Case Stuck In Sizing Die... Ouch!

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Saluki91

Saluki91

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I recently converted my Dillon XL750 to from 9mm to .223 with the intention of loading some rounds for my new AR15. This would be my first foray into loading for rifle. Unfortunately, in spite of my best efforts to prepare, things went south immediately.

My process...

1 - Decap once fired brass
2 - Wet tumble with stainless media, dish soap, and Lemishine; Let brass dry over the course of several days
3 - Sort by head stamp; Check for crimped primer pockets, and set the cases requiring a swage job aside
4 - Prior to sizing, I applied Lanolin/alcohol case lube to 50 cases, and set them aside (cases and three squirts of lube from a spray bottle into a zip-top plastic bag, shake vigorously to coat)
5 - While the case lube was flashing off, I set up my Forster full length sizing die. This was done per Forster's printed instructions

After all of this, the first case into the die stuck.

As I type this, the die and stuck case are en route to Forster for removal and repair (I may or may not have boogered up the decapping rod while attempting to remove the case... there are no witnesses).

I would really appreciate any hints the collective can share that will help me avoid this in the future.

THANKS!
 
Similar problem but I was a few hundred rounds into it. IIRC it was a Lee .223 die, not carbide.
I ordered an extractor, think it was also a Lee. I still have it.
From that point on I have rolled shouldered brass with RCBS II Case Lube and then laid the brass down in a shallow box and shoot down the throats with spray lube.
Get a hard rubber ink pad roller like they use for finger print kits. That way you can keep the lube pad pretty consistent.
This was years ago, I now have carbide dies and I still lube the same way, never had a problem since.
BTW, on a Dillon 750 you want to raise the shell plate all the way up and screw the sizing die down until it just does interfere, then back off the sizing die 3/4 of a turn.
If you think that's too much you can always check the sized case in your case gauge to verify.
 
I have used lots of Dillon case lube with good results but I don’t think I have ever used it with my Forster dies. Whose lube are you using?

Imperial and Hornady’s Unique lube both work better than the Dillon lube but are a one at a time, by hand, application. Dillon is the best spray lube I have used, a good bit ahead of Hornady Oneshot.

If sticking cases is going to be a habit, Dillon’s size die would be a good investment as it is the easiest die to remove a stuck case, remove the spring clip and run the built in case ejector down and back up. The Lee dies are #2 using a brass hammer to knock the case out using the decapping pin/expander.
 
You don't have a stuck case remover? Time to buy one.

I use Hornady's Unique, everytime I pick some up, someone pops up and says "best kept secret in the industry"! Imperial is also extremely good, you just get more for less with Unique.

As far as applying the stuff, just don't go crazy with it. Less is more as you don't need to have issues with to much lube on the case and inside the die.

I like to coat my offhand and roll the case in it. Every couple of pieces I scrape a finger across the case mouth to get lube on the expander.

Being a reloader, you already have all these skills. So just take all the tips you get here and add them to your list of reloading knowledge.
 
I too have just recently started with bottleneck cases, 223 to be exact. I am using Hornady Unique lube and a RCBS JR3 press for case prep. My line of thinking is any case that requires more than moderate pressure to resize immediately gets tossed. A ten cent case isn't worth the effort or cost of a new die on a stuck case. I am also using Lee dies and there is no more pressure needed to resize these 223 as there is to resize 45acp or 357.

With the Hornady lube it is very easy to feel when the cases are getting to dry.
 
Even with carbide pistol dies, I use One Shot. Same bag method for .223. Interesting that you hung one using lanolin. That gets high ratings in places. 223 doesn’t need a lot. Spray a little bit into a neck or two so the expander ball gets a bit. Or spray a Q-tip. When the process starts to get a little tougher, just hit inside another neck.
 
As NMexJim points out, a bit of lube inside the neck can really help. I like motor mica myself, just to ensure there won't be any powder contamination.
 
Years ago I tried One-shot when it first came on the scene. Okay on straight wall with old steel dies. It's complete straight up poop for bottleneck cases. Yes people swear the lanolin stuff is great, so much so I bought some new and improved can from Hornady last summer. I'm only going to say even when applied correctly and allowed to dry, the difference in sizing effort between the various spray lubes versus an old style manually applied pad lube and neck brush is huge (plus the spray stuff stinks). I get the honest impression improper lubrication is the reason people break presses, much less stick dies. 223 should be an easy pull of the handle not an arm wrestling competition.
 
Dillon spray lube here...

You stated that it was your first attempt, did you thoroughly clean the die, and perhaps apply a small amount of lube/oil to the die itself...?
 
All good words up there above me...^^^

In addition:

When I started loading .223 I used the alcohol/lanolin mix also.

I stuck a couple of cases and got a number of lube dents here and there.

I believe my mix of 8 parts 90% isopropyl alcohol to one part lanolin was too thick.

(maybe still too much water in 90% as opposed to 91-99% isopropyl?)

10 to 1 was still too thick. 12 to 1 seemed a bit better.

When my Imperial wax runs out...if it ever actually does (!)-- I'll go back to the lanolin mix just 'cause I'd hate to waste what I already have.

...but I'll be thinning it down to around 15 or 16 parts alcohol to lanolin to start.

Plus note: With the lanolin mix, be sure to let your lubed brass DRY. I mean dry. Give it some time.

I think part of my problem was impatience and possibly alcohol remaining caused dents and stickiness.

