I made a rookie mistake

D

DaveA37

Beginner
Jan 2, 2010
177
0
I've been carefully and religiously reloading for a number of years. Today, I made a rookie mistake by getting a case stuck in the re-sizing die. How did I do that? Well, I inadvertently grabbed the wrong shell holder, lubed the case, put the lubed brass in the holder and bottomed the case in the die. Well you guessed it, the shell holder was one size too large and when I tried to pull the resized case from the die, it pulled out of the shell holder and was stuck in the die. NOW WHAT?

I tried to pull out the spent primer/neck sizeing pilot but to no avail. I then removed the die from the press, carefully put it in my vice and tried to remove the case with a small vice grip. NOTHING!

So what is your recommened method of getting that stuck case out of my die?
 
Is there a way you could slide on the correct shell holder, then attach the shell holder to the press? It is possible to do this on a Dillon 550.

You can also remove the threaded collar on the top of the die, then use the decapper/expender rod as a ram..... hitting it to smack out the case. This method will destroy the rod.

You can also ship the die to the manufacturer, and they'll remove the case for you.
 
Don't get exited, this is an easy fix! Take the de-capper and expander out of the die, then drill the primer pocket out to the size for a 1/4 " n.f. tap. With the proper kit you will get all the stuff to do this so you can just pull the case out of the die using the threads you tapped. I made my setup, but I think RCBS also markets the kit. Don't get out the chisel and try cutting the case out, get the kit!
 
RCBS, Redding, Forster and a number of other die makers market a Stuck Case Remover Kit. The cost is nominal, and it will fix the problem quickly. Welcome to the world of reloading. You are not a hand loader until you have stuck a case in your die. We've all done it--usually several times.
 
like DrMike said, we have all done it. Since I have to LEE press all I have to do is slide the shell holder off the press when it is touching the shell and then get the correct shell holder and slide it onto the brass and the press at the same time. I will make a quick video and post it up for you if you need me too.
 
any way to put the right shellholder in, then run the ram up past the pulled rim, then turn the die 90° to catch the part of the rim that isn't damaged? I'd go up before trying to pull the case, so ya got a bit of jump before ya hit the tight spot.
RR
 
I think Corbin's got a great idea. It would work with almost any O-Frame press out there, I believe. Just position the ram up far enough, and then slide the shellholder onto the case and into the ram simultaneously. It's probably a little difficult, but if you have enough rim along part of the case, you should be able to pull it out. Might need to file the rough edges where you vise gripped it, first. Or you can order a stuck case kit from RCBS. I think you could try it Corbin's way first, though - nothing to lose, really.
 
I just made a video of how to get the brass out of the die. I will post it here when the video is done uploading.
 
Dave,

I can't believe you did that! Come on dude....
That has never happened to me..................... :wink:

If you load enough, it is bound to happen.

Pick up a RCBS stuck case removal kit and you will have the case out in no time.
The process is quite simple...
Drill out the primer pocket
Tap the hole
Screw the boltand case holder into the tapped hole and the case will come right out.

A tap handle and a good vise will make the job quick and easy.


Based on the above, I am sure you realize that I am a vetern case stucker. :mrgreen:

JD338
 
There's a cheap fix if you don't want to buy the kit. First try removing the whole die assembly and slipping on the correct shell holder. Back the stop ring all the way up or off to get yourself some wiggle room. I imagine you've tried this. If this fails, Remove your die assembly and firmly clamp upside down in a sturdy padded shop vice. A couple of heavy flattened fishing sinkers will work well, otherwise a leather glove works. Remove the decapper spindle assembly if you can, you may need a vice grip. If you cannot fully remove it, get it backed out as far as you can. Drill out the primer pocket to 1/4" and run a 5/16" coarse thread hex bolt in. It will self thread with some force. Firmly clamp onto bolt with a vice grip and use a wonder bar to lever against your shop vice and the vice grip to pry out the case. Worked on an unlubed 308 win case I accidentally picked up and ran into a .300 sav. die and ripped the rim off trying to extract.
 
Remove the first shell holder from the ram. Take the correct shell holder in one hand and raise the ram to the bottom of the stuck case so that you can simultaneously slide the shell holder onto the ram and onto the rim of the case. Pop the shell holder all the way in and rotate it 90 degrees. Then lower the ram and you're back on solid ground.
 
I've stuck enough of them that I broke the tap. Make sure you tap the whole square of you'll break yours as well, a little bit of gun oil on the tap helps a bunch! I just take my die out and screw it up from the bottom side of my press so that the case head is sticking out the top of my press. Make sure you get the decapping pin out far enough of you'll screw it up with the drill bit and tap.

I would try getting the case into the right shell holder first though.
 
If you can get the necksizing/decapping spindle from the die and case, get some Locktite freeze and release spray. It sprays out at -40 degrees and the case will temporarily shrink and fall out of the die. CJ
 
I see pretty much one thing in common here -

We've ALL done it and if we handload a lot, its happened more than once !
Consensus - purchase the removal kit.
1. It makes short order of the issue at hand without damaging anything.
2. One can never have too many tools.
3. You'll be a Veteran with the "next one" :wink:
 
Well gents, thanks for all the input. Guess being "old" (I'm 73), ones looses site of his surroundings and posessions. After reading all the case removal remedies, I got to thinking, "I've been here before". You guessed it, this was not my FIRST stuck case as I recalled having made a case remove tool myself some years ago. Now, where the heck is that thing......back to the bench I went. Sure enough there, hidden in the back of a drawer was my handy dandy (RCBS COPY) case removal tool. Problem solved in less that ten minutes.....

If nothing else came from my stupidity (not to mention my bad memory), we all learned things from this:
Your never as smart as you think you are
There is more than one way to "skin a cat"
As you age, your re-call slows down
We can all learn something from someone else

Now "Let's get to calling"....er, re-loading.

Thanks again guys. My faith and memory has been restored. :lol:
 
Good enough. Glad you got 'er fixed. You are correct that the accumulation of "stuff" makes it increasingly difficult to remember what you actually have and why you got it. It is like Christmas a couple of times each year as I go through my closets and shelves holding reloading components. "Wow! When did I get that? Whadayaknow? Had no idea that was there!"
 
Glad it's resolved favorably.

I'm with you (and only just turned 40, so memory deficiency isn't just the realm of the over 65 set!) in that on several occasions I've grabbed a pound of some powder I think I just have to have on my bench, only to come home and find 3/4 pound of it still in a well marked can sitting up on the powder shelves. And my powders are readily visible in my handloading room when I'm at the bench!
 
I did this one time. My cousin somehow put a grease fitting in the primer hole and the pressure from the grease popped out the stuck case.
 
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