how do ya tell??

[Jamess67]

When reloading once fired brass, how can you tell the difference between crimped (military) and normal primers????

[Alvin]

The head stamp on military brass usually includes the arsenal identifier (for example, LC for Lake City Arsenal) and the last two digits of the year in which the ammo was loaded, but not always. Military/crimped brass often has a ring stamped around the primer pocket as a result of the crimping process, but not always. You will know for sure when you deprime/resize the brass, because crimped primers require considerably more effort to remove. In fact, you may have to tighten the locknut on your decapping pin to prevent it from slipping when you deprime the brass. If you plan to reload brass with a crimped primer, you should use a primer pocket uniforming tool to remove the crimp before repriming. Some military brass is excellent brass for reloading, for example, Lake City Arsenal (LC).

If the military brass is not from a US arsenal, it very likely is Berdan primed. You can check this by looking in the case with a light to see if it has two small flash holes in the head of the case for the primer flash. Berdan primers require a special tool to deprime, however, you can deprime them by filling the case with water, then inserting a tight-fitting wooden dowel in the case mouth and smacking it with a hammer. You then have to either reprime with Berdan primers or remove the anvil in the primer pocket with a pocket primer uniformer and then reprime with Boxer primers. In short, Berdan primed cases are a pain in the butt.

[Jamess67]

Thanks Alvin.
Im doing 9mm now and I am having some trouble repriming the case. Some primers are getting smashed and deformed. Mighty dangerous thing to happen. Im using a Dillon 550b so its kind of a pain to do a seperate depriming step short of removing all the other dies.
Does this mean that 9mm military brass is crimped?

As for .223 I guess Ill seperate th LC brass that clearly (now) is crimped.
Does anyone recommend a specific brand tool for removing the crimp? I only want to have to buy one once. I see Midway has a decent Horady set up for just $9.

[Alvin]

Midway (and other reloading equipment suppliers) offer many different kinds of primer pocket uniforming tools that range in price from ~$2 to ~$20. I have a couple of EJS uniforming tools, one adjusted for pistol primer pockets and the other adjusted for rifle primer pockets (which are deeper). The EJS tools cost around $20, but I bought mine many years ago for about $5 each. The only reason I bought that brand is that it was readily available at the time. When uniforming a large number of cases, I clamp mine in a metal lathe, only because it is available and convenient. I have seen small motorized uniformers, but I am not certain who makes them. If you are doing a large number of cases, you might consider the primer pocket swager tool that RCBS offers specifically for removing primer crimps. You use this in a press just like you would a resizing die. I haven't used one of these but it looks like it would be quick and easy to use. I have found over the years that there are many different kinds of tools for reloading, most of which are capable of doing a good job.

[Numinous]

EDIT: Alvin beat me to it. I know it's getting late when I start skimming posts.

RCBS and Dillon also make primer pocket swagers that are designed to remove military crimps. The Dillon is a stand alone boxy thing with a press-like arm you work. The RCBS one is a die with a special shell holder that you use in a single stage press.

I've heard both work very well. The Dillon is $60-80 and the RCBS is around $30 if my memory is correct.