Trouble de-priming .223

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beefyz

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help !!! just broke 3 decapping pins trying to de-prime LC brass for a .223.
broke the pin in the decapping/size die first. then switched over to a lee universal decapper with the suppossedly stronger pin. first 3 cases went ok, 4th try broke another pin. changed pins again, got through 2 more cases and then broke the 3rd pin. for the 2nd/3rd pins, i loosened the collet and made sure using a deprimed case that the pin was centered, then i retightened the collet. excuse stupid question but i'm assuming all LC brass is boxer primed.i looked into cases ;appear to be boxered. lee is replacing all pins free of charge, great customer service, but this is getting a bit frustrating. i don't think its me. i using the original pin in my 20yr+ old '06 dies for a bolt & garand and i'm using once fired LC brass there also. whats going on here? i've got 1,500 cases to prep and at this rate......
 
I use the lee universal decapping die and have had no issues.... I did have problems when I didn't use that die. Are you sure everything is lining up right?
 
loosened the collet and made sure using a deprimed case that the pin was centered,
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First, make sure the shell holder is all the way in the ram & well centered. Might be a bur or speck of dirt holding it off-center a little.

Next, loosen the collet nut and die lock-nut.
Run the ram up with the pin in a flash-hole, and leave the ram up.
Now jiggle all the threads around so the sloppy 7/8x14 threads in the press & on the die can self-align themselves.

Once everything is aligned, then lock the lock-nut & the collet, then lower the ram again.

One or the other almost has to be the problem.

I'm still using the same pin in 1970 RCBS dies I started with. They have de-primed thousands of rounds of LC and other GI brass, and I haven't broke the first pin yet.

rc
 
I had some trouble with military brass that had the red/blue sealant on them at first. I just made sure everything was lined up correctly and went slow with them. Then I had to use a swaging dies on them before I could get the new primers in.
 
rc.... i HAVE an exact copy of what you just said when you last said it a couple of months ago ! thats exactly what i did, your procedure above. got through 2 cases effortlessly, and on the 3rd the pin broke again. i had a batch of '03 LC that i was trying first. it has the oval shape with the crosses inside at the 12o'clock position. thats nato standard, right ? then i tried some plain old LC & FCs . all had been crimped in. those that came out did so very easily. every other 2nd or 3rd just took the pin out.
grimm questioned line-up. i have found of late that i do use my fingers more helping to start a case into any of the dies. don't know why. press is over 25 ys old but never abused and why am i still using my original pin in the 06 and carbine die sets if something is wrong with the alignment. Lee tech suggested next step is to do it manually with a punch or to drill it out ????? 1,500 cases ??
 
The only time that I have broken a decapping pin was when the shell holder was not centered in the ram due to dirt or the dirt was in the shell holder and the round was not centered. I did have some brass that had tight flash holes and the decapping pin got stuck in the brass. It was not LC though. That is where I would start looking and cleaning first IMHO.
 
Just did a bunch today. As stated, center the case but some did require more force than others. Also, make sure you are using the correct depriming pin. They are NOT all the same.
 
wouldn't give up ! did everything you guys mentioned above. took everything apart and cleaned it. didn't see anything bent or misaligned or broken. put in the 4th and last pin i had. tried the same FC & LCs that broke the 3 prior pins AND, i deprimed everyone of them, with minimal effort, just like i been depriming my cases these last 30 yrs with the same press and original pin ! i don't know what i did, but it worked. only 1, 452 more to go. thanks again guys for your time and consideration.
Zzzzzz
 
This is the animal you need to use and you shouldn't have any more trouble with crimped brass.


http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=297408
Click to expand...

Correct. This is how I've been doing it for years for all my brass both pistol and rifle. Even made a catch all out of 3" plastic pipe coupling with wood bottom epoxied in and slip fit lid on the top with countersunk hole to hold decaping base and smaller thru hole for primers to drop into.

Haven't broken a pin since.
 
Once you've done them once and removed the crimp with a primer pocket tool, then you can just run them normally in your dies each time you reload them from then on.
 
If you use that item don't forget a beefy hammer and gloves also.
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A beefy hammer? I've been using a double face dead blow hammer for years. One face rubber, other face yellow plastic. And no I don't HAMMER them out, a couple of taps is more than enough to do the job, even with crimped primers.
 
I also use the decapper suggested by "Muttt" above and it works VERY well. You will have no problems with decapping again. (I use both, the .22 and .30)
 
another follow up guys...... ended on a positive note yesterday so went back down today for some more "fun". had 1 pin left and i just finished decapping about 1,100 of those 1,500. don't know what was going on ????? did especially what rc, frogo, & chalk suggetsed + took everything apart and cleaned it ???? must have did something, but everything looks the same. today i punched out the old primers as if they weren't even there resizing the case to boot. go figure...
thanks to all again.
 
today i punched out the old primers as if they weren't even there resizing the case to boot.
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That's the way it should work.

In 40+ years I have never seen a crimped military primer that a standard sizing die pin wouldn't punch right out. (without breaking)

I think the last pin I broke was on an old Herters press with shell holders that didn't fit so hot.

rc
 
i feel your pain :), i didn't brake any pins but did 3000 LC , cleaned, sized, trimmed , swaged,:cuss:
didn't think i would ever get done, thanks goodness for a rcbs trim pro with a 3 way cutter :D. while it is trimming im swaging , measuring & cleaning the primer pockets.

now i have picked up another 2000 , just cant seem to get around to it right now :eek:

just worked on 400 mil 45acp brass some dated back to 1953 and only 6 seemed to have a crimp, didn't look like a crimp just the primer was tight 2 twist with the pocket tool and primer seated
 
rcmodel said:
That's the way it should work.

In 40+ years I have never seen a crimped military primer that a standard sizing die pin wouldn't punch right out. (without breaking)

I think the last pin I broke was on an old Herters press with shell holders that didn't fit so hot.

rc
Click to expand...
Just watch. I bet he breaks a pin tomorrow ....... LOL.
 
I had some LC 223 brass that had the red dye around the primer. I never could get them to de-prime. I ended up throwing them in the scrap brass bucket. I skip the brass with the red dye on them now and put them straight in the scrap bucket now.
 
randy...funny you should say that. in that bag of LC brass that i got for a bargain there was about 15-20 cases that were "other" . after i got through the last 1,100 or so without breaking the pin i got a little "cocky" and decided to try these leftovers. ironically, and shell shock by now, i did look into the cases and even these old eyes could detect the dual holes of a few berdan primed cases sooted and all! to hell with that ! one of the cases had that red dye around it , sealant i'm guessing(?) , and i went ever so slow & even punched that one out. LEE again, fantastic, is sending me 2 pins gratis for the universal plus to be safe if this ever happens again i gave them back some business a ordered a few more. have about 200 cases left in this first attempt at reloading for .223.
 
Ray-O-Vac sells a pocket penlight that's just a dandy, I get 'em at WalMart for $2.88 each. I carry one all the time and have a dozen more for backups, I keep one nearly everywhere. Single AAA battery, lasts for months. Best damn thing I've ever seen for lookin inside cases with to find Berdan flash holes, and it's a great bore light too, and for looking in nooks and crannies, etc. I highly recommend them.
 
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