Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool 7.62x51/.308 Only 041228

The Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool

The Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool stands as an indispensable asset for any serious reloader committed to producing high-quality, safe, and consistent ammunition, especially when dealing with once-fired military or commercial brass. This innovative tool directly addresses one of the most common challenges in brass preparation: the removal of primer pocket crimps. Engineered to integrate seamlessly with the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP progressive press, it transforms a tedious, often messy, and time-consuming task into a streamlined, efficient, and exceptionally clean operation.

Understanding the Crucial Role of Primer Pocket Swaging for Reloaders

For many ammunition reloaders, especially those who acquire brass from shooting ranges, military surplus, or bulk sources, encountering cases with crimped primer pockets is a common occurrence. But what exactly is a primer pocket crimp, and why is its removal so critical for successful reloading?

A primer pocket crimp is a small ring of brass that is pressed into the primer pocket during the manufacturing process of certain ammunition, particularly military and some commercial ammunition. Its primary purpose is to securely hold the primer in place, preventing it from dislodging due to the intense forces of recoil or rough handling. While beneficial for factory ammunition, this crimp presents a significant obstacle for reloaders. When attempting to seat a new primer into a crimped pocket, the reloader will encounter excessive resistance. Forcing a primer into a crimped pocket can lead to several undesirable outcomes:

• Damaged Primers: The primer can be crushed, deformed, or bent, rendering it useless or, worse, creating a dangerous condition where it might detonate prematurely or fail to ignite.
• Inconsistent Primer Seating Depth: An unevenly seated primer can result in erratic ignition, leading to variations in muzzle velocity, poor accuracy, and unreliable performance.
• Brass Damage: Attempting to force a primer can distort or crack the brass case itself, especially around the primer pocket, rendering the case unusable.
• Safety Hazards: An improperly seated primer can be a significant safety risk. If it's not flush or slightly below the case head, it can protrude, causing issues during chambering or potentially leading to an accidental discharge if impacted.
• Slowed Reloading Process: Manually dealing with crimped pockets is tedious and significantly reduces the efficiency of your reloading session.

This is precisely where a dedicated tool like the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool becomes not just a convenience, but a necessity. It ensures that every primer pocket is perfectly prepared for reliable primer seating, which is foundational to producing safe and accurate reloaded ammunition.

Swaging vs. Reaming: Why Swaging is the Superior Choice

When faced with crimped primer pockets, reloaders generally have two primary methods for preparing them: reaming or swaging. While both methods aim to clear the crimp, they operate on fundamentally different principles, and swaging, particularly with a high-quality tool like the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Swage Tool, offers significant advantages.

• Reaming: This method involves using a reamer tool, typically a chamfering/deburring tool, to cut away the crimped brass from the inside of the primer pocket.
  • Pros: Can be done manually with inexpensive tools.
  • Cons:
    • Removes Metal: Reaming permanently removes brass material from the primer pocket. Over time or with aggressive reaming, this can lead to an oversized primer pocket, causing primers to fit loosely. Loose primers are a serious safety concern as they can fall out, lead to gas leaks, or even cause hang-fires.
    • Leaves Debris: The cutting action generates brass shavings or trimmings, creating a mess and requiring extra cleanup steps. These shavings can also get lodged in the primer pocket, affecting subsequent primer seating.
    • Inconsistency: Achieving a consistent pocket dimension across many cases with manual reaming is challenging, impacting primer seating depth and overall ammunition uniformity.
    • Wear and Tear: The reamer tool itself can wear out, requiring replacement.
• Swaging: This method, employed by the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool, works by reforming the brass. Instead of cutting metal away, it pushes the crimped brass back into its original, uncrimped position, effectively resizing the primer pocket to its proper dimension.
  • Pros:
    • Preserves Brass Integrity: Swaging does not remove material. It reforms the metal, ensuring the primer pocket remains dimensionally stable and snug for proper primer retention. This extends the life of your brass cases, allowing for more reloads.
    • Clean Operation: As stated in the product description, "Swaging out the crimps instead of cutting them eliminates trimmings and mess." This is a significant advantage, keeping your reloading area clean and free from brass shavings.
    • Consistency: When used on a progressive press, swaging provides highly consistent primer pocket dimensions from case to case, crucial for uniform primer seating and enhanced accuracy.
    • Efficiency: Designed for use on a progressive press like the Lock-N-Load AP, it allows for high-volume processing, vastly speeding up the brass preparation stage.
    • Enhanced Safety: By ensuring a perfect fit, swaging promotes proper primer seating, significantly reducing the risk of loose primers or primer damage, thereby enhancing overall reloading safety.

