CH-4D deswagger came today....

[Rule3]

I pretty much just "fiddled" with it until is was adjusted right. Use only one headstamp at a time. On the "instructions" given on post 10 around page 11, run the die though the lock ring to eliminate the burrs.

No , No Dillon for me. I hate crimped brass so I bought a bunch of LC that had been de crimped. If I get some crimped ones, I still prefer to ream them out with a Hornady pocket reamer chucked in a drill. Way faster and works great.

I have the RCBS version #1 die de crimper and I do not think much of it.

I have enough processed 223/5.56 brass now i am not going to de crimp another piece for a LONG time!

 

[RussellC]

I know, I know, no such form of the word! lol

russellc

 

[RussellC]

For future users of this device, this is how I got it to work, you mileage may vary.

Setup as per instructions, with ram "Too low." bring it up a little, then grab the shell and see if you can turn it...BE CAREFUL, as the ram is 2 part and if it begins to unscrew from the part the snaps onto the press's ram, it will vary the height, so make sure this is tight and not unscrewing as you do this.

As you raise it in steps, stop just when the case is trapped tight enough the casing wont turn while holding pressure on the ram. This is about perfect. Occasionally one will be loose..not to worry, just set it aside. Once finished, grab the ones that were too loose and adjust die until the case is tight, (small adjustments, you want it to get to the point of being tight without going ANY further) and do them.

I just had to make this harder than it seems I guess. My problem were misconceptions about decrimping, as well as my Murphy's Law ability to find a difficulty in something simple. Most of the brass I have has the circular type crimp, When cutting it out, it leaves a bevel and the little ring is gone. I expected this to happen with the CH-D4 device, and this is not how this thing works. You can still see the ring, but the ridge is mashed flat.

The other thing I have learned is that if you want to use the "mash it flat" devices, you have to accept there will be differences in the cases and not every piece of brass will be decrimped, just set them aside and come back to them with the die set to firmly grip the shell.

Again, thanks for the advice, instructions, videos and mtrmn for nearly having to come from Louisiana to school me on this thing. Glad I stuck with it, if not for you folks I would have spent brass money on the dillon device, which looks to be very nice but 3 to 4 times the price of the CH-D4...which for what you get is very nice, But so is $28 for this simple item and its just down right cheap, fast and very handy!

Thanks again guys,

Russellc

 

[Potatohead]

I just had to make this harder than it seems I guess

Don't feel to bad...You aint the only one..For some reason, since Ive been dealing with this hobby (i say "dealing with" like it's some sort of addiction that Im "dealing with"), my first reaction is always to assume a procedure is going to be really complex.

 

[dickttx]

Being very non-mechanical, I always assume when I have a problem that it is me, not the tool. I am invariably correct.

 

[RussellC]

This thing seems to be mastered now. I can fire it up without destroying cases now. Just slowly dial it up untill you cant turn the brass with your fingers, and just a tad tighter. Get it set where most of the brass is fine, just a few loose ones and swage away! (if you are bending rims, back off)

Another trick I learned: Doing a batch of LC brass which was very consistent. only about 5 were loose. When I hit a loose one, I lower the ram until I can grab the ram and unscrew it just a tad, raise the ram, continuse until swaged, then twist ram back in.

Russellc

 

[mtrmn]

This thing seems to be mastered now. I can fire it up without destroying cases now. Just slowly dial it up untill you cant turn the brass with your fingers, and just a tad tighter. Get it set where most of the brass is fine, just a few loose ones and swage away! (if you are bending rims, back off)

Another trick I learned: Doing a batch of LC brass which was very consistent. only about 5 were loose. When I hit a loose one, I lower the ram until I can grab the ram and unscrew it just a tad, raise the ram, continuse until swaged, then twist ram back in.

Russellc

Now THAT's a new one I hadn't figured out yet. Adjust the ram instead of the die body. Nice.

I ordered a couple shellholders from CH4D for use with this swager...they seem to be tighter than the RCBS and Lyman I had been using.

 

[RussellC]

Now THAT's a new one I hadn't figured out yet. Adjust the ram instead of the die body. Nice.

I ordered a couple shellholders from CH4D for use with this swager...they seem to be tighter than the RCBS and Lyman I had been using.

Thanks for that tip. I will order one as well. The tighter is is, the closer it can be adjusted it would seem...new trimmer will be here friday, then I will be trying out about 1200 of the swaged pieces! All the ones I have pulled and tested were fine. If one is a little sticky, a minor twist with the Lyman reamer fixes it. Most just slid right in.

Russellc

 

[trigga]

good to hear, i finally got an email response from them today for a quote. it's been about a month

 

[FMJBT]

I bought one A few weeks ago. My threads came bunged up just as you mentioned. I was a little sad about it, but it functioned fine.

I heard about people bending the case rim, so I gradually worked the die down, testing the ease at which I could set a primer. Within 5 minutes I had it right, and blew threw 600 5.56 cases in an hour. No bent cases.

