Stuck case in reloading die

[jblomenberg16]

Fresh off my first 50 rounds ever reloaded, I decided to load a few more. This time I decided to make sure I really cleaned my brass well, but since my tumbler isn't hear yet, I used some vinegar, dish soap, and water.

Brass cleaned right up, but first two through stuck in the friggen die. The first one I got out after about an hour of patient tapping with some drifts and other items I could get down into the bottom of the case.


Once removed, I cleaned the die really well, lubed it up, and tried again. Another one, stuck, tight as the first. I don't have the patience right now to go through what I did with the last one.

A google search turned up using a variety of case extractors and drilling tapping, etc. Is there any other way, or do I need to bight the proverbial bullet here and get a case extractor anyway?

Also, what's causing this? Die is clean, and I had zero problems sizing brass over the weekend.

 

[in812]

what caliber ? what brand of dies ?

 

[42769vette]

i believe your case didn't have enough lube. if im using military brass for your 223 i use military brass and have problems with the case pulling out of the shell holder

 

[jblomenberg16]

Specifically this is happening with twice fired Lake City 5.56 in a Hornady full length die.

After I posted, I decided to try the drill and tap method, and went to the garage, and used a M6x1 tap to tap the primer pocket.

I flipped the die upside down in the press (so the bottom of the case is sticking up now). I used a 7/16 deep well socket, a few fender washers, and a 4" long M6x1 bolt to slowly extract the case. Case looked just fine.

So, maybe a lack of lube was it, although it didn't feel any tighter than usual (from what I can tell from the 50 or so I've done. ).

Sprayed a bunch of lube inside the die, lubed up some more brass, and tried again. 5 in a row with no issues.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions...hopefully my lessons learned tonight will help fellow "newbie" reloaders.

 

[mwilson]

stuck case

very easy to remove with a few tools. drill the primer pocket with a drill bit then tap with a 1/4 tap. take a short 1/4" bolt and put a nut or some washers on the die over the case head big enough for the case to slide thru and screw the bolt down to pull the case out. you may have to add more washers as you go

 

[IndyGunworks]

stuck casings are almost ALWAYS a result of lack of lube...
what dies were you using? (dillon dies have built in stuck case removing features)
what lube were you using? roll pads are near fool proof, but homemade/andor spray lube needs to sit and fester for a few to allow it to leech around the casing....
always spray some lube into the die as well.... the more lube the better.... the only time it becomes a concern of having too much lube is when you see dimpling on the casings after sizing... this only happens after a rather large build up of lube inside of the die....
if using one shot or similar spray lube a 2 second burst into the die.... and a 15 second burst into a bag of 100 or so casings... shake... then another 5 second burst.... shake.... let it sit for at least 60 seconds.... then load away.
i highly doubt your cleaning method caused the stuck case....
also, if you are using a expander to widen the mouths, i have heard of people getting a film canister full of bb's and adding the powder moly lube used to moly coat bullets... simply dip the casing neck first into this cannister to lube the inside of the neck before sizing... but be sure to remove lube before you seat the bullet.

 

[42769vette]

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions...hopefully my lessons learned tonight will help fellow "newbie" reloaders.

dont worry if any reloader tells you he never got a case stuck he is USUALLY 1 or 2 things


1. only reloaded a few cases in his life
2. a liar

there may be exceptions but i dont know of any

 

[WhitleyStu]

dont worry if any reloader tells you he never got a case stuck he is USUALLY 1 or 2 things


1. only reloaded a few cases in his life
2. a liar

there may be exceptions but i dont know of any

3) Only reloaded handgun cases
In over aprox 400,000 never had one stuck...

 

[42769vette]

3) Only reloaded handgun cases
In over aprox 400,000 never had one stuck...

option 3 added

 

[jblomenberg16]

Good stuff guys. I think lube is a Critical X, as I went and did a few more after a successful extraction of my last stuck case.

After 3 or 4 more with tons of lube on them, I got another one stuck. Not sure what happened on this one, but I did see some signs of the neck "Bottoming out" in the sizing die. After I got it out, I looked closely, and could see where the edge of the neck had flattened out as it pushed through the die.

So two causes of that could be a case length problem (my current sizer only workes after the primer is popped out), or I have the die adjusted incorrectly. I also think I'm gonna try to give the die a good cleaning just to make sure I don't have some crud or a burr in there that I can't see.

So, I decided to call it quits for tonight, since I think this may be God's little way of telling me not to reload anything tonight.

The good news was that I took pictures along the way, so will be posting a step by step tutorial soon that shows what I did. Hopefully it will help some others with the same problem find an easy solution.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that ever got one stuck. I immediately thought that I must be the biggest moron in the world to have that happen to me, but it sounds like it is a bit more common than I thought.

 

[ABolt243]

Even Larry Potterfield of Midway USA has stuck cases!!! He shows how to get one out every Wednesday night on "Range Night" on the Outdoor channel!!!

Good on you for figuring it out. You'll get the kinks worked out.

AB

 

[chipdog4]

If you're using Hornady One Shot, throw it out. Seems like EVERY time I read about a stuck case, One Shot was involved.

I've never gotten a case stuck, but I use Dillon case lube and used RCBS case slick before that.
I'd rather wipe a little excess lube off the neck than have to deal with a stuck case, so I use plenty of lube.

 

[IndyGunworks]

If you're using Hornady One Shot, throw it out. Seems like EVERY time I read about a stuck case, One Shot was involved.

I've never gotten a case stuck, but I use Dillon case lube and used RCBS case slick before that.
I'd rather wipe a little excess lube off the neck than have to deal with a stuck case, so I use plenty of lube.

i agree with one shot not being the best solution... and case lube and case slick working a tad better..... but i just cannot get past how easy one shot makes the lube step... and when used properly cases dont get stuck.... just have to use enough of it.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Just a little update....

I am using One-Shot. I determined the cause of my problem, and like most things, was operator error on my part.

I had gotten a bit careless in how I was applying the lube, and was lubing the neck really good, but the base wasn't getting lubed at all. I started lubing the cases down towards the base a bit, and bingo, I've probably sized/deprimed 200+ now without issue (yep, I just jinxed myself).

I'm also learning the feel of the good and not so good cases, and when I feel one getting tight, I stop, add a bit more lube, and then finish it off. Seems to work pretty well.

So, lesson learned. Thanks for the tips!

 

[pinshooter45]

Stuck cases

Just like the rest only time I stick a case is when I fail to lube. I never lube the Die, just use an RCBS Pad and RCBS Lube and roll the cases about 10 at a time. Just finished reloading about 600 223 LC stuck one in my lee die on my Pro 1000 prgressive. I just had to remove the primer pin and use a brass punch to gently pop it out with a hammer. Never stuck a pistol case, because my Lee carbide dies do not require lube! Any one here use 2230 Powder? I love this stuff in my AR reloads burns clean!