Sick of replacing decapping pins

[MrWolf]

I use the Harvey Deprimer;
https://harveydeprimer.com/

It is /stout/, and even decaps WWII USGI M2 cases w/ crimped & corroded-in primers.
I never break decapping pins any more, that's for sure.

I use the standard 0.07" integral pin, but there is also a 0.06" integral pin.

Far more convenient than using a press; I usually sit back & watch a movie while depriming, no adjustments ever needed between different-sized cases.

Made here in Oregon; I have met the inventor and he's a straight-up guy for sure.

Same here. I don't like getting the extra junk on my press and the Harvey is very easy and convenient. I know you were looking for a solution to your current issue, but this is an alternative that is worth looking into, in my humble opinion of course.
Ron

[Bmi48219]

Norma has tiny flash holes, at least in 9mm….

AND 38 special / 357 mag!
Fiocchi - GLF brass primer holes seem well centered in those cartridges but there’s another manufacturer (I can’t remember) that is super irritating.

[schutzen-jager]

back when i was working at FORD dealership, the parts dept had many different needle bearings that were used in standard transmissions - took a mic + got several diameters that work perfectly in my RCBS sizer/decapper dies -

[FISH4BUGS]

Settled this - I ordered a Lee 223 sizer die and 3 extra decapping rods.
No more broken/missing decap pins for me!

[jetinteriorguy]

I’ve been decapping all of my brass for over 15 years since first getting the Lee Universal Decapping die and am still on the original pin. At the time I bought it I picked up 3 replacement pins and they’re still sitting in my spare parts drawer. In this time I’m sure I’ve deprimed well over 100,000 rounds.

[Shanghai Jack]

if you consider crimped primers an obstruction and the necessity for a vise so you can grinch the NPT collet to a bazillion foot pounds lee's are great (not)

[jetinteriorguy]

The key to the Lee die is to disassemble it and make sure there is absolutely no oil on the stem or collet. Even the slightest bit of oil will cause it to slip no matter how hard you crank on it. When set properly it will slip when needed, but if it slips you have to take it apart and once again make sure that it’s clean of oil. While this can get annoying sometimes it’s the way it’s designed to work.

[Harter66]

So why not just turn a 1/4x4" grade 5 or 8 bolt down under .223 3" inches from the last thread bevel the head cut off and sweat in a U joint bearing ? Then screw it into a RCBS universal decapping die with a jamb nut . It's a $2 30 minute solution for a $6 oops .

[georgerkahn]

Maybe I was lucky, but I took on the task of making quite a pile of dummy ammo for club instructional purposes. With a time line -- the Saturday class, and this was Thursday -- I was going OK until my first decap pin broke. OK -- I have a few spares -- but, they broke, too ! As I looked up to scratch my head I noted a few "maybe right size?" Allen wrenches affixed to magnets on a lamp beam... And, it was not too hard to find one of the exact size needed. Out came the Dremel to cut off the right length -- I reckoned, too, I had just about the right amount left for a 2nd "pin" if the first failed.
This was more than five years ago -- and my home-made-Allen pin still has worked flawlessly!
If all else fails for you... you may wish to try this?
geo

[Rockzilla]

Mighty Armory..here after bent, broken pins, TAA headstamp brass did em all in except
the Mighty Amory one.

-Rock

[dverna]

Maybe I was lucky, but I took on the task of making quite a pile of dummy ammo for club instructional purposes. With a time line -- the Saturday class, and this was Thursday -- I was going OK until my first decap pin broke. OK -- I have a few spares -- but, they broke, too ! As I looked up to scratch my head I noted a few "maybe right size?" Allen wrenches affixed to magnets on a lamp beam... And, it was not too hard to find one of the exact size needed. Out came the Dremel to cut off the right length -- I reckoned, too, I had just about the right amount left for a 2nd "pin" if the first failed.
This was more than five years ago -- and my home-made-Allen pin still has worked flawlessly!
If all else fails for you... you may wish to try this?
geo

I will keep that one in mind.

I was having tons of trouble with 5.56 brass decapping military cases. Ran out of pins.

Ordered some Squirrel Daddy ones and never used them. Got sidetracked to other more "fun" stuff. I hate processing brass.

[jmorris]

if you consider crimped primers an obstruction and the necessity for a vise so you can grinch the NPT collet to a bazillion foot pounds lee's are great (not)

I just checked the torque on my Lee universal decapping die with a witness mark and applying force until it tightened further ~20ft/lb is where it moved. It will decap crimped pockets without moving.

The collet is 1/2" the flats on the die are 3/4", no vise needed.

I have even built machines that use them because they work better than the others and all it takes to implement them is an 1/8 npt tap.

[hunter74]

I purchased a Mark7 decapping die and never looked back. It has a steep price but it just works. I was tired of pins on my Lee and even MA systems braking when processing 223 and 9mm.

Sent fra min Pixel 8 via Tapatalk

[gloob]

Lee. And keep a heavy hammer handy when sizing/decapping big lots of brass. When the small or offcenter flashholes push the decapping stem back, just give it a couple taps.

A normal hammer works too, but it'll peen/mushroom the end of the decapping stem faster.

I've decapped thousands of crimped OF'd. I don't even try to torque the stem tight enough to decap these 100%. If the stem backs out once in awhile on a crimped pocket, who cares? Tap tap until I hear the ping of the primer popping out, then the stem is perfectly set. If it happens more than once in a blue moon, tap tap ping, then give it a little more torque with your wrench.

[nicholst55]

Nothing worse than bending decapping pins or stems, I've bent a few.
Lately I've done better, and just finished prepping over 2000 pieces of 223 cases. They're already for reloading, sorted, trimmed, chaffered inside and outside of the case mouth, primer pockets cleaned, wet tumbled, and then dried in a dehydrator.

I also use a Dillon 550 and I keep one toolhead empty for my sizing/decapping dies, which works pretty well. Since you only need to load the brass for sizing/ decapping and let the 550 unload the sized brass.
Most all of my toolheads I leave the sizer die out, that way it doesn't get in the way for priming before going to the next station. I also use a Dillon swager, sure takes a lot of work out of those crimped primer pockets.

Lee offers an undersize decapping pin for their universal decapping die, and they also offer the die with the pin installed.

https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-die/

https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-pin/

https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-pin/

[Delkal]

RCBS sells small replacement pins for smaller primer holes. Don't remember the details or if they fit all of their dies though.

[huntersdog]

There are a few sellers on ebay, who make decapping pins in house and have had good luck with them vs factory ones.

[MOshooter]

Lee offers an undersize decapping pin for their universal decapping die, and they also offer the die with the pin installed.

https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-die/

https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-pin/

https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-pin/

nicholst55 thanks for the information and links, I appreciate the help, thanks

[pertnear]

Mighty Armory de-priming die solved my problems & frustrations with decapping pins. If the case didn't have a flash-hole it'd make one!

[dverna]

Mighty Armory de-priming die solved my problems & frustrations with decapping pins. If the case didn't have a flash-hole it'd make one!

Interesting. If it did not have a flash-hole, how did it fire the first time?

Just kidding, I know what you meant.