!&&@^^@ Sizing Dies!!!

[strat81]

This has NOT been my week when it comes to sizing rifle brass. Now, this was the first time I've ever reloaded for rifle having been doing pistol for almost a year.

So, Sunday night I get my 223 brass tumbled and sorted. I open my brand new X-Die and <gasp> read the instructions! I clean the die, I clean out the vent hole, I screw it back together, pop it in my turret, adjust it according to the directions. I trim some brass according to the directions, .020" under max, IIRC. I put a few pieces of brass in a reloading block, shake up the One Shot, and spray 'em down. Slide one into the shell holder, raise the ram to the top, lower the ram...

Crunch! There goes the rim of the case, the body of which is now firmly planted in the die. To make a long story longer, I more or less butcher the die, failing miserably to remove it. I learned the hard way and had a fresh die in my hands on Wednesday.

Fast forward to Wednesday night: This time I'm going to try some 7.62x39 with some plain-jane Lee dies. Success! I get about 60 sized and trimmed. Interestingly, the FC brass was much easier to size than the Fiocchi. "Why did Lee give me two expanders???" Duh! One is for .308" bullets, the other for .311". I was using the .308" when I should have been using the .311." Oh well, no big deal.

Now it is Thursday. I'm itching to use my new X-Die but I have all the x39 on the bench. Let me finish the x39 brass first. Set some in the block, spray 'em with One Shot, size three of them, then...

Crunch! I think they heard me cursing over in the next county. The Lee instructions say if you get a case stuck, loosen the collet and tap the decapper with a hammer. Try that... no dice. It also says they'll remove the case for $4. Bah! I call a friend who has a stuck case remover. "Sure, bring it over, it's real easy!" Well, part of using one of those is that the decapping pin can't be in the flash hole but the Lee ones don't unscrew... it's all one piece of metal. "It's okay if we mush this one up, it's the one for .308" that I'll never use." So we dremel the end off the best we can but it's still there. So we try to drill and tap it anyway. We ending up mangling a drill bit (those Lee decapping pins are tough!) and snapping the screw part of the case remover. I left it with him to bring to his father's house where a whole bunch of tools and what not exist. At worst, the die gets ruined. At best, it's saved. It's useless to me now, so let's give it a whirl.

I think this is a sign that I shouldn't be reloading for rifle. Or, maybe I just need to soak those puppies with lube.

The moral of the story: send the die back to the company, especially if it's an expensive one.

 

[alohanole]

That sounds like some serious bad luck! I am getting into 223 myself and have the X-die also. What press are you using?

 

[jmorris]

Use Dillon's case lube and as I tell many of my customers "If your not sure, stop." Before I started to use Dillons case lube I removed stuck cases by placing the die in my lathe and removing the collet and tapping on the decapper with a brass hammer. It's likely your reloading bench has too much "spring" in it for this method to work. I would also suggest getting a case gauge for the rounds you intend to reload for and size just enough for them to pass.

 

[res45]

Man that is serious bad luck I have been reloading for about 25 years and never had a single stuck case. I'm sure there fine but I have never used any of the spray lubes I use a lube pad and roll about 10 cases across it several time and on every third one I dab a little lube in the neck with a Q-tip. I resized everything for LC 30-06 to 22 Hornets on a single stage Lyman press. You might have gotten hold of some bad lube there. I just read about the X-die also It sound like there isn't much room for a mistake on case lengths when your squeezing it from both ends if the extra brass cant flow up it's got to go outwards causing the stuck case..

 

[strat81]

What press are you using?

The press in question is a Lee Classic Turret. The press wasn't the problem, it was the moron using it. (Or, rather, the moron who tried to remove the stuck case!)

"If your not sure, stop."

Wise words, and not just for reloading. The voice in the back of my head said that. However, the voice in the front of my head promptly hit him and told him to shut up. I had no idea a stuck case could ever be that STUCK.

You might have gotten hold of some bad lube there.

I suppose anything is possible, but I think I'm just not using enough. The excess I've gotten on my fingers certainly feels slippery. The first day with the x39, I sprayed the cases from every possible angle. On the second day with the x39, I spayed for about 2 seconds for the entire 50 cases the block holds. Next time I'll make more deliberate passes with the can.

 

[DickM]

I'd been reloading for about 10 years, rifle and pistol in several calibers with never a hint of a stuck case, when a friend recommended I try One Shot. The very first case I tried to resize with it (a .300 Win Mag) got stuck. I was eventually able to get it out with a drift punch and hammer, and didn't even damage the die in the process. I went back to using traditional case lube, and switched some years later to Dexron ATF (yes, it works, and a lifetime supply is only a couple bucks) and I've never had another stuck case. That was about 20 years ago.

I know lots of reloaders who use One Shot with apparent success, but I also hear lots of stories like yours (and mine). My advice is to toss it. I did.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Give up One Shot.

Strat 81--One Shot lube is reputed to not work well with .30-'06 cases. At least so I've heard. Why that particular case I have no idea. No personal experience with the stuff.

However, I have used RCBS Case Lube #2 for many years, and never had a stuck case when using it. Primarily .30-'06 but several other cartridges as well.

Recently I tried Imperial Sizing Die Wax and that works even more slickly if possible.

Perhaps given your bad experience it's time to try a different case sizing lube.

Spray cans cost a lot for the usable product you get, and with One Shot you hear these horror stories now and again. I wonder if the convenience of using it is worth the expense and the potential hassle.

