hi all, starting to assemble the tools needed to reload for 223 (i've got a 556 AR), i've seen the dillon & honady ones for $160+, but i have to wonder is there any differnce between them & the rcbs swager combo 2 kit? ($50) i've only got a few hundred pcs of 556 brass to process & unless i find a crazy deal probly wont buy more & stick to 223, so if you were me what would you get?
opinions o a swager?
- Thread starter boombag13
- Start date
The dillon is nice to use for small batches. It performs really well, but you still have to process brass one by one.
Honestly, if I had another batch to do I would buy the swage-it tool for the 650.
Just bolt it there while you do the brass processing toolhead, no extra step.
My brass is mostly trimmed and decrimped so I just deal with the super swage and the wft trimmer now, but for any real processing, seriously, you need a toolhead with the dillon trimmer and a swage it tool. That way you just crank the handle and end up with processed brass 1000 or so per hour.
The wft is still a good option, at 2000 rpm on a drill press you can process 1000 an hour. I did 500 or so yesterday in under 30 min. Leaves a nice finish if you insert slowly at 2k rpm.
Every time you need to handle the brass you loose time... The 650 is a huge time saver so why not just swage and trim on it, every pull gives you a prepped brass.
The giraud trimmer is more a benchrest thing imo, i dont see the benefit for ar15 ammo. Still need to handle brass one by one, thats another hour per 1000 rounds.
Honestly, if I had another batch to do I would buy the swage-it tool for the 650.
Just bolt it there while you do the brass processing toolhead, no extra step.
My brass is mostly trimmed and decrimped so I just deal with the super swage and the wft trimmer now, but for any real processing, seriously, you need a toolhead with the dillon trimmer and a swage it tool. That way you just crank the handle and end up with processed brass 1000 or so per hour.
The wft is still a good option, at 2000 rpm on a drill press you can process 1000 an hour. I did 500 or so yesterday in under 30 min. Leaves a nice finish if you insert slowly at 2k rpm.
Every time you need to handle the brass you loose time... The 650 is a huge time saver so why not just swage and trim on it, every pull gives you a prepped brass.
The giraud trimmer is more a benchrest thing imo, i dont see the benefit for ar15 ammo. Still need to handle brass one by one, thats another hour per 1000 rounds.
why? what's wrong with it?
The Dillon looks like a very nice tool. I've swaged thousands of pieces of military 5.56, 7.62 and .30-06 brass over the years with the RCBS unit with good results and have certainly gotten my money's worth out of it. Just did a batch of .30-06 LC69 and DA55 brass today and it still works ticketty-boo.
Get a 3/4" copper union the type you sweat together. Place it over ram, before placing the collar. It makes it much easier and nicer.
I just bought the swage-it for the 650.
Swage while sizing the brass, no additional step, all cases are swaged.... the only thing thats better is a 1050 and at that point, I wonder why it would be better than a 650 with a lifetime warranty.
Swage while sizing the brass, no additional step, all cases are swaged.... the only thing thats better is a 1050 and at that point, I wonder why it would be better than a 650 with a lifetime warranty.
I use the RCBS kit on a Lee classic turret press. With the addition of a 7/8" SAE flat washer between the ram and the shell pusher cup, it works just peachy now. Also have to remove the drive rod clamp to use it. No big deal, it's one screw.
I bought an RCBS swager but found out the hard way it won't fit my Lee Classic Breach Lock Press. The oversized ram is too big for the swager shell release to fit over.
email RCBS and they'll send you a larger case stripper for free.
you'll still have to clear some metal around the ram to make it work. But it's doable with no side effects.
Anyone else finding the ring crimp in newer FC and Win brass necessitates crimp removal?
I'm finding myself outsorting RP and Norinco brass to use first for bulk 223 rather than spending the time to decrimp.
p.s. I use a CH4D swager which I find is faster than the RCBS tool since there is less movement of the ram.
I'm finding myself outsorting RP and Norinco brass to use first for bulk 223 rather than spending the time to decrimp.
p.s. I use a CH4D swager which I find is faster than the RCBS tool since there is less movement of the ram.
Below is a RCBS swagger combo from the 1970s and it pushes brass into the primer pocket. I bought a second combo unit last year and it will make the primer pockets over sized.
Below the simplest crimp remover a RCBS unit designed for their case prep station. It is tapered and will not touch the primer pocket sides and the face of the cutter is the stop. It works very well but large quantities of cases will cause sore fingers.
I have many hand type tools to remove the primer crimp but then found the easy way to do it. I buy bulk pre-cleaned and processed Lake City cases with the crimps removed.
223/5.56 - Cleaned, Deprimed & Swaged - LC Only - 500 Pieces $55.00 Free Shipping!! (and no more sore fingers)
http://brassbombers.com/223-556-Cleaned-Deprimed-Swaged-LC-Only-500-Pieces-2LC-S0050.htm
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My RCBC primer swager is 1970s vintage and it has always worked like a champ in both RCBS and Redding presses.
The incentive for reloading military brass with the crimped primers is the inexpensive cost of military brass in the first place plus the preference for harder MILSPEC brass when reloading for military semi-autos. AFAIK the only MILSPEC brass w/o the primer crimps was the Lake City match brass. Crimped primers were not necessary in this brass as it was not intended for firing in machine guns where the possibility of dislodged primers can cause stoppages. I got my last lot of 1000 pieces of virgin Lake City 67 and 68 .30-06 match brass about 13 yrs ago.
I've been using Canadian made DA55 military .30-06 brass with the crimped primers for 45 yrs or so. I started with several thousand rounds of the original military ball ammo and its still ticking along nicely with up to 8 firings on some of it. I only use brass for Garands for 4 firing cycles because the rifles are tough on brass. The DA55 brass has worked very nicely in M1903 Springfields and M1917 Enfields where neck sizing is a possibility, whereas FL resizing is necessary with the Garands.
Lake City 69 .30-06 brass with the primer crimps is also very good. Folks should avoid the Korean produced surplus .30-06 ammo with the PSA headstamp as some lots are prone to longitudinal case failures.
The incentive for reloading military brass with the crimped primers is the inexpensive cost of military brass in the first place plus the preference for harder MILSPEC brass when reloading for military semi-autos. AFAIK the only MILSPEC brass w/o the primer crimps was the Lake City match brass. Crimped primers were not necessary in this brass as it was not intended for firing in machine guns where the possibility of dislodged primers can cause stoppages. I got my last lot of 1000 pieces of virgin Lake City 67 and 68 .30-06 match brass about 13 yrs ago.
I've been using Canadian made DA55 military .30-06 brass with the crimped primers for 45 yrs or so. I started with several thousand rounds of the original military ball ammo and its still ticking along nicely with up to 8 firings on some of it. I only use brass for Garands for 4 firing cycles because the rifles are tough on brass. The DA55 brass has worked very nicely in M1903 Springfields and M1917 Enfields where neck sizing is a possibility, whereas FL resizing is necessary with the Garands.
Lake City 69 .30-06 brass with the primer crimps is also very good. Folks should avoid the Korean produced surplus .30-06 ammo with the PSA headstamp as some lots are prone to longitudinal case failures.
