Where to buy hardened decapping pin?

C

christos808

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Well it had to happen eventually. I broke the pin on my Lee Universal Decapping die while trying to decap some military surplus 308 cases. They are not berdan primed - there is only one flash hole centered, not two - but they are crimped very tightly.

I heard of this product in a different reloading group:
http://www.squirreldaddy.com/3-Hard-tip-decapping-pin-upgrade-for-Lee-90783-p/sd24-111.htm

...but of course, they don't deliver to Canada.

Does anyone know if there is a retailer in Canada that sells these hardened decapping pins? Otherwise, is there a Canadian company that makes a comparable product?

Thanks.
 
I run the small RCBS straight pin with a shaft that fits in a Lee Universal Decapper. Just red loc-tite it in and away you go to the races. Buy the RCBS pins by the 50 pack and the shafts last anywhere between 1 pin and 100 pins. 1 Pin if you cull your brass properly usually lasts me 10,000 + rounds at 2000 + pieces per hour.

If you want to get really fancy you can go to the Camdex pins. I am at 500,000 pieces of 9mm on one pin right now. Plus they are cheap compared to the Lee / Dillon / consumer grade stuff.
 
If your willing to use original Lee Parts there are two stores in Toronto that sell Lee Equipment and parts. And three online Lee dealers in Canada for replacement parts.

At the Lee website you can find stores and the online dealers in Canada.

You can also go old fashion and buy the decapping tool for a Lee Loader and use a plastic tip hammer.

I broke the pins in two Lee dies and they sent me new ones for free.
 
They are like $3 each or something from Higginson Powder. Pretty sure I saw some at Cabela's and maybe even Bass Pro.

Edit: replacement pins from Higginson are $4

"REPLACEMENT DECAPPER 90783 4.00"
 
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Just to clarify. I know where to buy replacement Lee decapping pins. That's not what I'm talking about here.

I'm asking specifically about aftermarket pins for the Lee universal decapping die that are made of hardened steel, such as the one I put a link to in my original post.
 
tannerpid said:
These are the pins i used to use
https://www.amazon.com/Hardened-Steel-Decapping-Upgrade-90783/dp/B018V7L3C2
I ordered mine on amazon and they came, i saw you couldn't get them shipped from the manufacturer
Click to expand...

That's the one I'm talking about, but it's only available on Amazon.com, not Amazon.ca. I've also seen it at various U.S.-based online retailers but none in Canada. I know there are services that will deliver U.S. purchases to me in Canada (I've used Cross Border Pickups several times) but before I go that route I wanted to know if these pins were available anywhere in Canada.
 
christos808 said:
Well it had to happen eventually. I broke the pin on my Lee Universal Decapping die while trying to decap some military surplus 308 cases. They are not berdan primed - there is only one flash hole centered, not two - but they are crimped very tightly.

I heard of this product in a different reloading group:
http://www.squirreldaddy.com/3-Hard-tip-decapping-pin-upgrade-for-Lee-90783-p/sd24-111.htm

...but of course, they don't deliver to Canada.

Does anyone know if there is a retailer in Canada that sells these hardened decapping pins? Otherwise, is there a Canadian company that makes a comparable product?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
To be honest I'm surprised you broke a pin. I've decapped thousands of cases including loads of crimped rifle cases and never broke a pin pushing out a primer. The only time a pin did break is when the case wasn't fully in the shell holder and the pin bottomed out on the web of the case rather than hitting the primer. Even that didn't break it but it did bend and when I tried to straighten it out it snapped off. From the write up on the pins you're talking about they basically say the same thing i.e. if you put more stress on the pin than the steel is capable of it will snap.
 
Check the gun shows. I was at the Markham one this past Sunday. There was a guy selling almost exclusively Lee reloading stuff.

There's also some guy on this forum that is an authorized dealer, who should be able to get you anything you want.
 
Hardened steel is more abrasive resistant and can take impacts better depending on the angle. It doesn't resist snapping more than milder steel; in fact it's likely to snap before milder steel due to being so much more brittle. Hardened steel is mostly used to resist abrasion or take a sudden hit while resisting deformation like steel plates you shoot at. If the stock Lee decapping rod snapped, not bent, then harder steel would snap as well. Hardened steel isn't necessarily "stronger" than milder steel; that seems to be a common misconception though.

I've snapped Lee decapping pins on heavily-crimped primers as well and I just scrapped the brass. For common calibers it isn't worth the effort. If you have some specialty brass that you really want you might try knocking the primers out with a decapping rod removed from the die and a small hammer. The sudden impact plays to the strengths of the steel and against the strengths of the brass. But a hardened decapping rod wont do much for you in your situation other than cost you more than standard decapping rods.
 
I'm guessing that you are processing cases with HP8x headstamps (Hirtenberger Patronen, Austria). The flash hole is very small and the pin wedges into it and binds or will bend over and break off if you do not have your case perfectly centred.

The answer is to sand down the pin and include a bit of a taper. Then "feel your way" into each case to make sure the the pin is entering the flash hole - a real P.I.T.A. but this brass is worth it, excellent quality and high powder capacity.

My advice would be to drill out the flash hole with a either 5/64", 2.0 mm or #47 drill bit and your second and subsequent reloads will be much easier as this will enlarge your flash holes to "standard specs"...
 
Thank you K-C. It is HP brass, and I suspected that a small flash hole was the problem. Thanks for confirming. I've ordered some regular replacement pins and will try your suggestion of sanding down the tip on one of them.

I'm afraid I don't have the equipment needed to drill out the flash holes, so I'll have to save that for the next time I visit my dad's house. He has a world-class workshop in his basement.

Cheers!
 
christos808 said:
Just to clarify. I know where to buy replacement Lee decapping pins. That's not what I'm talking about here.

I'm asking specifically about aftermarket pins for the Lee universal decapping die that are made of hardened steel, such as the one I put a link to in my original post.
Click to expand...

I finally resorted to finding the appropriate size drill and cutting off the stem for my Lee Universal decapping die. I do the same with any of my decapping pins that bend now.
 
christos808 said:
Just to clarify. I know where to buy replacement Lee decapping pins. That's not what I'm talking about here.

I'm asking specifically about aftermarket pins for the Lee universal decapping die that are made of hardened steel, such as the one I put a link to in my original post.
Click to expand...

If you can't find what you're looking for, then buy your preferred pin and harden it yourself
 
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