NATO 7.62 primer crimp removal?

slushee

slushee

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I have 20 rounds of once fired brass from 7.62 NATO Ball rounds .. I am just getting into reloading, and have read a few times that this nato stuff needs to have its primer crimp removed prior to reloading.

How does one do this? Should I just toss this brass?
 
Just use a "counter sink" bit or a 1/2" drill bit in your hand drill and clean off the crimped edges, DON'T GO TO DEEP. I assume you've already punched out the primers? If you haven't, check the flash holes by shineing a flashlight into the neck and look to see if there is one central hole, reloadable, or two offset holes, for which you will need a special deprimeing tool and are really just to much of a pain in the butt to worry about.
 
The crimps are a belt-elastic-and-suspenders technique to keep primers in ammunition that will get jostled around in military service. There are various cutters sold by Lee and Hornady that will trim the crimps back. But if you only have 20 rounds, you can almost 'bull' the old primers out with the decapping pin and touch up the pocket (like bearhunter says) with a twist drill bit or countersink drill.
 
The true purpose of crimped military primers is to prevent the primer from backing out from the case (and thus jamming) a fully automatic weapon.
 
In addition to the tools mentionned, crimp can be removed with: a swaging tool; a chamfering tool; a sharp pocket knife. If I am serious about removing crimps from a quantity of cases, I will use a chamfering tool in my small lathe, and follow it up with a primer pocket uniforming tool. Personally, I don't think I would bother with doing 20 cases, if I had any others.
 
Keep the old primers in and use these cases to make up dummy rounds for different bullets you may use (different seating depths). Use them to pratice or gauge your trim to length set up.
 
By FAR the best method is to use the RCBS primer pocket swager. It reforms the primer pocket without removing metal. Fits in your press, works slick. I love mine, did a few thousand 308 and 30/06 with it. Not worth buying it for 20 rounds, though. Just my opinion but with 308 being so common I'd pitch or donate these and just use ordinary commercial brass.
 
"...just use my chamfering tool and do it by hand..." Yep. You need that tool anyway. To chamfer the inside of the case mouth and deburr the outside after trimming.
Remember that milsurp brass is a bit thicker than commercial brass and you'll have to reduce the loads in your manual by 10%.
 
This may seem like a dumb idea ... but I use a torx bit screw driver of hard steel to hand ream .223 cases. Works slick. Forget the size at the moment but its pretty easy to pick the right one. There might be a size to fit .308 as well.
 
After cutting and swaging, I prefer to cut the crimps out. The "best" tool I've come across for this purpose is the LE Wilson Primer Pocket Reamer which is available in both .175" and .210". You can order them from Sinclair International.
 
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