Swaging range brass

Not all brass has the same internal dimensions. Since the swaging tool pushes against the inside of the case as it forces the swage plug into the primer pocket, it's easy to "overswage" and end up with loose primer pockets.
IMHO, if you're not using a Dillon, you're wasting your time/effort.
Done properly, swaging with a Dillon may require adjustment for different case brands.
 
Mobuck said:
Not all brass has the same internal dimensions. Since the swaging tool pushes against the inside of the case as it forces the swage plug into the primer pocket, it's easy to "overswage" and end up with loose primer pockets.
IMHO, if you're not using a Dillon, you're wasting your time/effort.
Done properly, swaging with a Dillon may require adjustment for different case brands.
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Yes. I'm my research i have read that a few times. Right now I have the RCBS swaging die. I'll be sorting according to headstamp. I'm gonna try the RCBS to see if I have any luck. I'll probably end up getting the Dillon, heard too many good things about it

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Since you are sorting by headstamps, simply run all the military brass thru your swager, and leave the rest alone. If you are unsure about a case, try inserting your primer pocket uniforming tool into the primer pocket. If there is a primer crimp, it won't go in.

Don
 
Jes a hint; if the case has a military headstamp, with a mfg. and date code, it prolly has a primer pocket crimp. And If you just want to, run them all through your swager, won't hurt anything...

If you are really concerned you can check the primer pockets with a tool like this; https://www.brownells.com/reloading...RED--CENSORED-=itwine&utm_content=100-015-613 When I first started reloading military brass and just out of curiosity, I used pin/plug gauges from work (set up for go-nogo) to check diameter of the pockets.
 
MLKD, that's cool.

If you are really concerned you can check the primer pockets with a tool like this; https://www.brownells.com/reloading/...nt=100-015-613 When I first started reloading military brass and just out of curiosity, I used pin/plug gauges from work (set up for go-nogo) to check diameter of the pockets.
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I have had occasion where I wondered if my primer pocket was too loose. I once had several hundred crimped 38spl cases that I swaged as a batch. when I went to load them it seemed I had over swaged as the primers seated with almost no effort. So I tossed the whole lot. It would have been nice to have checked and possibly saved the lot, and better now to have when setting up and swaging to check along the way.

do you know or recall the appropriate go, no-go sizes? I have a set of pin gauges.
 
I abhor the idea of using "mixed range brass". I have sorted brass I want and reload. I have anorher bucket for everything else. I do sort. I do keep "batches" separate. A batch, for example is a multi-hundred LC is a 2 or 3 year range. They can always be identified as such. I personally do not believe you can load consistent ammo wirhout using consistent inputs. Have you ever noticed you cannot buy mixed range brass loaded ammo (except at a range that keeps the brass, and it is very tame loads). It would not be a quality, and consistent product. With 38 Special wad-cutters light target loads, sure, it is done. All police ranges were doing that.
I know some people load "any brass" 223". I have over 1,000 of ~usable brass, but choose not to load that. Not when I have plenty of good SORTED brass. Different head-stamps need different treatment. LC will require one time service of the primer crimp. So I buy LC, remove crimp, and have good brass with good consistency. Now if you want to grind out boat-loads of mixed brass blasting ammo, good for you. But I think a lot of knowledgeable reloaders do not. Sorting can also remove your steel Wolf cases and TAA, and FC headstamps which go into my "do not bother with" bucket.
High quality sorted brass is not that expensive. I am very cheap (CPA). But using mixed range brass is an illusion of false economy, or, maybe reloader lazyness. I choose not to.
 
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There were a few companies that "remanufactured" ammo, and those I purchased were mixed brass. I don't know the present status of these companies as I haven't purchased more the 3 boxes of factory ammo in 20 years
 
I do wish I had gotten the Dillon, but the business end does pretty much the exact same thing, the exact same way. And it is virtually impossible to "overswage" due to the nipple on the thing hitting bottom.

The advantage of the Dillon is that it doesn't tie up your press, and the RCBS doesn't play nice with some presses- the "ejector ring" won't clear on some, and won't find a handy place to sit on others. I use a coat hanger :eek: to give it something to eject from on my Lee turret. I sort of hate it, but it *does* work.

My experience with 5.56 brass has been that the "crimp" is 99% cosmetic. So few have needed a decrimp that I just set the decap just long enough that it barely pushes the primer out. The ones that need a decrimp, the primer will not pop out when set this way. But I also mix brass. Some will disapprove. ;)

7.62 nato, very different story. Significantly thicker brass, and almost all will *need* a decrimp. Definitely worth keeping separate due to case volume.

All my brass is fairly old (10 years?) at this point though. Things may have changed.
 
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