Bent De capper

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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finally banged out a stuck case in the lee die, 222, the de capper is a bit more bent than a straight line.... whats the drama here, realistically, for pest shooting, reloading rounds not for ultra precision?

any issue folks?
 
i tapped it back somewhat straight, i am having an issue with the Brass Rim stripping out of the shell holder in the Lee press? its a number 4 holder.
ive stuck 3 or so today since i fixed the last one that had been in there for 12 months..... bit more lube eh?
 
WhelanLad said:
i tapped it back somewhat straight, i am having an issue with the Brass Rim stripping out of the shell holder in the Lee press? its a number 4 holder.
ive stuck 3 or so today since i fixed the last one that had been in there for 12 months..... bit more lube eh?
Click to expand...

Been there, done that (range brass with the odd Berdan Primer). Get a few spares; if it has been bent once, it will break eventually. Some die sets allow for just the pin to be changed; for these I buy cheap Canadian Tire twist drills the right size, cut them off the right length and use the shank. They last usually longer than the originals. Lube: yes; also clean brass, no dirt or grit. Wash or tumble.
 
Replace it.
Not just a decapper, also has the expander. If this is out of line, the cases will be affected.
Be careful with lube. Easy to pull rims off .222/.223.
 
If the expander decapping rod is bent or off center it will pull your case necks off center and induce neck run out on the down stroke of the ram.

Order some new replacements from Lee, I emailed Lee and they sent me a replacement locking collet and expander for free.

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Having more luck than brains, I decap all my rifle brass with a hammer and the .22 size decapping tool from a Lee Loader kit. Alerts me to a loose primer socket. Yes, I know, tedious, but works. Back to the luck over brains - I've yet to have a stuck case in 40+ years of hand loading. :stirthepot2:
 
Regarding the stuck cases; some individual dies are just pricks, and some brands crank out more prickish FL dies than others. Then there’s shell holders. Theres some variation in case rim dimensions, and some shellholders are such a loosey goosey fit that its a miracle they work at all. You can up your odds quite a lot by using Redding Imperial Bio lube. That stuff practically pushes the cases out of the die. Don’t know whats actually in it, but its better than anything else I’ve tried.
 
You bent a decapping pin on a Lee die? Aren't they supposed to push out before they bend? I guess it all depends on how tight the collet is?
 
I have removed all decapping pins from my LEE/RCBS dies and only use the LEE decapping die, it does one operation, knocking out primers, in pistol or rifle brass. Like you once I bent or broke a pin on a factory die...I was stuck waiting for a replacement. When I found LEE one, I ordered 5 extra pins (less $30.00 for die and extra pins), based on how many I was breaking. I can say over the last 6 yrs using this DIE, I have deprimed 30,000+ brass and still have yet to break the original pin it came with (I have used a file to take some the burs off). Bonus - the act of decapping before running brass through factory die, is, it takes less effort for decapping and resizing as that step is gone (along with extra force needed), during the decapping and resizing operation

It is and has been the most used reloading tool I have on the bench.
 
not the pin though i must re mention.

the WHOLE stem from inside the Die.... which you tighten the thread ontop an it clamps the whole stem in place , to then decap and size your brass in the FLS die!

hectic ay! WTF
 
Regardless of how you messed up and fawked your die up just contact LEE and they will send you a new one, when I started out reloading I managed to bend one too from lack of lube and my incompetence.

cheers,
 
OttawaHunts said:
I have removed all decapping pins from my LEE/RCBS dies and only use the LEE decapping die, it does one operation, knocking out primers, in pistol or rifle brass. Like you once I bent or broke a pin on a factory die...I was stuck waiting for a replacement. When I found LEE one, I ordered 5 extra pins (less $30.00 for die and extra pins), based on how many I was breaking. I can say over the last 6 yrs using this DIE, I have deprimed 30,000+ brass and still have yet to break the original pin it came with (I have used a file to take some the burs off). Bonus - the act of decapping before running brass through factory die, is, it takes less effort for decapping and resizing as that step is gone (along with extra force needed), during the decapping and resizing operation

It is and has been the most used reloading tool I have on the bench.
Click to expand...

That would work for all straight wall pistol & rifle cases that have an expander die in the set, but for bottle-neck cases, how do you uniformly re-set the bullet grip of the case neck after sizing
 
I use an electric drill or lathe to check decapping rods for straightness. Tap with a lead ingot to straighten. Is your brass marked coming out fl size die? Is internal of fl size die damaged, scratched or a burr at vent release hole. If you use spray lube without shaking the container you're doomed. Try different lube, and check shellholder for proper size/dimension.
good luck
 
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