RICKLANDES
03-19-2010, 08:45 AM
I looked high and low and could not find a decapping die to work with the long .45-120 case. I disassembled my Lyman universal die and noted the threads a top the decapping stem are about 1 1/4" long. I knew this unit was made extra strong for military type crimped primers and I knew that a flinlock breech plug is normally safe if it is threaded at about 3/4" into the barrel. These were my basis for believing there would be lots of strength left for pushing out a used primer.
This die was just too shallow for the cases I was using. SO I chucked the decapping pin into my hand drill and then locked the drill handle up and chuck to the right in my pattern vise. I had measured and marked the length I needed (from pin end to top threaded area) before locking the chuck. Starting and locking on my "drill lathe" I used a 10" mill file to cut the threads down allowing the remaining stem to easily fit into the case mouth. I cut enough threads off to allow the pin to extend about 1/8" below the case. I finished it off by forming a radius on the end of the new "plug" and then polishing the new area to a 600 grit finish and cleaning up the starter thread area. I have about 3/4" of threads left on the decapping pin to thread into the die body.
Less than 10 minutes...It works great.
This die was just too shallow for the cases I was using. SO I chucked the decapping pin into my hand drill and then locked the drill handle up and chuck to the right in my pattern vise. I had measured and marked the length I needed (from pin end to top threaded area) before locking the chuck. Starting and locking on my "drill lathe" I used a 10" mill file to cut the threads down allowing the remaining stem to easily fit into the case mouth. I cut enough threads off to allow the pin to extend about 1/8" below the case. I finished it off by forming a radius on the end of the new "plug" and then polishing the new area to a 600 grit finish and cleaning up the starter thread area. I have about 3/4" of threads left on the decapping pin to thread into the die body.
Less than 10 minutes...It works great.