Lee universal deprimer die

[richhodg66]

You do know if you send them to Lee they will replace them, right?

So the can replace crap with more crap? No thanks.

[richhodg66]

The best Universal Decapping Die is made my Mighty Armory. One of the best reloading items I ever bought.

MIGHTY ARMORY

Just ordered one of these. The Lee ones should make decent bank sinkers for catfish, assuming they don't bend or break when they hit the water.

[Electrod47]

If it weren't for Richard Lee's "affordability" linked with ease of use going back to 1977. I for one would probably have never attempted reloading.
I'm still using many of those same items. And yea I have bought the five pack replacement pins. It has never bothered me.

[1hole]

Nothing about reloading is complicated, if it was there would be far less of it. IF we pay attention to what we're doing we can usually detect developing problems before things break. Tim Taylor's "apply more power" is rarely the best plan.

A lot of things can break decap pins and prevent proper primer ejection. Sometimes a foreign object is in the case, sometimes the flash hole is way off center, sometimes the case isn't fully into the shell holder, etc. Whatever, if something is stopping the pin, pushing down harder is never the answer. (We can't rightly blame a tool maker if we don't use his tools correctly! )

My young friend's excellent Lee Universal Decapper die has a steel body, a steel collet (which centers the stem very well), a sturdy steel stem and a small steel punch pin; snarky implications aside, nothing about it will easily melt, bend or break.

Lee's primer punch pins are heat treated needle bearings about .050" diameter; they're extremely strong for that small size. The small size is required by their intended use, not Richard Lee, and using another brand of decap pin (at any price, including "Mighty Armor") won't change that.

Is Lee's Universal die "unbreakable"? Well, obviously not. Fact is, nothing is unbreakable to a sufficiently determined bad user is it? But, IMHO, Lee's decap die is about as unbreakable as a small mechanical device can be.

The increased effort required to continue pushing a press lever down when something is wrong is all the feedback a user is ever going to get from such simple devices, we ignore it at our peril! So, "Pay attention to what you're doing!" is all anyone can say to prevent repeatedly broken parts.

[rustyshooter]

Just ordered one of these. The Lee ones should make decent bank sinkers for catfish, assuming they don't bend or break when they hit the water.

This is the last time you will ever have a convo about broken de-prime pins. Good choice. I too deprime offline. Mostly because Dad said to in 1965 and I’ve done it ever since. And he said to because he was of the opinion there’s nothing worse than dirty primer pockets. Not sure why he was of that opinion but he was a forward observer in Patton’s army and made it home. So if it was good enough for Dad……..oh and yes I also agree. Lee=crap

[Tar Heel]

I use the Lee to decap all my black powder cases prior to soap and water bath. Been using it for 15 years. No problems. There may be something going on with your alignment of the case or you may have the die in too far.

[richhodg66]

Nothing about reloading is complicated, if it was there would be far less of it. IF we pay attention to what we're doing we can usually detect developing problems before things break. Tim Taylor's "apply more power" is rarely the best plan.

A lot of things can break decap pins and prevent proper primer ejection. Sometimes a foreign object is in the case, sometimes the flash hole is way off center, sometimes the case isn't fully into the shell holder, etc. Whatever, if something is stopping the pin, pushing down harder is never the answer. (We can't rightly blame a tool maker if we don't use his tools correctly! )

My young friend's excellent Lee Universal Decapper die has a steel body, a steel collet (which centers the stem very well), a sturdy steel stem and a small steel punch pin; snarky implications aside, nothing about it will easily melt, bend or break.

Lee's primer punch pins are heat treated needle bearings about .050" diameter; they're extremely strong for that small size. The small size is required by their intended use, not Richard Lee, and using another brand of decap pin (at any price, including "Mighty Armor") won't change that.

Is Lee's Universal die "unbreakable"? Well, obviously not. Fact is, nothing is unbreakable to a sufficiently determined bad user is it? But, IMHO, Lee's decap die is about as unbreakable as a small mechanical device can be.

