Cheap Press = Stuck Case?

Are you lubing your cases?

It is possible to have some wear induced slop in a press as it gets worn out. The pot metal presses wear faster than cast iron or steel. How old is the press?

I have loaded thousands of .223 with my lee challenger press as well as 9mm and .308. I have had exactly one stuck case and the was because I was removing a cattywampus primer and forgot to lube the case. It doesn't seem like the press would be the issue. As long as the press securely retains the shell holder and inserts the case into the die a lubed case should come out of the die after resizing.

I use a RCBS small base .223 resizing die and most of what I resize (probably 70%) is 5.56 brass. Mostly lake city but a mix of others as well. That is odd that is bending just the sides of the rim. The cartridge should be secured around 75% of the rim when fit completely in the #4 shell holder.

Skeptic13 said:

The cartridge should be secured around 75% of the rim when fit completely in the #4 shell holder.

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Are you using the correct shell holder?

I've had similar problems with shearing the rim of .223 cases using Lee shell holders. Seems like there is too much slop in them. I switched to a Redding and the issue disappeared. Probably nothing to do with the press itself.

Try some Imperial sizing wax.

.40

Looks like the shell holder is causing problems. If you want to try a RCBS shellholder it will be a #10.

MCFLYFYTER said:

Cheap Press = Stuck Case

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No, but the insufficient lube you're using will do it every time.

Granted, your shell holder isn't engaging as much rim as you'd like, but it wouldn't stick cases if you were using sufficient lube.

MCFLYFYTER said:

Is it because I am sizing 556 in 223 dies?

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The chamber designs, and the dies, are exactly the same. Get the chamber drawings, do your own comparison, and stop spreading this easily avoidable misinformation

The LC brass is stronger (not thicker generally, just stronger), which will require more sizing force, but you're stripping rims on the downstroke. . . it's still a lube problem.

More lube, preferably a paste, applied by hand, one at a time, mouth, neck, and body, until you get a feel for what sizing should feel like. Then experiment.

I second all that @edwardware suggests. I would have said it, but woke up late.

The press is not to blame, the shell holder? Maybe. A switch out is only five dollars.
Practically though, more lubrication is the answer. What you are using should be working.

As others have said, the press doesn't have anything to do with it.

Put your dies, shell holder and use your cases as you have been lubing them, in the most expensive press you can find and you will get the same results you have been getting.

The only thing a press does is move the shell holder towards and away from the die.

I have to agree with everyone about lubing the cases properly. I use a Lee single stage and Lee turret press along with Lee dies for all my metallic reloading. The only time that I have had any issues when resizing 223/5.56 brass was when I did not lube the case good enough. I resize all my 223/5.56 brass on the single stage so that I don't have to worry about making a mess on the turret press. As far as the Lee shell holders, I have several #4 holders and Lee seems to have looser tolerances on the dimensions. While all my #4 holders are in spec, they are slightly different in size.

MCFLYFYTER said:

Is it because I am sizing 556 in 223 dies? It's only the military stuff that is difficult. Even then lc isn't that hard, but the 223 stuff is butter.

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Case dimension specifications are the same for 223 Remington and 5.56 NATO. The chambers have subtle differences.

It looks like maybe the wrong shell holder or an out of spec shell holder. If it’s doing that much then it should also be grabbing on the rounded portion of the shell holder giving more like 60% hold instead of just the sides like yours shows.

pull the die out, tighten up the bushing if your press has a quick change bushing, and raise the ram without a die in. The primer hole should come up visually dead center of the threaded hole for the dies. Things look off enough that you should either see the issue there, or you need to confirm that the shell holder is the right one.

NO


get Some imperial sizing wax IMO

Yes. It's just about as fast as anything else, IMO. I swipe my finger across the tub of wax, pick up a case, sort of roll it around in my fingers as I'm moving it to the press, and size. You don't need much. I also swipe my lube-prepared finger across the neck of about every 4th case... after a few the expander ball has sufficient lube.

IME 5.56/.223 has been the most problematic rifle brass to size, by the way. If you're using military brass that may have been fired in a M249 or something you'll have even more trouble.

For the record, some people love one shot and have no issues. They do say you need to:
1. Make sure you shake up the can thoroughly
2. Apply enough. Like, a lot
3. Let it dry thoroughly before sizing

I stuck 2 rifle cases back to back with OneStuck and now I only use it for lubing large batches of pistol brass. It works great for that, and eases the effort even using carbide dies.

The main function for a press is to move a case. A simple machine that uses linkage to lift a ram, pushing a case up into a die and lower/pull it back out. Even if a press has 1/4" of play when the ram is extended and one has to guide every case into the die by hand, that isn't the reason for cases sticking in the die. Several remedies (correct remedies, but ignore "pot metal" remarks) are mentioned above, mainly; case lube and proper shell holder fit. But even with a "tight" shell holder a poorly lubed (or unlubed) case sticking in the die can have the rim pulled off...

FWIW, I have been using a case lube that is available almost everywhere shoe polish is sold, and I got my first jar 35+ years ago and have never stuck a case. I use Mink Oil Boot Dressing Cream. Applied like Imperial Sizing Wax, a little goes a long way and it's easy to clean off after sizing. Not a "dedicated reloading product" but it works quite well on all my Garand brass, SKS brass (both with generous chambers) and my other "battle rifles" brass...

It looks like maybe the wrong shell holder or an out of spec shell holder

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I would contact Lee support about the issue and see if they might send you a new shell holder.
They have always been good to me in the past.
That should help with the shell holder but as mentioned above it sounds like there is a lube issue.

I suppose there could be something wrong with the die but lube sounds like the problem.