recovering from a resizing error

[mek42]

[Blush]

I broke the neck expander of my 223 F/L sizing die today. It is snapped right off at the end of the threaded part to hold the neck expander / depriming unit.

[/Blush]

I was resizing a bunch (200 this time around) of LC 75 once fired military brass. The breakage occurred at case #8. After checking the time and noting that every local place that might carry a replacement die either was already closed or would be closed by the time I got there, I went ahead and resized the already lubed brass without the neck expander.

I'm thinking that this might be the excuse I've been looking for to invest in a universal deprimer die.

Also, if I was thinking of getting myself a 223 neck sizing die I can now use that after full length sizing to expand the necks, right? And then if I ever need to do full length sizing in the future I could either use the F/L die followed by the neck die or just switch the neck die neck expander to the F/L die if the threads are the same, right?

I've noticed that some of the military brass required more than usual effort to operate the press, even without the neck sizer part. I'm assuming that this may have been brass fired in a sloppy chambered machinegun? Perhaps I might want to resize just the outer brass first for the rest of my military brass (i.e. do the neck expansion as a separate step)?

Thanks!

 

[georgetwalkerjr]

Get a Lee......

I'm very happy with my Lee universal epriming die....it's very solid, and also one of the least expensive......

 

[ReloaderFred]

Did you have the decapping unit screwed down too far, so as to contact the inside of the base of the case? This would cause it to bend or break. Most die manufacturers will send you a new part free of charge, if you'll just call their customer service line and tell them what you need.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[mek42]

[blush]

Fred, close examination of the die after the incident leads me to believe that's exactly what I did. Right before this happened I needed to replace the depriming pin of the die. The new pin didn't sit down far enough to pop out the primers all the way, so I lowered the neck expander / depriming pin assembly ... a little ... too far. :banghead:

[/blush]

 

[ReloaderFred]

Don't feel bad. I'm sure there are lots of people who have done this, if they will just admit it. I'll admit to doing it about 35 years ago, give or take a couple of years. It's a learning experience.

Fred

 

[hankpac]

The company WILL provide you with a new pin, or you can pick one up at your local store. They are cheap, and I have several on hand.
When I inherited a bunch of loading stuff, I noted several missing parts, after inventory and sorting. I wote to the company, sent a couple of broken parts, and a list. They (RCBS) fixed me up with everything I was missing, and exchanged the broken or rusted stff, no charge. RCBS, and the other major companies BACK UP THEIR STUFF.