Bent Decapping Rod - .38 Spcl - RCBS Dies

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otisrush

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This morning I bent the decapping rod on my pretty new set of RCBS dies. The pin and removable pin assembly seem fine. It's the rod that bent.

I'm not concerned about replacing it. I know RCBS customer service is great.

But I'm wondering if I did something wrong - or is this just "the luck of the draw" that it bent, that these things happen occasionally? I only have about 500-600 cases through the die. I (obviously) thought it was set up correctly. Or maybe I went too forcefully too fast on an upstroke?

BTW - I'm using a single stage press.

Thanks.

OR
 
This should not happen on a regular basis. You may have it adjusted so that the rod bottoms out on the web of the case or you may have had a piece of trash in the case. I seem to remember that the pin should extend about 3/8 inch from the mouth of the die.
 
As stated the decapping rod could be adjusted too far down and on that particular case or on many, you most likely bent it due to pressure from a thick web. Or it could have been a berdan primed brass though they usually break a decapping pin first. So far I always have felt something when using a SS press if there was a stone or other debris in the case soon enough to stop before disaster. But I also take the time to "feel" my way through every press stroke looking for something different than with all the others in that batch. I never treat reloading as a race to get things done as that usually leads to mistakes. That would not be cool. I like the Lee dies for a reason. The decapping rod is held in with pressure---not screwed down. If it will move then no bent decapping rod. YMMV
 
Unless it came bent, you did something to bend it. To set my pin depth, I ease a case up into the decapping die with the rod NOT locked in place. Once I get the pin in the flash hole and the primer nudged out a bit, I then lock down the rod with its lock nut. Essentially I trust the random case I chose to have a properly centered flash hole which they usually are. This procedure uses the flash hole as a centering guide for the pin and once that's done the pin can be adjusted downward as needed to finish pushing the spent primer out of the case.

It sometimes takes a little finagling.
 
I've bent a few now and then. The part that holds the decap in worked loose and was out of center which bent the spindle. They replaced it N/C.
 
HOLY COW I need to turn down the excitement.

I'm going to BUY a replacement and take a breath.

OR
 
Call them, they will send you several.

Now if it was LEE die you would not have this issue, their pins are much better:D
Not this flimsy RCBS ones.

Sorry had to throw in a LEE plug.;)
 
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Just today I was loading some 380's and hit a Berdan-primed case (have no idea where it came from since I've never shot any, nor do I buy used brass, but I found 8 others in my pile of brass; headstamped with an ammo I've never bought). The Lee decapper worked exactly as it should and the pin slid up to safety...no damage.

Just another Lee acolyte. :evil:
 
berettaprofessor said:
Just today I was loading some 380's and hit a Berdan-primed case (have no idea where it came from since I've never shot any, nor do I buy used brass, but I found 8 others in my pile of brass; headstamped with an ammo I've never bought). The Lee decapper worked exactly as it should and the pin slid up to safety...no damage.

Just another Lee acolyte. :evil:
Click to expand...

Keep them coming! I had a LEE pin pierce right through one.

They are actually made from roller bearings. Lifetime guarantee,;)

I have some RCBS dies and those pins are like toothpicks, I do lime RCBS equipment though.
 
What's with you guys that snap decapping pins and bend stuff? Are ya using a sledge hammer to decap them, or what?:confused: Have a little respect for your equipment. Ya all know I'm just joking I hope. Reloading involves a lot of leverage and force, and things happen when it involves that much torque.

Next we'll be hearing how someone snapped the handle off their Rock Chucker, yikes! Actually, I've already seen something like this happen with an RCBS RS. The guy didn't snap the handle, that would be virtually impossible, but he broke the piece that the handle threads into. He had stuck a bottle neck case, and then thought he could get it out with brute force, not happening without something giving out.

GS
 
No kidding, I've run across a few over the years, had some close calls too. But any time I feel unusual resistance, I immediately stop and investigate the cause, which is probably why I don't ever break or bend anything. But it could still bite me in the butt one of these days.

