Breaking Decapping Pins After 20 Years!

[devils4ever]

I've been reloading for over 20 years and have never broken a decapping pin. I reload: .223 Rem, .30-06 Springfield, .357 Mag ammo.

Well, I broke one last week by mistakenly trying to resize and deprime some range picked up .30-06 brass which were Berdan primed. Okay, my mistake. I called RCBS and they generously sent me a free replacement decapping rod and 5 pins.

Shift to today. I started reloading some .30-06 brass that I had previously reloaded and broke a pin! Weird! So, I replaced it with one of the RCBS supplied ones. Try again. Snap! ----- I wound up breaking another one before I figured something is wrong.

So, what can it be? I've looked at the pin in the die and it looks centered. The rod is new so I don't think it's bent. Is there an adjustment that is off? I'm really stumped. The brass has been previously reloaded so there's no chance they are Berdan primed and the mil crimp has been previously removed.

Maybe, I should order a dedicated, universal depriming and decapping die? Would that help?

I'm at a loss!

 

[Slamfire]

I've been reloading for over 20 years and have never broken a decapping pin.

Guess you have never used Bonanza sizing dies. Use them and you won't just be breaking decapping pins, you will be breaking spindles, regularly.

So, what can it be? I've looked at the pin in the die and it looks centered. The rod is new so I don't think it's bent. Is there an adjustment that is off? I'm really stumped. The brass has been previously reloaded so there's no chance they are Berdan primed and the mil crimp has been previously removed

In many applications I like the Lee decapping die because it has a robust spindle and the spindle does not unscrew. I have had a number of problems with RCBS and Lyman dies where the decapping rod unscrews, or more subtly, the expanding button unscrew.

I have had to Loctite the expansion button on all of my RCBS, Lyman dies to keep the thing from coming loose, and when it gets loose, the decapping pin becomes offset and hits the side of the primer flash hole instead of the center. The end result is a busted decapping pin, and sometimes, a bent or broke decapping spindle. I also watch the decapping spindle because that will unscrew and become loose. I really crank down on the locking nuts for my sizing dies.

 

[Cheesemaker]

Do you have any deprimed brass? If so, make sure the pins can fit thru the flash hole.

The only thing I can come up with is that the pin is not lining up with the flash hole - somehow.

 

[Master Blaster]

Never broke a decapping pin on any Dillon die, and my .45 acp sizing dies have 70,000+ rounds loaded on them, my .38 .357 dies at least 40,000 rounds. Dillon does cheat though as the pin has a spring in the assembly, and it floats to prevent breakage.

 

[devils4ever]

Well, I may have figured out what happened. I might have gotten some Berdan primed range brass mixed in with my reloads. I found 1 or 2 cases in my batch that were Berdan primed! :banghead:

I guess that teaches me a lesson. Be careful what you bring home from the range.

 

[Laphroaig]

If you don't recognize the headstamp (as being boxer primed) you had better check them out.

Laphroaig

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

Personally I have a separate universal decapping die set up on a cheap Lee C press. It only takes a few extra seconds to do the decapping if it is in a dedicated press.

 

[jmorris]

Well, I may have figured out what happened. I might have gotten some Berdan primed range brass mixed in with my reloads. I found 1 or 2 cases in my batch that were Berdan primed!

That will do it.

It may be the best thing about Lee dies, they have a collet that holds the decapping pin in place. Hit something that doesn't want to move and they side up in the collet vs snapping.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Never say never... It looks like it wasn't the die and you wont be needing a dedicated decapping die after all.

 

[noylj]

+1 for Lee Universal Decapping die.
Sorry, but an important step is to inspect each case. This includes looking at head stamp.
I pick up every case, inspect, deprime, and sort.
Next, just how heavy-handed are you?
If you feel any resistance above normal for decapping, stop.
The only time I don't exactly do this is when I have an S&B case with black sealant around the primer. I know this is once-fired factory and will require a lot more force.
Did you check for steel cases?

 

[Slamfire]

How did you get so lucky that only now, after 20 years, that a Berdan primed case ended up in your sizer?

 

[devils4ever]

I normally don't pickup range brass, but I was at a VJ Day shoot at my club and there was tons of .223 and .30-06 brass on the ground. I guess no one on the firing line reloads, but me. I couldn't resist. Lesson learned.

I guess I did have a heavy hand, but .30-06 brass is sometimes pretty hard to resize. I just upgraded a year or so ago to a Redding Big Boss II press from the Lee (Anniversary kit). The Redding is a beast and has no problem putting lots of force on the brass.

I still might invest in a dedicated decapper. Is Lee the way to go since it will slip if the force is too great?

 

[Old Shooter]

I guess there is a reason that some shooters leave their brass behind after a range session.

I've only gotten a few Berdan primed pieces as range pickup but I sort my brass by manufacture and any unusual head stamps get a closer inspection. Foreign head stamps usually get tossed as I don't get that many and I'm just a little leery about getting corrosive primer residue from unknown brass.

 

[Dudedog]

The Lee decapping die is nice.
I use it when I am dealing with .223 brass that may have crimped in primers.
They are about $14
https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=lee+universal+decap
If you have to order it and pay shipping it is a good idea to pick up a spare pin.
The pin is designed to slide up in the event of problems, however if you tighten the nuts to tight you can defeat this feature and then mess up a pin.
(don't ask how I know this, long story..., Lee did replace the pin for free)

 

[cfullgraf]

I

So, what can it be? I've looked at the pin in the die and it looks centered. The rod is new so I don't think it's bent. Is there an adjustment that is off? I'm really stumped. The brass has been previously reloaded so there's no chance they are Berdan primed and the mil crimp has been previously removed.

When tightening a decapping pin and rod, I find it helpful sometimes to guide the pin with a piece of unprimed brass while tightening the lock nut.

There usually a little clearance in the hole that the decapping rod threads into and the lock nut can lock the pin off center a little sometimes. With the length of a decapping rod, a small mis-alignment at the lock nut can translate into greater than the diameter of the decapping pin mis-alignment at the end of the decapping pin.

Of course, all bets are off if you trying to decap Berdan primed cases.

I'm about like the OP. I reloaded for decades without breaking a decapping pin. Then I went through a rash of them.

The Lee decapping system is pretty good but I have broken one. I'm not a fan of Lee dies for personal preference reasons and the decapping system is not enough to offset those other personal disadvantages.

I've bent the decapping rod in a universal decapping die so they are not immune failure either. It was a 17/20 caliber rod though so not as robust as the standard pin.

 

[adcoch1]

My opinion is that the lee universal decapper (or any universal) keeps you from breaking a die set on a friday night before a Saturday range day. If you screw it up it doesn't necessarily mean you're screwed for loading, just that the insurance is gone... i use my lee universal for range brass the first time through, and i think the collet on top CAN save you some trouble if you accidentally get a berdan primed case. Its saved me some aggravation already and i haven't had it very long.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Tapatalk

 

[dgod]

I have had a very similar problem, decided to buy the Lee Die set, as it comes with a solid steel de-priming rod. When I have a stubborn case, I switch dies, and carry on.

I know it is not a cheap solution, but it worked for me.

Good Luck