I won't swage primer pockets any more.

[lklawson]

From now on, if I have to prep the primer pocket, I'll have to use the reamer.

I built another fifty rounds of 5.7 yesterday. Capped with 40gr V-MAX. Several of them had staked primers so, after I resized and decapped, I very very gently swaged the whole lot of them. I wanted to swage out any crimps and uniform the pocket but I didn't want to loosen the pocket. But when I went to prime the lot about a half dozen of them simply wouldn't fit back into the shell holder. I'm using Hornady dies.

I'm guessing that when I swaged the primer pocket, very very gently, it expanded the base of about 6 of them juuuust enough that they wouldn't fit back in the shell holder. I speculate that these trouble cases were at the outside limit of the spec and maybe my Hornady shell holder is at the inside limit of the spec and I'm seeing tolerance stacking.

So I had to ever so carefully file the rim down a thou or so to get them to not bind up in the shell holder.

I guess from now on I'll have to ream the primer pocket for 5.7. I'll have to be careful about that. Just kiss it with the reamer. I don't want to remove much material but I gotta git rid of the crimp.

Fiddly little cartridge.

Am I the first person to have this issue? I didn't see mention of it when I searched the archives but I admit it wasn't a comprehensive search.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[panzermk2]

Yes you are, as I and many have said for years NEVER fully swage the pocket. If it's crimped just ever so little just swaged enough to remove the crimp and NOT the whole packet.

Having swaged countless 5.7 cases I have NEVER had the case head swell at all. You might need to reduce the diameter of your swaging rod.


Hornady shell have no history of having issues, but thee is always a first time.

Do you have some micro pics of the primer pockets after your swaging?

[lklawson]

Yes you are, as I and many have said for years NEVER fully swage the pocket. If it's crimped just ever so little just swaged enough to remove the crimp and NOT the whole packet.

I didn't believe that I had swaged particularly heavily. I know that 5.7 is hard on primer pockets so I was trying to go "easy." It was "only" about 6 or so (not an exact number) that were affected, so not that high a percentage. But aggravating nonetheless.

Having swaged countless 5.7 cases I have NEVER had the case head swell at all. You might need to reduce the diameter of your swaging rod.

Possibly. But I think I'll be happier and more confident if I use a hand reamer to just lightly remove the crimp.

Hornady shell have no history of having issues, but thee is always a first time.

Do you have some micro pics of the primer pockets after your swaging?

No. I'm not sure the difference could be caught on COTS camera. I'm sure I could replicate the issue but I'm not sure I want to go through the aggravation.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk