Reloading Military Ball 30-06 Cases

[psteinmayer]

I am going to reload a couple hundred M2 Ball (30-06) cases, and I'm looking for a good way to remove the primer crimp. I tried to prime a case today, and damaged three primers before I figured out the lip left by the primer crimp was the problem. Want is the best way to remove that so I can prime my cases?

Thanks in advance!
Paul

[Litt'le Lee]

you have your choice of a swageer or a trimmer-I use a Hornady primer pocket trimmer

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p4634.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=hornady+primer+pocket+trimmer&_sacat=382&_from=R40

[Hefights]

I use this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdkA7vDeaes

[Parashooter]

If those 200 are the only GI cases you're ever going to de-crimp, a common case deburring tool will do the job slowly but effectively once you learn how much brass to remove. If you're going to continue collecting GI brass, a pocket swaging die set like the RCBS product will prove cost-effective.

[PKelly]

I use a tool similar to the Hornady, I believe it's made by Lyman. $7 or $8 at Cabellas if I remember correctly.

[m1ashooter]

Drill bit works.

[joem]

I reload ALOT of military brass. I bought the Dillon Super swedge. Expensive but does a great job if you have thousands of cases.

[psteinmayer]

Well, I don't have thousands... but since I intend on only shooting Ball ammo in my Garand, I expect to only be using military brass from here on out. When I reload, it will be with FMJ bullets, and most likely 4064. All in all, I have around 250 rounds of military brass (mostly US Ball). Also, I have around 300 rounds of Ball ammo waiting for the zombies to appear (of the next National Match, which ever comes first). I like the idea of the RBCS swage, which looks easy to use and effective! I thought about using my case de-burr reamer, but I just don't have the hand strength to hold 200 some odd cases and turn the tool any more.

Thanks for your help everyone! Much obliged!
Paul

[NuJudge]

The RCBS Swage has done the best job for me, but it's slow. I finally bought a Dillon, which every once in a while doesn't get all the crimp out of the way, and I have to use a chamfer tool.

[da gimp]

Drill bit works.

saw a reloaded US 5.56 case that someone had removed the crimp with a drill, let go at the primer pocket once, (fired thru a Colt AR 15.........) pieces of primer came back & hit the white portion of the shooters R eye..... and into his R hand. The magazine was destroyed.........Mike was a USN pilot stationed on the Big E & had to have extensive testing before he was returned to flight status.

Quit being cheap & stupid buy using a drill or a knife.... buy a Dillon primer pocket swager, they give you both small primer pocket & large primer pocket swaging rods with it..... It is very simple to use & you can quickly swage the pockets of a 1000 , 5.56 cases once you get into it. It'll outlast you, your kids & their great grandkids........ & fairly cheap too.

I've never used the Hornady or the RCBS swagers, so I cannot comment on em.

[PhillipM]

I happened across a Herter's swage and neck sizer for $20 at a gunshow a couple years ago, the little button with the swage that goes in the shellholder kept sticking in the case and when I'd remove the case, the button would come out with it. Grrrr! Then I gazed upon the Dillon 550B and put the button in #3 position and let er rip, just don't turn the shell plate out of habit!

[Jim in Salt Lake]

I use the RCBS swager, it works pretty well. I had a batch of Lake City cases, '68 headstamp, that I had an absolute b**tch getting de-primed. Those suckers were in there tight, on every other case, the pin would pierce the primer. I ended up taking the sizing die off and using a punch and hammer. I used a punch slightly smaller than the flash hole and got them out.

[togor]

I use the RCBS universal decapper, with the spring removed and something stuffed in there to keep the pin base against the stem, and have never had a problem or busted a pin when decapping LC brass, or even the crimped KA stuff that is really hard. I also use the RCBS swager, but to be honest, I end up going over it with a deburring tool anyways. With hard brass like KA, the RCBS swager ends up cutting the crimp off sometimes, and it ends up as a loose "ring" of brass in the primer pocket. On small rifle primer pockets, the RCBS swager seems to have better luck, at least in my case.

[psteinmayer]

I've been using a Lee decapper for years and never had a problem with it! As for the swager, I think I'm going to look for the RCBS. It looks easy enough to use, and the price seems to be right too!

[madsenshooter]

The RCBS works for me. When I first started reloading for my Garand, a fellow gave me a couple hundred twice fired LC brass, as he wished to use commercial brass. He'd removed the crimp with a deburring tool, but didn't go deep enough, I was still ruining primers. A knife took care of that. When reloading them Paul, remember that GI cases have less capacity than the cases used to develop most load data you'll find. (Though they are close to Remington cases). That was my buddie's problem, he wanted max velocity, so started with max loads shown in his reloading manual, which were developed in Winchester cases, without working up. All the cases he gave me had some pretty flat primers, and he didn't do very good despite having a Roland Beaver worked on Garand that would shoot very, very good with lighter loads. It isn't how quick the bullet gets there that matters, it's where it hits.