Need Help With A Stuck Case!

[gwpercle]

A stuck case will teach you a LOT !
My #1 take away is if they start going in HARD - STOP ...somethings wrong and if they GO IN hard ...they Coming Out Even Harder .
#2 Let any /all alcohol based case lube dry ... Even Lee case lube mixed with alcohol and sprayed on ... You have to let the alcohol DRY Completely .
#3 the messiest and best , hard to size case lube is STP Oil Treatment ...it's greasy and messy and must be removed but that stuff is Slick and will get cases sized when nothing else will .
Gary

[dale2242]

My sizing lube is homemade.
1/2 STP and 1/2 light oil.
Messy but slick.
I have been using it for 50+ years and have never stuck a case.
If it starts going hard into a sizing die something is wrong.
Stop immediately.

[Jimmynostars]

Pull the guts out of your die, find a cap screw that will fit down it . Beat it twice, turn it beat it twice, if the case moves continue until out

[gwpercle]

My sizing lube is homemade.
1/2 STP and 1/2 light oil.
Messy but slick.
I have been using it for 50+ years and have never stuck a case.
If it starts going hard into a sizing die something is wrong.
Stop immediately.

LIKE !!!

Dale2242 ,
Awesome Idea - Any particular "Light Oil " , give me a "for example" ... I always thought straight STP was a little too sticky and thick ...Molasses in winter ... cutting it a little would make it easier to apply ... what have you found works well .
Gary

[todd9.3x57]

A little late to the party, but good for future.

https://ysterhout.net/docs/stuck_case/index.html

This was made for .223 brass, and has worked on all sizes since.

i came up with that sorta idea, but i didn't use the tee. good idea!!!!!!

[Tim357]

A stuck case will teach you a LOT !

#2 Let any /all alcohol based case lube dry ... Even Lee case lube mixed with alcohol and sprayed on ... You have to let the alcohol DRY Completely .

Gary

This right here. I almost gave up using alcohol/lanolin and went back to straight lanolin before I started to let ALL the alcohol dry.

[centershot]

This right here. I almost gave up using alcohol/lanolin and went back to straight lanolin before I started to let ALL the alcohol dry.

Yessir, that's what started the problem, I didn't! Lesson learned.....

[Hahndorf1874]

I use castor oil for case lube ,works a treat no cases stuck so far and it’s cheap!! Mal.

[David2011]

Congrats on your success. 100% of my stuck cases were the result of not waiting long enough for the alcohol to evaporate. I think I learned to be more patient after the third one. I was processing a LOT of brass at the time. Fortunately they were all .223 and the stuck case extractor worked every time.

[lightman]

I have removed a few stuck cases for others where I stripped the 1/4 inch threads and drilled and tapped the case for the next size (5/16). Stuck cases can put a damper on an evenings reloading plans!

[Hossfly]

Been using the bootleg Dillon lube for a few years and learned early on to be more patient about letting the alcohol evaporate. Just takes one time and you will learn to be patient.

Now when i lube a batch, i place in ziplock bag and spray a few squirts and roll around, then pour out and let dry a while like 1 hr. Before processing. Works well.

[farmbif]

if all else fails
frame the die
hang it up over your press as a reminder
place order for imperial wax and a new die

[KCSO]

I have had them so tight Ihad to set them up on the lathe and bore them out. Good Job.

[1hole]

* Resizer dies are usually so deeply case hardened that drill bits, taps and even files can't scratch them.

* Soaking a stuck case in penetrating oil to loosen it is usually hopeless. When a steel die and brass case are totally jammed together there is no way anything is going to get into that.

* How effective freezing a stuck case out of a die may be depends on how badly stuck the case is. At some point, freezing to absolute zero (- 460 F) would do nothing helpful.

* Be aware of what's happening. If it's HARD to get a case stuck in we'll probably have to work even harder to get it out.

* Use one of the wax case lubes (Imperial/Unique) and forget cleaning it off. Waxes are totally harmless and resist surface oxidation.

[Baltimoreed]

Congrats to the op. As the secretary of the interior told Lone Watie, ‘Endeavor to persevere’. Knock on wood I’ve never had one that my homemade case remover couldn’t pull out.

[rbuck351]

Before I learned not to size my 7mm mag cases to much and let the head space on the shoulder not the belt, I had 2 cases that the case head pulled off during sizing. Try pulling those with a RCBS type stuck case puller. I removed the expander rod, cleaned the inside of the case with steel wool, smeared in a bit of solder paste, plugged the neck with TP and filled the case with melted lead. After it cooled I put the die in my press and used a punch in the neck expander hole and beat the case out with a 3# hammer. A bit crude but it worked.

[centershot]

if all else fails
frame the die
hang it up over your press as a reminder
place order for imperial wax and a new die

LOL!

[centershot]

Before I learned not to size my 7mm mag cases to much and let the head space on the shoulder not the belt, I had 2 cases that the case head pulled off during sizing. Try pulling those with a RCBS type stuck case puller. I removed the expander rod, cleaned the inside of the case with steel wool, smeared in a bit of solder paste, plugged the neck with TP and filled the case with melted lead. After it cooled I put the die in my press and used a punch in the neck expander hole and beat the case out with a 3# hammer. A bit crude but it worked.

Yessir! That thought crossed my mind more than once, I'm appy it didn't come to that!

[Three44s]

I use the Hornady Unique lube in a tub.

It goes on with your fingers so it is a slow process compared to spraying on a lube. The upside is you have good control on having complete coverage and there is no “dry off” requirement.

I have been doing a lot of 223 brass processing from all sorts of sources lately (beats shooting up components) and even with the above lube/process every now and then a really oversized case shows up.

After reading this thread I might just not size those potential offenders as you can feel the added pressure before the damage is done!

Three44s

[cwtebay]

One thing that has not been mentioned is dissolution. IF the die is stainless steel, nitric acid will corrode brass to the point of dissolution and leave the die unaffected. I'm not sure how it will effect carbide type dies? I also don't know how well it would work on the mass involved, but if the head and most of the web is cut off it should be possible. I do know the gas given off is pretty nasty! My plumber brother gave me that idea on a stuck case a few years ago. Apparently he used that method to remove frozen brass fittings from stainless steel digestion tanks in a biosecurity lab with good results.


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