thoughts on improving the grip on a Lee Universal Decapper?

[joebaja]

Been using a Lee Universal Decapping die since I switched to wet cleaning my brass. I've managed to bend a few pins over the years, mostly as a result of me being careless and forcing the press onto a shell that had slipped off center of the shell holder. I get how the pin is supposed to slide up in the collet if it encounters too much resistance, but have never been able to dial in the perfect tension that will still deprime miliary brass but slide on off-center or berdan brass. But now I have the opposite problem. I have the collet cranked as tight as I can make it (and I'm kinda a big dude) but any time it encounters any noticeable resistance it pushes up - even it if is a slightly sticky commercial 9mm. Has anyone found a good way to make the pin a little more "grippy?" I was thinking about PCing it to add a couple thou of diameter, but cured PC is pretty slick. Didn't know if the reduced friction would offset the increase in diameter. Thoughts?

[Stewbaby]

I’d say rub it some with a file to rough up the area it tightens against but...I use the hardened Squirrel Daddy pins in mine and tighten it down tight were it won’t move.

They don’t break...they turn berdan to boxer (almost lol, see pic). You know it is hitting something due to the resistance but you can force it and it just punches thru rather than breaking. I’d recommend that and so you then could shelve the standard lee pin.

I don’t know why they sell in a three pack...I guess so you can give two away!


https://www.squirreldaddy.com/Decapping-pin-s/336.htm

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201008/b06ef66dceead2da17f135fa42ed6cb5.jpg

[rswink]

Sounds like you probably have a worn die, the threads the nut, I bought a back up nut for mine and have since installed it for the same problem.

Since that time I have bought 2 more universal Decapping dies, under the guise of leaving one on the hand press and 1 on a quick disconnect for the single stage. Oh, and the other was "they accidentally billed me for 2 and shipped them, it would cost as much as I spent to ship it back so I might as well keep it, right honey?"

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[Bazoo]

Reassemble it with loctite on the shaft.

[jetinteriorguy]

Make sure there is absolutely no trace of any oil on the shaft or the collet, makes a huge difference. You could also take some rough emery cloth to the shaft and rough it up for a better grip.

[Slugster]

Take the die apart, spray down with degreaser, roll the decapping pin in rosin, reassemble. This works for me.

[Moleman-]

Also check the nut to be sure the cuts that form the collet fingers are still open. I've run into it before where you're cranking down on the nut to the point where it should punch through a berdan case or break only to have the stem slide up on crimped cases. If the cuts in the nut that make the fingers are touching then they can be forced against each other v/s just being forced against the decapping stem. The can be easily opened back up with a dremel tool and fiber cut off disc.

[mdi]

I have been using Lee sizing/decapping dies for quite a few years. Maybe because I'm a lifelong machinist/mechanic but I have had no trouble getting the stems to stay in place except when a Berdan case or a chunk of media slipped by me. I have removed thousands of military crimped in primers and even some corroded in primers and only the absolute most stubborn/tight primers can be removed (those that did "slip" the stem had to be removed with a decapper stem/base and hammer)...

Remove the stem and collet. clean with brake clean or other aggressive solvent to remove all oil from stem and collet. Tighten pretty tight (but not gorilla with a 36" cheater bar tight). I have had no need to mar/file/knurl or glue the stem in place...

[BigAlofPa.]

I broke a few lee decapping pins. I started using the squirrel daddy pins. Have not broken one yet. When my app press came and universal decapping die. I put a squirrel daddy pin it right away.
https://www.squirreldaddy.com/Decapping-pin-s/336.htm

[jimkim]

Chuck the pin up in a lathe or drill and file the end down a little, OR stipple the shaft with a punch below where the collar fits.

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[rbuck351]

I broke two pins in about two minutes trying the use the Lee universal decapper on a Bonanza coax press. Apparently with nothing to center the case in the die it tries to push the pin through the bottom of the case in places other than the flash hole. The pins with shaft are cheap but the freight isn't so I drilled the other end of the shaft and installed ujoint pins. I also quit trying to use the lee decapper in the coax.
Also I had a 30/30 die set I bought used that wouldn't hold well enough to push primers out. I kept tightening the nut until I snapped it off without getting it tight enough. I found that the military 223 cleaning rods to be the proper diameter and cut to length with a pin from a ujoint installed they work great.

[joebaja]

Much thanks for all of the ideas. This is the 3rd or 4th pin I've used in the die, and the first to have this problem. I think I will try roughing it up a bit with a file and then thoroughly cleaning / degreasing. I have never heard of the squirrel daddy pins. If tune up doesn't do the job then I think that will be my next step.