Lee resizing die f^ck up.

johntrace

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I had encountered a problem with my resizing die. The inner rod that pokes the primer out has come out of the die housing and you need to pliers to get it out of the case.

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how does this happen and is my die f^cked?
 
Cut the bottom of the case off with a dremel and simply pull the decapping rod out of the case.

Looks like it just came unthreaded. Should be OK once you screw it back in. Maybe use some blue loctite on the threads.
 
"...how does this happen..." No lube on the inside of the case mouth. Just a wee bit every 5 cases or so. I just screw the case mouth into my lube pad.
Put the rod in a padded vise and twist the case off by hand. Pliers might damage the rod.
"...is my die f^cked..." Doesn't look like the rod is broken. Put it back in and tighten it well. A wee bit with your pliers should do it.
 
Hmm i might need to take it to my shop and put the die in the vise because that nut on top is on pretty tight.
 
The Lee instructions are clear to lube the inside of the case necks when using their dies. Otherwise, it will do just what you found out; as I also found out by experience.
What I have done is spray a bit of WD 40 into the case mouth in order to lubricate the neck. Then, I loosen the collet, put the die back into the press, case into the shellholder and run the case and rod back into the collet. Then tighten the collet and pull the case off the expanding rod.
 
Looks like it just came unthreaded. Should be OK once you screw it back in. Maybe use some blue loctite on the threads.

What threads?It's a LEE die,there are no threads on the decapping rod.Just one reason that I won't use LEE dies.
 
just loosen the collet at the top of the die, run the case and decapping pin back up through it, and crank the collet tight; you should be able to pull the pin back out using the die and your press...
 
just loosen the collet at the top of the die, run the case and decapping pin back up through it, and crank the collet tight; you should be able to pull the pin back out using the die and your press...

this is what I would try first
 
Same here.

Hmm i might need to take it to my shop and put the die in the vise because that nut on top is on pretty tight.
No need for a vise. Get yourself some good leverage with a ¾" wrench around the die body and ½" wrench around the top and pry it loose. It's on tight enough to stay put when the reasonable pressure is applied on the pin, but loose enough to yield under unusual pressure, preventing the pin from breaking.
 
I had this happen on a very old Lee die set, and I got it out by removing the Colet nut, then putting the case and stuck pin back in the press. (squirt lube down on the ball)
I ran the pin back up through the die with the nut still removed, and clamped vise grips on it.
The press removed the pin with ease.
The pin, now marked up with the vise grips, was a challenge to adjust when put back in the Colet nut, but once done, it never moved again.
 
What threads?It's a LEE die,there are no threads on the decapping rod.Just one reason that I won't use LEE dies.




The instructions are extremely simple, even I got it.


The top of the decapper rod needs to be inserted back in. You will need a 3/4" and 1" wrench. Loosen the nut (while the die sits in the press), insert rod flush with end of nut, tighten up.
 
One reason I prefer the new threaded spindle Hornady dies. But the best way to avoid that from happening is to degrease the expander rod and then follow Lee instructions on tightening.
 
As mentioned, if the decapper had been lubed properly, this wouldn't have happened.

Seriously, even our somewhat expensive local GS sells the tube for about four bucks.
 
Once you get an RCBS decapper that bends into an "S" shape, you'll really learn to appreciate the Lee pop out decappers.

I have been loading for over 30 years using RCBS tooling,and have never had this happen,despite having loaded thousands of rounds.
 
I have been loading for over 30 years using RCBS tooling,and have never had this happen,despite having loaded thousands of rounds.

Well, I've been loading almost 2 years, and it's happened to me. Had the decapper set too low, and I didn't follow the reloading rule, "If it doesn't feel right, STOP! Find out why it doesn't feel right." If it had been a Lee die, the decapper would've just popped up. Of course, the ideal would have been to have it set right in the first place, but such is life. If all my mistakes could just be mild annoyances like this one, I'd be a pretty happy guy.
 
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