Bought lake city brass for 308 then bouht this tool to get rid of the primer pocket crimp. The instructions really are not clear on setting up the tool. How do you know u got all the crimp out of the pocket. And is there a way to go to far with it or does that rod inside the tool prevent that. I even watched videos online and I'm just not sure on if I'm getting all the crimp out.
Rcbs swagger combo tool
- Thread starter bungiex88
- Start date
Proof is in the pudding
Can you seat primers in the brass you've put through this tool, and does the force needed to seat them feel consistent from case to case and fairly close to what you feel seating primers in commercial brass? If so, you've done it. If primers are had to seat or are crushed in the process of seating, you haven't done it.
Can you seat primers in the brass you've put through this tool, and does the force needed to seat them feel consistent from case to case and fairly close to what you feel seating primers in commercial brass? If so, you've done it. If primers are had to seat or are crushed in the process of seating, you haven't done it.
You will notice that the swaging button is filleted at its base. IOW's when you press it into the head of a case....if you go in far enough it "rounds" the primer pocket edge a little.
That makes it harder to catch a primer edge on the edge of the hole when you seat.
Soooo I find that adjusting the press to shove that button into the hole all the way to the hilt....rounds the edge slightly.....doing so also makes sure the crimp is gone.
This is a picture of the fillet....
And the next two pictures show how far I insert the button to swage:
Just don't adjust it too far or you might mess up the pocket or bend the rod in the die. Little adjustments and patience work best.
Also keep in mind that different brands of brass have different thickness in the head.....between the button you press in and the rod inside the case that resists it. So the adjustment will be different for different brass.
That makes it harder to catch a primer edge on the edge of the hole when you seat.
Soooo I find that adjusting the press to shove that button into the hole all the way to the hilt....rounds the edge slightly.....doing so also makes sure the crimp is gone.
This is a picture of the fillet....
And the next two pictures show how far I insert the button to swage:
Just don't adjust it too far or you might mess up the pocket or bend the rod in the die. Little adjustments and patience work best.
Also keep in mind that different brands of brass have different thickness in the head.....between the button you press in and the rod inside the case that resists it. So the adjustment will be different for different brass.
You need to sort your brass by headstamp if you want that tool to work consistently. I tried using it on a mixed lot of 30-06 brass and got wildly different results from case to case.
Like the above posters said, you have to try to seat the primers to tell if you did the job. I couldn't really tell by visual inspection alone. Some cases looked like they were swaged but didn't take a primer, and some cases looked untouched but took a primer readily.
Like the above posters said, you have to try to seat the primers to tell if you did the job. I couldn't really tell by visual inspection alone. Some cases looked like they were swaged but didn't take a primer, and some cases looked untouched but took a primer readily.
I watched the rcbs demo which was a little confusing but I basically adjusted it untill when I lowered the handle to swag the handle would cam over. When I did that I saw that it took the crimp at the top of the pocket at the edge was rounded and the primers press in easy just slightly more pressure then commercial brass but not much.
Lee S. Forsberg
New member
Keep all the brass sorted to the same headstamp because of different web thickness. It is possible to put a "S" curve in the center rod with a thick web.