Removing carbide ring from Lee FCD - Any other ideas?

[ZigZagMarquis]

I have an extra Lee FCD in .38 spl.

I'd like to remove the carbide ring from it. I took the adjustment screw and guts out and chucked it up in the press and tried to knock the ring out with a hammer an punch, but couldn't get enough of a "purchase" (really thin edge) on the top of the ring to be successful. The punch just slid off.

I've looked around the forum and most folks just say to hold the die in a vise and knock the ring out with a hammer and punch. Either they're better than me or I missing something.

Any other ideas?

I'd like to use it without the carbide ring so it doesn't resize the bullet, but provides a nice crimp.

I've tried the tip I read somewhere else where one takes the inards out of a Lee FCD and swaps it with that in a Lee Expander Die and this works well for me in .44, but with the .38spl dies, if I swap the crimp ring from the Lee .38spl FCD into the Lee Expander die, the expander die body is longer than the FCD, so there's not enough travel, even with the adjustment screw in the top all the way bottomed out. Make sense?

Anyway, I came by an extra Lee FCD and thought I'd knock the carbide die out and try that, but its turned out to be harder than I thought it would be to knock it out.

Thoughts?

OBTW, I don't have an entire machine shop in my garage like some of y'all seem too. ;-)

[I'll Make Mine]

I don't know what the heat treatment state is on the die (so can't say if heat will soften the metal), but if you heat it up to 400º F or so, the die should expand a good bit more than the carbide and both give you a bigger lip for your punch, and loosen the "press fit" or "shrink fit" of the die onto the carbide ring.

[geargnasher]

If you squeeze the opening of the die just enough to flex it in a vise and crack the carbide ring, it's a bit easier to remove with the punch/hammer. You can use a Lee Powder-Thru-Expander die body with the FCD sliding crimp insert also, but you'd have to aquire a PTE die for $10.

Gear

[engineer401]

I just dropped a spent surplus case in though the top of the die and drove the ring out with a ball peen hammer and a 1/4-inch flat punch. I worked well. I also left the lock ring upside-down on the die and set the die body loosely between the vise jaws with the lock ring on top. I didn't want to pinch the die.

[ZigZagMarquis]

... You can use a Lee Powder-Thru-Expander die body with the FCD sliding crimp insert also...

Gear

Gear,

I've found that trick works GREAT with the .44 Lee dies I have, but not so much with the .38spl Lee dies I have.

The .38spl Lee Powder-thru-Expander die is "longer" than the .38spl Lee FCD. So when I put the .38 FCD insert in to the PTE die, even with the adjusting screw (cap, what ever you want to call it) bottomed all the way out, it stil feels like there should be just "a little bit more" for a good crimp, but maybe I'm over-doing it?

<break><break>

I may try engr401s suggestion.

I wish I had a good bench and vise. I'm having to put the die in my press to work on it and the last think I'd want to do is f-up my press.

[dragonrider]

The ring is held in with locktite, heat the die around the ring, then hit it again with a punch from the inside, it should come right out.

[RobS]

The ring is held in with locktite, heat the die around the ring, then hit it again with a punch from the inside, it should come right out.

+1 along with a spent case dropped in from the top where the rim will catch the edge of the carbide ring

[engineer401]

The ring is held in with locktite, heat the die around the ring, then hit it again with a punch from the inside, it should come right out.

Mine had no Loctite on it. It had a minor crimp at the bottom of the die. The carbide ring came out with a small piece of steel from the crimp.

[ZigZagMarquis]

I just dropped a spent surplus case in though the top of the die and drove the ring out with a ball peen hammer and a 1/4-inch flat punch. I worked well. I also left the lock ring upside-down on the die and set the die body loosely between the vise jaws with the lock ring on top. I didn't want to pinch the die.


Well... no offense... I tried that, but all I managed to do was bend the punch.

:sad:

Anyone... any more ideas?

[r1kk1]

What is the difference between a Lee FCD and a taper or roll crimp die with the carbide ring removed? I've seen very few collet style (like the rifle FCD) in pistol calibers.

Could a fellow order a FCD without the carbide ring?

Just wondering guys as I own very few FCDs and the ones I do are for rifle applications, I.e., 44-40, 30-30, etc.

Take care

r1kk1