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case stuck in die

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I've looked around, and while I've seen several thread where people mention stuck cases, they don't say how they got them unstuck. That's my problem.

I bought the Lee Aniverary kit last Saturday, and I've been reading up and such over the week, and bought the rest of the stuff I'd need today, and thought I'd be able to do a bit. Well, putting a case through the sizing die, it got stuck. While extracting it, the rim gave out and left the case in there. So how do I get it out?

I'm loading M1 carbine on the Lee single stage. Something like forty rounds without a hitch, and this one screws me up.
 
easiest way is to go to the gunshop and by the newest rendition of the rcbs stuck case remover, which works better than the old one (which essentially had you tap the primer pocket and try to yank the case w/ a threaded doo-dad).

if you don't want to do that, send the die to the manufacturer. i think all of them will unstuck you for free.
 
Yeah, you drill and tap the casing through the primer hole and then use the RCBS tool to pull it out....I guess I had the old one.


Lube rifle casings near the base!.......
 
Drill the primer pocket and tap for a quarter inch bolt, use a socket that the bolt will pass thru and also hits the edge of the die and is big enough for the case to enter, bolt thru socket and into tapped hole, use washers if necessary, tighten bolt, case is pulled into socket.
 
Yeah, all that "get a stuck case remover" advice is good, ASSUMING that you're not using Lee dies. If you're using a Lee sizing die, simply loosen the collet that holds the decapping pin in place and drive the pin through the die with a punch. Lee dies offer a built in stuck-case removing feature. ;)
 
drive the pin through the die with a punch.
Click to expand...

Drill the primer pocket and tap for a quarter inch bolt,
Click to expand...

Yeah, you drill and tap the casing through the primer hole and then use the RCBS tool to pull it out....I guess I had the old one
Click to expand...

His question was..
While extracting it, the rim gave out and left the case in there. So how do I get it out?
Click to expand...

I assume the rim/head is gone.
send the die to the manufacturer. i think all of them will unstuck you for free.
Click to expand...
Seems to be the answer

You might be able to remove the die from the press and use a small punch to bend the body of the case over and reach in with needle nose pliers. Pull and twist at the same time and you might get it out. Make sure you don't scratch the inside of the die.

I've read before that some guys polish the inside of their dies before they use them. Also, this is a reason to make sure cases are clean before you start loading. HTH

Remember, case lube is your friend
 
THanks for all the advice. Just the rim broke, not the whole head. I was looking at trying to drive it out with a punch, but I was somewhat concerned about driving through the brass, and then just having the sidewalls stuck.

It was working fine, they say you don't need lube with carbide, but it'll definitely be something I do from here on.
 
Stuck Cases

I can't add much to what the other guys have said about removing your stuck case, but I also have a set of Lee cabide dies in 30 Carbine and did find a little lube helped a great deal in sizing these cases. The 30 Carbine case is rather thick for its size and you will decrease your effort greatly by lubing lightly. I have many other carbide dies(not Lee) and have had to lube any of them.
 
Lee decapping/sizing dies have a collet mounted decapper pin. Loosen the collet/nut at the top and take a brass drift. Start pounding. The case will pop out.

I Leave the die in your press... make is sturdy for the whack a thon you will be in for.

Stuck case = insufficient lube. Get them cases lubed.
 
30 carbines do require lube, even in carbide, and even though most carbides don't... the carbine case is tapered a little, and is one of the few to require lubes in carbide dies. truly straightwall cases require no lube in carbide dies (357, 40 s&w, etc etc - basically, most true handgun cases).
 
30 Carbines are tapered and therefore have a thicker carbide ring that conforms to the same taper. This additional surface area of the case against the carbide makes for tougher sizing, therefore, lube helps. Of the handgun cases, 9mm actually sizes harder than any of the other straight walled cases, because there is a slight taper to it too. The result is the same as the 30, but not as pronounced.
 
Don and Dakotasin are right. It's a surface area of contact thing that makes lube required on .30 Carbine carbide dies. I've used 'em and can judge through experience that the sizing/pullout resistance is about half of what you have with conventional steel .30 Carbine dies and properly lubed cases.

Mine is Lee. The taper is actually about half the length it really should be to duplicate factory or regular-die ammo. The straightwall section at the front of the case is visibly longer with the carbide die. Still works great and shoots the same, right down to the accuracy level (2 MOA all day long).

Carbide dies for straight-wall and 9mm cases (again, half the taper as "real" rounds) get their "no lube" feature by reduced friction, caused by a short, hard, smooth "working surface".
 
Another tip. Before you grab the sledge hammer................ spray a little Kryoil in the die and let it soak. Then either drill and tap the primer hole or use the decapper. Kryoil is great stuff.
 
Thought I would prep some cases last night. 1st one I tried in sizing die was very tight. This is a regular die, not a carbide die (like my .45 Colt). I lubed the 2nd case and it got stuck but I managed to pull it out. 3rd case crushed, then the 4th case crushed and broke off part of it in the die. Any idea how to get the piece of the case out of the die? There is only a cylinder of brass stuck in the sizing die, there is no rim or primer pocket to drill and tap. 38 special and RCBS dies on an RCBS single stage press. Can you think of what I might be doing wrong (other than using One Shot lube)?
 
Grayrock,

My advice is throw that steel die in the trash and buy a carbide sizing die and move on with your life. :cool:
 
Well- can't throw it away- but I will return it to my friend who loaned it to me. Lee carbide dies are like HALF of what the RCBS dies run. Why is that? Are they inferior? You know you get what you pay for.
 
Try putting some penetrating oil on the die and then put it in the freezer overnight.
The cold temperature will make everything contract a bit and this is sometimes enough to allow you to remove the brass.
 
Grayrock, I think you can be sure that any case that is sufficently driven into a die enough to get stuck is far to tightly mated to allow any oil to penetatrate. The thermal coefficent of brass is only a little different from steel so freezing or heating may not help much either.

Remove any decap/expanding rod, etc. from the die so it is a clear tube. Find a tap that is just smaller than the die's interior but large enough to grab the sides of the brass and twist it in just enough to get a good bite on the case. (Going too far inside may damage the die wall IF it contacts, but that's really not likely since sizing die walls are usually much harder than any normal tap.) Turn your die upside down on a metal plate with a hole or vise jaws so that the inserted tap sticks out below it. Drive the tap, and attached brass sleeve, down and out with a hammer and large diameter punch or snug fitting steel bolt.

Use a good case lube in the future! I like Imperial Die Wax but it's really no better than Kiwi Mink Oil (sold for boots at Walmart, etc.), which is actually a soft wax. Both are clean lubes and easily removed with a dry cloth.

Lee dies are worth what they cost. RCBS dies are way over priced for what you get.
 
Last edited:
Seeing that they are LEE dies follow the instructionsfrom the vidio from LEE on how to remove the case. If any damage happens send it back to them.
 
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