Uniformity of LR primer pockets

[Mauserbill]

Hello
Been reloading for my .303 using PPU cases, after a thorough media clean I resized the brass and recut the neck lengths. Then my problems begin some primers go in easily, some not so and some just refuse, as I don`t have hands like a silver back gorilla, I would like to ask is there an easy way to clean and ensure a uniform size of the primer pockets, I have used that little double ended cleaning thingy tool but its useless. Any help appreciated before my next reloading session.

[Blackstuff]

I have an RCBS primer pocket swager which is a small bench top 'press' for want of a better term. I primarily use it for sorting out cases which had crimped primer pockets but it should work the same here. Looking online the price seems to have gone a bit daft (£115). I think mine was £60 when I got it.

A further look online has brought up a die for doing the same job (also RCBS) which is £58

[Mauserbill]

Hello
I have been told that there is also a Lee primer pocket swager, before I part with my pension dosh can anybody tell me if one is better than the other.

[Alpha1]

The Lee primer pocket swage die is not cheap I think its about £40.

[Alpha1]

I have sent you a pm. We have a solution.

[rox]

I would like to ask is there an easy way to clean and ensure a uniform size of the primer pockets.

You seem to be heading toward swaging as a solution. Swaging is a crimp-removal technique, and generally it should only affect the mouth of the primer pocket - if done correctly. Do these cases actually have crimped pockets? If not, I very much doubt that swaging is the way to solve your issue. With my swager, if the pocket is widened any deeper than the crimp area that means the swager is badly adjusted and the case is probably toast. It sounds to me like you need a pocket uniformer to cut the full depth of the pocket walls, and base of the pocket to uniform dimensions.

The easy way to tell if a crimp is the problem (or some other pocket mouth defect) is to use a suitable chamfer tool (or just a large enough drill bit) to remove any crimp and leave a small chamfer at the pocket mouth. If this solves the problem then swaging might work. If not, look to a uniforming tool.

[Mauserbill]

Hello
Have I got this wrong, from the information I have read I believed that the primer pocket uniformer cuts only the pocket base in ensure uniformity of primer seating, whereas the Primer pocket swager resizes the the walls and rim of the primer pocket.

[rox]

whereas the Primer pocket swager resizes the the walls and rim of the primer pocket.

This is my swager, shown with a sectioned case which is used to adjust the depth of swaging and the position of the hold-down rod/die.
Note that this case has been used many times, so it is massively 'over-swaged' - this doesn't matter for setup purposes.

The photo shows the swage rod at its extreme upward travel. There is a point at which the swage rod diameter starts to reduce, and this is set to be level with the face of the case head, so that the tapered (actually radiused) part forms a lead-in for the primer. Clearly the rod doesn't go anywhere near the bottom of the primer pocket, and if the rod was set much higher and you tried to swage a case (one which wasn't already over-swaged) then it would probably bend the swage rod (I've seen others bend rods by over-swaging before, and they didn't go anywhere near the bottom of the pocket). I can't imagine that there are rods which go to the bottom of the pocket with the intention of stretching the entire case-head - they would surely get stuck.

Yes, a uniforming tool cuts on the face, and is intended to cut the pocket to a uniform depth and square the bottom of the pocket; I would expect that if the pocket diameter is too small anywhere, then as the corners of the cutting edge meet the narrow spots on the way in, they might skim a little off (if the tool is spinning), but having never encountered this issue I can't say for sure.

[Alpha1]

So did the RCBS Swager work.

[Mauserbill]

Hello
There was a bit of conjecture regarding swaging and primer pocket uniformer.
My problems were that my S&B 303 cases were extremely in most instances difficult to seat the standard LR primer unless you had the wrists and hands of the orangutan. Using a RCBS pocket swager I found that by applying the swager to the pocket, my LR primers loaded with ease.

Thanks Alpha1