Swaging 5.56 primer pockets

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Art708

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I finally bought an RCBS primer pocket swager combo....and a cheap single stage Lee press. I have to do a little modification to the press to make it so the ejection cover for the swager will fit properly....but..... I am amazed at how effortless it is to get rid of the crimp on the Nato brass. Now I can get a bunch of reloads done. However, in figuring out my reload cost I think I'm only saving around 10 cents per bullet over buying a box of commercial ammo. As big of a PITA as it is to reload .223 I'm wondering if it's worth all the effort to reload it. Anyway....the swager works really well and I think it was a good buy.
 
Art,
I know some guys that don't swage .223 primer pockets. They just seat a new primer on a Dillon progressive. Personally I have tried it and it did work. I ended up buying a used Dillon Super Swage. It works well enough. I figure why not do it right. Plus I don't need a priming accident.

I think the big savings is in heavier match ammo. Handloads really help wring out the accuracy of a rifle.
 
I've loaded some 5.56 in the past without swaging...sometimes the primer goes in, sometimes it crunches it. So as easy and quick as it is to swage with the proper tool I will continue to do it. The primers do slide in with just the right resistance after swaging. Regular .223 I don't usually bother with, but the military brass needs it.
 
That swager is a little slow and tedious but once its done it lasts the life of that piece of brass. If all your loading is plinking ammo you could always save a little time and ream the primer pockets. Im not a fan of reaming for several reasons but to each their own.
 
I did the same as you. I had an old Lee single stage press and got the RCBS swager to use with it. Of course, you only have to swage once. So if you pick up cheap crimped ammo or brass, it's worthwhile.

As for whether reloading .223 is worth the cost, well, I guess it depends on what kind of shooting you do, what your time is worth and what your supplies cost. I'm not a high volume tactical shooter. I'm a leisurely paper poker. So if I catch good sales on reloading supplies, I can beat most prices on generic 55 gr. stuff.

If I were a high volume shooter or competitor, it probably would be more cost effective to buy ammo in large amounts from some of the ammo stores that offer free shipping. I don't have a progressive press, but if you do, you can crank these babies out and also save money. Just never had the dough to justify the investment.
 
I load a lot of bulk .223s for my ARs. Pretty sure that I'm reloading 55gr. fmjbt bullets for about $.15 each. That's at least half of the prevailing prices for cheap stuff at Wal-Mart, etc.
 
Art708 said:
I have to do a little modification to the press to make it so the ejection cover for the swager will fit properly....
Click to expand...
ART708

I'm just about to pick up the same equipment. I'd be interested in what mods you had to make to the press to get the ejection collar to work.
 
All I did was to take my Dremel with a Roto Zip burr and remove a little of the casting in behind the ram. After doing that the collar would sit flat and work just fine. Where the vertical back joined the flat where the ram is was rounded...all I did was relieve it a bit so the collar would sit flat....easy peasy.
 
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Hentown.... I wish I could reload them for .15. I figure mine are costing me around .30. .10 for powder, .05 for primer, and around .15 for bullets. Of course this is buying my supplies at the lgs. Maybe if I bought in bulk online I could bring the cost down.
 
I tried the reamer thing for a while. I didn't like doing it that way so I went with the swager. If the reamer method works well for you cool. It is faster but I like the uniformity of the swager. Potato-Potahto :)
 
I tried and hated a deburr tool to remove crimps. 1 in 12 primers still crunched, and each feels different while seating . Non-crimped primers are smooth as glass.

so having said this, does the swager really make it feel like commercial brass?. I too would need to buy a single stage press and the rcbs tool to remove crimps, since there's no way to do it with a progressive press.


edfardos
 
I figured out that I could do the swaging in my Lee Turret press by removing the black plastic collar that the rod goes through. That way you'd have a big, flat surface. But then you'd have to replace it and make sure it's lined up before you could use it for the other dies....too much trouble, that's why I spent 25 bucks for a cheap single stage.

That Super Swage 600 is the shiznits... I'd love to have one of those but didn't want to spend a hundred bucks.
 
I use an RCBS case deburring tool chucked up in a lathe. Spin it about 1200 rpms and press the crimp onto the tool. Zip. Done.
Click to expand...

Works for me. A case deburring tool in a lathe or drill press gets it done.
 
Hentown.... I wish I could reload them for .15. I figure mine are costing me around .30. .10 for powder, .05 for primer, and around .15 for bullets. Of course this is buying my supplies at the lgs. Maybe if I bought in bulk online I could bring the cost down.
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You're paying twice what I'm paying for primers, even though I'm paying shipping and hazmat. I get bullets @ $.08 each from Montana Gold and other similar sources for bulk bullets. Just paid $75 for 1000 pcs of LC brass that's 100% processed, and I'll get several reloads from the brass. Until recently, I was using AA2200 powder, for which I paid $48 per 8#, shipped. I'm now using 844 powder @ $85 for 8#.
 
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^^ Pats reloading for the propellant and primers. Just get a pile of supplies at a time to spread the shipping and haz mat out. I stopped buying the supplies at the LGS when I did my first cost versus loaded ammo comparison. That was 20 years or better before the interweb.:D We all have it easy now as far as comparison shopping goes.:cool:

Oh yeah ---I also use the RCBS primer swage tool and it fit my Rock Chucker without any mods.
 
That Super Swage 600 is the shiznits... I'd love to have one of those but didn't want to spend a hundred bucks.
Click to expand...

BTDT, got rid of it and the RCBS press mount set-up and kept the Hornady reamer mounted to a 1/40hp motor which to me was the next best after the 1050
 
I must be lazy....... I purchased 5.56 brass that has been swagged, trimmed, polished and is ready to reload. My time is worth more that the difference in price. I also reload .308 and purchase ex-military 7.62x51 that has been processed too.:evil:
 
If any of you don't want to process the brass yourselves, Danny Henry at Custom Brass Processing is open for business again. Danny will deprime, swage, full length resize, trim, and tumble bright 5.56 and 7.62 NATO brass for .035 each which is a bargain. You get your own brass back, not exchange. The brass is ready to reprime and charge and take to the range.

By the way, Powder Valley has Tula primers for about $20 per K which is a pretty good price. Widener's has Wolf (same primers) for $16 per K, even better. Definitely buy in bulk for best prices.
 
For the crimps I have been using the lee chamfer tool or a drill bit and knock the crimp off. I have to agree I am saving a little money on them, but not near as much as some other calibers. I still prefer to load my own, for quality and a little savings.
 
.223 is cheap enough that if you're reloading just to save money...???
well then it probably isn't worth the time, money spent on equipment & effort.

But my reloads shrink the groups on a target by about 50%.
Now is that "worth it" to me?

You bet it is!!!! :D
 
.223 is cheap enough that if you're reloading just to save money...???
well then it probably isn't worth the time, money spent on equipment & effort.
Click to expand...

that's for each reloader to decide for himself. i've got way more time than money and i enjoy time at the reloading bench.
 
Hondo 60 said:
.223 is cheap enough that if you're reloading just to save money...???
well then it probably isn't worth the time, money spent on equipment & effort.

But my reloads shrink the groups on a target by about 50%.
Now is that "worth it" to me?

You bet it is!!!! :D
Click to expand...
Hondo,

What are you doing in your 223 reloads to improve accuracy? I have all the equipment but have only loaded a few, not enough to see any great improvement in accuracy. because 223 is relatively cheap. I wonder what you do since you're limited to mag length for an AR.

Rikman
 
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