Decap pin stuck in a pile of loaded rounds?

[bld451]

Had an interesting and frustrating situation while loading a bunch of bulk .223 ammo. I use a Dillon and am careful about visually verifying powder charges before the seating step. (1.99 clip on reading light at the dollar store helps me see) What I haven't done is verify that my decap pin stays in the die. :shock: I keep each hundred segregated until I check the powder charge, OAL, and crimp for each package of primers I load. (check when I reload the tube) Well, I had about 500 loaded and checked and in an ammo can when I noticed the decap pin was not in the die. Hmmmm..... Where was it??? I thought briefly about pulling them all, and after about three seconds realized I had to come up with a better way to find the pin. (If it didn't make it out the barrel when that round was fired, it would be a genuine bore obstruction.)

I was loading all copper and brass components, (no steel jackets or penetrators) but the pin is steel and a small button magnet (3/16 or 1/4" diameter and available at Hobby Lobby for about $3.00/10 and great for holding pics on the fridge) will stick to the outside of a case that has a pin inside it. The magnet stuck to a round about 30 from the end. Pulled that round and put the pin back in the die. 20 minutes or so.

Lesson.....keep an eye on everything you can think of when you're going to town loading a bunch. Every hundred rounds, check everything.

Don't know if anyone has had to deal with this or not, but if it saves someone a bunch of time someday, my time here was worth it.

[garandsrus]

Great idea....

[R.Ph. 380]

And the rounds that you decapped after the pin stayed in the one case? Did ya check to see if any of those rounds had active primers?

[mooman76]

I was going to say try weighing the rounds but your idea was allot better and weighing would probably be iffy at best. Great job!

[bld451]

Should have said in the OP that I deprime, trim, clean all my Dillon loaded rifle brass, then it goes through the machine. I use the decap die in the first station to clear out all the cleaning media that gets stuck in the flash hole. Sometimes a tight flash hole or burred up one will grab the pin.

Thanks R.Ph. 380

[LUBEDUDE]

Strange problem..... smart solution!

[deltaenterprizes]

I thought Dillon had the decap pin like a nail with a head on it.

[dragonrider]

A very clever idea, thanks for posting it.

[buck1]

Good thinking

[bld451]

Delta, I'm using RCBS......

[MBTcustom]

I saw the title of this thread and thought you dropped the pin in a bunch of empty brass. I thought of a magnet too, but was going to suggest throwing it in the tumbler with the brass to collect the pin, but after reading your post through, I realize you got 'er tooken care of. Good idea.

[deltaenterprizes]

Delta, I'm using RCBS......

OK, I saw Dillon, the press not the dies :bigsmyl2:

[bld451]

Yeah, when I do something clever (seldom) I like to let people know so there's a record of it. Ha. I miss some details in my haste sometimes. :)