To swage or ream

If you're just getting into reloading, I would swage them. Less chance of ruining the brass.

If you ream them, you need to be careful of how much brass you remove. To deep and to much, you can have issues with primers.

ETA- Here's a pic of my tools for 50 BMG brass prep. On the left is an RCBS reamer, I use it to remove staked and ring crimps from 50 BMG primer pockets. Chuck it up in a drill, takes all of a second or two to remove the crimp. More than that, ruin the brass.

Been using this since mid 80's. Always works and fits in the die box. And no trimmings to clean up.

Have that RCBS swager. Works fine except on a Lee press the case sticks on the swage...needed to find a piece of pipe to fit over the ram and "kick" it off.

Slower than reaming, though, especially if you buy a countersink bit to just open the sides. Can't remember the size offhand, but if you need it and someone else doesn't come along, PM me and I'll go look.

Yamifrk said:

if you had no tools for brass prep…what would you recommend?

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Depends, how many am I going to have to do, over what time period.

I’ll cut a few but if I am loading 5 gallon buckets full, it’s going to be using a press with a swage station.

It does make for one more thing to adjust but then it becomes part of the loading operation and not an extra, separate step. It is fast and easy though, I can’t hand cut or swage cases as fast as I can swage them as I load.



Same goes for trimming, a few and the Wilson, Forster and others are great but the Dillon trimmer on a case fed progressive will size and trim more than 1000/hr without the aching hands the others will leave you after a few hundred.

Neither of the listed options. I use the rcbs crimp remover which only chamfers the pocket and has zero chance of ruining the case. The tool is very handy and I use it on cases that need a little chamfer that don't have a crimp but are just a ptia to prime. S and b 38 and 357 brass come to mind.

I use the swager designed for my LNL-AP. It does not take long to do a bunch. One thing to remember once you ream a primer pocket and your not square to the face your removing more than you should be. Once it's gone it can not be put back. Where a swager can be used again to crimp a pocket if needed. If reaming, use a reamer designed for the primer pockets, it controls how much and where to remove the brass. I picked up a bunch of 357 sig brass that someone over cut the pocket, reducing the surface contact by 20-25%. Ever one of those I ended up throwing into the recycle bin. All the primers that were not blown look like top hats, the primers flowed so much.

In either case use the proper tool for the job and it works. Use a improper tool and you will end up scraping some brass.

My reason for swaging is that you don't remove any of the primer pocket material. This in turn will theoretically allow you more reloads before the primer becomes loose in the pocket. I also anneal every third reload. The tool I use is the CH4D swage/ram prime kit. It works on the top of the press and requires no setup of a rod inside to hold the brass. Also a ram prime tool is a good thing to have just in case your priming method breaks.There are several different swagers with videos on youtube that show setup and use. I would start there. If you are only going to reload the brass 4-5 times and discard just ream them. I always get at least 12 reloads when I anneal the necks before primer pockets shoot loose. A pocket knife blade, phillips #2 bit or countersink will work for less than a commercial reamer tool.

I swage with an RCBS, but I also break the edge with a countersink. One less edge for the primer to want to snag on, and also lends a visual cue that yes, this one has been reloaded before.

Swaging for me. No brass chips to clean up or damaged pockets from a misaligned cutter. I’ve used the RCBS Combo swaging die set in a RCBS Rockchucker press since the 80’s also. It’s swaged thousands of rounds both small and large primer pockets. I also have the RCBS bench mounted swager similar to the Dillion Super Swager which is most often recommended. Still prefer the die swager over the bench tool.

berettaprofessor said:

Have that RCBS swager. Works fine except on a Lee press the case sticks on the swage...needed to find a piece of pipe to fit over the ram and "kick" it off.

Slower than reaming, though, especially if you buy a countersink bit to just open the sides. Can't remember the size offhand, but if you need it and someone else doesn't come along, PM me and I'll go look.

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Forgot about the piece that pulls the case off.

By the numbers in the poll it looks like I'm in the minority but I ream.
All crimps are not created equal and it can be hard to find a tool that works on them all, and I've used a lot of different ones! I may be the only guy alive that didn't like the Dillon tool and sold it. It worked great if you had the same headstamp brass but often required readjustments for different brass. And it was fast! I also have the RCBS die type tool and it works ok but its slow. I have also used the reamers made by Lyman, Hornady and RCBS and found them to get dull quicker than I thought they should. They worked ok. I've used the standard deburring tool and even a 45º countersink in a drill. They worked ok but like the others have said, its easy to remove too much material. Now I use a Wilson reamer designed to be used in their case trimmer. Using it in the trimmer keeps in lined up so you don't wallow the primer pocket out. And its made out of good steel. Its slow, but does a good job and has stayed sharp. I've never used a Dillon 1050 or 1100, but I wish..............!