I also bought a spare re-sizing die so that if it ever happens again I can just replace the die and continue, leaving the stuck case to deal with later.

Edited for clarity.
 
I would just adapt a grease zert to the top of the die. And pressurize it with a grease gun to pop it out. Could run a small sheet metal or wood screw in the primer hole to keep the grease from leaking out. At least that would be my first attempt.

I usually err on the side of too much lube and get the occasional shoulder dent... lol
 
jonas66 said:
All good words up there above me...^^^

In addition:

When I started loading .223 I used the alcohol/lanolin mix also.

I stuck a couple of cases and got a number of lube dents here and there.

I believe my mix of 8 parts 90% isopropyl alcohol to one part lanolin was too thick.

(maybe still too much water in 90% as opposed to 91-99% isopropyl?)

10 to 1 was still too thick. 12 to 1 seemed a bit better.

When my Imperial wax runs out...if it ever actually does (!)-- I'll go back to the lanolin mix just 'cause I'd hate to waste what I already have.

...but I'll be thinning it down to around 15 or 16 parts alcohol to lanolin to start.

Plus note: With the lanolin mix, be sure to let your lubed brass DRY. I mean dry. Give it some time.

I think part of my problem was impatience and possibly alcohol remaining caused dents and stickiness.

I also bought a spare re-sizing die so that if it ever happens again I can just replace the die and continue, leaving the stuck case to deal with later.

Edited for clarity.
Click to expand...
Depending on your die you can leave out the decaping die and use a punch or a long bolt to knock them out. I do this as I decap and clean ahead of time and I have a set of transfer punches from harbor freight that works perfectly. The spike sits in the primer hole and keeps it centered.
 
Klaatu Barada Nikto said:
Similar problem but I was a few hundred rounds into it. IIRC it was a Lee .223 die, not carbide.
I ordered an extractor, think it was also a Lee. I still have it.
From that point on I have rolled shouldered brass with RCBS II Case Lube and then laid the brass down in a shallow box and shoot down the throats with spray lube.
Get a hard rubber ink pad roller like they use for finger print kits. That way you can keep the lube pad pretty consistent.
This was years ago, I now have carbide dies and I still lube the same way, never had a problem since.
BTW, on a Dillon 750 you want to raise the shell plate all the way up and screw the sizing die down until it just does interfere, then back off the sizing die 3/4 of a turn.
If you think that's too much you can always check the sized case in your case gauge to verify.
Click to expand...

Thanks! The Forster instructions had the die all the way to the plate... perhaps that was part of the problem. I will back it off 3/4 of a turn when I get the die back.
 
Soonerpesek said:
Dillon spray lube here...

You stated that it was your first attempt, did you thoroughly clean the die, and perhaps apply a small amount of lube/oil to the die itself...?
Click to expand...

Yes -Throughly cleaned with BC Gun Scrubber. I applied a coat of lanolin to the expander as well. I didn't touch the walls of the die.
 
jonas66 said:
All good words up there above me...^^^

In addition:

When I started loading .223 I used the alcohol/lanolin mix also.

I stuck a couple of cases and got a number of lube dents here and there.

I believe my mix of 8 parts 90% isopropyl alcohol to one part lanolin was too thick.

(maybe still too much water in 90% as opposed to 91-99% isopropyl?)

10 to 1 was still too thick. 12 to 1 seemed a bit better.

When my Imperial wax runs out...if it ever actually does (!)-- I'll go back to the lanolin mix just 'cause I'd hate to waste what I already have.

...but I'll be thinning it down to around 15 or 16 parts alcohol to lanolin to start.

Plus note: With the lanolin mix, be sure to let your lubed brass DRY. I mean dry. Give it some time.

I think part of my problem was impatience and possibly alcohol remaining caused dents and stickiness.

I also bought a spare re-sizing die so that if it ever happens again I can just replace the die and continue, leaving the stuck case to deal with later.

Edited for clarity.
Click to expand...

Having an extra die on hand sounds like very good advice... I ordered a Dillon, and then bought the Forster to use until the Dillon gets here (in time for Christmas, 2025...). My intention was to sell the Forster after the Dillon arrives, but I think I'll hang on to it.

My lanolin is a 10:1 ratio with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I'll thin out a batch and see if that helps. Thanks!
 
Saluki91 said:
Having an extra die on hand sounds like very good advice... I ordered a Dillon, and then bought the Forster to use until the Dillon gets here (in time for Christmas, 2025...). My intention was to sell the Forster after the Dillon arrives, but I think I'll hang on to it.

My lanolin is a 10:1 ratio with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I'll thin out a batch and see if that helps. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I ordered a Dillon 223 set of dies last August, got a notification on Wednesday that they are finally on their way. Been using RCBS dies for a long time.
Someone else mentioned lubing the expander. I do this after I broke a couple, seems to work and I also quit breaking decapping pins.
 
milsurpguy said:
If you load 223/556 you need an RCBS stuck shell remover.
That's all there is to it.
Click to expand...

Why is that? Is it because someone is using gorilla force on the handle?

Properly lubed 223 slides right in and resizes perfectly on my simple leverage JR3 press. Takes no more pressure or effort than large pistol cases. So if I get one that by the time it's 1/2 way into the die and then gets very tight I just back it out and pitch it in the scrap pile. I see absolutely no reason to have to stand on a handle to get it to size. From my view that is just silliness looking for something bad to happen. But then I get all the 223 brass I would ever want for free so I do not need to save every single piece of brass. Again in my minds view brass is a consumable.
 
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