The increased effort required to continue pushing a press lever down when something is wrong is all the feedback a user is ever going to get from such simple devices, we ignore it at our peril! So, "Pay attention to what you're doing!" is all anyone can say to prevent repeatedly broken parts.

OK, I took the case that cork screwed that Lee decapper and deprimed it with a punch which only took a light tap. Any lighter and I guessed I could have used hand pressure . I am most definitely not Tim Taylor and have more reloading experience than many if not most on here.

Funny how the Lee fan boys just won't take the blatant fact that that product and most of Lee's stuff is the big ol' PAPA-SIERRA-OSCAR. Had more problems with their stuff, despite that fact that more of my stuff is RCBS, than I ever did with anybody else's.

[BigAlofPa.]

I also endorse using the squirrel daddy replacement pins.

[444ttd]

squirrel daddy fer me!!!!!!!

[1hole]

Funny how the Lee fan boys just won't take the blatant fact that that product and most of Lee's stuff is the big ol' PAPA-SIERRA-OSCAR. Had more problems with their stuff, despite that fact that more of my stuff is RCBS, than I ever did with anybody else's.

Your "problems" aside, what I find funny is how many "Lee fan boys" get good to excellent results, and have for so long, but a rabid few folk fail to find anything good about Lee at all.

Fact is, Lee's tools sell quite well and have done so for about 50 years. Are we all just too dumb to know our results are lying to us?

I've been reloading for everything that goes BANG! since 1965. I've acquired tools and dies of many brands, several of which have long vanished from the market. I've not found that any brand makes "***" junk. And, after making chamber casts in about forty FL sizer dies, I've proven to myself that there is as much difference between individual dies of the same brand as there is between brands. Seems they all make dies to SAAMI specifications.

Lee's dies do not bend or break and those who bend or break Lee's decapper stems and pins need to figure out what they're doing wrong.

Bottom line; brand snobbery is not pretty. Not all makers aim at the same market niche and that matters. I don't believe any brand makes junk tools. But I do believe some people could damage an anvil with a spoon so they NEED lifetime warranties against tool abuse!

[JimB..]

OK, I took the case that cork screwed that Lee decapper and deprimed it with a punch which only took a light tap. Any lighter and I guessed I could have used hand pressure . I am most definitely not Tim Taylor and have more reloading experience than many if not most on here.

Funny how the Lee fan boys just won't take the blatant fact that that product and most of Lee's stuff is the big ol' PAPA-SIERRA-OSCAR. Had more problems with their stuff, despite that fact that more of my stuff is RCBS, than I ever did with anybody else's.

I prefer RCBS pistol dies over Lee, but I do generally prefer the Lee universal decapping die. I threw away a Lee progressive press, but then I threw out an RCBS progressive as well. Have a lee single stage, also a coax which I prefer. Sold my Hornady ammo plant, went to Dillon 650s, but still prefer the Hornady powder measure.

For all your bashing of “Lee fan boys” you seem to be the most brand biased person in the thread.

If your Lee decapping die is trash please shoot me a PM and I’ll be happy to give it a new home.

[jim147]

I have had one problem with a Lee product ever. It was MY fault.

Yeah I'll take that junk if you are just going to throw it away. I know how to make it work.

I still have the spare pin for my Lee decapper sitting here and I might sit down in an evening and do 500-600 rounds watching tv and reading on here.

[remy3424]

Seems rich is the issue in the equation, not the tool he loves to hate. Why even post that? Bought the Lee over a decage ago and a spare rod...still using the original. Mine lives in a Lee hand press. I decap everything with it prior to cleaning....have 755 empties waiting for me after last weekend's prairie dawg shoot.

[rbuck351]

Well, I have the same problem trying to use a lee universal decapper on a CO-AX press. The small diamieter of the punch does not center the pin the case under the pin. CO-AX shell holder moves left or right to line up with the die that can move front or back. This requires a die that centers the case before the primer pin gets to the bottom of the case or you are trying to punch a hole beside the primer and bingo, broken pin or bent shaft. I broke two on the first two cases I tried to deprime on my CO-AX. Also the CO-AX has a lot of push using the long handle and it doesn't take a lot of hand pressure to mash something if it isn't lined up.

