HXP Brass to Swage or not to SWAGE

[maq]

Hi all,
I have prepared some HXP brass for reloading. But wanted to know if this brass needs to be swaged. Does anyone have experience with 30-06 HXP? Can I thorw a LR Primer in the pocket and be ready to go? Or, do I need to Swage. Gosh... another die I suppose.

Maq

 

[1KPerDay]

You will need to at least chamfer. They are staked in 3 spots so it's not as nasty as a ring-crimp. But if you don't remove the stakes primers get cocked. Some guys run a phillips bit in a drill and just spin them out in a couple seconds.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes, HXP is Greek surplus 30-06 and will have crimped primers.

You can ream them out with a chamfering tool, or get a swaging kit like the RCBS, or get a dedicated swager like the Dillon.

rc

 

[cfullgraf]

There are some folks that do not bother removing the primer crimp stakes from HXP brass. HXP does not have the full primer crimp like most domestic military ammunition.

My experience is the priming goes much easier if the stakes are removed. A case mouth chamfer tool or a primer crimp reamer are all I use for HXP. The stakes are not too difficult to remove.

 

[kingmt]

Pay less & get more. The CH4D ram prime & swage tool is only $35 TYD. It works on top of your press so your not reaching inside of your press. It is very easy & fast work with little movement. Great tool. I would suggest buying a extra priming pin(bolt) so you don't have to turn that tiny thing out when you switch from small to large. If you don't want the priming tool just the swage tool is $25 TYD.

 

[maq]

Kingmt,

I wish I had read your post before buying the RCBS. It will be fine and includes large and small, however I have been reading about CH dies.. The company is impressive, it seems they make dies or will make dies to your rifle chamber. I don't know but that seems like a very nice competition sizer die to me for less than money.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try some of their dies and products.

Maq

 

[kingmt]

Just eBay the RCBS one. You may even make a few bucks on it. Seems reloading items on eBay go higher the retail.

 

[USSR]

I have prepared some HXP brass for reloading. But wanted to know if this brass needs to be swaged.

I swage them, with my Dillon Super Swage 600. One of the handiest tools on my bench.

Don

 

[1KPerDay]

That CH4D setup looks like the bee's knees. Think I'll get one. The RCBS one I have works but the skirt/case ejector doesn't fit on my ancient Bair press. So I have to wiggle the brass off the mandrel by hand.

 

[kingmt]

Handiest thing since suspenders.

I love the ram prime also. I don't use it much but it sure does make me look good by covering my mistakes.

 

[Tim the student]

That CH4D setup looks like the bee's knees

It sure does. I might get one too.

 

[16in50calNavalRifle]

Bringing a thread back from the dead as it's right on-topic for my question.

Will be reloading HXP brass for the Garand. Already have the Forster Original case trimmer for this and other reasons, and was expecting to just get the Forster primer pocket chamfer bit to use with the trimmer.

Just wondering whether anyone here has experience that argues against this tool combo for chamfering HXP. Not likely, but I have read comments in various places about some chamfering tools removing too much brass, and wanted to tap this great pool of wisdom. As noted by cfullgraf above, HXP primers are just staked and not ring-crimped, so they are on the "easy" end of the spectrum for fixing (or so it would seem) - so overkill with a reamer might be an issue.

Thanks for kingmt for bringing CH4D to my attention, which they somehow had escaped. As I already have most of the Forster set-up (and it's a very nice trimmer), seems unlikely I'll go for the CH4D press-mounted punches, but they sure are nice.

 

[FROGO207]

Reaming does remove some material and that COULD shorten the life of the primer pocket. I have no experience with that aspect. For years I reamed the pockets using a Wilson neck ream/deburr tool in a drill. Then I purchased a RCBS swage tool a couple years ago and it works without removing any brass. I have not seen any difference in the life of primer pockets as of yet in 5.56 or 308 brass. The RCBS requires one to sort the brass by type and adjust the center pin for fit or it will bend ---really critical in the 5.56. The C4HD kit looks lots easier to use and I may get one in the future---I already own a Lee Ram Prime tool however so still thinking it over.

 

[cfullgraf]

Yes, for HXP cases, I would just take a mouth chamfer tool to knock the HXP crimp stakes off. They are mostly an inconvenience unlike full crimp rings on other military cases.

 

[rg1]

I use my case mouth chamfer tool. A couple twists and the stab marks are gone without removing primer pocket shoulders. Swaging is easier but the chamfer tool does the job.

 

[tbob38]

I do swage (RCBS tool) them tho the need is marginal. It's quick to just use the chamfer tool and it works.

 

[16in50calNavalRifle]

Thanks for the replies, folks. Looks like I'll at least experiment with a chamfer tool on the stakes before I spring for a trimmer-mounted reamer bit. Of course first I'll have get a 30-06 resizing/decapping die, as I haven't yet even acquired my die set for this caliber. But apart from trolling for used ones cheap, that can wait until the panic subsides. And though I did grab some Tula NATO LRP at the buzzer, I don't have any suitable powder or bullets, either.

For now I will rely, in the style of a "New York Reload", on a "CMP Reload" and just get more of that nice inexpensive HXP surplus while it lasts (I'm thinking the frenzy might affect Orest's estimate of 2 years' supply of HXP in stock, so I won't wait long).