Brass stuck in sizing/depriming die

[Red Eye Jim]

So I managed to get a piece of .45 Colt brass stuck my Dillon Sizing/Depriming die.  I mean really stuck.  I even set it in my freezer over night to try and see if I could get it out and have really just chewed up the rim on the brass trying to finagle it out.  Is my best course of action at this point to just call Dillion in the morning, and send it back to them to fix?  I put a RCBS die in it's place for now, but that thing really slows my groove.  I have to make sure each one is lined up super perfect and even then it won't deprime 1 in 10 so I have to pause, use my hand depriming tool put it back in to seat the new primer to move on, which of course cuts my production numbers.  Does anyone have any other ideas?  How long am I going to be without this die?  Of course I only managed about 200 rounds before this happened.  (Yes I know I'm behind.  Reloading is supposed to be done in Dec-Feb time frame..)

[watab kid]

ok , i have a friend thats having this issue - im interested in the remedy , i have never had a pistol caliber case strick - ever - knock on wood  in near 25 years now , i have had a 4570 stick - no lube - my fault 

[Idaho Gunslinger]

I'd give Dillon a call and ask. I'd first be curious if this is common or not. If rare then I'd want to send it in for them to see it for themselves and either fix it or replace it. My concern is that the carbide ring broke. I went through 3 RCBS carbide sizing dies on my 500 mag. After RCBS replaces it twice already I just gave up.and bought a Lee and my proble.s went away. 

 

If they think it's common and the die is fine, then I'd use a stuck case remover kit to get it out. 

[Lazy Eeyour]

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?searchTerm=stuck case remover

 

I’ve been able to carefully pry the decapping pin out (not Dillion Die) and then use a punch and hammer to drive out the case.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

1 hour ago, Red Eye Jim said:

I managed to get a piece of .45 Colt brass stuck my Dillon Sizing/Depriming die.  I mean really stuck

 

Well, all my Dillon carbide sizing dies have a threaded stem with the decapping pin on the end, and the stem unscrews easily.   Then you can drive the case down and out with a hammer and a stout brass punch stuck through the top of the (now open) die.    Why can't you accomplish that?

 

Any good stuck case remover will let you pull a case, but it takes a drill and ability to tap a thread (tools include proper drill bit and tap).   A vise is very handy too.   But it will take 5 times longer to pull the case with a case remover, and I've not had to do that on straight wall (pistol) cases.

 

Use some Kroil lubricant to soak the complete die overnight and that will often wick into the junction between case and die body.  Makes most any removal effort a little easier.

 

good luck, GJ

Edited May 8 by Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

[Dusty Devil Dale]

A few years ago, I had a .270 rifle case stick in the resize die.  I tried everything-- heat, liquid nitrogen, vise grips, vise and hammer w/ chisel, drilling out the primer and tapping the hole, then running in a long bolt against the top of the die to force out the brass.  Then I tried to back-hammer it out using the tapped hole.  Finally I tried to turn it out in the lathe, then mill it out with an end mill.  

I ended up with a new die and an old one with a beat up brass liner.  When they stick, it's almost like they fuse to the die. 

I tried everything except concentrated  Hydrochloric Acid, which would dissolve away the brass but not the steel die.  That actually might work. 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

19 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

tried everything except concentrated  Hydrochloric Acid, which would dissolve away the brass but not the steel die. 

No! HCl will dissolve the steel almost as fast as the brass.     Don't try that.

 

I've NEVER stuck ANY brass case (rifle cases are the toughest) that could not be removed by use of a stuck case remover.  Never EVER really lean on a press handle if a case does not resize!   Stop and find out what the problem is (usually lack of lubricant or filthy die or case).

 

And, OP, I reload every month of the year.   I shoot every month of the year.  I have time every month of the year.  So I use it to reload. 

 

good luck, GJ

Edited May 8 by Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

[Frontier Lone Rider]

I had one several years ago.

 

If I remember correctly, I used a screw extractor and it came right out.  The screw extractor cuts into the brass giving it enough bite to twist the brass out.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

I have always used an RCBS stuck case remover. Never had a problem removing s stuck case with it.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I used the RCBS stuck case remover to get a .223 case unstuck.  It costs about $20.00. You have to drill and tap the primer hole but brass is soft and it's an easy process.  A vise is almost required.  I'd recommend using case lube on those bigger pistol cases next time.

[Jim Brown]

The franklin stuck case remover is much easier to use that then drill and tap method.

Bottom goes in press ram then clamp to case then remove.

 

However with straight wall cases gust remove decap pin and drive out with dowel rod or long punch. 

 

[Michigan Slim]

1. Remove decap pin.

2. Drill out primer pocket for 1/4-20 tap.

3. Tap hole.

Find a socket that is the size of the die but bigger than the case.