I love the thing. Way faster than the bench too rcbs unit I had.

I will reccomend using a shell holder that's not a lee. I had much better results with my redding shell holder.

 

[RussellC]

good to hear, i finally got an email response from them today for a quote. it's been about a month

I find if you call them, they always answer the phone, that's the only way I have contacted them. Thanks for the tip on the brass, I am loading up!

Russellc

 

[RussellC]

I bought one A few weeks ago. My threads came bunged up just as you mentioned. I was a little sad about it, but it functioned fine.

I heard about people bending the case rim, so I gradually worked the die down, testing the ease at which I could set a primer. Within 5 minutes I had it right, and blew threw 600 5.56 cases in an hour. No bent cases.

I love the thing. Way faster than the bench too rcbs unit I had.

I will reccomend using a shell holder that's not a lee. I had much better results with my redding shell holder.

My findings exactly. Glad I stuck with it, I almost gave up and went Dillon, not that the Dillon isnt a good idea, but tghis thing works great. Just a little learning curve. I usually use it on a Lee Classic Breech lock, and I screwed the die into one of their breechlock collars, so rough threads arent a matter. For 30 bucks, this thing rocks....excellent job!

Russellc

 

[mtrmn]

Perseverance still pays off, despite what the world tells you.

 

[trigga]

just placed my order today. called and gave the lady my quote number. she got my credit card info but didn't ask for the cvc. then she said it would be about a week. and that was it. don't know if she hung up or the line got cut. i'm guessing since i had inquired about the order via email, they should have my info already. i'll give it a few days and see.

 

[RussellC]

They didnt ask me for the three digit number either for what that's worth. I'm sure all will be fine. I didnt have a lot of confidence, but fears were misplaced, all came as it should! Comment when it arrives, maybe you wont have the learning curve I did! Just got more brass from your contact, thanks again for that

Russellc

 

[dickttx]

Enjoyed reading your adventures with C-H.
I bought my C-H CHampion press about 1970. It came with a set of .243 dies that I have still never used.
Just got it set up again this week after several years in storage. And, I installed my 1972 RCBS Primer Pocket Swagger on it. Because of the overlarge ram on the press I had my late FIL weld a washer to the gadget that pulls the brass off. It has worked well with that modification. However, the C-H swagger seems much more usable. Mine is VERY slow operating. And, even when I was 30 it was pretty easy to pinch a finger while inserting a case. At 77 I go very slow.


By the way, I am swagging some WCC 71 GI brass.

 

[trigga]

I got it a few days ago. Took about a week from the time of order to the time I received it. Setup was fairly straight forward. I put the swage rod on the shell holder and raised the ram to the max. I then screwed in the die body with a case on it until it touches the swaging rod. I slowly adjust the die in till I got the crimp out. I screwed it until I saw signs of rim deformation and backed down. In all it was adjusted in about five minutes and only two ruin cases. Primer seats fairly snug. too bad i can't find much free time to work on the brass i have but already i can see how fast it could be.

I did order the swage kit with priming rod combo which now that i think of it, i'll never use. I also ordered a few things as pictured in the first pix including their 223 shell holder. Their shell holder is very tight and you almost have to force the case in, but once it's in, it holds pretty solid unlike the Lee one I have. I might have to trim the CH4d case holder a bit to make it easier for in between cases.

 

[trigga]

as you can see the fit and finish is kind of rough but it should do the trick if you find the time to fine tune it.

 

[KingM]

Mine isn't that rough. I love it. I adjust mine to where you can feel a very faint pop past the swage. You can still move the case once it has moved past the swag. I love the primer ram also but do suggest you order a second ram, spring, & bolt so you don't have to fiddle with those small parts. I use Tula primers & I do notice a tight fit of the primer but nothing that is a problem. I like tight holes.

 

[RussellC]

I have noticed that Tula, and CCI SPP are a slightly tighter fit than the usual Winchester primers I like to use.

Russellc

 

[KingM]

I have noticed that Tula, and CCI SPP are a slightly tighter fit than the usual Winchester primers I like to use.

Russellc

I quit using CCI. They seem to crush easy. I have no problems with Tula.

 

[RussellC]

I just used 1000 of the CCI, first time, I usually choose Winchester. They all installed fine using Lee Classic Turret press. Usually when loading a large batch I will hit a few that have little or no resistance when the primer is pushed in. Not with the CCI, not a single "loose" pocket. I have fired about 300 of them and they all went bang as expected, although a few of the primers appeared to have no propellant, but they have all fired. Maybe that substance is just a sealant of some sort, Winchester is usually red on SPP and CCI is more yellowish, whatever that material is.

Russellc

 

[KingM]

Your seeing the foil(paper with a sealant on it). I have crushed the CCI's in my Pro1000 when a crimped 9mm slips past me. The Tula pop in only needing a reseat once in a while.

 

[scythefwd]

you dont have to run the ram to lock man.. if you're bending rims.. you're putting way too much pressure on that handle. Do it by feel, instead of lock to lock.