brass locked in the die, pls help

elker

elker

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It was the first time I started reloading. I had a about 200 brass to resize and decap. I had done about 50 of them untill this one got locked in the die! I tried very hard to pull it out only to find that I broke the rim.

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I don't know what to do now. Maybe I should put the die in a freezer so the brass could shrink a little bit?

It is so frustrating, please help

thank you in advance for help
 
Haha. That takes me back. It appears you missed putting some lube on that one.

Depending on the brand of die, there should be a stuck case remover available. These units are specific to the dies you use, in other words a Redding stuck case remover may not work on lee dies, etc.

No easy solution I am afraid without the proper case remover. Sounds like a trip to the store is in order.
 
Take the die apart. The shell will be stuck on the sizer rod. Carefully cut a line down the caseneck, file or dremel. Be carefull not to score the rod.
Lube cases from now on!:)
I use Lee dies, not sure if yours are the same.
 
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I did put lube on it. it is a redding die. I think I made a mistake by following the redding's manual, in the manual, it asks me to lower the die to touch the case holder base. I should leave a little gap though.
 
Very easy to fix.

Remove or retract the depriming pin and neck sizer. Drill out the primer pocket and use a tap to thread the hole (1/4" I beleive). Put a socket (3/4 i beleive) the same diameter as the die over the end of the case. Put a 1/4" dia bolt through a heavy washer and through the socket to thread into the tapped hole. Tighten the bolt until the brass pops free. Use more lube next time.
 
Edit: Kenny beat me to the punch.

Try the freezer idea first. I don’t know if it will work but if it does that is going to be the easiest way.

You could try the poor mans case remover.

Take the expander ball assembly out of the die. It will be in there very tight where the neck is in the die. You might want to take the lock nut off of another die and use two of them to lock on the threaded stem rather than try and turn it out with a flat blade.
Do you have a small tap and die set? Find the tap one size larger than the primer pocket. Drill it out with the proper bit and tap the hole. Use some washers or a piece of pipe or a socket that is bigger than the case head but rests on the die. Use a bolt against the socket to pull the brass out.
 
I find that sometimes they will come loose if you lock the die in your press real tight so it cannot turn then snap the vise grips on the rim real tight and turn or twist it. this will either loosen it or tear the rim off the case, but that does no more harm as you are going to have to drill and thread the stuck case anyway.
 
I took my expander ball assembly out, froze the whole deal in the freezer (though some water based lubes will freeze too, compounding the issue).

After that put a piece of brass rod the same diameter as the bullet (8mm) and whacked it with a hammer. Popped right out.

In my less wise moments I have used other things, but brass is the safest.
 
Go to the reloading supply store and buy a "stuck case remover set", this is just the first of a series of this type of event. Over the years I have used my stuck case remover a number of times, some of which were to help others in the same predicament...
 
Can you get the decapping pin / expander button assembly out of the die? If you can, you just tap it out with a rod. If you cannot, your only option is likely going to be buying the proper tools for the job.

As for your assertion that you lubed the case, if it gets stuck on the "in stroke", the case was not, or was inadequately, lubed, no question.

Don't worry, it happens to all of us, likely more than once (sometimes many times more). So regardless of what happens this time, go buy yourself a stuck case remover that is designed to work with your dies. Also, buy yourself a bullet puller, if you do not already have one, because eventually you will need that as well.

We are laughing with you Elker, not at you.
 
Get a stuck case remover, RCBS makes a little kit that doesnt cost much from what I recall.. I have one on standby, it happens to EVERYONE who reloads bottle necked cartridges, more than once usually ;)
 
It happened to me last night. and I've been reloading for many years. It does happen from time to time. Not enough lube is the problem.

Buying a stuck case remover kit is well worth the money. And the best way to remove the case while preserving your die.
 
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