Run a 1/4-20 bolt with a washer through the socket and into the tapped hole.

Tighten. The case will pull out.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

This is one of the reasons for giving your brass a light spritz of Hornady One Shot.  Even though the dies may be carbide a light dose of lube makes life a lot easier.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

I'm of "None of The Above."  It's quite simple.  Call DILLON, explain your sad tale of woe and source up a new die.  Place the old die in a safe place (That round file thingie").  Then take a couple of days off.  And, Per Larsen E., always use some case lube Dillon or One Shot even if you have a carbide die.  Your arm will like you more and your machine will like you a lot more.

[Ya Big Tree]

What Michigan Slim said.

Then use this case lube.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012981131?pid=782240

Edited May 9 by Ya Big Tree
added case lube

[Matthew Duncan]

21 hours ago, Red Eye Jim said:

So I managed to get a piece of .45 Colt brass stuck my Dillon Sizing/Depriming die. 

You didn’t lub the case did you!

[Cholla]

Another RCBS stuck case user here. It does what Michigan Slim described. 

[Captain Bill Burt]

I managed to get a piece of .32 H&R mag stuck on a .38 special die a while back. I snipped the rim, creating a small cut, then grabbed a lip of the cut with needle nose pliers and peeled the brass of the die in a spiral. Brute force approach.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

I have literally loaded 1000's of straight wall pistol cases in 60 years of reloading and I don't remember getting a stuck case. All I use is RCBS carbide dies and have never lubed them. Bottle neck rifle cases.....that is another story!!!

[SHOOTIN FOX]

Unscrew the decaying rod and drive it out with a punch.

[SHOOTIN FOX]

Recapping that is

[Hoss]

A RCBS stuck case tool is worth the $. You may only use it once, but sooner or later you will need it. And they work. 

[Michigan Slim]

2 hours ago, SHOOTIN FOX said:

Recapping that is

DEcapping?

[SHOOTIN FOX]

Otto sucks.

[Griff]

On 5/8/2024 at 12:17 AM, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

Well, all my Dillon carbide sizing dies have a threaded stem with the decapping pin on the end, and the stem unscrews easily.   Then you can drive the case down and out with a hammer and a stout brass punch stuck through the top of the (now open) die.    Why can't you accomplish that?

This ↑↑↑  Although I remove the die from my Dillon toolhead and screw into my Rockchucker.  

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Yeah, I take the die out of my Dillon 550 and chuck it up in my bench vise (with heavy brass jaws) where I can whale away as needed.

 

good luck, GJ

[Red Eye Jim]

So, I finally had enough time to myself this afternoon where I wasn't balls to the wall busy putting out fires and gave them a call.  It honestly never occurred to me that the decapping assembly could be removed in one piece.  I then had to put the die in my vice (very carefully) and use my squib rod to tap the brass out of the die.

After reading here, I should have put the die in one of the unused change heads and put that in the vice...

 

Edited May 10 by Red Eye Jim

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Or one can place the hex locking ring of the die in the jaws of the vise and not have any contact on the threads of the die body by the vise jaws....

It takes a BIG vise to hold the die head of a Dillon press.  And it's an expensive part made of aluminum - not something to beat on.

GJ

Edited May 10 by Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

[J.D. Daily]

About 12 years ago I stuck a 223 Remington case in a Lee die.  Don't exactly remember how I got it out other than drilling & taping the primer pocket.  After that I bought an RCBS stuck case extractor just in case.  Haven't had to use it yet.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

23 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

Or one can place the hex locking ring of the die in the jaws of the vise and not have any contact on the threads of the die body by the vise jaws....

It takes a BIG vise to hold the die head of a Dillon press.  And it's an expensive part made of aluminum - not something to beat on.

GJ

I set the locking nut on top the vice jaws and close the vice to where it’s a hairs distance away from contacting the die threads. A few moderate whacks with a 3 1/16” or 1/4” punch and hammer and it comes right out without having to clamp down on anything. 

 

 

Edited May 11 by Abilene Slim SASS 81783

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

Where is the junk, grit, or whatever other dirt coming from that fouled the sizing die and caused the case to get stuck in the first place?  Once you get the stuck case out, think about your process and fix the source of the problem, not merely its ultimate effect.  Some possibilities: do you tumble your brass wet or dry?  If wet, do you decap before tumbling?  Do you use steel pins or other abrasive media in the wet tumbler?  Getting the stuck case out of the die is only Step 1 in addressing your issue, as I see it.  (I decap first, wet tumble with steel pins, use carbide dies, and all of my dies are always squeaky clean; I've never had a case get stuck in a die.  There's a first time for everything, so I've heard, but it hasn't happened to me yet.)