Proper Primer Pocket Preparation Practice..... with a Lyman case prep tool

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Faced with a large mixed batch of 5.56 brass, in which about 80% have crimped primer pockets, the Fat Man had to make a choice. The crimp has to go..... but how to go about it?

In the past I have used my RCBS primer pocket swaging tool to good effect.... except I managed to bend the small case rod and never got around to getting a new one.

Also in the past, I have used a case deburring tool to cut away the crimp, and that worked quite well. On the other hand, when faced with a pile of little 5.56 cases about a thousand deep, my fingers begin aching at the very thought of using the small tool for all those.

Enter the Lyman Case Prep Multi Tool, recently acquired for just such an occasion.

I was attracted by the large knurled aluminum handle. It just looks comfortable to use. The design allowing the tool heads to be switched at will..... that's pretty cool as well. Now, make the whole doohickey hollow, and make the inside a storage compartment for a good assortment of case prep tool heads.... that sold me. No more digging around inside my loading bench for a handful of case preparation tools.

The gadget comes with tool heads designed for inside and outside case chamfering, primer pocket reaming/decrimping, and primer pocket cleaning. Both large and small primer pockets.

In use, I installed the primer pocket reaming and cleaning tool heads. This allowed me to simply flip the tool over and do both operations as needed on each case.

The results? Well, clicken to embiggen the image below to see for yourself. The reamer doesn't really fell like it's doing much, but looking at each case we see the crimp is gone and a very nice bevel in it's place. Priming the cases now is not only possible, but smooth and easy.


For the price, it's a pretty darn good tool. I've used Lyman case prep tools for ages, but they continue to develop new ones all the time, and the skull sweat that went into this one makes it worth owning.

Carteach: Two (not worn out) thumbs up!