223 brass STUCK CASE - HELP!

[John Guedry]

I made my own stuck case tool. (I'm cheap) The only times I've had to use was for .223 brass. I use Imperial wax. Probably I did something stupid.

[popper]

Freezing probably won't work - didn't for me. I just got one stuck in Lee die -- remove the stem and add kroll, wait a day and punch it out. Yup, primed case. Nothing kills a primer!! You can carefully punch it out.

[WRideout]

However you set off that primer (I’d use a torch) don’t have anything you value behind the head of the case. That primer will come out with some substantial force. Years ago I imbedded one in my hand that way.

I broke a garage window doing that. A primer cup can become a projectile with some force.

Wayne

[BNE]

I got it out today. Work has a big arbor press. The ram on that thing is 3X3" square bar of steal that is 3 feet tall. A little push on the gage pin I had in the brass and out it popped. I tried that on my Rock Chucker and got no where.

Thanks for all the ideas. Nothing beats significant mechanical advantage.

BNE

[Three44s]

Thanks for putting closure on your dilemma. So many folks on forums get advice but do not finnish the story ..... no closure!

What might make sense is to inspect for additional stress (scoring) on the now unstuck casing. My guess would be down near the web.

As many have reported about a trend that 223 brass is one of the worst culprits for stuck cases. I use some pretty good lube and yet when I am going through FL sizing a bunch of used cases fired elsewhere, I experience some pretty hard sizing every now and then. My theory is that there is a pretty wide range of chamber tolerances and in the instance of brass that was fired in a full auto weapon we have our work cut out for us and those would be prime suspects for getting stuck.

My .02 worth

Three44s

[country gent]

freezing usually requires a few cycles freeze at night set in the sun during the day. After a few days try to remove when warm.

Sometimes soaking a few days in kroil shooters choice mixed 50/50 will loosen it. The kroil penetrates and lubes the shooters choice is a copper remover and will help break the bond

the bigger press works but use a dowel pin or other not a gauge pin.

There is always the puller. Drill the case head out tap to 1/4 28 insert set screw in and a short pipe or stack of washers a nut and start turning, on tight cases locktite the set screw into the case head the nut to screw all steel is strongest.

One of the reasons the 223 is prone to sticking is the straighter side walls once sized release isnt as quick as cases with more body taper

[uscra112]

@Three44s - something I discovered when swaging .223 brass down for making .25-20 and .22 Lovell was that different brands appeared to have the brass in the body at a different temper. And cases fired and FL sized more than once will be harder, regardless of headstamp. This may help explain your "hard sizing". Annealing the necks will have no effect on the body....or shouldn't.

[Three44s]

uscra112,

Good point. And since it is unwise to anneal low on the case, they are just going to continue to get harder with each firing/resizing.

Good thing I am a HOARDER! I have lots of 223

Best regards

Three44s

[uscra112]

So you can afford to simply pitch those that "size hard".

[gwpercle]

I've never stuck a case when using STP Oil Treatment as the case lube .
The stuff is thick and slick and slippery and messy as all get out .
You might get a dent ... but a thin film , applied with an ink pad saturated with STP will get the job done when all else fails .
Gary

[porthos]

probably should imperial sizing die wax next time

[Three44s]

So you can afford to simply pitch those that "size hard".

Theoretically, yes. In practice, not so much because once tou realize you have a hard to size case, you are sort of committed. I could save that brass and run them through my Small Base FL die, but is it with it?

Most of my loading for .223 is for bolt guns, some more for a couple of Contender barrels, but some is for the “evil rifles”.

So my protocol is to full length size all new to me .233 brass unless it is factory new. From then on the brass gets neck sized with a Lee Collet die. Interestingly my carbine barrel Contender accepts re-neck sized brass fired from either of my bolt guns and they seem to interchange between each other as well.

Three44s

[Hannibal]

Personally I use range brass for stuff where I think it's unlikely I'll be able to recover the brass. Hunting or shooting semi-autos in the field. For bench shooting with a bolt action or brass catcher then I use brass I've put more effort into and know at least bit about it's history.

I realize not everyone has the same budget to work with so this isn't meant to be critical.

[kerplode]

[ There is no other way to deactivate a primer I am aware of. ] Some oil - pored, inside of the case will kill the primer .

No, it most likely won't. Many years ago, as an experiment, I submerged a handful of 209 primers in WD40 for a week. 100% of them fired.

OP...Toss the die, buy a new one, and use more lube in the future. You're gonna hurt yourself screwing around with a stuck, charged, case. Trust me...Your eyes, fingers, etc are worth more than $50.

ETA: Just saw you got it out safely...Congrats! Use more lube.

[uscra112]

No, it most likely won't. Many years ago, as an experiment, I submerged a handful of 209 primers in WD40 for a week. 100% of them fired.
.

Water with some detergent should do it, until the priming compound dries out again. Possibly also rubbing alcohol. Would have to soak a long time since there is a protective disk of foil between compound and anvil.

[Jal5]

I’ve stuck 2 of 223 cases using a spray lanolin type lube. Once switching to imperial lube I never had one stick. I save that spray lube for other cases.


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[CaptREDD]

While at the LGS, sitting around talking, I wuz gifted a 223 sizing die with a stuck case...upon further looking I discovered
that the die wuz a Dillon carbide 223 rifle die...there were ViseGrip tracks all over the base end of the die...the stuck shell
wuz mangled baddly....I chucked up the die & faced the end of the case flat....drilled, the tapped 1/4-20....used a socket and washers and a 1/4-20 capscrew and withdrew the stuck case.....It took longer to write out this account than it did to xtract the stuck case and salvage a SPENDY die I got for free...and yes I have a metal lathe, taps and tap-drills.



REDD

[popper]

223 get stuck because it has a very thin rim.

[CaptREDD]

popper, 223 cases get stuck for a lack of case lube...



REDD

[David2011]

Don’t think I’ve ever stuck anything but .223. Don’t think it’s ever been with any lube other than the alcohol/lanolin types. In 100% of the instances it was unquestionably due to me not waiting long enough for the alcohol to evaporate. Imperial sizing lube prevents the problem but I was sizing a few thousand milsurp cases so lubing individually was out of the question. Even though I probably got 4 to 6 cases stuck I think the spray lube saved time overall. After once or twice using the case extractor is pretty fast.

For normal quantities of rifle cartridges I only use Imperial.