I had several thousand cases to swage. I bought the RCBS press mounted kit because it was cheapest. My hands would hurt from having to really bang to release the case after. Then I found the pockets were still a bit tight when seating primers. I bought the Dillon Super Swage. I did a thousand cases fairly quickly. I still found sometimes the pockets were too tight. I load on a progressive now so it really messes up when the primer does not seat all the way because the pocket is still too tight.

My Dillon super swage will be for sale soon. Also separating by headstamp gets tedious.

I bought the Hornady reamer and it is fast and primers seat perfectly. I will be using that from now on. Just chuck it in my bench top drill press and do them real quick.

I know some guys swear by swaging. The amount of material removed when reaming is so minimal it can't be an issue.

I've been using a Rock Chucker for a long time and I have a pretty good "feel" for it. The RCBS swager might just be the ticket and it comes with a lg swager for the mil 308 and 06 I have around. Thanks for the first hand remarks.

I'll get a Hornady reamer too for $8 if the RCBS isn't working out....or maybe the other way around....

If you haven't done so, put just a tad of lube on the lug before ramming it into the primer pocket, comes out much easier. Do so about every 3-5 rounds and it makes things work much easier.

This is exactly how I use mine.  Works great once you learn the proper feel.

Thanks for all the input. I ordered a Hornady reamer to see if it does a decent job. If it doesn't, I'll order a RCBS swage die.

+1 on the Dillon.

Dave W.

I've got the G.S. Custom swager for the Dillon 650xl and I also use the GS custom shelplates for 223 and 308.

I've processed around 12,000 5.56 cases, 3000 LC 7.62 cases, and 20,000 millitary 9mm cases so far.

I've had absolutely no issues with it at all. In fact my 650 is basically a brass processing machine now (trim,size,swage) and I use my 550 for loading the ammo.

I've never dabbed lube on it, but I don't pump the handle like a monkey on meth either. :)

Just received the Hornady reamer in the mail and it worked much better than the Lyman as others have said. Thanks for directing me to it! I just finished all the brass I had to remove the primer crimp on tonight. About 500 cases and my hands are feeling great

Are you using it as a hand tool or did you power it?

I made a little tool that fits in my electric screwdriver that powers my trimmer, details here (Link)



But instead of making it, I would just go to Lowes or grainger and buy a 1/4" hex standoff with 8-32 threads about 1" long. They are a whopping $0.45 for 10 of them!

Here is the link at grainger (Link)

These tools are cool because you can thread any reloading tool into it and use it either in an electric screwdriver sitting on the couch, or you can chuck it in a drill without screwing up your threads or the tool..




You can also just buy the 1/4" coupling nut (8-32 threads) at Lowes for a couple of bucks.. Does the same thing.. It is basically the Redding Power Adapter for half the price (or less).

I have used the RCBS swaging die and it works as advertised, still have it.

But I wanted to change to a stand alone device for various reasons.  Mainly I could mount it and leave it, not tying up a press.

I bought a Dillion Superswage and a RCBS bench mount swage tool..  Plenty of links to them in the above discussion.  Added links to the two swagers.

I figured I'd try them both and keep the one I liked.

I kept the RCBS bench mount because I liked the ergonomics much better.  It can be mounted most any where on you bench, whereas a Dillion Superswage has to be mounted at the edge of your bench as the handle operates like a press.  If mounting the Dillion on the end of a bench parallel with the bench length, then it could be worked very comfortably.  But the ends of my bench are not acessable so the dillion had to be mounted at a 90 degree angle to the length of the bench.  To me this was a uncomfortable working position, but certainly usable.

The RCBS bench swager can be mounted most any where, so I mounted it to my bench about 3 inches from the edge parallel with the bench length.  This way I can set in front of it and operate it with both hands extended about the same distance.  The handle operates in an arc level with the bench.  Very comfortable, IMO.

I sold the Dillion and kept the RCBS, but it was a personal preference, as both devices are well built and do the same good job.

I think if you have a lot of brass to swage, the Dillion or RCBS bench mounted swager is the nuts.  But if you have just a few hundred, a swaging die might fit your needs better and be more cost effective. YMMV

Edited to add links.

Make sure to tell them you used it when you call

I have both the RCBS and the Dillon, The Dillon is great easy to use and does a good job, very uniform.  The RCBS also does a good job and leaves the pockets uniform, but when you feed brass into the Rcbs your fingers have a nasty tendency to get between the press ran and the bottom of the die.  Have lost a couple of fingernails that way.  That usually happened when I was doing a large volume  and just sort of lost track, but still it happened enough that I spent the extra money and bought the Dillon,

Same here with the RCBS swagger used on a single stage.  I set it up properly but it was damn difficult to use...had to really crank on the handle.  
I'm now using the Hornady crimp removal tool in my drill to do .223.  Can do hundreds in an hour.  Takes just enough of the crimp out so the primer seats easily but snugly.  No primer problems at all.

The RCBS swager I'm talking about is this one.

Yes, the RCBS bench tool is WAY better than their press-mounted swaging die tool.  I haven't actually used the RCBS bench tool, but it appears to be pretty close in concept to the Dillon bench tool, with a different lever setup.  Both should be great for high volume work (and I have a Dillon Super Swage because RCBS waited until I already bought my Dillon tool before they came out with theirs )

I chucked it up to a drill driver. Pulled the trigger with the RH and held the case in the left with a mechanic glove on. Had the adapter from a Lyman chamfer/debur tool set.

The Hornady reamer, and others like it, are great for small batches.

But my old fingers get tired and my hands start to cramp after a couple of hundred cases.  I never had this problem 20 years ago.  Getting old sux.

The bench mount swagers are a lot better ergonomically than any tool that you have to hold the case with your fingers.

My opinion only and YMMV.

Same boat here.   My hands dont work very well.   I can sit on my couch and swage a few hundred cases and watch TV all at the same time.

Know what you mean....have carpal tunnel both hands. Must admit, I was skeptical about a Hornady reamer after struggling with the Lyman.

It seems on the Hornady, the narrow part of the tool that fits into the primer pocket and reaches the flash hole is narrower than the lyman. It fits into the pocket past the crimp without any cutting. Once it is in the pocket, hitting the drill only cuts the crimped area so holding the casing isn't much effort and a glove helps too. Held the base of the case and could get a feel of the alignment with the cutter. Now I just hope the primers stay put.

If I get lucky and come across a boatload of once fired mil brass, I'll get the RCBS swager.

Trying to figure out how you can sit on your couch swaging brass watching TV... your bench is definitely set up more ergonomic than mine

I really like my Dillon Super Swage... Once you process enough brass I think it is well worth the money.

Many guys (myself included) will attach accessories like the Dillon super swage to a some kind of small board (2x4, 1x6, etc) and then just clamp the board to their bench instead of just permanently attaching directly to bench.  

This allows it to be removed when not in use or moved and then clamped to other areas of the house (ie. coffee table in front of TV )