Problems seating primers

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AFDoc

AFDoc

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Gentlemen,

I am new to handloading, and I am having significant problems priming my brass. I am reloading .223, and I have wasted alot of good brass and primers. For whatever reason, I cannot get the primers to seat properly. Either the primer is crushed, goes in at an angle, seats too deeply or does not go into the pocket at all. My primers are WSR. I have made certain I am not using 5.56 brass. I have tried the primer on my Redding press. I have tried a Hornady hand primer. There is no success. There is only failure.

Suggestions?
 
Specifically what is your brass? Some .223 ammo comes with crimped primers and that is the likely source of your issues.
 
You have brass with crimped primer pockets.

Not only GI & NATO cases are crimped, but a lot of commercial brass is too.

You will have to ream or swage the primer pocket crimp out before you can reprime it.

rc
 
Given I have only looked at the .223 brass I have, how can I visually inspect the primer pocket to determine if there is a crimp?
 
You may see a thin ring around the primer or some have a indent, the guys above nailed it properly you need to remove the crimp.
 
The 11 year stamp tells me it's crimped. Mine was and had what, if you didn't look closely would only appear to be a chamfer. Not to be smart but the symptoms you were having with the primers are "textbook".
 
AFDoc said:
Given I have only looked at the .223 brass I have, how can I visually inspect the primer pocket to determine if there is a crimp?
Click to expand...
A picture is worth a thousand words ...

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Excellent. I thank you all for the education.

Now that we know what the problem is and how to identify it, would you be willing to recommend a solution? Can you recommend a tool--preferably not too expensive as my wife is getting irritated--that a rookie can use with success?
 
The crimp can be taken out/off with nothing more than a countersink and preferably a drill motor.

I'm also sure there will come posts for much more expensive ways tho.
 
AFDoc said:
Can you recommend a tool--preferably not too expensive as my wife is getting irritated--that a rookie can use with success?
Click to expand...
How about a $2.30 tool? Few twists and the crimp is taken out. I also use the tool to chamfer inside/outside of trimmed rifle necks.

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The above $2.30 fix above isn't a bad one at all.

RCBS makes a $30 tool that will allow you to swedge both large (.308) and small (.223) primer pockets. It's used on a single stage press and it's very fast. It does not remove material but pushes it back where is should be. (RCBS Part #9495) It's in stock @ MidwayUSA and a lot of other online sellers if you buy elsewhere.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/rcbs-9495-primer-pocket-swager-combo-p-55010.html
http://www.amazon.com/RCBS-Primer-Pocket-Swager-Combo/dp/B00134ADSG
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/64847-1.html
http://www.opticsplanet.net/rcbs-primer-pocket-swager-9495.html
 
Heck, I just use a chamfer bit that came with my drill bit set and chuck it in my cordless. One quick buzz and it's ready.

Mine is similar, not as nice.

 
The low tech solution is to take a pocket knife and scrape it around a couple times, that will work for now so you can get up and going. Not pretty results I assure you but it will work passably. The idea is to remove the area of the lip that was crushed down after the original primer was installed. FYI some of the non military--read regular commercial--also is crimped these days.:mad: Kinda like creating the need to separate for large and small primer pockets in 45 ACP these days.:fire:
Oh yea welcome to the reloading world. You will find it rewarding I am sure.:D
 
RCBS makes a $30 tool that will allow you to swedge both large (.308) and small (.223) primer pockets. It's used on a single stage press and it's very fast. It does not remove material but pushes it back where is should be. (RCBS Part #9495) It's in stock @ MidwayUSA and a lot of other online sellers if you buy elsewhere
Click to expand...
.

Arch Angel Hit it on the head. The RCBS swage tool works just fine. I have one but I have not used it for a while because I have a Dillon Super Swage for the high volume of GI brass I use. The Super Swage will eat the better part of a $100.00 pretty well. But if you have a lot of brass to swage as it is the cats meow. The RCBS swage is like a model "T" compaired to the Dillon. As others have said you can cut the crimp too. I prefer the “feel” of a swaged primer pocket over the cut primer pocket. Whichever way you go you will have better results when priming.
 
It depens what you call inexpensive. I'm cheap but desided the CH4D swage & ram prime was the best bang for the buck.

I have problems with my hands & it hurts me to prime on my SS press. The CH4D takes no force so swageing or primeing is easy & fast. It was ether $30 or $40 for small & large swage & prime tools.

ETA:When swageing or primeing you only have to stroke the handle enough to get less then .25" travel from the ram. All pockets will be swaged & primed the same.

The RCBS tool requires a full stroke of the press to strip the case back off.
 
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Over they years I also used the chamfer bit in the cordless drill it works just fine. But yesterday I decided to order the Dillon swager.These days I shoot the 223 alot. Also my wife is paying for it thats the best part.
 
Thanks again for all the pictures and helpful suggestions.
Please keep in mind I am a rank beginner. A couple of quick questions:
1.) Given my recent experience with destroying brass and primers, my inclination might be to overdo it with a countersink. Can I go too far with a countersink or chamfer tool?
2.) Would the RCBS swage work with my Redding Big Boss II press?
3.) Has anyone tried the Redding primer pocket uniformer tool? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/764406/redding-primer-pocket-uniformer-tool-small

Thanks again for all your help.
 
All range brass gets a reaming with my little hand tool. It cuts the seating crimp or the three little indentions out with just a few light twists. While at it I camfer the mouth then hit the pocket again with a flash hole/pocket tool. That cleans any carbon residue and ensures the flash holes are uniform/clean. Small primers get turned sideways a bit more often than large ones(hardly ever) in my Lee hand primer. I like priming by hand. It gives me an extra chance to inspect the casings plus in addition to feeling the primers seat I simply run my finger over it as I sit it back into the loading block.
 
Yes it "removing the crimp" can be overdone.

Heres what I would do to gain a little experience. Take the reamer or whatever you plan to use and just ream the crimp off. Do this on maybe 5 cases, take these 5 cases and prime them with old used primers, checking it out and seeing how it goes, remove those spent primers and adjust your crimp removal from there.

You will learn VERY quickly, not a big deal you will find out.

I do like the little Lee tool but for removing the crimp I think a countersink with a cordless is really the inexpensive way to go.
 
Cheapest way?

I used the pointy blade on my old Case pocketknife to trim primer crimps when I first started reloading in 1962.
Cause I couldn't afford anything else.

rc
 
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