Noob Mistake - Military Crimp Removal

[macdonda]

I just started reloading last fall & wanted to share my mistake in the odd event someone ends up in the same predicament...

I started reloading 223 with a Lee Turret press and was only able to seat about 80% of the primers and the process was not as smooth as in videos. Every case I had to inspect after priming... so, I bought a new shell holder, cleaned up the primer arm & no change... I was sure something was defective. Suffice to say, I had read & viewed that military crimps had to be removed but in the back of my mind, I’m thinking “I bought the ammo from a local shop, not a surplus crate, it’s not military ammo”. Anyway, a quick inspection showed primer pockets on all my brass indeed crimped. I bought a crimp removal tool, removed them all and now they slide in like butter.

As an aside, I’m shocked at how much more accurate the reloads are than factory bulk ammo, at this point I’m really not saving much money but it’s fun & I like the improved accuracy

 

[zuke]

Part of the learning curve!
Your hooked now, Have fun!!

 

[FirearmsEnthusiast]

Good post - always great to hear when problems are encountered then problem gets solved. You're lucky you didn't force the primers too hard or they will go off if provoked too much.

Some people think that reloading cheap bulk calibers like .223 and 7.62x39 is a waste of time, but like you I find it fun and can produce excellent results!

Happy loading and keep us posted here on progress or any issues you encounter.

Be sure to measure and trim brass - especially if shooting from a semi-auto to avoid a dangerous out-of-battery condition.

 

[bigedp51]

You can use any hand reamer crimp remover, pin gauges or a primer pocket gauge to check the primer pockets before priming. Meaning if any of these fits into the primer pocket you do not have a crimp or it has already been removed. I had the opposite problem with a 5 gal bucket of Federal .223 cases. I sized and prepped them all only to find out far to many had over sized primer pockets.

Swage Gage ® Small Primer Pocket Gauge
https://ballistictools.com/store/swage-gage-small-primer-pocket

 

[macdonda]

I was originally sizing the brass & cleaning primer pockets with hand tools but after a couple of hundred cases my hands would cramp up like pretzels lol I ended up getting a case prep center, I still check every 20th case or so with a head space gauge but so far so good. I’ve shot about 1500 reloads so far, no issues but I’ve only used 1x, in about the next month or so I’ll have to start on 2x.

 

[macdonda]

You can use any hand reamer crimp remover, pin gauges or a primer pocket gauge to check the primer pockets before priming. Meaning if any of these fits into the primer pocket you do not have a crimp or it has already been removed. I had the opposite problem with a 5 gal bucket of Federal .223 cases. I sized and prepped them all only to find out far to many had over sized primer pockets.

Swage Gage ® Small Primer Pocket Gauge
https://ballistictools.com/store/swage-gage-small-primer-pocket

Cool, I never knew this existed, think I’ll have to add it to the shopping list

 

[Ganderite]

I use a $7.00 counter sink in an electric drill. Just a touch cuts the crimp off the pocket lip. I can do a bucket of military brass in a few minutes.