Lee Universal primer removing die.

[lightman]

I'm using mine right now to break down a bunch of ammo that I got in a package deal with some reloading gear. Its mostly calibers that I don't load, someone else's reloads or is corroded. The bullets will eventually see the melting pot and the brass will go into the retired electricians beer fund! I also deprime before I tumble in stainless media.

[Shumkles]

I bought a universal decapper for my lee load-master. I put the decaaper in the first position and the sizer in the second position. This way the case is held firmly and perfectly centered for the primer insertion. I get range brass, tumble it and run everything through the loader. I do bend a lot of pins in berdan primed cases and also sometimes when a case is not fully seated in the shell plate in the first position. I have decapped and sized before putting the brass into the progressive reloader but I shoot 1000+ 9mm rounds a week so perfection must give way to speed. seems way faster to replace the pins once in a while than to run an entirely seprerate process.

I do have squirrel daddy on speed dial and I try to always have about 6 extra pins on hand.

[Moleman-]

The pin is easy to replace, heat with propane torch the rin is glued in with epoxy. With the heat the pin will usually squirt out the hole as the epoxy expanded and burns. Clean out the hole with a small drill and glue another pin in the cleaned hole. I use drill blanks for the replacement pin.
Have changed out pins in all of the Lee primer punches over the years.

That's how I've been doing it for years also. I used a slightly cut down RCBS large or small decapping pin and just loctite it in place. Today I had 3 broken decaping pins and noticed that the two new-ish ones were solid lathe turned with a small radius at the base of the bent pin. Just cut them off with a side cutter and lathe turned the end flat, drilled for new pin and then though what the heck why not just do the top side also. The third pin was the glued in type that popped up a bit when heated and was easily removed with a set of pliers. Older glued in pin on the left with a replacement pin under it and one of the newer lathe turned pins on the right. The end facing the camera had the original pin. The lathe turned pins seemed a lot softer.

[mold maker]

Thanks for the info, but I ordered several stems as replacements many years ago. At the (then) price I couldn't justify repairs.
I did find that grinding a taper to the stem allowed easier use in small necks like 223.

[3006guns]

Lee has always come out with innovative tools for the reloader. The depriming die and flaring die are two of the best, BUT.....be advised.....it IS possible to bend the depriming pin! I don't remember how I did it, but the pin didn't slide up like it was supposed to. As a result I purchased two replacements, one for the die and a spare in the box.

I just bought one of my very first "Factory Crimp" dies for the Japanese 7.7 mm. It's one heck of an improvement over the crimp shoulder in the RCBS die. Puts a nice, uniform and ADJUSTABLE crimp on each case, even if their not trimmed quite right.

I have a Rock Chucker and at least eight other presses....including a Dillon 550 and a couple of Hollywoods....but now I'm seriously looking at a Lee Classic Cast single stage as a replacement for my aging Rock Chucker.