GS
 
otisrush said:
HOLY COW I need to turn down the excitement.

I'm going to BUY a replacement and take a breath.

OR
Click to expand...
You asked in the OP what you did wrong.

I told you what I thought was wrong, namely, you had the decap pin out twice as far as the spec calls for. If it's out too far, it's easy to hit the edge of the flashhole. Too much pressure and something bends or breaks. And I provided a link to the instruction sheet in case you don't have one. In other words I politely answered the question you asked.

If you don't want help, don't ask for it.

Puerile rejoinders are not helpful.
 
I bent a pin on a 38 special about a year ago. The case had a rock wedged in it, even after tumbling. I called RCBS to buy a replacement pin. They sent me a new shaft and about a dozen pins…. Free! Should last me a while since this is the first RCBS pin that I’ve ever bent.
 
I pulled a pin out of the decapping assembly once though. I couldn't get the piece of brass out of the shell holder, and then I came up with the idea to put a little super glue on the decapping pin collet, then ran the case back into the die, let it set for a couple minutes, it worked. After that little hiccup, I checked all my decapping assemblies to make sure they were all nice and tight.

But I never bent nothing that I can recall.

GS
 
Don't over look judgedelta's response above of using a universal decapping die which means you can remove the decapping pin from all of your resizing dies. Best move you'll ever make!
 
Thats what I do ^. Universal decap (gets my primer holes cleaner than tumbling before decapping). I pulled all the pins out of the expander buttons on my non lee dies.
 
I have been decapping rods over the years and about three years ago I fell into a Lee Universal Decap die and I liked it so much I ordered a second one as if the first one had problems I did not want to be without one till replacement arrived and have never used it.
 
As a side note - I had a Lee pierce thru a 22lr brass that was inside a .38 spl.
It didn't wanna let loose on the up stroke, that's how I found it.

Needless to say, I adjusted my technique to make sure that never happened again.

But back on track - call or email RCBS, they'll take care of you.
They sent me 5 decapping pins when I broke one.
 
moxie said:
You asked in the OP what you did wrong.

I told you what I thought was wrong, namely, you had the decap pin out twice as far as the spec calls for. If it's out too far, it's easy to hit the edge of the flashhole. Too much pressure and something bends or breaks. And I provided a link to the instruction sheet in case you don't have one. In other words I politely answered the question you asked.

If you don't want help, don't ask for it.

Puerile rejoinders are not helpful.
Click to expand...

My apologies if my response was misinterpreted. I was attempting to fall on my sword, admit I made a mistake in setting up my die, and take responsibility for it. I appreciate the help (very much) in helping me understand what happened. I was trying to convey how I needed to tell myself to settle down and be more deliberate, and that based on the fact I now understood I had made a mistake I wasn't going to just call RCBS and ask for a replacement - as my comment in the opening post seemed to imply. I've talked to their customer service guy before and he is so nice that, no matter how much I might tell him I want to buy the part, he'd send it to me anyway. So I purchased one from Midway. Even if the company was willing to replace it for free I didn't think that was the right thing to do since I made a mistake - and I didn't want to leave the impression that I was going to do that since the responses made it clear it was my fault. The tone of my response above (with the caps) was not intended at all as a response in frustration to the people who helped.

Again - thanks all for the help. I have a deeper understanding now.

OR
 
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Broke the stem on my RCBS Cowboy dies a few days ago. Free one from RCBS with some pins.
Don't know what happened. When I am giving someone advice on reloading, I tell them not to do the "Hold my beer and watch this" move. Well, I did and it broke. Ironically, a day or so later I was finishing up the 38-55s and had one that would not decap. Removed the case, tapped it on the bench and the remaining piece of decapping pin fell out:cool: Stuff happens. More than once. 73 years.
 
Now if it was LEE die you would not have this issue, their pins are much better
Not this flimsy RCBS ones.
Click to expand...

I had to laugh.

I found out what berdan primed brass was when I broke mine.

I just use a Lee decapper die and push everything thru it when I decap before I clean my brass. The pins are massive compared to RCBS.
 
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