Tap and Die Set Recommendations

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Olon

Olon

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Howdy,

This weekend I had the unfortunate but probably inevitable misfortune of sticking a .223 case in my RCBS resizing die. After doing some youtube research, it looks like I'm going to have to tap some threads into the case in order to pull it out, so I'm now in the market for a tap and die set.

I understand that brass is pretty soft, so I don't really need a super fancy tap for that but I'd like to buy a set that will serve me well for most any gun-related stuff I may find myself doing down the road. What are your suggestions? Should I go with a set, or are there sizes that you find yourself using again and again that I should buy singly?

I don't really know what those future projects could look like, which may be helpful information. Sorry about that. I have been most bold with modifying my AR, most of my other guns I'm afraid to touch. That will probably change after I mess around with the AR some more, but we'll see.

Not looking to spend a fortune, but I'd like a good bang for my buck type deal. Are the Tekton ones from lowes decent? Dare I ask about harbor freight?

Thanks for the suggestions,

Olon
 
I can't really tell you which set to buy. The only advice I can give you is make sure you get a set that has both Standard and Metric. If you don't you will end up down the road buying a second set. My first set years ago was Standard only and sure enough I ran into metric size jobs almost right away. So now I have a nice Standard / Metric set. Have had it for 30 years and never regretting having spent the extra $$$ on it.
 
foxmeadow is correct. Most tap and die sets would have few if any firearm appropriate taps/dies.

The stuck case remover is handy to have. I do have one but I've been fortunate enough to never have needed it...
 
Last edited:
Olon said:
Howdy,

This weekend I had the unfortunate but probably inevitable misfortune of sticking a .223 case in my RCBS resizing die. After doing some youtube research, it looks like I'm going to have to tap some threads into the case in order to pull it out, so I'm now in the market for a tap and die set.

I understand that brass is pretty soft, so I don't really need a super fancy tap for that but I'd like to buy a set that will serve me well for most any gun-related stuff I may find myself doing down the road. What are your suggestions? Should I go with a set, or are there sizes that you find yourself using again and again that I should buy singly?

I don't really know what those future projects could look like, which may be helpful information. Sorry about that. I have been most bold with modifying my AR, most of my other guns I'm afraid to touch. That will probably change after I mess around with the AR some more, but we'll see.

Not looking to spend a fortune, but I'd like a good bang for my buck type deal. Are the Tekton ones from lowes decent? Dare I ask about harbor freight?

Thanks for the suggestions,

Olon
Click to expand...

Before you buy any tooling, try removing the parts containing the primer punch and the inside neck sizing button out the top of the sizing die. Then see if you can knock the stuck case out the bottom.

Many years ago I gathered up some tooling to remove a stuck case where I didn't provide enough lube and the case rim got pulled off when trying to pull the case out with my loading press.
I first drilled the primer pocket out with a 7/32 twist drill and then tapped the hole using a ¼-28 tap. Then I used a ¼-28 cap screw and a wrench to back the stuck case out of the die.
 
My day job is a heavy equipment tech and the T&D set I swear by is the Irwin 117 pc SAE/metric set. I’ve used every piece and still added on to it here and there. I have one for at home too.

As others have mentioned, this is more of a mechanics set than a gunsmithing set. For gunsmithing I find you rarely need dies and almost exclusively need taps and the correct size drill bit for said taps and they are usually letter or wire gauge sizes. The ones I use the most are 6-48 and 8-40. These need drill sizes #31 and #28 respectively. I buy taps and drills (and most other gunsmithing tools) as I need them from McMaster-Carr or Brownells.

On guns, there is no Mickey Mousing the drill sizes. You have to use the correct ones. It’s a good idea to always use the right ones but you can get away with things as the sizes get larger.
 
I have a friend that I got into reloading. I coached him until he was producing good rounds on his brand new RL550B and getting really confident with the process.
One evening he was loading .308 and neglected lubing the cases and pulled the head off a case. I was out of town and couldn't be reached. He thought about it, made a decision, and sawed the case off flush with the bottom of the die. Then he did some more thinking, heh, heh, heh.
He called Dillon to see what he could do, and the tech went heh, heh, heh.
They sent him a new die, he sent his to them, and reinforced why people think the world of Dillon's Customer Service.
 
foxmeadow said:
I have a friend that I got into reloading. I coached him until he was producing good rounds on his brand new RL550B and getting really confident with the process.
One evening he was loading .308 and neglected lubing the cases and pulled the head off a case. I was out of town and couldn't be reached. He thought about it, made a decision, and sawed the case off flush with the bottom of the die. Then he did some more thinking, heh, heh, heh.
He called Dillon to see what he could do, and the tech went heh, heh, heh.
They sent him a new die, he sent his to them, and reinforced why people think the world of Dillon's Customer Service.
Click to expand...

Haha who knows if RCBS would be so kind. I kind of want to fix it myself anyway. My mistake is that I sprayed the cases with oneshot at night and tried resizing the next morning. The lube had evaporated, which is exactly what it is supposed to do but that didn't cross my mind until it was too late :rofl:
 
Olon said:
Haha who knows if RCBS would be so kind. I kind of want to fix it myself anyway. My mistake is that I sprayed the cases with oneshot at night and tried resizing the next morning. The lube had evaporated, which is exactly what it is supposed to do but that didn't cross my mind until it was too late :rofl:
Click to expand...
I've done that quite a few times; lube the night before and size in the morning. I've not had that problem. Clean your sizing dies periodically. Remove the deprime pin and screw, and swab it out with solvent.

One can fake the stuck case kit with a 1/4-20 tap, a #7 drill, a 1/4-20 x 1-1/4" socket head screw with the corresponding hex key, a 1/2" long piece of 1/2" pipe and a few washers. It's what I did before I bought the kit.
 
My advice, Dont buy tap sets.

MSCdirect.com is a good place to look. I bought all my 3 tap sets (taper, plug, bottoming) from there. Cleveland brand.

Or visit your local tool supply (NOT lowes, HD, Sears etc). In eastern KS we have Salisbury Supply.
 
Decided I should add some more to my post.

The reason I don't buy cheap taps is they are generally either too soft or too brittle. Too soft, and they wear out fast and produce poor threads. Too brittle, and the first spike in resistance it sees will break it. Then you're stuck removing a broken tap. Which is another tool, or hammer and chisel. And more time.

Do not use a dull tap! They will cause both above problems.

A good tap will save you more than it cost over its life.

A cheap tap will cause you more frustration than it's worth. Sometimes it can ruin a part too. What happens when you have 20 hours in that part and a broken cheap tap renders it scrap? I realize that you're situation doesnt necessitate a 30 dollar tap, but I just wanted you and others to think about it a bit.

This comes from a home machinist who went to tech school full time for a year. My teacher was old school and had worked in the trade for 30 years. I get many of my machining tendencies from him.
 
Loosen the lock nut on the expander, Take the lock nut off, and run the expander all the way down until it bottoms out, then whack the top with a 2-4 lb. sledge. You will ruin the expander threads, but not the dies threads, they are hardened. Then order a couple of these:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...-222-remington-223-remington-22-250-remington

So that next time you do it, you won't have any downtime.
 
Olon said:
Thanks for the response. So you're saying for gun related stuff pretty much acquire individual taps and tap drills as I go?
Click to expand...
The tap in that kit seems to be a standard 1/4x28 (fine thread), something you can buy at Lowes or Grainger, as well as the screw, and you should have a 3/16" drill around somewhere.
The bushing could be mimicked with a plumbing fitting too.
or just buy the amazon kit :uhoh:
:D
 
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