universal depriming die

[EricBu]

what do ya"ll think of the universal depriming die?

is it worth having? I already use the lyman and lee hand priming tools

I've got quite a few, and use the heck out of them. On a Mark 7, you HAVE to have one if you're depriming at all, you can't run the decap in the sizing die as that's the priming station. The hands down best one I've ever used is the Mighty Armory one, it's pricey, but near impossible to break, spot on spec wise, and you can get replacement and various sized pins for it. It's also big enough for those huge cases like .338 Lapua Magnum that almost no other universal works on. Next best, and the best bang for the buck is the Lee Universal. Cheap enough I can add one to every toolhead, mostly indestructible, and replacement decap pins are quick and easy to install if you do break it. The hands down worst decapper in the industry is Dillon's. The Dillon Universal is just plain a piece of junk, absolutely useless. Near constant breakage and bending. You can get by with it if you are super gentle, and only doing easy brass. Through some military crimped .308 or 5.56 at it, won't last a thousand cases. I've NEVER got one that was true out of the box to begin with TBH. If money is no object, get the Mighty Armory, if you're on a budget, get the Lee. Either one, get a couple of replacement pins with the original order.......as long as you have them on hand, you're practically guaranteed not to break one!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

But originally this thread wasn’t trying to answer a question of whether to deprime before cleaning/tumbling it was of using a universal. Am I wrong?

what do ya"ll think of the universal depriming die?

is it worth having? I already use the lyman and lee hand priming tools

I think he got his answer a long time ago and abandoned the thread to the topic derailers and OT discussers.

 

[irishlad]

Or cleaning primer pockets with a tool when tumbling with corn cob, or using a uniformer on primer pockets before tumbling on cob like I do with my Dasher.

I have everything for wet tumbling, just haven’t done it yet, dragging by tail on that one.

I do that with all my rifle brass, except after I dry tumble with 20/40 corn media and size and trim them. I deburr at the same time. Goes quickly with the Lyman case prep. I can't imagine sizing dirty brass, would drive me crazy.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I do that with all my rifle brass, except after I dry tumble with 20/40 corn media and size and trim them. I deburr at the same time. Goes quickly with the Lyman case prep. I can't imagine sizing dirty brass, would drive me crazy.

View attachment 1088815

I’d love to have one of those machines but I don’t need it (not that need always matters).

I always deprime/size before I wet tumble using either a Lee die for 9mm or Redding for 45acp.

Now understand I’m almost always using my own brass from an indoor range so it’s not really that dirty.

 

[Kaldor]

I decap everything on a Lee APP at this point anymore, but I have been using a universal decapper of some type now for a long time.
Used the Lee first. Its cheap. Stock decapping pins arent great. Tried Squirrel Daddy pins, meh, only marginally better. Sometimes its gotta be He-Man tight to keep the stupid pin from slipping on mil brass. I think I have 20+ pins that Ive hung onto that I bent or wore out.
Switched to the Mighty Armory 4 years ago. The pins are hardened tool steel so they dont wear out, and they are much stronger. In 4 years, Ive gone thru exactly 3 pins, and one was my fault. Round count is approximately 30K thus far. Lots of mil brass 5.56 and 7.62.
FW Arms is another excellent decapper if youre having issues with drawback. Yes, they cost more money, but not having to deal with hassles is a small price to pay. As reloaders we buy alot of stuff, some of it works, some of it doesnt. The the MA and FW dies just work.
I dont run the expander ball in any of my sizing dies anymore. I use a Sinclair mandrel for setting the necks post tumble and anneal. Yes, its another step, but it works the brass less, and makes more concentric ammo which Ive found to be more accurate. I will buy a set of 21st Century mandrels at some point.

 

[FROGO207]

OK to stay slighy on topic if your decapping rod slides up too easily take some 60-80 grit sandpaper, fold it in half with the grit in, insert the top of the stem in the fold and squeeze while rotating the rod. this will form small ridges to slow down movement of the rod against the collet. Then you will only require regular-man grip rather than he-man grip LOL.

 

[PWC]

I have sn old Texan 30-06 sizing die that I just screwed the primer punch way out. It is my "universal" deprime die for all the calibers I reload.

 

[GW Staar]

I end up reiterating this in most universal decapping die threads:

Don’t overthink it. We’re really just talking about a pointy stick here. The process of decapping to allow cleaning before sizing is valid for most reloaders, but we’re not talking about a bushing sizing die or a micrometer seating die, this is just a pointy stick which has to be sufficiently long and sufficiently thin to pass through the flash hole. Over-engineering or over-thinking here isn’t a benefit.

I wasn't going to post here.....plenty of you already, but I liked this Varminterror post.....to the point....and I agree.

Most here know I'm an RCBS fan, but the Lee Universal has worked for me from the day it came out, I think. Have used it a long time. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I'm wearing out the same pin on each........I do have two, actually, because I bought a Lee APP kit that had another in it. I now use it exclusively in my year-old Electric collator-fed Lee APP. And why? Simple, I like bling.....so I deprime by the quart pop bottle full (top where it starts tapering was cut out first to make a perfect sized Thumbler's load). I tumble in my Thumbler's with s.s. pins, prime on my RCBS bench primer, then load 'em on a progressive. Extra step or two....so what....still way faster than loading hundreds on a single stage.

Why no broken pins? Easy.....never brought home one European case. Once I started playing with LC crimped miliary 7.62, I did rough up the pins a little so they weren't so slippery slide in the Universals.

Thread needs a picture here to illustrate. I do this from 9mm to 30-06. Below 7.62....

A quick vid testing the downtube for .270...

Works....so ready to add the Universal.

 

[lgjhn]

I use one...a Mighty Armory. I find it to be a an absolute beast for de-priming.
I have it set up on an old RCBS Rock Crusher that is dedicated to the de-priming task as I always de-prime prior to tumbling.

 

[Seedy Character]

Range pick up and crimped primer pockets make the universal decap die worth its weight in gold.

I decap everything and tumble.

Have started grandson on doing the decapping. He shoots so much, he can help reload.

 

[50of4064]

I like to decap before cleaning my brass, and I do not like to run dirty brass through my sizing dies, just to decap.....thus the universal decaper is the ticket...and it allows me to inspect the brass an additional time...and should I break off a pin or worse..I still have my 3 die set's intact...
That's my two cent's...

 

[Rule3]

Its a gateway drug (tool) to Wet Tumbling which leads to buying a air dyer and Time spent inspecting primer pockets, then to primer pocket tools and flash hole deburring. It' endless!

 

[gwpercle]

They really shine when you are decapping crimped in primer brass . Crimped primers are hard on your regular dies .
Used to be only military brass was crimped but now some factory commerical use crimped in primers ... maybe the lead-free or "green" primers ?
Lee uses a heavy spindle and spare extra pins are cheap and they market the die as " suitable for Crimped in Primer decapping " ... and they do work well ... one of Lee's better products !
Gary

 

[Walkalong]

After a very long time, I finally broke down and bought the Mighty Armory de-capper with both size pins. My last de-capper has been broken for 10+ years at least. I wanted to start de-capping my Dasher cases so I could uniform the primer pockets each time and I like doing it before tumbling.