 

[RustyFN]

I believe the Hornady one shot is alcohol based. After you spray it on you need to let it set for a couple of minutes to let the alchol evaporate. If it wasn't shaken good enough after the alcohol evaporates there won't be any lube on the cases and you will stick a case. I had that happen with two cases in 223. I loosened the nut and drove the case out using the decaping pin and a punch. Hope your luck improves.
Rusty

 

[Harley Quinn]

Don't be to hard on yourself, happens all the time. Others just go down and buy a new set of dies.

 

[USSR]

Have been using Imperial Sizing Die Wax for years, and have never had a stuck case. Redding recently bought out the company and are selling it under the Redding brand name; does that tell you something?

Don

 

[30Cal]

"One Shot" IMO describes the number of cases you can size before you tear a rim off. I've used Imperial since my One Shot experience and have never had a problem.

Ty

 

[rcmodel]

If you are spraying your cases while they are setting up in a loading block, you are getting NO lube where it needs it the worst.
That would be on the thickest part closer to the head.

If you use spray lube (which I do) you need to dump the brass in a mixing bowl or something, spray them lightly, then mix them around and spray them again lightly.
(Don't even try it with them setting up in a loading block.)

Then as you pick each one up, give it a twist with the other hand to distribute the lube all over the case and remove any excess that will cause shoulder dents when it builds up in the die.

Using this method with .223 brass & RCBS Case-Slick, or Midway Minute Lube, only about every third case needs to be one with lube on it, and they come out of the sizing die with one finger on the handle.

IMO: That is one of the reasons Imperial wax works so good.
You have to put it on with your fingers, and you can't help but get it all over the whole case while you are handling them!


rcmodel

 

[Master Blaster]

I stuck two .223 cases in my dies a couple years ago. Why I was using hornady one ****, I threw my can out, and use imperial sizing wax, a couple thousand rounds later I have never had a single problem.

 

[Bad Flynch]

When you start with a new die that has been cleaned and stripped of any oil or grease, I have found it advantageous to also lube the inside of the die for the first go-around. Once impregnated with lube, they seem not to be so fussy.

In addition, I have found that when one changes from one lube to another, sometimes the lubes are antagonistic to one another. Best to strip all of the old stuff out of the die and re-season it with the new stuff.

Hope that helps.

 

[eldon519]

I love One Shot. It works great for me. I have a large zip-lock freezer bag that I keep and use as a dedicated lube bag. Like someone said, the lube is not the fluid from the can, it is what's left behind. I take the bag and spray three or four seconds worth into the bag and then rub it together to get it well-dispersed on the inside. Once it's relatively dry, I throw the brass in there and rub it around really well. The longer you use the bag, the less you have to spray in there because it will keep residual lube in there from the last time you did it.

 

[Outlaws]

I have not had any problems with One Shot. You using enough lube? I spray the cases, spin the block 180 and spray again.

 

[brickeyee]

I have a couple of cloth 'nut & bolt' bags that I use for lubing cases.
Spray lube in the bag till it is pretty wet, add brass, gently roll around.
Store the bag in a zip lock to prevent it from attracting to much dust, and wash them once in while if they get really grungy.

 

[Shell Shucker]

I use One Shot with no problems. I lay the cases to be lubed out on a sheet of aluminum foil. I spray the cases and leave them sit a minuet or two then roll them around on the foil to help spread the lube around. After I'm done I fold the foil in half and reuse it on the next batch. I've never had a problem.

 

[Ol` Joe]

"One Shot" IMO describes the number of cases you can size before you tear a rim off. I've used Imperial since my One Shot experience and have never had a problem.

I have never used One Shot, but have heard too many testamonials as to spray lube failings to ever fully trust them.
Ditto the Imperial Wax, I can honestly say it works!

 

[Luggernut]

I can sympathize with you. The first rifle case I resized was a .223. I also used One Shot with Hornady dies. The very first case got stuck... mostly my fault. I didn't have the decapping pin set low enough so after resizing the primer was still in the case... I didn't give the case another shot of lube (didn't even think about it) and rip... the case got stuck... what a bummer.

Anyways- like others have said- if you use One Shot spray it liberally and let it dry for about 5 minutes before resizing.

One more thing: Sometimes reloading goes as smooth as can be but once in a while nothing goes right! I've had those days. I realize that's part of the deal, just be safe and careful.

 

[1911user]

I knew this was going to be a one-shot lube thread before opening it.

 

[Russt]

I had a similar situation. I ruined a x die for .223. RCBS sent a new one in the mail no charge, even after I told them I'm to blame, and a few extra decapping pins. Great company. I had a 06 stuck in a Lee die. It was being stubborn so I put it on ice for about 30 minutes. I took a hammer to it per Lee's directions and about 5 good smacks with a 3lb hammer wha la. I managed to mushroom the end of the rod but a quick pass on the grinder and we were back in business.

I used to use lee lube. Diluted with water and spray on, and put on with my fingers. I now use RCBS case lube and the lube pad. No more stuck cases since.

 

[HM2PAC]

I would second what res45 posted. Put a little lube on a Q-tip and swab the inside of the case neck.

I use Lee Lube, it works fine.

 

[Roadkill]

With rifle calibers I always order an extra sizing die. That way when I get one stuck I don't have to stop and can clear the other one when I'm not mad. Goes a lot better that way. Also stopped depriming with press. Built a small jig that holds rifle cases and use a punch and small hammer. Pop them right out. Then I resize only with a die with the depriming section removed.

 

[res45]

I use the Lee lube also cleans off easy and isn't sticky works just as well after it dries on the case as it does wet. I like eldons idea about the zip lock bag too.