Any way, the Lee decapper and the CO-AX don't mix well. You can make it work by carefully lowering the die onto the case and wiggling it until you feel it enter the flash hole but it's more trouble than it's worth. It's just a lot easier and faster to use the proper depriming die for case you're depriming.

I broke two and Lee's web site said they would only send one free + $5 IIRC for shipping. I figured I could make them cheaper and maybe even better. I used military 5.56 cleaning rods ( perfect dia) cut to length and universal joint pins in both ends. If I break one I just flip it over and keep going.

I wouldn't call the Lee universal decapper junk but it does not work well on a CO-AX.

[frkelly74]

So , To chime in here, I have broken my lee deprime tool. I have also broken my RCBS deprime stem from my 06 dies, and have bent a Lyman deprime stem. When something breaks I usually just fix it or replace it and consider it all part of the adventure and try to not do it again. Usually this approach is satisfactory for me. Things do happen and they always will.

The Lyman and RCBS are made to be easy to repair, Just unscrew the parts and put in new ones. I have a supply of pins for both, Which I find is the best insurance against breakage. If you have a spare, you don't break the part it seems. The Lee Pin is still easily replaceable. I have also repaired my original stem. Take the stem and heat it up with the stem pointed in a safe direction. The broken pin will be ejected from the stem with a loud pop and go flying, hopefully in a safe direction. It will have some force and could be a formidable projectile and do damage, be careful. I then super glued a small drill bit shank into the hole and shorten it to suit and then round the end a bit. It is working. I have had this work on two lee deprime stems, one from the die and one wack a mole deprimer. I have had it fail once also. So I am 2 out of 3 for success this way.

[bedbugbilly]

Well . . . I guess I'm just another Lee fan boy cuz my Lee universal de-priming die has been in use for probably 20 years - still has the original pin and has de-primed xii of my brass to the tune of thousands and thousands of a wide variety of casings - has been so good that I added one for my bench in AZ an, it too, has performed the same way on thousands of de-primings - guess I'm just lucky to own a good piece of "crap" ?


Boils down to a pretty simple pot of stew though . . . ANY brand of reloading piece of equipment or tool can have issues . . . .

OP - I certainly hope your new de-priming tool doesn't cause you any issues. I'm curious though . . . did you ever have a car that had issues or gave you problems . . . and if so . . . was that make of car "crap" too? You have made it very clear that you think all Lee products are "crap" . . . . seems pretty simple solution "for you" is to just not buy any Lee product. BUT . . . . to be fair to Lee . . . I don't see any clear description by you . . . nor any photos . . . of exactly what happened . . . no photo of breakage . . . pretty much nothing.

[pertnear]

I've broke, bent, stuck & lost my share of decapping pin in my life. But not since I bought the Mighty Armory Universal die. They even have a pin that fits PPC brass diameter. You would think all the current die makers would be researching & improving their products. There is a lesson here for them, but I guess they'd rather spend a fraction of a penny on a pin & sell you a packet (or more Lee rods).
Attachment 285434

BTW: I've actually come across several cases with the flash-hole so off center my M.A. decapper just punched a new hole - with ease. I'm still on the original pin. The universal decapper occasionally goes on sale with $10 off.

[mrmachinist]

I’ve broken one in about 15 years. I like lee stuff but there are better Mfg out there but for budget reloading tools they can’t be beat.


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[Valley-Shooter]

The best Universal Decapping Die is made my Mighty Armory. One of the best reloading items I ever bought.

MIGHTY ARMORY

That's the one I use. It replaced the Lee.
Thousands of 9mm have been decapped.

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[Conditor22]

The lee decapping pin is designed to move if you hit something hard unless it is sinched in too tight.

I've broken my share of decapping pins and it's usually my fault (brass not fully seated in the shell holder, small case, or junk in the case) or Berdan brass.

I save broken lee stuff and mail it back for a free replacement. (you can order free replacement parts online but have to pay for shipping and handling)