Hornady depriming dies sticking

Kinjo

Kinjo

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I"m completely new to reloading and I understand that you can get cases stuck from time to time. However last night I set my hornady press up read the instructions and watch some youtube to see how it was done. I prepped my hornady .308 bass, cleaned it lubed it and set my first case into the press. Got the case almost 3/4 of the way in with no problem, but it seamed to need quite a bit of force to go all the way in and no primer came out. Then when I tried to pull down on the press the case wouldn't come out so of course I applied as much force as I could, this however caused the whole shaft and priming pin to come strait out of the die with it stuck in the case. So the only way I could get the shaft and priming pin out of the case was to cut the bottom of the case off.
Confused about the whole thing I decided to try my .223 depriming die with a .223 case, the same problem occurred. So I'm convince I'm doing something wrong but can't understand what it is if I'm following all the instructions correctly.

Any suggestions please
Thanks
 
Make sure you lube inside the case mouth with the hornady dies. My 30-30 dies are noticeably tighter, than my other lee rifle dies. I bent the zip spindle on one of them, because they require more force. When I got the zip spindle replaced from hornady, I asked why their dies are so tight. They just said so it can re-size the cases to the smallest dimensions to fit in most guns. So my advice to you is lube inside the case mouth really good. If you find you have to force too hard, stop and check to make sure that nothing is wrong. Also if you are using a bolt action gun, chamber a round after re-sizing to make sure the bolt closes.
 
To be honest I feel completely stupid for even having to post this kind of question, but from what I read in the instructions and watch on youtube I really feel I didn't do anything wrong.
But totally confused to no end.
 
Kinjo said:
To be honest I feel completely stupid for even having to post this kind of question, but from what I read in the instructions and watch on youtube I really feel I didn't do anything wrong.
But totally confused to no end.
Click to expand...

Hey, that's OK, let's see if we can help.:)

If the spent primer did not come out then your stem may not be adjusted properly. In rare instances, the spent primer can stick to the decapping pin and get re-seated when the stem is withdrawn from the flach hole, although I don't think that is the case here.

Try another case with the decapping stem removed from the die completely. Does it still require excessive force to size the case?
 
I started with the one shot lube that came with the hornady lock n load set and then tried frog lube, only because thats all I had. There isn't any dirt in the die at all, I just unbox the dies that night. But I did inspect them to be sure and there wasn't dirt at all. Yes, I took the decapping stem out and the brass got stuck again. At first I thought I got a box that says .308 with the wrong die but nope it says .308 on the die.
And ya with the spent primer not coming out I thought it wasn't adjusted down far enough. But then talking to a friend of mine who has a lot of knowledge on reloading said that hornady dies are quite tight fitting and what I really wanted was a neck sizing die, not the full length that I have because it resizes the brass which is something I don't want. So I ordered a collet set today.
Man I hope I don't keep have one problem after another, I was so looking forward to getting some loads worked up in a couple of weeks.
I really thank all you guys for all your help and answers.
 
Your experienced friend should have also told you you will eventually have to full-length resize so you may as well get your problem sorted out.

When you finally got the case out of the die did you measure it to see if it is in spec? The One-shot should have been adequate if applied properly. Don't know about frog lube.
 
223 and 308 like most rifles cases have a very slight taper on the body, which is why you get the case 3/4ths the way in before encountering more pressure. Presumably you are using new dies: They would likely have come from the factory with a rust inhibitor on them: Try cleaning the dies with a gun cleaning solvent and use a barrel patch jig to clean out the solvent and disolved rust inhibitor.

If your 223 is a bolt action, neck size as often as you can, until the inevitable FL size becomes necessary - this extends brass life.

How clean is your brass? If it's older brass, dirt and oil can congeal on it, becoming quite sticky - case lube doesn't disolve that crap.

The decapper just needs to be adjusted a bit lower and your die set should have instructions for setting every possibility with the dies. The most important caveat there is that the decapper is set so that the inside of the case head doesn't contact the stem, otherwise it can be set to accomodate softer primers that flex to resist being popped out. EDIT: The pin itself should be protruding from the base of the die approximately 3/16" - 1/4", (imagine a cut away case fully inside a cutaway die - the pin would be visible about an 1/8" below the case head) but required protrusion length will vary between calibers.
 
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If the dies were new, and not well cleaned before first use, the grease/gunk/rust inhibitor can cause a lot of grief if it is old, or had dried up considerably. New dies should be disassembled, cleaned well with a solvent, wiped down with a lightly oiled rag, then reassembled before use. The gunk in the die can cause the case lube to be somewhat innefective.
 
The one shot lube if the "bare minimum" that lube should be. If the brass feels tight STOP. Get 2 drop of motor oil on your fingers and lube the neck and whole body of the case. Then try it again....I will bet it takes 75% less force to resize the case.
My smaller case have not been an issue but my 300 Ultra mag needs the oil.
 
I would be cautious on the lube that you use. I believe that some can react with the powder should you lube the inside of your case necks. I use redding imperial sizing lube or hornady unique case lube which states on the package that it won't react with your powder.
 
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