I have the RCBS reamer made to use with their case prep center, which I don't have, but I chuck the reamer up in a cordless drill. Using it on 7.62 Lake City ammo to remove the primer crimp.

Design does not allow it to take off too much meat. Downside is, it has quickly gone dull but did a good job while it lasted. If it would stay sharp, it's the perfect tool for the job.

Dillon super swage is all I use. My only complaint is it should come with all the adapters as ordering them individually is kinda a pain.

I currently ream using a reamer and I have used a phillips bit in a slow turning electric screwdriver but am looking closely at a swage kit for my LCT

9mmepiphany said:

rdnktrkr said:

I currently ream using a reamer and I have used a phillips bit in a slow turning electric screwdriver but am looking closely at a swage kit for my LCT

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Swaging is the optimal way to remove the crimp as it doesn't remove brass, leaves a smooth level surface and can hold adjustments after they are set ... Reaming is seldom consistent, fraught with danger of overdoing it, and is really just a makeshift solution

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Words from an IDPA champion.

Yamifrk said:

loading for an ar ... mixed head stamped brass that I have full length sized

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Me too. A lot of mixed range brass



I like using crimped 5.56/7.62 NATO brass because I KNOW they are once-fired. But that means a lot of crimp removal and I initially considered Dillon Super Swage ($155) - https://www.amazon.com/Dillon-Precision-Primer-Pocket-Military/dp/B00LAEVPZE

But since I am a happy user of several C-H products and have spare presses, I found they have a primer pocket swage ($62) and video below convinced me to buy it (Jump to 4:05 minute to see it in action) - https://www.ch4d.com/products/equipment/case-tools/psk

When I ordered on the phone, I asked if there was any consideration for their swage and they said if I used Lee shell holder for .223/5.56 to order C-H shell holder for tighter fit to prevent pulling the rim edge off.

If you do not have a separate press and don't want to tie up a press, I would consider getting the Dillon Super Swage or the Frankford Arsenal primer pocket swage ($100) - https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Adjustable-Positioning-Auto-Eject/dp/B0779B5Q6D

When possible I prefer to use my Dillon Super Swage. It's pretty quick, but you do have to separate by headstamp (which I usually do anyway).

To remove the stab crimps from GP11 7.5x55 Berdan brass I ream 'em out with a handheld Wilson chamfer and deburring tool. I did have to grind a little off the tip to get anvil clearance.

In my experience, stab crimps are a lot easier to cut out than annular crimps and there's a lot less chance of overdoing it and trashing the case.

I ordered 5000 5.56 and 3000 7.62 Lake city brass back in the 90's. I paid extra to have the brass cleaned, deprimed and swaged. I still use that brass in my military firearms. So I have never done either but I do have the the pocket reamers for my RCBS case prep center.

For target and hunting ammo is use comercial brass.

Yamifrk said:

Sorry should have mentioned it’s mainly for 223/5.56 I’ve been reloading pistol for a couple years on a Dillon 750.

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With the range pickup brass for both 5.56 and 9mm having crimped primers, introducing the swaging step in the progressive was the easiest choice for me. I opted for the RL 1100 - so there’s a sticker shock when initially setting it up. Just like buying a new vehicle. After a while you’ll just enjoy it.

I had the Hornady and the Ch swager, PITA to use. I went back to reaming with the RCBS crimp remover

https://www.rcbs.com/case-processin...m-mate-military-crimp-remover-2/16-90386.html

Rule3 said:

I had the Hornady and the Ch swager, PITA to use. I went back to reaming with the RCBS crimp remover

https://www.rcbs.com/case-processin...m-mate-military-crimp-remover-2/16-90386.html

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That is what I use and that is not a reamer. There is no possibility of pocket damage. A real reamer can trash a pocket in short order. This is a reamer

AJC1 said:

That is what I use and that is not a reamer. There is no possibility of pocket damage. A real reamer can trash a pocket in short order. This is a reamerView attachment 1107823

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Same here. The Hornady crimp remover is more of a reamer and will will cut into the bottom of the primer pocket if you are arent paying attention. The RCBS tool is dummy proof which is perfect for dummies like me. The only thing I find the Hornady remover better for is if I need to do one or three with by hand as its far more aggressive.