back when i was working at FORD dealership, the parts dept had many different needle bearings that were used in standard transmissions - took a mic + got several diameters that work perfectly in my RCBS sizer/decapper dies -
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Settled this - I ordered a Lee 223 sizer die and 3 extra decapping rods.
No more broken/missing decap pins for me!
Collector and shooter of guns and other items that require a tax stamp, Lead and brass scrounger. Never too much brass, lead or components in inventory! Always looking to win beauty contests with my reloads.
I’ve been decapping all of my brass for over 15 years since first getting the Lee Universal Decapping die and am still on the original pin. At the time I bought it I picked up 3 replacement pins and they’re still sitting in my spare parts drawer. In this time I’m sure I’ve deprimed well over 100,000 rounds.
if you consider crimped primers an obstruction and the necessity for a vise so you can grinch the NPT collet to a bazillion foot pounds lee's are great (not)
The key to the Lee die is to disassemble it and make sure there is absolutely no oil on the stem or collet. Even the slightest bit of oil will cause it to slip no matter how hard you crank on it. When set properly it will slip when needed, but if it slips you have to take it apart and once again make sure that it’s clean of oil. While this can get annoying sometimes it’s the way it’s designed to work.
So why not just turn a 1/4x4" grade 5 or 8 bolt down under .223 3" inches from the last thread bevel the head cut off and sweat in a U joint bearing ? Then screw it into a RCBS universal decapping die with a jamb nut . It's a $2 30 minute solution for a $6 oops .
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Maybe I was lucky, but I took on the task of making quite a pile of dummy ammo for club instructional purposes. With a time line -- the Saturday class, and this was Thursday -- I was going OK until my first decap pin broke. OK -- I have a few spares -- but, they broke, too ! As I looked up to scratch my head I noted a few "maybe right size?" Allen wrenches affixed to magnets on a lamp beam... And, it was not too hard to find one of the exact size needed. Out came the Dremel to cut off the right length -- I reckoned, too, I had just about the right amount left for a 2nd "pin" if the first failed.
This was more than five years ago -- and my home-made-Allen pin still has worked flawlessly!
If all else fails for you... you may wish to try this?
geo
Mighty Armory..here after bent, broken pins, TAA headstamp brass did em all in except
the Mighty Amory one.
-Rock
I just checked the torque on my Lee universal decapping die with a witness mark and applying force until it tightened further ~20ft/lb is where it moved. It will decap crimped pockets without moving.
The collet is 1/2" the flats on the die are 3/4", no vise needed.
I have even built machines that use them because they work better than the others and all it takes to implement them is an 1/8 npt tap.
I purchased a Mark7 decapping die and never looked back. It has a steep price but it just works. I was tired of pins on my Lee and even MA systems braking when processing 223 and 9mm.
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Lee. And keep a heavy hammer handy when sizing/decapping big lots of brass. When the small or offcenter flashholes push the decapping stem back, just give it a couple taps.
A normal hammer works too, but it'll peen/mushroom the end of the decapping stem faster.
I've decapped thousands of crimped OF'd. I don't even try to torque the stem tight enough to decap these 100%. If the stem backs out once in awhile on a crimped pocket, who cares? Tap tap until I hear the ping of the primer popping out, then the stem is perfectly set. If it happens more than once in a blue moon, tap tap ping, then give it a little more torque with your wrench.
Last edited by gloob; 03-11-2024 at 11:42 PM.
Lee offers an undersize decapping pin for their universal decapping die, and they also offer the die with the pin installed.
https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-die/
https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-pin/
https://www.titanreloading.com/produ...decapping-pin/
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RCBS sells small replacement pins for smaller primer holes. Don't remember the details or if they fit all of their dies though.
There are a few sellers on ebay, who make decapping pins in house and have had good luck with them vs factory ones.
Mighty Armory de-priming die solved my problems & frustrations with decapping pins. If the case didn't have a flash-hole it'd make one!
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BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |