De-priming press

[Babbott213]

I like to de-prime my brass before I tumble clean my brass and I'm using a Lee Classic loader de-priming rod and soft blow mallet to de-prime my brass with. Is there a tool to fit up to a single stage press to only de-prime with? My Lee die has a de-primer and sizer built in an I usually resize only after I clean. Thoughts? I'm less than two years on reloading so I'm still learning. Thinking about getting another single stage just for de-priming brass with.

[Charlie in Co]

I use the cheapo Lee c press as a dedicated depriming station. The universal depriming die works good for this also

[mozeppa]

i use a dillon 650 to de prime size and bell in one operation...then ss pins to clean ...ready to prime and load.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yup, Lee or RCBS Universal depriming die. It just deprimes and does no sizing. Also, look into the Harvey Depriming tool. It is a handheld deprimer you can use while watching TV. Not as fast as working on the press though.

[StratsMan]

If the brass comes from a bolt gun, and shrinks down small enough to not require a full length size, then I use a Hornady neck-sizer to deprime. Then clean and check length. My '06 brass from a 1903 is usually good to go like that...

[John Boy]

I have one 3 Hole Turret dedicated on the Lee Press: the Lee Universal Decapping Die and the Lee Hardness Tester Die. So for decapping, just put the shell holder on the end of the ram and knock the primers out before they go in the rotary

[prs]

I used to do my black powder 45 Colt brass like that, except I never found much use for the SS pins. I put a Lee universal decapping die in station one of a Load Master and left the other stations empty. Fill the case feeder and have at it. Very quickly does a lot of deprime work.

prs

[dragon813gt]

Lee Universal Decapping die and a RCBS JR3 press when I do it that way. Very rarely do I just deprime. The Lee die works great as long as you pay attention to when tension is building from a missed Berdan primer. If you don't then snap.

[Vinne]

+1 on the Lee Universal Decapping die in a Lee single stage press. Works great and you only have to change the shell holder when switching cases.

[Beesdad]

I de-prime using a Lee universal decapping die followed by a resizer in a Lee Loadmaster for all of my pistol brass.... Then there off to the tumbler which is loaded with SS pins. Very fast and efficient way to process my brass.... If I break a decap pin its replaced free by Lee... I have damaged 3 in the last 50k I have processed this way...

[Babbott213]

Ok, thanks everyone. Great info from everyone. I've been using the SS pins ever since I started. I use a cheap rock tumbler from Harbor Freight. Works very effective and will hold enough brass to do either 50 rounds of .44Mag or .45LC which is plenty enough for me to work on each time. I let them tumble from an hour to two hours and there nice, clean and shiny. I may move up to a larger tumbler later, but for now this one is working.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

If you are handy you can make your own tumbler...any size you want. Electric motor, pulleys, v-belt, rods, pillow block bearing, etc. I used pvc pipe for my drum.

[Lefty Red]

Yup, Lee or RCBS Universal depriming die. It just deprimes and does no sizing. Also, look into the Harvey Depriming tool. It is a handheld deprimer you can use while watching TV. Not as fast as working on the press though.

Yep! And add a flash hole tool.

[ioon44]

I like to use the Lee Decapping Pin for the Lee Classic loader with a brass hammer and lee base. This way I can inspect brass for culls and then wet tumble.

[bedbugbilly]

I di-prime all of my brass, rifle and pistol, on an old RCBS JR3 using the Lee Universal De-priming Die. Titan sells them for $11.78 + shipping. It works great and has done its job well for thousands of de-primes. I did purchase a couple of extra replacement de-priming pins for the die when I bought it "just in case". As Murphy's Law dictates . . . if you have spares on hand you'll never need 'em!

[Bonz]

I bought the cheapest Lee progressive press I could find, a universal case feeder off of fleabay, a Lee universal de-priming die and had a member here make me a die that would fix bent case mouths.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I just run my bottle neck cases thru a Sizing Die which knocks the primer out as well and then Tumble them.

When done in the tumbler they are ready to load.

You need a single stage press no matter what kind of other machinery you have.

It is a basic tool for reloading, and you can do everything on one. A RCBS Rockchucker is a good one to start with. It will outlast you easily.

The smallest ones like the little Lee Press or others of similar construction are just useful things to have around. They can be used for depriming, priming, sizing boolits, neck sizing, running an M die or other expander or any thing else short of Full Length Resizing of large rifle cases.

I have considered setting up three of the small Lee Presses in a row to use for assembling rounds.

Other than pistol rounds and hi volume rounds like .223's, I assemble all my cartridges by first processing the fired case, then tumbling, and then loading the processed cases by performing all of the loading steps to each round from start to finish. This usually requires three stations and I use my C&H 444 press or my PW MetalMatic II to accomplish this. This is because I am usually loading only 50-100 rounds at a time and can accomplish the task in less than an hour.

The three Lee Presses set up side by side would accomplish the same operations and you could be up and running for less than $80! or 1/4 the cost of the C&H Press and 1/6+ of the PW. They could be attached to a nice hardwood board that could be clamped to your bench and removed for storage.

This setup could be called "the Poor Mans Progressive."

Something for all you guys just starting out to consider.

Randy

[zuke]

I like my LEE press's for depriming. They catch the spent primer's!

[MrWolf]

I don't deprime on my Dillon but bought a hand held Harvey Deprimer. Works great and keeps any garbage away from my reloading. I point it in a plastic bag when depriming so everything stays nice and clean. I have deprimed thousands of different rounds in multiple calibers.

http://harveydeprimer.com

[nitro570]

I don't deprime on my Dillon but bought a hand held Harvey Deprimer. Works great and keeps any garbage away from my reloading. I point it in a plastic bag when depriming so everything stays nice and clean. I have deprimed thousands of different rounds in multiple calibers.

http://harveydeprimer.com

Same here on the Harvey Deprimer but I shoot mine in a large flat plactic container, works great.