Primer Pocket Reamer Battle

[kmw1954]

It’s early in my reloading journey. I see money on the ground, whether it’s in a case I don’t have to buy or one that can go to recycle. It helps me rationalize the money I spend on other things.

I understand, was the same way. Today I am only loading 223 and there I am now only using two head stamp brass. PMC which is everywhere and Norma which is much harder to find. Maybe it will become easier again now that cheap 223 is back in high demand.

 

[Soonerpesek]

I would like to understand the Dillon process. A case is inserted into the tool and held by a pin in the open end of the shell. Then the case is pressed onto the tool. If the metal size at the base of the case, from inside to outside varies, as is should, then you would have different depths of swaging. I gotta' be missing something here.

The tool is pressed into the case...
Once again, only the crimp gets swaged - not the entire depth of the pocket.
I realize the instructions say you may have to adjust, but I have not needed to YET - and I swage everything I find whether it is crimped or not.
Not an argument, simply stating what I have found how it works for me......

 

[EMC45]

I’ve used a pen knife that worked fine, but slow. I’ve used the Lee Ram, the Lyman hand twist type and lastly the Wilson inside/outside deburring tool. All worked fine with varying levels of time invested and resulting success.

I’ve also used the Wilson tool to deburr a couple muzzles on barrels. Worked perfect.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I swapped out the Frankfort Arsenal primer picket reamer with this Burstfire brand and my primers go in much smoother.

 

[Tim Stapp]

Pull wrenches all day all week. Reloading I try to keep it simple and educational studying everything. My crimp remover makes me look like low rent. My lyman inside reamer cuts the crimp leaves a slight bevel and already had it

I too pull wrenches every day, all day, all week. I like to pick up range brass and/or purchase once fired brass (9 mm mostly). I use a hand held Hornady pocket reamer. I'll do 10, 20, 50-100 at a time while I'm out in the shop smoking/thinking. Pretty soon, after a few days I've gone through 500-1,000 cases. Primer pockets ready to go through the progressive. I've found that primer pocket uniforming greatly decreases the priming problems that I used to have on the progressive.

The issues with priming on the progressive have seemed to become very rare after primer pocket uniforming.

 

[d31tc]

I timed myself on a batch of 223 brass and averaged 3.5 seconds per case for reaming the primer pocket. Add another 2.5 seconds each to gauge the brass as I did a final check of the batch as I put them in my Kirkland mixed nuts storage container for a total of approximately 6 seconds per case to process the crimped primer pockets.

For time savings, I might be looking at a Lee APP at some point, but that's aways down the road. I'm through about 400 cases ready to be sized and reloaded. I have about another 700 to go for my stash of about 1,100 223/5.56 range brass.