Federal 223 rem brass

DGY

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Good day all, I picked up some 223 rem brass head stamped federal (FC) and compare to the Remington and hornady brass the primer pocket has a small ring of brass… will they be ok to reload/be accurate/hold the primers properly?
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Some people really hate Federal cases.

The ''brass ring" you highlight in your photo is a mild crimp.

You will have to remove this crimp if you want to seat new primers without damage.

Depending on how many cases you have, you can use the hand case mouth beveling tool to remove enough of the crimp to seat new primers.


Some of the hand tools have a small rod sticking out at the center of the outside beveling end. Chuck it up in your hand drill press so you can use the drill to power the tool and make it a quick job to clean up the crimp ring.
 
Typically that is from crimping the primers. They stamp around the pocket with a tool and die to flow brass in behind the primer. Run something pointy like a decapping pin along the inside edge of the pocket moving towards the outside and if you feel a small lip at the outside edge then they were crimped. A primer pocket swage or reamer is used to remove the crimp. If left alone it will make primers a bear to seat.
 
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Thanks all, I just remembered that I had this tool in my kit…
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Seems to do a really good job of removing the crimp.
Thanks again for the info!
 
I use a chamfer tool on my hand drill or drill press to remove the crimp from my .223 brass primer pockets. The primer pockets seem to be a bit larger and the brass does not last as long.
 
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I found the federal brass to be shorter than Winchester or Remington. I think it's just the material, or lack of on the neck. If you trim to length you might need to trim just a little shorter than you would with other brands
 
I ream but recently bought the lee ram swage. both work but the key like above mentioned is a go/no go. its a pain when you try to seat a primer and the crimp is still there.
 
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Thanks all, I just remembered that I had this tool in my kit…
View attachment 1147692
View attachment 1147693
Seems to do a really good job of removing the crimp.
Thanks again for the info!
That tool on a case prep center makes short work of those crimps
I just did a pile of 223 reloads last night and I found I still had the odd primer crunch sideways because I didn’t take enough of the crimp out with the tool
 
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