First time reloading, already wrecked my Die

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sgt.rock

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:confused: I bought a Lee single stage press with all the trimmings. I have several friends that are pretty experienced with reloading, but for some reason, they havent been able to get a free night to help me out during my "maiden voyage". So I just went ahead and slowly started doing the steps as laid out in the book, and from info I researched online.
Anyhow, one tidbit that I didn't see too much info on (and apparently a VERY IMPORTANT ONE!!) is to lube INSIDE the case neck. I even watched a video online, and During the video, as he lubed the case, he applied a small amount to the edge of the case mouth. I never saw him take a Q tip and smear it inside the case mouth, he just scraped the opening along his lubricated finger and a little amount of lube was visible. So in my ignorance, thinking this would be sufficient, I did the same.
Then started popping out the spent primer/resizing the cases. I made it up to case number 10 then the decapping rod that pops out the primer and resizes the neck on the way out, became stuck in the casing and popped loose from the die. Its now stuck in the case and I cant get it out.
I guess I have to buy a new die set, because I cant get it out and even if I did, I dont think I could re-insert it back into the die.
Has anyone had this problem when they started out?
I just had a really hard time finding out how exactly to lubricate the casings. I knew it was important to do so, and I tried my best, but EXACT procedures on how to do this I found sorely lacking.
How do people who havent got an experienced teacher do this correctly?
It kind of pisses me off that any and all instructions on reloading for a newbie I could find, were still vague about the importance of certain things, such as inside the case mouth lubrication.
Will Lee replace my die on warranty, even though It was my fault for not applying enough lube before resizing?
Any thoughts on this? :mad:
 
If you are having trouble with this step, lube inside neck with a small bottle(round) brush and DRY LUBE of some kind such as Mica, graphite, or dry moly. Very little is all you use and it will not contaminate the powder that goes into the case like regular case lube.
 
Not lubing the inside of the neck shouldn't damage a die; though doing so will ease the overall operation. If it's a Lee die, the top retaining piece was probably just loose. It happens. Running the brass back into the die, inserting the stem into the retainer, and tightening the retainer into the die body (a 3/4" and 1/2" open wrenches are usually necessary to get it tight enough) should allow you to pull the brass out.
 
Sorry to piggy-back this thread, but am I right in understanding that one doesn't have to lubricate cases if using carbide dies?

I only ask because it seems to good to be true, and if so, why would anyone still use steel dies?
 
Further to what prosper said, I have *never* lubed the inside of a case neck, and years and thousands of rounds later, I've suffered no ill effect.

I did have something similar happen once. I took a pair of tin snips and cut open the case neck, which allowed me to get the expander ball out of the case.
 
prosper said:
If it's a Lee die, the top retaining piece was probably just loose. It happens. Running the brass back into the die, inserting the stem into the retainer, and tightening the retainer into the die body (a 3/4" and 1/2" open wrenches are usually necessary to get it tight enough) should allow you to pull the brass out.
Click to expand...
Like prosper said the top retaining lock nut was probably not as tight as it should have been. If you remove the retaining or locking nut and lower the die over or bring the case up into the die the part that slipped out should stick up above the die , slide the locking or retaining nut over the depriming rod and hand thread the retaining nut into the die, once it is threaded into the die as far as you can go by hand ,tighten with the wrenches, it needs to be pretty tight. Also if you do ever break something , you just order a part from the manufacturer. Goto www.leeprecision.com goto the part number of the die set you have and right beside that number it says" parts", it takes about 2 weeks to get parts. You can also order those parts that are in the catalog that your local store doesn't have, because your the only one in Canada who wants it. That website has instructional videos as well.
 
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Cerdan said:
Sorry to piggy-back this thread, but am I right in understanding that one doesn't have to lubricate cases if using carbide dies?

I only ask because it seems to good to be true, and if so, why would anyone still use steel dies?
Click to expand...

That only applies to pistol dies. You still need to lube the cases if using rifle dies.
 
Use a Dremel or such and cut the case apart, then retrieve the de-capping rod, put the thing back in the die................and do the nut up TIGHT.
 
I have never lubed the inside of a neck either. Although I do put a little on the rim of the neck every 5 brass or so. Does it help, who knows, but it does not hurt.
 
