Cheap Press = Stuck Case?

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I have some Imperial & some RCBS Case Lube II. Neither will stick cases unless you get really really stingy with them. As in put some on your fingetr and then try to get too many cases done before adding more to your finger tips.
 
I think it is to much lube and a loose shell holder.
I have had 223 stick with Hornady One Shot. Since switching over to lanolin & heet dry gas no more stuck cases.
 
wild willy said:
Have you tried any of the suggestions given?Are you going to?I can't understand asking for advice when you really don't want it.
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At the time I thought it was something I was doing wrong. Now that I know that brass is just really stubborn, it's not really a big deal. Yes, I learned a few things, and I may try some of the things mentioned here.

If anything, I used the "lack of lube" theory and started lubing more as people here suggested, and that lead to dented stuck brass that wasn't a problem until over lubing.
 
Walkalong said:
I have some Imperial & some RCBS Case Lube II. Neither will stick cases unless you get really really stingy with them. As in put some on your fingetr and then try to get too many cases done before adding more to your finger tips.
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I tried the rcbs stuff, and had a few stick. I know nobody believes it, but that brass is freaking hard.
 
edwardware said:
I am unaware of anyone who says that; if someone does, they are wrong.
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Rcbs says wax lubes are problematic, along with countless threads with people claiming they are done with imperial sizing wax and stuck cases.

I wanted to hear back from rcbs before I responded, and it took a few days.
 
MCFLYFYTER said:
Rcbs says wax lubes are problematic, along with countless threads with people claiming they are done with imperial sizing wax and stuck cases.

I wanted to hear back from rcbs before I responded, and it took a few days.
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If stuck cases are the best indication then one shot wins hands down. But nothing is that cut and dry. Having clean dies and properly applying the lubricant "reading and following the direction" is bound to give you optimal performance. I use rcbs dies almost exclusively and redding sizing wax. Am I doing it wrong? There are a lot of ways to skin this cat but redding sizing wax is not the issue.
 
If we’re picking bets for what causes the most stuck cases, then I want in.

I’ll take the whole thing with the simple bet the REAL answer is “user error with insufficient lubrication.”

I’ve used Imperial, homemade, RCBS, Lee, One Shot, Hornady Unique, Lyman spray, and maybe something I’m forgetting, and haven’t had issues with either stuck cases or dents unless I screwed up. One Shot is certainly the most maligned product on the market, but as I mentioned above, I’ve used One Shot exclusively for around a decade and tens of thousands of cases, including case forming, without sticking cases or running excessive press force.

The sad part, in my perspective, is the fact so many folks so readily condemn a product for their own failures.
 
Varminterror said:
If we’re picking bets for what causes the most stuck cases, then I want in.

I’ll take the whole thing with the simple bet the REAL answer is “user error with insufficient lubrication.”

I’ve used Imperial, homemade, RCBS, Lee, One Shot, Hornady Unique, Lyman spray, and maybe something I’m forgetting, and haven’t had issues with either stuck cases or dents unless I screwed up. One Shot is certainly the most maligned product on the market, but as I mentioned above, I’ve used One Shot exclusively for around a decade and tens of thousands of cases, including case forming, without sticking cases or running excessive press force.

The sad part, in my perspective, is the fact so many folks so readily condemn a product for their own failures.
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I think I would have to agree with most of that. Heck, I started having problems with normal brass after I started overlubing due to other problems. If I had to do it over again, I would have googled that particular brass and found out it was a problem. I may still try some wax if I shoot any more of that ammo, but if the brass isn't very good, why shoot it in the first place.
 
Is the die set new? Perhaps the sizing die is the problem.
If it is sizing cases excessively, they might be a good deal harder to remove from the die.
Certainly the type of resizing lubricant should make no difference as long as it IS resizing lube.
RCBS, Lee, Lyman, Imperial should all work equally well.
Never made any difference in my experience.
Insufficient lube or a loose fitting shell holder might also be the cause, as has been said.
 
User error and insufficient lube.

When I started reloading i was just doing straight walked pistol cases. A spritz of lube and all was right with the world.

Then I started doing bottleneck-ed cases and I got real familiar with the rcbs manual case remover.

Sometimes you think you placed enough lube and maybe you did or maybe the damn fly thats been annoying you for 45 minutes distracted you and now the neighbors are wondering why you are loudly cursing as you go to the shed to get the drill to remove that damn case.

And yes Lee shelholders can generally suck eggs.
 
I have two sets of Lee dies for loading 223. As long as the brass is boxer primed and lubed enough I have never in 30+ years had problems resizing brass. I did go to RCBS for a dedicated shellholder after bending a few military brass bases so I did not have to sort it out first before resizing.
 
MCFLYFYTER said:
Rcbs says wax lubes are problematic, along with countless threads with people claiming they are done with imperial sizing wax and stuck cases.

I wanted to hear back from rcbs before I responded, and it took a few days.
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Suffering many stuck cases lately, I talked with savvy RCBS tech. Assuming die is correctly set, problem is with lube. He states RCBS spray lube is best he's used (not just because he works there). So, after I get the present case unstuck, I will follow his lead - Remembering to lube inside neck.
 
edwardware said:
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.


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.
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look guys the 223 is the standard designation and the 5.56 is the metric designation both the same!!
 
lefteye42 said:
Suffering many stuck cases lately, I talked with savvy RCBS tech. Assuming die is correctly set, problem is with lube. He states RCBS spray lube is best he's used (not just because he works there). So, after I get the present case unstuck, I will follow his lead - Remembering to lube inside neck.
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Lanolin and heet works awesome for me and is dirt nasty ridiculous cheap compared to anything else you can use. You can get enough to do 100000 cases for the price of a bottle of the rcbs stuff. I use it to size mixed .223/5.56 on a Lee app with the Xpress shell holder that only grabs maybe 1/3 the amount of the time that a standard shell holder grabs and have stuck 2 cases out of 1500. I know it's not recommended but it's so fast and removing a stuck case takes about 2.5 minutes.
 
I have always used RCBS gel case lube and a case lube pad since the 1970s with no difficulties ever.
Anything similar marketed by any of the major reloading companies should also work great.
No need to reinvent the wheel.
Just use enough lube.
 
Google "stuck case" along with the brand or headstamp. If nothing comes up about a known sizing issue with that brass, then it is just a lube problem if your die is clean.
 
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I had a problem using One Shot with my 222 cases. When I first started reloading I got a bunch of them stuck using that combo. I got one stuck so bad I sent the dies back to Hornady for them to remove it. They sent me back the die and either they replaced it or polished it, I don’t remember, but I never stuck a case again and I still use One Shot exclusively. I do spray it more liberally now and haven’t had an issue with the bottleneck cases as well as case forming. I believed my issues were a bad die combined with not enough case lube.
 
lefteye42 said:
Suffering many stuck cases lately, I talked with savvy RCBS tech. Assuming die is correctly set, problem is with lube. He states RCBS spray lube is best he's used (not just because he works there). So, after I get the present case unstuck, I will follow his lead - Remembering to lube inside neck.
Click to expand...

Aha! Some wise soul on this forum suggested tightening spindle collet on Hdy die. Torqued it down really tight -
No more stuck cases, regardless the lube I use. Thanks for saving my day :)
 
Have you tried annealing your brass after cleaning and prior to sizing? It softens the brass and is easier to size. I use the lanolin and STP mixture. Spray the cases and let them dry. Put a little imperial wax on your fingers. Stopped having any stuck cases. YMMV.
 
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