For these reasons, swaging is widely considered the superior method for processing crimped primer pockets, especially for reloaders who prioritize safety, consistency, and efficiency.

Key Features and Components of the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool (UPC: 090255412284 for .223 Rem/5.56 model)

The Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool is a complete system designed for robust performance and ease of use on your Lock-N-Load AP press. Its comprehensive design ensures every step of the swaging process is smooth and efficient.

1. Dedicated for the Lock-N-Load AP Press: This tool is specifically engineered to leverage the speed and power of Hornady's Lock-N-Load AP progressive press. This integration means you can process large quantities of brass rapidly, making it ideal for high-volume reloaders or those preparing military range brass. It fits directly into a die station on the press, becoming part of your automated workflow.
2. Complete Die Set: The system includes all the necessary components for a seamless swaging operation:
   • Shell Holder: Essential for holding the case securely in place as it moves through the swaging dies. Hornady provides a high-quality shell holder designed for optimal compatibility.
   • Feed Die: This die guides the brass case precisely into the swaging mechanism, ensuring proper alignment and consistent processing. It's designed for smooth feeding, preventing jams and increasing operational speed.
   • Swage Tool (Punch/Rod): This is the core of the system. The swage punch, available in sizes like those for .223 Rem/5.56 (UPC 090255412284) and .308 Win/7.62, carefully pushes the crimped brass outward, reforming the primer pocket without removing material. Its precision engineering ensures consistent results.
   • Eject Die: After the swaging process is complete, the eject die cleanly removes the processed case from the shell holder, making it ready for the next stage of reloading. This automated ejection contributes significantly to the tool's efficiency on a progressive press.
3. Adjustable Swage Depth: A critical feature for versatility, the swage depth can be precisely adjusted. This allows reloaders to fine-tune the tool's operation to accommodate the subtle variations in crimp severity and brass thickness found across different brands and batches of cases. This adjustability ensures an optimal and consistent primer pocket dimension, regardless of the brass source.
4. Clean and Efficient Operation: As a swaging tool, it lives up to its promise of eliminating trimmings and mess. Unlike reaming, there are no brass shavings to clean up, which keeps your reloading area tidier and prevents small brass particles from contaminating your press or other components. This clean operation also contributes to safety by preventing debris from interfering with primer seating.
5. Durable Hornady Construction: Like all Hornady products, this swage tool is built to last. Manufactured from high-quality materials, it's designed to withstand the rigors of high-volume reloading, providing years of reliable service. Its robust construction ensures consistent performance over thousands of cases.

Benefits for the Dedicated Reloader: Why This Tool Is an Investment in Excellence

Investing in the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool yields a multitude of advantages that elevate the entire reloading experience:

