Federal AR small rifle match primer seating issues?

[DIYguy]

12" of snow so far this weekend (4/15/18) in MN so getting caught up on reloading. Finished loading (150) rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor and switching over to 223. Have never loaded 223 so far but looking to work up precision loads for one of my 223 Wylde rifles. Was planning on working up loads for Hornady brass, AR Comp powder, Hornady 75g BTHP bullets and Federal AR Small Rifle Match primers.

I haven't had any problem with any other loads but soon as I tried to load 223, no go for primers.  I do the full primer pocket bevel and  uniformer for 6.5 but for about a thousand casing of 223....nope.

Tumbled brass, full resize and decap with match grade Hornady dies using One Shot lube and then ran each batch of brass through the tumbler again to clean the One Shot and primer pocket.

I started with the single stage classic and the auto primer setup but the Federal AR Match, small rifle primers would either crush or not seat more than half way.

Converted the LNL press for just seating primers for the 223 and same thing. Primers would seat half way and start to crush and jamb the press. WTF????

I'm using Hornady once fired brass and would not expect these kind of issues.

I have (3,000) of the AR Match Grade Primers on the shelf and wondering what's up with trying to seat these primers?

[mlmiller1]

Does the brass have crimped primers(small ring around the old primer)?  If so you will need to swage that crimp before you can load.  

Edited April 16, 2018 by mlmiller1

[DIYguy]

I've never encountered a swag with Hornady 223 brass. I've always thought that was just 5.56?

[DIYguy]

Guess I'm wrong. Pulled out the high power magnifier and a pick and started checking brass. First few showed no signs of a crimp and then surprise....crimp ring. Also noticed different head stamp. The brass with the crimp was marked   -223 REM-  the uncrimped brass did not have the dash at front and back of 223 REM mark.

Have a Hornady small pocket reamer head scheduled for delivery tomorrow.

[DIYguy]

Received the primer pocket reamer and processed (150) of the Hornady brass with champher on every one. Set up my LNL progressive to just seat the small primers. Had five primers that would not seat out of the first (100), had (20) that would not seat of the next (50). PIA every time the primer didn't seat as had to loosen the shell plate to get the casing out and then re-tighten and reset spring.

I've run thousands of 9mm through the LNL with any primer issues, (25) out of (150) of the 223 would not seat. I KNOW every pocket was fully reamed, wondering if some issue with the press as I did a lot of seating before the issue started.

Could there be a depth setting that is shifted as I believe the rifle primers are the same diameter but slightly deeper.

De-priming the casings is just as big a PIA as same process of loosening shell plate to get the casing with primer into the plate to be de-primed.

Anyone have a recommendation for DE-PRIMING when if won't fit in the press?

[Steve RA]

Maybe the reamer isn't large enough ??  If you happen to have some sort of a hand priming device I'd give it a shot to see if the primer pocket is alright.  If it is then the problem is elsewhere, if not then it's the reamer.

[MAP]

My personal experience with those primers is the same. They are very difficult to seat and, IMO, not worth the effort.