Prep brass for precision rifle

[GymB]

Honestly, I don’t know how much it matters, but I’m interested in trying some things, just need some advice.

Started with LC 12 5.56 brass.
deprimed, swaged the primer pocket with the dillon ss600, tumbled, FL sized, and trimmed. Same routine that I generally use. New steps are to clean up the flash hole and primer pocket, touch up the inside neck chamfer, then sort by weight. I’m leaving neck turning for another time.

Started with the K&M primer pocket uniforming tool. The thing is mindless, can’t screw it up...except that you can. Swaging the primer pocket sometimes leaves a bit of material proud of the case head. It’s not enough to matter for loading or firing, but it prevents the uniforming tool from sitting completely flat against the case head. Increasing the amount of swage with the SS will not resolve the problem, I think that a different punch is needed to restore the rolled rim on the primer pocket, or it has to be cut out. Since I plan to sort by weight I think I’d rather swage than cut. What do you think, and what tools do you recommend?

To be clear, I’m confined to quarters during recovery so this is just super OCD stuff to pass the time. No point in arguing if this makes any difference to the target, because at the moment it doesn’t matter, just giving the hands something easy to do and learn a little something.

 

[GymB]

Wish I could get 10% of the interest from my other thread over here!

 

[backwoodsshooter]

Honestly, I don’t know how much it matters, but I’m interested in trying some things, just need some advice.

Started with LC 12 5.56 brass.
deprimed, swaged the primer pocket with the dillon ss600, tumbled, FL sized, and trimmed. Same routine that I generally use. New steps are to clean up the flash hole and primer pocket, touch up the inside neck chamfer, then sort by weight. I’m leaving neck turning for another time.

Started with the K&M primer pocket uniforming tool. The thing is mindless, can’t screw it up...except that you can. Swaging the primer pocket sometimes leaves a bit of material proud of the case head. It’s not enough to matter for loading or firing, but it prevents the uniforming tool from sitting completely flat against the case head. Increasing the amount of swage with the SS will not resolve the problem, I think that a different punch is needed to restore the rolled rim on the primer pocket, or it has to be cut out. Since I plan to sort by weight I think I’d rather swage than cut. What do you think, and what tools do you recommend?

To be clear, I’m confined to quarters during recovery so this is just super OCD stuff to pass the time. No point in arguing if this makes any difference to the target, because at the moment it doesn’t matter, just giving the hands something easy to do and learn a little something.

what brass are you trying to prep? 308?

either way, if it’s for precision rifle, in my opinion (for what it’s worth) is i’d run it to cut the crimp out.

now bare with me here as if you’re doing this to keep busy, i think you mise well take full advantage of the time spent. plus i read somewhere some of the harder core folks play with seating depth of their primers…….?

For whatever reason, i say cut it and roll on with life. it ranks of there with running a reamer through a once fired case to uniform the inside of the neck before sizing it. not totally necessary, but some do it to help with consistency

 

[GymB]

what brass are you trying to prep? 308?

either way, if it’s for precision rifle, in my opinion (for what it’s worth) is i’d run it to cut the crimp out.

now bare with me here as if you’re doing this to keep busy, i think you mise well take full advantage of the time spent. plus i read somewhere some of the harder core folks play with seating depth of their primers…….?

For whatever reason, i say cut it and roll on with life. it ranks of there with running a reamer through a once fired case to uniform the inside of the neck before sizing it. not totally necessary, but some do it to help with consistency

Just prepping .223 and that’s as much to play with cheap things before moving to 6.5CM where stupid costs more,

I just got in an RCBS military primer crimp removal mill that cuts out the crimp. Going to chuck it in the lathe and see how it works.

I also have the Lee sizing die with the precision mandrel that sizes the neck. Like the Lee FCD, some folks love it and others hate it, but I figured I’d play with it.

 

[backwoodsshooter]

Just prepping .223 and that’s as much to play with cheap things before moving to 6.5CM where stupid costs more,

I just got in an RCBS military primer crimp removal mill that cuts out the crimp. Going to chuck it in the lathe and see how it works.

I also have the Lee sizing die with the precision mandrel that sizes the neck. Like the Lee FCD, some folks love it and others hate it, but I figured I’d play with it.

correct me if i’m wrong but 6.5 CM is based off the 30TC (260 rem is a 308 case necked down) right? and even if you made your own from that brass there shouldn’t be a crimp correct? at that point you would just uniform the primer pocket with your favorite tool (which only ones i’ve seen are a cutting style) and then seat the primer correct?

as far as doing it with 223, ive never done anything with the primer pockets cept swage.

also, i use Lee dies in 223/556, 358win amd 300blk. no issue to date.

 

[GymB]

correct me if i’m wrong but 6.5 CM is based off the 30TC (260 rem is a 308 case necked down) right? and even if you made your own from that brass there shouldn’t be a crimp correct? at that point you would just uniform the primer pocket with your favorite tool (which only ones i’ve seen are a cutting style) and then seat the primer correct?

as far as doing it with 223, ive never done anything with the primer pockets cept swage.

also, i use Lee dies in 223/556, 358win amd 300blk. no issue to date.

I believe that you are correct, I should never have to remove a crimp from 6.5cm brass. May or may not need to debur the flash hole. It’ll be different, but I think some of the skills will transfer.

 

[backwoodsshooter]

I believe that you are correct, I should never have to remove a crimp from 6.5cm brass. May or may not need to debur the flash hole. It’ll be different, but I think some of the skills will transfer.

yea cleaning and uniformity and debuting the pocket and stuff is never gonna hurt anything.

actually i need to get in to that practice anyways with my 270 as again, consistency equals repeatability in returns equals accuracy or something like that lol