Quote Originally Posted by Mk VII View Post
I agree with the RWS #6000 (6.34mm) size. I do not know of anyone else who still makes this size, which appears to be equivalent to the old Kynoch #126 (the 'normal' Berdan size for most centrefire cases is Kynoch #81). I have been unable to persuade anybody to import any more of these here and I have only a few hundred left.
I have reloaded many thousands of blanks using this primer in the past - mainly because the cases could be had for little or nothing. I drilled a hole in the cap and hooked it out with a tool ground from a screwdriver. The ring crimp was removed with a special reamer with a clearance hole in the middle, and I wish I could find another one of those too. Repriming was done with a steel spigot and a metalwork vice (the usual priming tools won't work). I had a star crimp made by a firm, now gone, in Scotland (the CH Tool & Die Co also makes these in America). I made a lot of money like this.
Spot on Mkvii.

Initially, I did all my primer seating by placing the primer in a flat steel plate and gently tapping the case down over it using an approx .30 cal pin with a copper mallet.

Then I discovered the Lee Auto-Prime. Greatest thing since bottled beer!

The "small" large rifle (5608/5627 etc) happily function in the flipper tray and a slightly shortened ram.

The 6000s required some creative modifications to the ram and tray, but it beats whacking them with a hammer.

My other "enhancement" was to machine up a primer pocket punch. With the case standing inverted on a .30 cal pin, the punch (with an anvil clearance hole in the middle), simply pushes the crimp brass back to a nice radiussed profile like new. I made a similar tool that does "standard" Berdan cases, as well. I am now looking at making myself a set of de-crimping punches to suit my RCBS primer pocket die set.

Before I discovered "Hydraulics" I damaged a lot of anvils digging primers out of once fired cases, but once they are out, and the pocket de-crimped, further recycling is easy with a hook tool.

Don't even think about using the RCBS Lachmiller tool on heavily crimped (Oz) 7.62 NATO. It WILL wreck the tool.