• Unparalleled Efficiency for High-Volume Reloading: Integrated with the Lock-N-Load AP press, this tool allows you to process hundreds, even thousands, of cases per hour. This speed is invaluable for competitive shooters, avid range-goers, or anyone who frequently processes large batches of military or range brass.
• Superior Ammunition Consistency: By ensuring every primer pocket is perfectly sized and free of crimps, the tool promotes uniform primer seating depth. Consistent primer seating is a cornerstone of accurate ammunition, leading to tighter groups and predictable performance downrange.
• Enhanced Reloading Safety: Proper primer seating is paramount for safety. This tool eliminates the risk of incomplete primer seating or damaged primers due to crimps, significantly reducing the chances of misfires, hang-fires, or dangerous primer protrusions.
• Maximized Brass Longevity: Unlike reaming, which removes precious brass material, swaging reforms it. This non-destructive process preserves the integrity of the primer pocket, allowing each brass case to be reloaded more times before it needs to be discarded, saving you money in the long run.
• Cleaner Reloading Environment: The absence of brass trimmings means less mess on your press and workbench. This not only makes cleanup easier but also reduces the risk of small brass shavings interfering with other reloading operations or contaminating your primers and powder.
• Cost Savings through Reclaiming Brass: This tool unlocks the potential to safely and effectively reload once-fired military brass (e.g., 5.56 NATO, 7.62 NATO), which is often abundant and inexpensive to acquire. This ability to easily process crimped brass significantly reduces your overall component costs.
• Ease of Setup and Use: Hornady's Lock-N-Load system is known for its quick changeover times. The swage tool is no exception, making it simple to incorporate into your brass processing routine without extensive downtime or complex adjustments. The adjustable swage depth allows for easy customization to different brass types.

Who Will Benefit Most from This Essential Reloading Tool?

The Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool is an ideal solution for a diverse range of reloaders:

• High-Volume Reloaders: If you process thousands of rounds for training, competition, or general shooting, the speed and efficiency of this tool on a progressive press are unmatched.
• Reloaders Using Military or Range Brass: Anyone frequently acquiring once-fired 5.56 NATO, .223 Rem, 7.62 NATO, or .308 Win brass with crimped primer pockets will find this tool indispensable.
• Precision Shooters: Those who demand the utmost consistency and accuracy from their reloaded ammunition will appreciate the perfectly uniform primer pockets this tool delivers.
• Safety-Conscious Reloaders: If minimizing risks associated with primer seating is a top priority, the swaging method provides peace of mind.
• Reloaders Seeking a Cleaner Workspace: For those tired of dealing with brass shavings from reaming, the mess-free operation of this swager is a significant advantage.
• Cost-Effective Reloaders: By enabling the safe and efficient use of inexpensive crimped brass, this tool helps reduce overall ammunition production costs.

Getting Started with Your Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool

Setting up and using the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool (specifically the .223 Rem/5.56 model, UPC 090255412284) on your Lock-N-Load AP press is straightforward:

1. Install the Dies: Place the feed die, swage tool, and eject die into appropriate stations on your Lock-N-Load AP press. Hornady's quick-change bushing system makes this process fast and tool-free.
2. Adjust the Shell Holder: Ensure the correct shell holder for your caliber (.223 Rem/5.56, or .308 Win/7.62 if using that specific model) is in place on your press.
3. Set Swage Depth: This is a crucial step. With a case in the feed die, slowly lower the press ram until the swage punch engages the primer pocket. Adjust the swage tool die body until you achieve the desired amount of crimp removal. You'll want to remove enough crimp so a new primer can be seated smoothly, but not so much that the pocket becomes loose. Test with a few cases and primers.
4. Load and Operate: Once adjusted, simply load your crimped brass into the feed station. As you cycle the press, the cases will be automatically fed, swaged, and ejected, ready for the next stages of your reloading process.

Regular cleaning and inspection of your dies will ensure continued optimal performance.

Hornady: A Legacy of Innovation and Quality in Reloading

Hornady has been a trusted name in the shooting and reloading industry for decades, renowned for its commitment to innovation, precision, and quality. The Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool is a testament to this legacy, designed to integrate seamlessly with their acclaimed Lock-N-Load AP progressive press system. This system is celebrated by reloaders for its speed, versatility, and user-friendly design, allowing for rapid caliber changes and consistent production. By choosing Hornady, reloaders are investing in a brand that understands their needs and delivers reliable, high-performance solutions.

In conclusion, for reloaders seeking to efficiently and cleanly process crimped primer pockets, enhance safety, improve ammunition consistency, and extend brass life, the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Primer Pocket Swage Tool is an essential addition to their reloading bench. It’s a tool that pays for itself through time saved, components preserved, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing your ammunition is precisely prepared.