Sizing Die Not De-Priming Consistently

[dihnen]

My 38 Special sizing die is not always de-priming the brass, whereas it used to not have this problem. and I can't figure out why. Here is my setup and the last thing I changed:

RCBS Pro-2000 Progressive Press - 3 years old.
Station 1: Sizing die: Lee
Station 2: Expander die: RCBS
Station 3: Powder drop
Station 4: RCBS Lockout Die (powder checker)
Station 5: Lee seating and crimping die
Brass: Winchester, the cases have been reloaded for ~2 years now.
Primer: CCI

Last thing changed: I've begun loading cast lead 158 grain SWC. I used to always load plated or FMJ with this setup and never saw this problem. I am doing a roll crimp into the crimp grove on the lead bullet rather than the taper crimp I was doing with the plated bullets.

What I've tried: I put in a Dillon sizing die, and it fails to de-prime 50% of the cases whereas the lee was only failing about 10% of the time.

All of the dies seem to be installed correctly. The only change to the dies that I made was to the sizing die so that it would seat the new profile bullet and roll crimp and to the expander die to expand the case mouth a little more for the lead bullets. I don't see any interference when the shell plate comes up. The sizing die base sits just a hair above the shell plate when the ram is down.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[rcmodel]

The decapping rod / expander is adjustable inside the sizing or other die.

To adjust it properly:
1. Adjust the die body for proper sizing.

2. Then run an empty case all the way up in the die.

3. And screw the decapping rod down until the pin is through the flash hole and the depriming rod contacts the inside of the case.

4. Then back it back out about one full turn.

When you get done, the pin will protrude well past the case rim at full ram travel.
And no primer is going to fail to come out at full ram travel.

rc

 

[higgite]

I don't see any interference when the shell plate comes up. The sizing die base sits just a hair above the shell plate when the ram is down.

Do you mean when the handle is down and the ram is up? If so, before you screw with the decapping rod, turn the sizing die in until it touches the shell plate (see Lee instructions) and see if that helps.

 

[driftpin]

I insert a sized piece of brass in first if I have one and run the ram all the way home and look under the plate to just make sure a can see the depriming pin protruding thru the primer hole about an 1/8". So it's below the base of the case an 1/8". You just have to make sure your pin is straight too or you can bend them easy. It sound like you just have to either set your pin depth correctly or your die backed out or is incorrectly set. Good luck.

 

[Captaingyro]

Does it look like the spent primer is almost all the way out of the case, but is still stuck in the case by a fraction of a millimeter? If so, here's what's happening:

Assuming you've done all of the above, and your depriming pin is extending well through the case, the pin can actually "stab" the spent primer, and the primer clings to it. So, instead of dropping away, the primer (stuck on the tip of the pin) gets drawn back up into the primer pocket, where it is just barely lodged there when the pin is withdrawn. It's hanging there by proverbial thread.

The fix is to take a file and/or fine sand paper and soften any sharp edges on the tip of your pin. Make sure there are absolutely no hard edges, and that the radius on the tip of the pin is smooth and uniform. That way, there's nothing for the spent primer to cling to.

 

[dihnen]

I think you're right. I did some more research and some more thinking. The primer is being stabbed, it is all the way out of the case, it gets moved to the second station where a forward stroke on the handle seats a new primer up from below, only it pushes the old primer back into the primer hole!

Something else has changed but I didn't think of it. I just started using a sonic cleaner, whereas before I used a tumbler. The tumbler left residue inside the case whereas the sonic cleaner cleans the inside out nice and shiny. I'll bet that before (with the tumbler) there was enough residue in the bottom of the case that the pin would push the primer out and it wouldn't get stabbed/stuck to it. Now that the primer is "cleaned" and shiny on the anvil side, the pin has started to grab it.

I'll try filing the primer pin and see what happens. After all, that's what weekends are for!!

Thanks for the good ideas everyone, I'll let you know how it goes today.

 

[dihnen]

here's a video of the problem. It's very interesting (no, really!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD53RqU1u_w

 

[ole farmerbuck]

I had a die doing that also. I installed a new depriming pin and all is well.

 

[david bachelder]

I have had this happen on my LNL, and when it does ..... it locks the press up. Meaning the shell plate can't rotate due to the extended primer. It's a pain in the A%$.

I have never tried this but I read somewhere that if you grind the end of the de-capping pin flat, it stops happening. It doesn't take but just a touch to get the end flat.

I guess I'll give it a shot next time it happens.

 

[GarySTL]

I've had the same issue with my LnL press, until I switched to the Dillon due with the spring loaded decapping pin. Snaps those primers right out.

 

[noylj]

>I just started using a sonic cleaner, whereas before I used a tumbler. The tumbler left residue inside the case whereas the sonic cleaner cleans the inside out nice and shiny. I'll bet that before (with the tumbler) there was enough residue in the bottom of the case that the pin would push the primer out and it wouldn't get stabbed/stuck to it. Now that the primer is "cleaned" and shiny on the anvil side, the pin has started to grab it.

Why would any one use wet cleaning with the primer still in the case? All you are doing is making mud from the primer residue and water between the primer pocket and primer.
Get the $25 Lee reloading press and shell holder and Lee Universal Depriming Die and deprime all cases before cleaning.
Next, to add to what was said, raise ram and shell holder to top. Screw down die body to just touch the shell holder (why are they called shell holders when we are using cases and not shotgun shells), lower the ram, insert case, raise ram so case is resized. With case in die, tighten lock ring. You can adjust the depriming pin by loosening it first, jiggling it to enter the flash hole, screw it down until it touches the inside of the case, and then raise the depriming rod one or two turns and lock the rod in place while the pin is in the flash hole. This way, everything is lined up as perfection as possible.

 

[Jcinnb]

I have only been reloading for six months so I probably don't know poop. However it became pretty clear to me, pretty quickly, that the best process was Deprime, Clean, Size.

Got a Lee Universal Deprimer, refreshingly inexpensive, and never looked back.

Yeah, it is an extra step, but if I was in a hurry, well, I would not reload in the first place!