have more to add in the future!
Click to expand...

+1. The OP was about the "best" way to remove a crimp, not the cheapest way.

Don
 
I've used just every method mentioned above; various hand held and powered reamers, press mounted tools and even tried a pocket knife (it works). The Dillon is the fastest and easiest. The cheapest is a handheld reamer or a pocket knife.

If this isn't a recurring task or you don't do very many very often, the reamers and press tools work fine. I generally do a batch of a thousand. Twisting a reamer or holding a case to a reamer gets old fast. The press tools are better, but slower than the Super Swage.
 
The press tools are better, but slower than the Super Swage.
Click to expand...

How are the press tools better than the Super Swage?

I'm asking because I'm considering the Dillon tool.

Thanks
 
Redhat said:
How are the press tools better than the Super Swage?

I'm asking because I'm considering the Dillon tool.

Thanks
Click to expand...
IMO they're not. Been a while since I saw a CH, but as I recall it uses the same method as the RCBS and Dillon to remove the crimp, but the Dillon is smoother and faster.
 
As someone who owns a Dillon Super Swage 600, and someone who has tried the other methods, I can safely say the Dillon is the winner, HANDS DOWN.

It is $100, if you are a serious shooter and reloader then that dollar figure is nothing. The SS600 just plain works great.

Buy it and don't look back.

Or buy 2 or 3 of the mid priced solutions and be disappointed, THEN buy the Dillon and be happy. I'm speaking from experience here.
 
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