Broke a LEE Decapping Pin What is the fix?

[dtknowles]

Title says it all.

Tim

[FishingFool]

Call up Lee and order a half a dozen more. It won't be your first nor your last.

[docone31]

Berdan primers will bend/break the pins.
I got a die set for my -06 and was happily depriming away when I hit a berdan case. It broke.
The pins are swaged into the die so you have to replace the inside sizeing piece. I haven't bothered to drill out the old pin, but the die is still good except for the pin.
Watch those Berdan cases. They break pins.

[kyle623]

send the broken one to lee, they will replace it free, i have to send one in myself. new ones run around 3 bucks a pop

[dragon813gt]

Call them up and the nice lady on the phone will ship you a new one. Just remember that your die is less than two years old ;)

If you have other Lee dies, and need to keep using the one that broke, take the pin out of another one. Order a couple spares while you're at it. I've found that the only thing that breaks them is a berdan primed case. And now that I know how it feels to hit one I won't be breaking anymore. You can really feel the pin loading up before it breaks.

[runfiverun]

it seems like I never break stuff I have spares for.

[thekidd76]

it seems like I never break stuff I have spares for.

Always happens when you have insurance doesn't it??

[Rolling Stone]

On the universal decapper, I have spares but recently ran out. Turned the rod end for end, drilled a 1/16 hole, turned the drill around, put the shank in the rod with loctite, cut off the approximate length and was good to go. Lee will also take a picture of the broken pins if you can find the form on the web site. That saves mailing it back to them.
RS

[Four Fingers of Death]

On the universal decapper, I have spares but recently ran out. Turned the rod end for end, drilled a 1/16 hole, turned the drill around, put the shank in the rod with loctite, cut off the approximate length and was good to go. Lee will also take a picture of the broken pins if you can find the form on the web site. That saves mailing it back to them.
RS

Cool idea, I have two decaping dies, one busted and one new one. The LGS only had complete decapping dies in stock and I was in a hurry. Sending stuff in for warranty doesn't work in Australia, it's a case of catch and kill your own. I recently bought a couple of 1/16th drill bits to make up a pin for a 1911 ejector. One of them is about to do a bit of work then become a decapping pin! Thanks for the idea.

[jmorris]

Their pistol dies and universal decap die all use the same one so unless you just have one set, you have spares. They used to accept an email with a photo of the broken one and would send a replacement. I think you have to send them in now.

[lightman]

I recently broke the "unbreakable" pin in my universal decapping die and Lee was less than helpful. I just ordered a few replacements from Midway and moved on. I think 3 pins were about $10. The broke pin was no fault of Lee's, I just overlooked a small rock in the case.

[Grmps]

Send Lee the broken pin and they will send you a new one for free. You only pay for your shipping

You can order parts from Lee for free but pay a higher rate of shipping and handling.

[mdi]

In over 30 years of using Lee dies, I've broken one. I missed a chunk of hard resin tumbling media in a 30-30 case and tried to decap the case. It was my fault so I just bought 4 more from Lee...

[Moleman-]

Before the internet when I broke my first Lee "unbreakable" decapping pin I fixed it with a standard decapping pin and loctite. Try heating the broken end up to see if the heat will make the broken off pin section pop out (does about 1/2 the time) or grind/file away enough of the shaft to get a hold of the pin with a set of pliers. If you have a drill press you can make a little drilling jig. The decapping stem is around 3/16", so find a piece of metal 3/4" thick or so. Clamp the metal in the drill press and drill halfway through with a 3/16"ish bit then switch to a 1/16" bit and drill the rest of the way through. you now have a drill guide. Slip it on drill for a standard decapping pin and loctite it in. I've since got a lathe so I just use that. It's a lot quicker than ordering a new one. The old style pins were a needle bearing according to Lee, but the newer ones are just turned from the same decaping pin material and are much softer and bendy.

[robg]

Broken Lyman pins but you guys must be brutal to break the Lee pins ,I've hit a couple of berdan cases but just pushed the rod up through the lock nut .

[3leggedturtle]

I've found that the only thing that breaks them is a berdan primed case. And

A spent primer inside a 9mm case will also break it!!! Todd/3leg

[Moleman-]

The old style Lee pins that are needle bearings are extremely tough but will eventually fail if you use them enough. The new ones are just turned from the mild steel they make the stem from and the pin is case hardened slightly. The pin next to the loctite tube was the new style pin from a 444 marlin die set that bent on it's first batch of 100 wildcat cases (expanded 30-06). One case had a little ridge around the flash hole and the pin ended up looking like a "J". It's done several hundred with the loctited in and trimmed decapping pin. When it eventually breaks I'll flip it over and be good to go for a while

[Four Fingers of Death]

The old style Lee pins that are needle bearings are extremely tough but will eventually fail if you use them enough. The new ones are just turned from the mild steel they make the stem from and the pin is case hardened slightly. The pin next to the loctite tube was the new style pin from a 444 marlin die set that bent on it's first batch of 100 wildcat cases (expanded 30-06). One case had a little ridge around the flash hole and the pin ended up looking like a "J". It's done several hundred with the loctited in and trimmed decapping pin. When it eventually breaks I'll flip it over and be good to go for a while

Great info, Thanks.

[Moleman-]

It would be interesting to know what two sizes and type of needle bearings they used to use for their decapping stems.

[afish4570]

Broken Lyman pins but you guys must be brutal to break the Lee pins ,I've hit a couple of berdan cases but just pushed the rod up through the lock nut .

I have a Reddng Turret press old model 25. The compound leverage and alittle power about the same as decapping military 3006 cases fired in auto loading rifles was all it took. This was a few years ago on some 40 S&W cases that were a dull nickle in color with berdan primers. At that time Lee required an email with a picture of the broken pin.afish4570

[airone46]

I've also had a chance to break a Lee pin: as always when I did not have the spare part !!!
I saw carefully and I noticed that the pin looked glued. I tried to pull it out with a pair of pliers, but it did not come out; but when I warmed up JUST with a lighter, he went out alone.
I cleaned the seat with a drill bit of the size that came in with a very light resistance. then I broke the tip to the correct size and I fixed the cylindrical part (the one that is held by the drill chuck) with a bit of Attack! The drill bits (HSS ???) are much more resistant than the pin! I still keep drill bits as spare parts, but I've never used them!
I do not remember the measure: in Italy we have the decimal system and not in inch. I think they were tips of 1.4 mm.
In any case, just try possibly bringing the piece without pins into a hardware store.

[L Erie Caster]

I can understand you guys outside the US, but for those here it only cost a few dollars for a couple of spare pins. It would likely cost as much to package up a die and send it in as to buy pins.

[lightman]

It would likely cost as much to package up a die and send it in as to buy pins.

This is where I was at with Lee. They offered to replace my pin for free if I mailed them the broken one. No offer was made to accept a picture. The cost to mail the broken one was close to the replacement cost so I just ordered a few from Midway, as part of another order. I guess I've been spoiled by Dillon and RCBS!

I've made replacement pins for RCBS and Lyman dies from the pins in pop rivets. Maybe not as tough as a needle bearing but I had a good selection of rivets, and they worked ok.

[airone46]

I have always decapped separately. I use the universal decapping die of the lee. Sending a die in the US for a decapping die costs as much as 5 DIES COMPLETE!
And you do not always find them and then you have to send them to collect, and you can wait even months! If you use the broken drill bit, across the street and buy the tip in the shop in front of the house! Cost € 0.10! The broken end must be inserted into the pin hole.