Share your hand loading mistakes!

[Caveman Jim]

I'm talking stuck case. Warm the die some. (?)
Or cool it? Spray some Brake Cleen?

True that.

 

[orygun]

I imagine the real fun (NOT) comes when the ram comes down with the rim fully intact? And no case with it!
You ever ad a bit of warmth to the die? Hair dryer maybe?

With the Ackley Improved it's not really the price of the case, as 30-06 brass isn't hard to come by. It's the time investment to turn 30-06 into 30-06 Ackley Improved that makes me cry when one sticks.

 

[ageingstudent]

Just my experience, Lee dies are the most reliable for getting stuck cases out post haste and back to loading.

If I remember right with the one stuck case that I ever had in a 22-250 it was easier to get it out of the Lee die because once you pull that collar and the decapping pin out you actually have enough room to get a small punch in there and if you're careful and tap around the whole inside head of the case working it around the damn thing will finally pop out. And if I remember correctly I turned my freezer up all the way and left that die in there until it was good and cold. You got to be careful not to drive the punch right through the bottom of the case head or beat it off there and leave the brass body inside the dye. What a p i a

 

[Capn Jack]

I use the Old school Drill and Tap the Primer Pocket, then pull the case out with a 1/4x28 bolt.

 

[Mikej]

I use the Old school Drill and Tap the Primer Pocket, then pull the case out with a 1/4x28 bolt.

Curious, and for future reference, a stuck case is more likely to have the base still attached to the case and the rim damaged? Or entire base/rim ripped off leaving just the case in the die?

 

[orygun]

I use the Old school Drill and Tap the Primer Pocket, then pull the case out with a 1/4x28 bolt.

Which is the exact thing the RCBS tool is. It just has a nifty collar to space the bolt out and make room for the case to extract.

 

[Capn Jack]

If the case head separates, things really get nasty.

I have broken case extractors for removing a case from a rifle chamber, but luckily, I've never had to use one in a sizing die.

 

[ageingstudent]

Curious, and for future reference, a stuck case is more likely to have the base still attached to the case and the rim damaged? Or entire base/rim ripped off leaving just the case in the die?

If it's just the rim ripped off on either side you might be able to use the quarter inch bolt trick. Another guy I know that reloads had that happen and he tried the quarter inch Bolt trick and it stripped out. Being a smart guy he managed to grind the case so that he could get the shell holder back on the the undamaged part of the rim and ground himself out a kind of a pickle fork like you used to use for pulling ball joints or a steering wheel off the splines? He tapped that in between the base of the die and the shell holder and managed to pop the damn thing out. I don't even know what you do if the case head rips off. I don't even know if RCBS can fix that haha. It might be better just to cut bait at that point and buy a new die.

 

[Mikej]

If it's just the rim ripped off on either side you might be able to use the quarter inch bolt trick. Another guy I know that reloads had that happen and he tried the quarter inch Bolt trick and it stripped out. Being a smart guy he managed to grind the case so that he could get the shell holder back on the the undamaged part of the rim and ground himself out a kind of a pickle fork like you used to use for pulling ball joints or a steering wheel off the splines? He tapped that in between the base of the die and the shell holder and managed to pop the damn thing out. I don't even know what you do if the case head rips off. I don't even know if RCBS can fix that haha. It might be better just to cut bait at that point and buy a new die.

Ooo...I'll just hope I keep getting the results I've been getting. I know the die manufacturers say you can ship the die to them and they'll remove and return the die. At a cost most likely.

 

[ageingstudent]

Ooo...I'll just hope I keep getting the results I've been getting. I know the die manufacturers say you can ship the die to them and they'll remove and return the die. At a cost most likely.

I think RCBS has the best one and it's really reasonable. At least it used to be. I've never sent one back though thankfully.

 

[Capn Jack]

I, "know a guy" who before he was taught the 1/4" bolt trick buggered a case up so badly he had to ship the die off to RCBS. It's been so long ago, "he" doesn't remember if there was a charge, or not.

 

[ageingstudent]

I, "know a guy" who before he was taught the 1/4" bolt trick buggered a case up so badly he had to ship the die off to RCBS. It's been so long ago, "he" doesn't remember if there was a charge, or not.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Any port in a storm brother

 

[Caveman Jim]

I, "know a guy" who before he was taught the 1/4" bolt trick buggered a case up so badly he had to ship the die off to RCBS. It's been so long ago, "he" doesn't remember if there was a charge, or not.

I just threw my Hornady die away with the last one stuck in there. I was damn sick n tired of that scene.

 

[ageingstudent]

I just threw my Hornady die away with the last one stuck in there. I was damn sick n tired of that scene.

Knowing what I know about you I'm kind of disappointed. I would have thought you would have at least made it into some kind of high-powered fishing weight

 

[orygun]

I just threw my Hornady die away with the last one stuck in there. I was damn sick n tired of that scene.

The only die set I had that didn't work correctly was Hornady. The other Hornady set was absolutely flawless. I do like their floating bullet seater.

 

[Capn Jack]

My first set of .458 SoCom dies were Hornady. I had to wait 4 months for them.

The sizing die was a problem and wouldn't set the shoulder back far enough without crushing it.

Someone had a set of LEE dies on e-bay that they were unhappy with and I bought them on a chance for $15.00.

Now I've found that using the LEE sizing die first, then the Hornady die all of my brass passes the, "Plunk Test" without a problem.

 

[orygun]

My first set of .458 SoCom dies were Hornady. I had to wait 4 months for them.

The sizing die was a problem and wouldn't set the shoulder back far enough without crushing it.

Someone had a set of LEE dies on e-bay that they were unhappy with and I bought them on a chance for $15.00.

Now I've found that using the LEE sizing die first, then the Hornady die all of my brass passes the, "Plunk Test" without a problem.

The Hornady die I complained about was the sizing die for 7mm-08. It just wouldn't size the case enough to fit the chamber. I ended up taking the sizing to the lathe and turned a bit off of the bottom. It worked fine after that.
I don't use it anymore, though. My wife's 7mm-08 is a Ruger compact with the short barrel. I couldn't get the velocity out of the powders I tried that came close to matching regular ol Remington Coke Lokts. She doesn't shoot much at all, so I bagged reloading for that gun. I buy her good ammo (Remington for deer, Federal Premium with a Partition for elk) and call it good.

 

[ageingstudent]

The Hornady die I complained about was the sizing die for 7mm-08. It just wouldn't size the case enough to fit the chamber. I ended up taking the sizing to the lathe and turned a bit off of the bottom. It worked fine after that.
I don't use it anymore, though. My wife's 7mm-08 is a Ruger compact with the short barrel. I couldn't get the velocity out of the powders I tried that came close to matching regular ol Remington Coke Lokts. She doesn't shoot much at all, so I bagged reloading for that gun. I buy her good ammo (Remington for deer, Federal Premium with a Partition for elk) and call it good.

If mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy. Smart man.

 

[ageingstudent]

Son of a b. No matter how careful I am it always seems like there is one problem child.

Over 2,000 rounds with no problem on my current setting and there it is. Where is that damn bullet puller?

 

[Mikej]

Son of a b. No matter how careful I am it always seems like there is one problem child.

Over 2,000 rounds with no problem on my current setting and there it is. Where is that damn bullet puller?


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