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Posted: 11/9/2008 2:44:12 PM EDT
| I was loading 9mm today and I had a case get stuck in the (Dillon) resize/decap (station 1) die of my 550. I'm thinking it must be a .380 that got mixed in. All I can read on it is "RWS." I took the toolhead out and tried vice grips with no luck. It'll turn freely 360 degrees, but won't even budge toward removal. Sprayed some tri-lube hoping to loosen it up, but no luck. I'm afraid if I pull any harder on the casing it'll rip the rim off and then I'm REALLY screwed. Any advice? I really need to have 1000k loaded by this weekend. Thanks! |
| I assume that it is forming die, try to loosen the upper nut holding the decapping rod and when loosened hit it with the mallet or hammer (steel is soft so it is going to make a little mushroom so brass mallet is better) it should pop out unless bottom of the case is separated. After that just remove the case of the decapping rod with pliers. |
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It's rare if not impossible to get a 380 stuck in a 9mm die, you must of sized a 40SW I think the Dillon stuck case remover is just for their rifle dies. Resist the urge to muck with it with the vice grips, you'll just nick the bottom of the sizing die. If you can get the decapping assembly out, then use a rod with a flat end to pound out the stuck case. Option2: go under tutorials and read about the Stuck Case Remover |
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RWS? Want to bet it was a Berdan case and the depriming stem bent and jammed in there?
Remove the decapping assembly. You will have to force it. The pin should break off. It was trashed any way. Sorry, it pays to check the brass. Especially pistol, given it is so easy to look down the mouth. |
OK, here's the pics. I wasn't adventurous enough to go and buy tools to help me unstick it. $25 later I had a replacement delivered, and 10 min later i was up and running again. Still, I don't know what happened, or why it stuck. I definitely would like your opinion, so it doesn't happen again. Thanks
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Tools You'll Need 1- #29 drill bit 1- 1/4- 20 tap and tap handle 6-8- 1/2" fender washers 1- 5/16" fender washer 1' 1/4-20 x 1.5" hex head bolt (fully threaded preferrably) 7/16" box end wrench Stuck Case Removal Steps 1: Remove the decapping stem by unscrewing it from the die body. Tap the protruding end with a brass hammer if necessary. 2: Thread the die in the tool head or another press UPSIDE DOWN and lock it in place with lock rings. The stuck case should NOT extend above the tool head/press. 3: Drill the primer pocket out and run the tap fully through the hole. 4: Stack the 1/2" washers over the case and top it with the 5/16" washer. 5: Screw the bolt into the threaded hole and keep turning it until the case pops free. Hope this helps. For pics of the process, see AssaultRifler's thread here: http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=450 |
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FB41, I really do appreciate the advice. But that advice is why I spent the $25. I don't mean that in a smart-ass-ey way, just that I'd have to go buy tools, read the instructions for a while, and play with it long enough to get pissed off. So I bought a new one. I'll send you this one though if you want it!
Anyone have any idea what caused me to get a pistol case stuck?? |
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Quoted:
FB41, I really do appreciate the advice. But that advice is why I spent the $25. I don't mean that in a smart-ass-ey way, just that I'd have to go buy tools, read the instructions for a while, and play with it long enough to get pissed off. So I bought a new one. I'll send you this one though if you want it! Anyone have any idea what caused me to get a pistol case stuck?? Did you lube the cases before you sized them? |
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Quoted:
Didn't lube, but I don't know anyone who does lube pistol cases. I've been loading for ~12 years w/no lube, and this is my first stuck case... It was probably an off-center flash hole that bent your decapping pin and stuck it. No biggee––fix it and move on. 
Edit to add: Or a Berdan-primed case. |
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Quoted: OK, I'll play. There was a case inside the case. Nope eta: there's only 1 case involved eta 2: this answer was very close, so I had to think about it and parse the words. If you take "the case" to mean "the stuck case", then "there was a case inside the stuck case" is wrong. There's only one case visible in the picture and that's "the stuck case". |
This is the part where I have to brag about using the cheap LEE steel dies with the removeable pin I don't know if you can do it but try and remove the pin and take a small nut driver or anything strong but not pointed and the largest hammer you have and pound the hell out of it. It worked for my 50AE die so maybe it will work for you.
