Small Primer Pocket Reamer Head Replacement

I bought one of these small primer pocket reamers by Lyman and it didn't even make it though 50 cases before losing a significant part of its cutting ability, and eventually all. The Hornady version so far has been much more durable and worked very well. As others have mentioned, it can easily be chucked in a drill (I chuck the larger diameter, not the threaded part). Update: This primer pocket reamer and processed many hundreds of cases by now and is still working well. I did modify it slightly: I wanted it to cut a bit more of a cone shape where the crimp was and also didn't want it to remove any material from the bottom of the primer pocket. I used a sanding disk to remove a very small amount of the cutter where it touches the base of the primer pocket and it does exactly what I want it to do now.

I mounted this to a Dewalt drill.. Just a quick second tap on the trigger is all it takes to clean the primer pocket. I bought some once fired brass that was military recycled. It has a "primer crimp." That means unless you cut out or "swage" the pocket when you try to replace the primer it will get jammed up and not seat properly. This tool cuts great. Just a tap is all you need. If you go too much and your primer doesn't "feel" right seating. Toss that one away, you cut too much. I cut much to deep on the first try and the primer fit in so easy I knew it was too loose. It is an art so get the feel for it and away you go. Also keep track of what brass you already cut the crimps out of. You wouldn't want to cut the same piece of brass a second time. It might get too loose in the pocket and your primer will fall out. You can see the crimp if you flip over the brass and have good eyesight.

Since receiving this reamer I have processed approximately 150 5.56 NATO brass, mostly as an experiment as to its' function, value and quality. I use the RCBS case mate for my cartridge processing and the hornady reamer threads into the work station just fine. The threads are actually too long and once threaded into the RCBS case mate some threads remain exposed. This did not hinder the performance of the reamer and the primer crimps were removed effortlessly. Very little pressure is required to remove the old crimp in the brass I tried (mostly Lake City and WCC). One could use a piece of brake line tubing or something similar to shim the exposed threads if a recurring problem presented itself with the RCBS. I have not encountered such a situation to this point. Furthermore, the reamer is very sharp and machined even better than I was anticipating. I am pleased with its' performance thus far. Time will tell about longevity, but I have no concerns thus far. Bottom line is that this reamer works very well and it fits into another brands tool (RCBS). Happy reaming.

Works well. Very aggressive cutting. Takes quite a bit of brass out.

I am a fan of Dillon products and their swage is built like a tank, but expensive. This little Hornady reamer makes easy work on the crimped and staked primer pockets you see on .223 brass. No need to adjust for every type of headstamp like you do with the others. And with the Dillon, you can easily damage your brass. With this Hornady, you chuck it up in a drill and go to town. Cuts the crimp in 1 second and allows for easy seating of the primers. Once you use this tool you won't go back! A MUST have! For only 10 bucks, give it a try

This little hard-to-find tool is exactly what is needed to remove the military crimp found on Lake City (LC) and other PP, FC, GFL brass. I had tried different means to remove the crimp with limited success. Using a countersink was not as effective unless I removed a great deal of peripheral brass around the pocket which may compromise the fit. If I attempted to prime a cartridge with the military crimp, or a crimp not fully relieved, the primer would bind or skew on insertion and require excessive force and result in a flattened or "pancaked" primer. The Hornady Primer Pocket Reamer is exactly the device needed which removes only the crimp that protrudes into the pocket and shape and swage the pocket to Hornady factory specifications, which are exact, where all the indicated primers will seat with the correct amount of pressure. The edge of the reamer is extremely sharp and durable. I only purchased the head without the handle[from bottomdollardiscount(dot)BIZ] and affixed it to a drill chuck. Just a small amount of pressure, with the case in hand and at a low speed and torque, reamed the primer crimp out so that the new primer seated as it would with brand new factory brass. The reaming stops cutting when the ream is complete in only a few turns. Through Amazon, the seller shipped immediately using normal US post and I received in from Missouri to California in just two days! I was able to contact the seller by phone and Brian was extremely helpful and prompt in shipping and customer service. His prices were the cheapest I found and he even refunded a small amount since the price decreased below the listed web price. This is a invaluable re-loader's tool I highly recommend. It made my life so much easier. I now buy cheaper and more abundant military brass without hesitation now that I can easily and permanently deal with the crimp.

I'm new to reloading and casting boolits but I've put myself through the grinder that is using a lee chamfer tool to try to remove military crimps from 223/5.56 brass. It works, it just hurts my hands and I run the risk of going too deep in the primer pocket and messing up the case and webbing. Not with this bad boy! Just chuck it up in your favorite drill and it seems to remove them sooo fast and I don't have to worry about messing up any brass! I just got this and didn't buy the holder. This works great!!

Just chuck the thick section in a drill or drill press and you have a very quick way to remove the crimp. You just need a 1-2 seconds per shell. Just be gentle and take breaks so you don't overheat and dull the blades. The steel quality looks pretty good and should hold up better than some of the other tools that were meant for this purpose. I wouldn't be concerned with removing too much material unless you make the cut at a very significant angle and cut way longer than you need to.