Crimped Primer Pockets

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

I'm relatively new to reloading and I've recently started reloading .223 Remington. I've be told by some that .223 Rem and commercial loadings of 5.56x45 don't come with factory crimped primer pockets. Looking at the picture below, wouldn't you say that these look like crimped primers? After sorting through my brass, it looks like all of my brass has what looks like crimped primer pockets. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[lightman]

I would say that those are crimped. There are several ways to deal with crimps. You can remove the crimp by cutting it out or you can move it out of the way by swaging it. Both ways have their merits. All crimps are not the same, so many of us use different methods. Anything from a knife blade to a counter sink to a special tool can cut them out. RCBS, C&H (CH4D), and Dillon make tools to swage the primer pocket. The Dillon is a favorite and cost about $100.

 

[BGD]

I use this.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/235832/rcbs-primer-pocket-swager-combo-2

 

[surveyor]

This topic came up recently,
There is good info in this thread, numerous ways to remove them.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=794906&highlight=crimped+primer+pockets

 

[Reefinmike]

All crimped. You can "cut" out the crinp with a tool like the hornady primer pocket reamer, a chamfer/deburr tool or even a sharp #2 phillips screw driver.

Or you can reform the pocket and squeeze out the crimp with a swager tool. I own a ch4d pocket swager and really like it. You can remove a crimp in under two seconds without removing any material from the case head.

 

[Swampman]

I've be told by some that .223 Rem and commercial loadings of 5.56x45 don't come with factory crimped primer pockets.

At least you learned who you probably SHOULDN'T ask when seeking reloading advice.

 

[FROGO207]

A large majority of the "newer" production 223/5.56 SPEC ammo is coming through with crimped primers I find. That statement you are referring to would have been pretty much true until about 7-8 years ago.

If the major manufacturers are already set up with the 223/5.56 assembly line set up for crimping primer pockets of some rounds due to a contract why is there a need for them to remove the crimping process when producing others. They just change the brass headstamp, charge, and bullet if any of these are needed then crank out the ammo. At least they are making specific ammo for civilian markets that we can use.

FWIW I have not purchased or shot any commercial 223/5.56 ammo for at least 25 years.

 

[joem1945]

FC doesn't looked crimped. NATO round crimped. Agulla maybe crimped. Crimped primer pockets are not a problem if you have the means to remove the crimp. You can buy a tool designed for it or use a RCBS case prep tool to do it by hand. I have the dillon super swedge tool.

 

[cgadzinski2001]

I have a rcbs case prep center and use the flash hole reamer for a sec to remove most of the burr then I run it through the crimp remover, if you are not sure if it's a crimp you can just run it on the crimp remover, it won't take off any brass if it doesn't have a crimp.

 

[Laphroaig]

I think that only the NATO is crimped.

Note that the NATO and FC are fired, where the Aguila is unfired. The fired rounds show some primer flattening, and it looks like the FC is slightly higher pressure or softer primer.

Laphroaig

 

[PCCUSNRET]

It seems like all of the FC and LC .223 now being used by the local police for training have crimped primer pockets. I have been finding lots of this brass lately as many of the local reloaders don't want to mess with removing these crimps. I have one of the Dillon 600's so it only takes a second or two to remove the crimp and the brass is good to go.

 

[mdi]

Yep, those look crimped. K.I.S.S. and use a simple 60 degree counter sink to cut out the crimped/displaced metal,which also provides a good "entry" for new primers. I had a few in my toolbox the first time I encountered crimped primers (lifelong machinist/mechanic) so my first thought was just remove the crimp with a twist of a counter sink. Been working quite well for quite a few years...

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

In the pictures, the Federal doesn't look "as" crimped as the others, but in real life, the pocket looks almost identical to the NATO spec pocket. I'm fairly certain that they are all crimped. Based on what I've been reading I think I'm going to go with a pocket reamer for the time being. I'll see how long the bit lasts and then I'll decided if it's worth investing in a reamer. I can get a reamer bit for under $10, roughly what a counter sink would cost and I think less worry about over doing it with the reamer since it bottoms out at the appropriate depth of the primer pocket. Thanks guys.

 

[lightman]

If you buy a reamer, my favorite is the one from Wilson. I have had issues with the Lyman and RCBS getting dull rather quickly. The Redding looks good too, and I think its made of carbide. For years I used a 45 degree counter sink in a cordless drill. You are correct, that can be overdone where as the correct reamer bottoms out and controls the cut.

 

[entropy]

I just use a Wilson deburring tool to remove the crimp.

 

[rondog]

Those three were definitely crimped IMO. It's possible of course that they've also been swaged or chamfered and reloaded at least once already, but that's hard to tell. The color of the primers is suspect. But they were most certainly crimped originally.

The nice thing about removing crimps is you only have to do it once! I use the little cutter made by either Lyman or RCBS, not sure which, and put it in a cordless drill.

 

[mdemetz]

I sort my range brass. I have 290 civilian(223) pieces that had crimps.

 

[SCC]

I just finished removing the crimps from about 600 reformed 223 cases so I took a pic of my setup. The cutter is a Hornady primer pocket reamer threaded into a hex standoff that I had in the junk box. The nice thing about this cutter is that it controls the cut depth. Apply just enough pressure to lightly "polish" the bottom of the primer pocket and the bevel depth will be correct. The base has a hole all the way through to prevent shavings from accumulating in the recess.

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

Those three were definitely crimped IMO. It's possible of course that they've also been swaged or chamfered and reloaded at least once already, but that's hard to tell. The color of the primers is suspect. But they were most certainly crimped originally.



The nice thing about removing crimps is you only have to do it once! I use the little cutter made by either Lyman or RCBS, not sure which, and put it in a cordless drill.

I can't recall what lot the NATO case was from but the Aguila was new manufactured and the Federal Cartridge .223 Cade was new manufactured as well. I think the NATO marked case was probably some Remington 5.56 new manufactured that I bought a while back. The only remanufactured cartridges I've shot I believe had Winchester head stamps. Looking at those it appears they are the only cases I have that aren't crimped. I just ordered a Hornady pocket reamer on Amazon. It looks like wild card weekend will involve a lot of decapping and pocket reaming. Luckily my RCBS universal decapper pops out the crimped primers with ease.

Anyone use the reamer on the 4 point "stab" crimped pockets? I have about 200 of those as well.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

Anyone use the reamer on the 4 point "stab" crimped pockets? I have about 200 of those as well.

Are they Lake City (LC)? Just remove the crimp slong with the others. I run them through the Dillon 600 and they work just fine.

 

[rondog]

Take that Hornady reamer and unscrew it from the handle, then put the threaded stub in a cordless drill. Makes de-crimping those pockets much easier and you can really sail through the cases. I rigged my drill up so that it's clamped down solid on my bench, and I tie the trigger down at a medium speed and put the cases onto the spinning reamer. I can really go to town on them that way.

The "stab crimped" or staked cases ream quite easily too, maybe easier, there's less brass to cut.

 

[david bachelder]

I bought a bunch of Once Fired Brass that had the Remington head stamp. None of it was crimped. There were a few in the mix, very few that were not Remington and they were.

Anymore I treat them all like they are crimped.

 

[tcoz]

Anymore I treat them all like they are crimped.

+1^^^ It used to be that only military brass was crimped but it seems that anymore a lot of commercial brass is as well. I also treat all of them like they're crimped the first time I load them, then you don't have to concern yourself with it on subsequent loadings.