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Quoted: This is the part where I have to brag about using the cheap LEE steel dies with the removeable pin I don't know if you can do it but try and remove the pin and take a small nut driver or anything strong but not pointed and the largest hammer you have and pound the hell out of it. It worked for my 50AE die so maybe it will work for you.That won't work in this case (pardon the pun)  |
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Read this...
Now why is it impossible to remove the decapping stem? With the stem out, a 1/4 brass rod and a hammer will get that stuck case out, easily. |
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Enough of being a tease, I was stumped, until I offered dogcaller postage to send me the die. Here's the situation:       Appears to be a .30 cal case (30 luger?) jammed on the decapping pin nut. There was only one case involved, so it wasn't a case stuck within a case, the case was not stuck in the die so typical stuck case removal methods won't work. I can't tap the case with the decapping pin removed without doing damage to the decapping rod assembly, e.g. holding the decapping rod in a vice or pair of pliers to counter the torque of the tap From the 4th pic, the rod isn't held in place by the big nut, it rotates inside the big nut and is just held in place with a c clip. Tapping the case with the decapping pin removed and the die otherwise assembled will just make the decapping rod rotate. I think the only cure for this is to trash the decapping pin nut and request a new one from Dillon Trying to cut the brass case off the decapping pin nut will work but you can't guarantee it wont cut into the nut. Though this won't harm the nut functionally, it'll cause cosmetic damage. Otherwise the rest of the die is unharmed. |
I just tried sticking an allen wrench in the top of the decaping rod and twisting the case off the nut, no go, the pliers just chewed into the brass case and probably boogered up the threads on the brass nut since I had to twist clockwise, the tightening direction of the nut  It's wedged on their good, see how it much it flared half the case body to fit on the nut? It took compound leverage of a press to wedge it that tight, it'll take at least the same amount of compound leverage to unwedge it |
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It is a steel nut. There are a few ways of getting it out. If you were to carefully heat the case head to about 700 F, this will not excessively draw the steel but it will anneal the head. Then grab with pliera and pull.
That "nut" is cadmium/zinc coated steel. Try it with a magnet. |
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Quoted: That case bugged me so I just had to know! Anyway it's a good illustration how to recover from a stuck case. Some people don't want to wait for a new part to come in, others don't mind. I also hate taking advantage of Dillon's generosity if I can help it. I'll deal with removing the case from the decapping pin nut this weekend, if all else fails, I'll get a new nut from Dillon. You guys are either nuts, retired, or excessively bored w/time on your hands! The answer is: call and order the new part.  I'm not reloading anything at the moment so I have some time to play around |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
That case bugged me so I just had to know! Anyway it's a good illustration how to recover from a stuck case. Some people don't want to wait for a new part to come in, others don't mind. I also hate taking advantage of Dillon's generosity if I can help it. I'll deal with removing the case from the decapping pin nut this weekend, if all else fails, I'll get a new nut from Dillon.
You guys are either nuts, retired, or excessively bored w/time on your hands!
The answer is: call and order the new part. I'm not reloading anything at the moment so I have some time to play around Yeah, I get it. Call me jealous 'cause I'm neither handy nor patient. As to Dillon, as great as their policy is, I would've paid my own way on this one. It's not their fault I doidn't do a better job sorting my brass! 
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Success! and Failure ! I used the drill bit from my RCBS stuck case removal tool and drilled out the primer pocket, was hard to know when to stop, went by feel, but since I had no experience in drilling something like this before I over drilled. I then put the case with decapping pin nut in a vice and used my Lyman brass punch and hammer and got the nut out. I had to squeeze the case/nut really hard in the vice to keep them from being pounded out as a unit vs just pounding out the nut from the case. I think this deformed the decapping pin nut Anyway, the nut and case are separated. I fubar'd the nut. I tried to screw the nut back on to the decapping rod and think I boogered up the threads on the rod. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Next time I order something from Dillon I'll request replacement parts Pics for your viewing pleasure!     |
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