Trouble depriming crimped primers on .223 brass

[rds801]

I'm using Lee .223 full length sizing die to size and deprime. I'm running into crimped primers that will not push out. The depriming pin gets pushed up and I have to reset it. It doesn't happen with all the crimped primers.

How tight do I have to tighten the depriming pin so it will work on all the stubborn primers? I thought I was getting that sucker pretty tight but still having the same issue.

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[asorum]

You might consider a dedicated decapping die. I started using the Lee decapping die. It is nearly bombproof and more reliable than my RCBS version of the die. They are guaranteed not to break and I haven't managed to do that yet to it.

 

[rds801]

Thanks. Got one on the way.

The pin doesn't break. Lee has it made so if something is hard to push out, the pin gets pushed out.

 

[Silver Hand]

Military brass, primers have an additional crimp or stamp to hold them in place, you might even find waterproofing goo around the edges of some Military primers.
I have been using an old RCBS anvil and decapping punch that was designed just for this purpose. This same tool has been in my use for more than thirty years. It Works great!
The next thing you will run into is getting primers back in. It is not as easy as it would be using standard ammunition brass. You have several choices buy more tools like the RCBS Primer pocket Swager Combo or some other like tool. Or if you have the patients and a good hand you might try using the pointed end of a case reamer, As I recall RCBS case reamer fits just fine in a Small rifle or .223 primer pocket,[Take into consideration,things do change the RCBS case reamer tool I use is so old it has Alzheimers] - Just a touch around the rim of the primer pocket holding the tool square to the flash hole works just fine. If you over do it your primers may not seat as tightly as needed. I have set up so many .223s for accuracy using this method, I don't care to remember, Never had a single primer back out.
Reloading is a very time consuming hobby. For me it has been worth every minute.

 

[rds801]

Hi Silver Hand, I already have the priming part covered. I have been using a Hornady primer pocket reamer. I ordered the Lee universal decapping die to deprime my .223 now.

I wasn't having problems depriming all crimped cases, just some. But it is a pain in the arse.

 

[PX4WA]

Lee sells a manual decapper tool. Not a die but a base and a pin you can hammer... Unbreakable

 

[Silver Hand]

rds801 - I know the drill about Some being stubborn. That is why myself I make it a one step process. Beat them all out with a hammer, then tumble in SS media. Nothing but clean Brass, Primer pockets, case interior, etc. Best of all no filth from the range floor going into the die or my barrels.

 

[deadshot2]

How tight do I have to tighten the depriming pin so it will work on all the stubborn primers? I thought I was getting that sucker pretty tight but still having the same issue.

Take two wrenches, one for the die, one for the collet, and tighten the collet (nut that holds the pin) as tight as you can get it. So tight it may make your hands hurt. Don't worry, the pin in the Lee Dies is stout enough to the task of pushing out military crimped primers without breaking if you aren't a "slam-bammer". I've actually had my pin punch holes in cases that were berdan primed, that's how strong it is. Just use strong, even pressure, don't slam the pin into the case in frustration. It also helps, if you're using the universal de-priming die, to move the case a little so you can "feel" the pin entering the flash hole.

If all else fails, you can buy a pin/anvil combination from Lee and de-prime these cases using a hammer. Haven't had to do this yet no matter what strange country my mil-crimped brass came from. The Lee pins are the strongest. The rest are puny compared to them and you'll most likely break or bend more than you want, even on non-military brass.

 

[the4thshake]

As deadshot2 mentioned, tightening the living snot out of it works.

 

[Kevatc]

Reloading is a very time consuming hobby. For me it has been worth every minute.

I agree 100% about time consuming but rewarding .... especially .223 brass. Sometimes after turning out several hundred completed rounds I don't want to shoot them though. So much work and then in a fraction of a second and it's over.

 

[darkminstrel]

Deprimed 150 rounds of 5.56 a couple weeks ago. 10 minutes maybe? All crimped.

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[Silver Hand]

I agree 100% about time consuming but rewarding .... especially .223 brass. Sometimes after turning out several hundred completed rounds I don't want to shoot them though. So much work and then in a fraction of a second and it's over.

I Like Bolt actions for there accuracy
Leaver guns for the fun
Sliders and auto loaders to plink with
A.22 rim fire can help the sudden urge to make a lot of noise, but this caliber lends me back to the fifty shot rule, in an auto or a any of the above. Most of all it is the best way to not reload and refine your accuracy.
Shot guns for a few things. I shoot all I can at what is flying that day or anything else I am hunting.
I had an old timer once tell me to never shoot more than fifty rounds of pistol in one session. That can be a lot in slow fire. To fine tune your accuracy.
Mostly I shoot under 20 center fires with most rifles at the bench, a bit fewer with guns that like to black and blue my shoulder.
With an auto loading weapon like the 5.56 There are a lot of ways to look at things.
I keep mine within reach, and a pistol on my belt.

 

[rds801]

Deprimed 150 rounds of 5.56 a couple weeks ago. 10 minutes maybe? All crimped.

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That's a neat little tool but if I decide to deprime away from the bench I think the Lee hand press would be a better tool to buy. You are not limited to just depriming with the Lee hand press.

 

[darkminstrel]

That's a neat little tool but if I decide to deprime away from the bench I think the Lee hand press would be a better tool to buy. You are not limited to just depriming with the Lee hand press.

I've used both and I can process brass twice as fast with the Harvey. The cases slide in intuitively and your hands do the work whilst you watch TV, talk with the fam, etc. Best $50 I've ever spent on reloading materials.

 

[deadshot2]

That's a neat little tool but if I decide to deprime away from the bench I think the Lee hand press would be a better tool to buy. You are not limited to just depriming with the Lee hand press.

Definitely. The Lee is far more versatile. I recently bought one with the Breech Lock bushings. I use mine to deprime, neck size, and shoulder bump, all while sitting and watching TV in the evening with my wife. Also use a Sinclair Expander Die to make sure all cases are of the same neck tension. Only reason I have to go to the "loading room" now is to actually "load". Makes the wife happier that I'm not just squirreled away in my "man cave".

 

[Kevatc]

Only reason I have to go to the "loading room" now is to actually "load". Makes the wife happier that I'm not just squirreled away in my "man cave".

My wife is happier when I am squirreled away in the man cave.

 

[mookmanjdj]

I agree 100% about time consuming but rewarding .... especially .223 brass. Sometimes after turning out several hundred completed rounds I don't want to shoot them though. So much work and then in a fraction of a second and it's over.

LOL. I hate to fire em off too! More fun to look at a big pile. At least when you do shoot them you get to make more.

 

[deadshot2]

LOL. I hate to fire em off too! More fun to look at a big pile. At least when you do shoot them you get to make more.

Now you have to answer the old question "Do I Reload so I can shoot?" OR "Do I Shoot so I can Reload?" Sometimes I think that for me it's more of the latter.