Lee Deluxe Rifle Dies are advertised as supposed to not require case neck lubrication but that's complete bulls**t! I always lube bottle necked cases outside but not always inside. Be sure to send the die back for replacement as there should be a lifetime gaurante on it.
 
The saftey feature of lee dies is that the rod on the expander ball/ primer punch is held by a collet. Sometimes that collet doesn't grip well. My 6.5X55 set needed a small adjustment. I gripped the rod with vise grips, and putting the case in a vise, pulled it out of the case that it stuck in, same as yours did. The vise grips made substantial marks on the shaft. The collet rarely slips now.
When I neck lube, and some cartridges need it more than others, I just rub a bit of lee case lube across the mouth of the case. It only needs to be done for about every fourth case or so, you can tell when it's getting a bit tight, and put a dab on the mouth of the next case.
 
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A couple of thoughts. Use blue 'Loc-tight' on any loose threads and they won't give way easily. Also, I have found the cheapest neck lubricator is an ordinary #2 pencil. Swirl the tip around the inside of the case neck and you won't have any worries.
 
This is not a problem.
Loosen the nut that holds the decapping rod and reinsert the decapping rod and tighten it.
If it still won't extract, you will need to score some grooves in the decap rod where the tightening collet comes in contact with it. KD
 
dixda said:
This is not a problem.
Loosen the nut that holds the decapping rod and reinsert the decapping rod and tighten it.
If it still won't extract, you will need to score some grooves in the decap rod where the tightening collet comes in contact with it. KD
Click to expand...

No need to score your decapping rod, just cut the case off, and tighten the rod back up good, and it'll be OK.
 
ok, here's what you do- you're really lucky since the case usually sticks inside the die and takes extrodinary measures to get it out- from the sounds of it, it's only the decapping pin/expander ball that's stuck inside the case- forst, LOOSEN the nut at the top of the die so you can fully retact the press with the decapping rod still in the case, or just take the die out altogether, after loosening the nut- then take the casing out of the press, and USING A TUBING CUTTER( WHICH YOU SHOULD HAVE ANYWAY-for other stuff) cut the neck off the case- , then slip the neck off the rod, reassemble the die , and you're back in business- if you ever get a case stuck in a die, you do much the same thing, but you have to use a soft faced mallet to knock the case free of the die
 
sgt.rock said:
:confused: I bought a Lee single stage press with all the trimmings. I have several friends that are pretty experienced with reloading, but for some reason, they havent been able to get a free night to help me out during my "maiden voyage". So I just went ahead and slowly started doing the steps as laid out in the book, and from info I researched online.
Anyhow, one tidbit that I didn't see too much info on (and apparently a VERY IMPORTANT ONE!!) is to lube INSIDE the case neck. I even watched a video online, and During the video, as he lubed the case, he applied a small amount to the edge of the case mouth. I never saw him take a Q tip and smear it inside the case mouth, he just scraped the opening along his lubricated finger and a little amount of lube was visible. So in my ignorance, thinking this would be sufficient, I did the same.
Then started popping out the spent primer/resizing the cases. I made it up to case number 10 then the decapping rod that pops out the primer and resizes the neck on the way out, became stuck in the casing and popped loose from the die. Its now stuck in the case and I cant get it out.
I guess I have to buy a new die set, because I cant get it out and even if I did, I dont think I could re-insert it back into the die.
Has anyone had this problem when they started out?
I just had a really hard time finding out how exactly to lubricate the casings. I knew it was important to do so, and I tried my best, but EXACT procedures on how to do this I found sorely lacking.
How do people who havent got an experienced teacher do this correctly?
It kind of pisses me off that any and all instructions on reloading for a newbie I could find, were still vague about the importance of certain things, such as inside the case mouth lubrication.
Will Lee replace my die on warranty, even though It was my fault for not applying enough lube before resizing?
Any thoughts on this? :mad:
Click to expand...

sgt.rock, do you have an electric drill with variable speed? If so chuck the case neck into your drill and rotate at slow speed. Then with your free hand, use either a file or a hacksaw to deeply score the case and then break it apart to retrieve your decapping rod. With regards to lubing case necks, I usually lube my necks, however some cases I find are harder on dies then others. I use mostly Lee dies and when loading 30-06, I find that without a lot of lube inside the neck it can be very difficult to pull the decapping rod out of the case neck. I use Lee lube with a Q-Tip.
 
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