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Posted: 12/12/2012 9:53:41 AM EDT
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Just getting geared up for rifle cartridges. I know it may be hard to imagine, but a stuck case just might happen...If that dreaded situation
presents itself, are there specific tools that all you experienced folks use to get the case unstuck? Are these miricle tools die-brand specific? I know the obvious, like disassemble the die and pound the offending case out with a dowel, but I'm thinking there may be times when a bit more finesse would be prudent to avoid damaging a die that you can't replace immediately. On the Forster website that they have a tool set for stuck cases...Good thing to have? |
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You probably have what you need already.
Tap handle 7/32 drill bit 1/4 - 20 tap 1/4-20 bolt washers 3/8 drive socket Drill the primer pocket tap the hole choose a socket to push against the die base yet have internal room for the cartridge base put the socket on the die. Put some washers over the square 3/8 hole. insert the 1/4" bolt, tighten the bolt and pull the brass out of the die. |
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If it is a straight walled case (.375, .38-55, .45-70, most pistol rounds, etc) or if it is a small caliber and the expander ball is small enough to come out the top of the die, a drift punch long enough to reach the case and wider than the flash hole is all you need and the die does not even have to come out of the press to tap the case out.
Otherwise a removal kit or the above mentioned hardware is all you'll need. If you are not a tool kind of guy, the removal kit is going to be cheaper. In my experience, I've never not been warned about a stuck case. If you are using a lube pad you'll note the extra resistance or feel some "chatter" if the lube is inadequate - and that's the time to re-lube the pad and any brass lubed but not yet sized. Regardless of how you lube, if the stroke is anything but smooth, you need more lube - stop, retract and re-lube rather than finishing the sizing operation on that case. 95% of the time you'll probably get away with it, maybe even 99% of the time, but that last 1%-5% of the time will ruin a case and cost you a fair amount of time. The worst offenders I have had have been brass shot out of HK91s and HK93s. The fluted chamber leaves a surface on the case that can be resistant to lube on a pad, and is also just plain rough, so generous lube and carbide dies really help to prevent stuck cases. Generally though, I don't reload those cases if I can help it. |
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Quoted:
You probably have what you need already. Tap handle 7/32 drill bit 1/4 - 20 tap 1/4-20 bolt washers 3/8 drive socket Drill the primer pocket tap the hole choose a socket to push against the die base yet have internal room for the cartridge base put the socket on the die. Put some washers over the square 3/8 hole. insert the 1/4" bolt, tighten the bolt and pull the brass out of the die. Yup, what I do. |
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This has pictures of the RCBS kit including instructions. You can buy the kit of make up your own by buying the individual pieces Removing a Stuck Case From a Sizing Die The time to buy or assemble a kit is before you need it, otherwise you're stuck in the water until you get one and you'll be tempted to get the case unstuck using pilers or something, which almost never works, it ends up damaging the die more often than not |
| I talked with RCBS this weeek, and the lady stated that one should simply return (RCBS sizing die) the die/stuck case to them with $5.00 and they would take care of the problem. The $5.00 is for return postage. FYI - the neck expander ball in RCBS dies are not Carbide. |
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Quoted:
You probably have what you need already. Tap handle 7/32 drill bit 1/4 - 20 tap 1/4-20 bolt washers 3/8 drive socket Drill the primer pocket tap the hole choose a socket to push against the die base yet have internal room for the cartridge base put the socket on the die. Put some washers over the square 3/8 hole. insert the 1/4" bolt, tighten the bolt and pull the brass out of the die. This basically duplicates the "stuck case remover kit". I have the RCBS kit and have used it maybe twice since the mid 1980's. Once for me once for a friend. Both times it worked flawlessly. I machined a "like" tool for my friend. The spacer/washer is the only "specific" part of the kit. As the list above shows, the rest is common tools. I like the kit because it is not expensive, and it comes in it's own box that is easy to keep tract of, which btw, is important for a tool that rarely gets used. |
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Quoted:
This has pictures of the RCBS kit including instructions. You can buy the kit of make up your own by buying the individual pieces Removing a Stuck Case From a Sizing Die Thanks for the link!! My dies now are all Lee, and the video in that link was awesome for stuck cases in Lee dies :-) |
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Quoted: Quoted: You probably have what you need already. Tap handle 7/32 drill bit 1/4 - 20 tap 1/4-20 bolt washers 3/8 drive socket Drill the primer pocket tap the hole choose a socket to push against the die base yet have internal room for the cartridge base put the socket on the die. Put some washers over the square 3/8 hole. insert the 1/4" bolt, tighten the bolt and pull the brass out of the die. Yup, what I do. this is what I did recently. |
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