Hey all, I'm trying to get back into reloading after my wife bought me a rcbs starter kit last Christmas.   I've run into a snag priming some. 308 brass.  About every 5th casing the primer pocket is insanely tight.  I used a lee pocket cleaning tool, but the sides of the pocket lock the tool in and it takes me a min to beat the cleaning tool out of the brass.  Then if I try to prime said brass the primer goes part of the way in, then locks up and I have to grab the priming tool with both hands and force it in.  After doing that the primer has a burr swaged off it and the extractor groove on the brass is ruined.  I did this until I snapped the handle to the priming tool in half and decided to call it a night.  What would cause the primers to be so unbelievably tight in the pocket even after cleaning the pockets up?  Is there a better way to prime than a rcbs hand tool?

Military brass crimp the primers.  

You have to use one of several types of swaging tools to either swage or cut the crimp out.  

Once done, you never have to do it again.  

It is my most hated task of the reloading process.

Some brass may have crimped primers (like LC 7.62 brass) . This crimp must be removed or swaged before re-priming. Are you familiar with this process?

eta: example image found using duckduckgo.com

crimp removed on the left / crimp remains on the right

This is what you need - https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0004490387/straight-cone-military-crimp-remover-large

You can buy a 8-32 female standoff at Ace so you can chuck it in a cordless drill. It only takes a couple seconds and the crimp is removed.

Looks like this but a lot cheaper https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018252984

I use a Sinclair primer pocket uniformer chucked in a cordless drill then remove the square edge of the hole with a countersink bit. It only has to be done once so you can skip those steps on subsequent reloads. Here’s how the primer pockets look when you are finished.

Mostly hornady brass out of a gas gun.  I ended up going the cheap route and getting the primer reamer  tool that a couple of you suggested. The cleanup tool wouldn't fit until after the pocket had been reamed.   I put calipers on the pockets and some were as tight as .205"

 I tried priming on the press thinking that I messed up or had a bad priming tool or something.   After I set a primer off in the press due to reefing on it so hard I figured it wasn't the priming tool...

After cutting the pockets I was able to get the primers in, but they were still sticky.  I think in the future I'll try the swaging tool and see what happens.  I like the idea of mounting the reamer in a drill I might try that as well.   Do you chuck the brass in something when you use the drill method?

Something you might find useful >>> Ballistic Tools Large Primer Pocket Gauge (LINK)
It will tell you if your primer pockets are too tight or too loose.



They also make gauges for Small Primer pockets and Case Mouths...

You probably already have a deburring tool in your collection. You can use that to remove the crimp. Just takes a little practice so you don't take too much off. About 2 seconds chucked in a drill cleans it up nice. I put mine in a drill, put the drill in a vice and go to town. I usually do mine in batches of 1000 at a time. If you trim your brass first you can deburr the case mouth and primer pocket at the same time.

Thanks guys.  I think I'm going to pick up a set of those go no go gauges.  

I didn't clean the brass I'm thinking about getting an ultrasonic or one of those metal media tumblers...but my budget says I'll probably end up with crushed walnut tumbler like everyone else.  

Just a question have any of you guys used a swage to clean up the pockets?  I see the rcbs one and I was wondering if it works well.