Help! Stuck case removal

[okksu]

30-06 case in Lee RGB sizer die. Shell holder peled about 1/2 the lip loose from the case. Tippy tapping on the decapping pin hasn't worked. Tips for getting some lube in there? heat? cold?

[oneokie]

Loosen the collet nut at the top of the die, (1/2") wrench. Use a hammer to whack the protruding part of the decap/expander pin. You may have to straighten the stem afterwards and remove the swelled part at the top of the stem.

[okksu]

Thanks, oneokie. Since I was using a Lee aluminum O frame press, I took the die to the shop and set it on the mechanics vice with the jaws opend to clear the case but let the end of the die rest on top of them. It took seven or eight full sized whacks with a 16 oz hammer to break it loose. Pin is still in the case so don't know what may need to be done with it til I cut the case off of it. Mushroomed the pin end but no problem to fix, if the rest of it is OK. Inside the die body looks OK too.

[Big Dave]

From now on Please be a bit more careful to lube the case befor full length sizing.

[Echo]

And stuck case removers are easy to cobble up. All you need is a drill, a tap, a correct-size socket, a couple washers, and a long Allen screw that fits the hole generated by the drill and tap. I think there is a sticky somewhere...

[Hardcast416taylor]

Stuck case removal parts. (1) #28 drill (I hope that is the right number), (1) 1/4x20 tap, (1) 1/4x20 allen head bolt about 1 1/4" long, (1) allen wrench to fit bolt, (4or 5) 1/4" center hole large fender washers. Back up deprimeing stem as far as possible. Drill through primer pocket. Tap hole just drilled, don`t forget to lube the tap. Put washers on case head and screw bolt into case. Case will back out of die. Clamp case in vise and tap deprime rod out of case.Robert

[RKJ]

I got a .223 case stuck in a RCBS SB die awhile back and could not get it out. (I forgot about the stuck case thread). I contacted them (rcbs) to see if they could remove it, No problem send the die and $5.00 (includes S/H back) and they would do it and inspect the die. It is still out there but I expect it back any time. I have another die set so I wasn't out any reloading time. It did cost me a little (less than $10.00) but worth it to me to ensure my die was ok. I've had no problems getting the case out of a LEE die though. Hmmm, maybe I ought to invest in a case puller.? :)

[RKJ]

I got a .223 case stuck in a RCBS SB die awhile back and could not get it out. (I forgot about the stuck case thread and I had used case lube but apparently not enough). I contacted them (rcbs) to see if they could remove it, No problem send the die and $5.00 (includes S/H back) and they would do it and inspect the die. It is still out there but I expect it back any time. I have another die set so I wasn't out any reloading time. It did cost me a little (less than $10.00) but worth it to me to ensure my die was ok. I've had no problems getting the case out of a LEE die though. Hmmm, maybe I ought to invest in a case puller.? :)

[Mk42gunner]

Thanks, oneokie. Since I was using a Lee aluminum O frame press, I took the die to the shop and set it on the mechanics vice with the jaws opend to clear the case but let the end of the die rest on top of them. It took seven or eight full sized whacks with a 16 oz hammer to break it loose. Pin is still in the case so don't know what may need to be done with it til I cut the case off of it. Mushroomed the pin end but no problem to fix, if the rest of it is OK. Inside the die body looks OK too.

One of the good things about Lee dies is that you can use a hammer to get the occasional stuck case out. This is one of the few cases where using a bigger hammer is appropriate, A 2 lb (or more) hammer will start things moving easier than a 1 lb hammer.


Stuck case removal parts. (1) #28 drill (I hope that is the right number), (1) 1/4x20 tap, (1) 1/4x20 allen head bolt about 1 1/4" long, (1) allen wrench to fit bolt, (4or 5) 1/4" center hole large fender washers. Back up deprimeing stem as far as possible. Drill through primer pocket. Tap hole just drilled, don`t forget to lube the tap. Put washers on case head and screw bolt into case. Case will back out of die. Clamp case in vise and tap deprime rod out of case.Robert

A #28 drill is the tap drill for a #8-40 thread. Use a #3 drill for 1/4-28.

I use a 9/16" deepwell socket for '06 headsize rifle cases, with one washer between the bolt and the socket.

Robert

[oneokie]

.
Use a #3 drill for 1/4-28.
Robert

Use a # 7 drill for 1/4-20.

[Mk42gunner]

Geez, I need to pay more attention when I'm reading. I have always used a 1/4-28 bolt and tap, because that was what was in the RCBS stuck case remover kit that I owned for a short while. Somebody wanted it bad enough to double my money.

Anyway, the principle is so simple that once you see it done it is easy to come up with sufficient tools to get the job done.

Robert

[ihmsakiwi]

After 35 years plus of reloading I went a bought a stuck case remover last week.
Comedy of errors...setting up new LNL progressive press and grabbed the wrong shell plate, got the 32Mag one instead of the Hornet. Not being the sharpest knife in the drawer at 11.00pm at night i got the case out and spent twenty minutes looking for the expander plug which I thought I felt fall and hit my foot when using the stuck case remover. All I could find was the de-primer pin.
Someone should put in the instructions that the expander plug stays in the case!! I was lying in bed having given up for the night when the thought struck me, it had to be still in the case. Back out of bed and sure enough, but how do you get it out? Bigger drill thru the primer pocket. You live and learn.

[roverboy]

The only time I stuck one was with a .38/.357 die from RCBS and they took care of it. All but one set of my dies are RCBS. One is Lee.

[1hole]

Brand of dies, brand of cases or what they were shot in makes absolutely no difference, cases get stuck for ONE reason; insufficent case lube. Especially on the lower portion of the case, specifically the thick part down near the head. Spray lubes seem to give the most problems, appearantly a lot of users fail to read and heed the instructions for proper use.

Occasional stuck cases are a virtual certainty with bottle neck cartridges. Every well equipped reloader should have a stuck case remover in his kit. OR ...only use Lee dies so they can be tapped out.

[chris112]

If you go to youtube you can find a couple of videos that demonstrate the different ways to get a stuck case out. Sorry I lost the links in a computer crash a while back.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

A method that has worked is to put the die with the case in it into the freezer for a while. Dry ice is even better if you have access to it. The co- efficient factor of expansion and contraction for brass is greater than that of steel and after the temp goes way down the brass will...either with or without tapping...come out easier from the die. LLS

[scrapcan]

What is all this about having to have a socket head bolt? Just use what ever 1/4 inch bolt, corresponding tap, a socket near the right size for case ehad and die mouht, a couple washers and a wrench. Acrually you can use other size bolts also as long as you can get threads in the cae and not cause problems.

that makes things expedient when it is o dark thirty on sunday and you want to get rolling again.

[jmorris]

With Lee or Dillon dies using a stuck case kit (drill and tap) takes longer than the way they intended you to remove them. Dillon’s rifle dies just take a wrench and the Lee’s need only a wrench and brass hammer or drift.

[noylj]

Lee has a video where Potterfield foes through what to do, ending with Cerrosafe...