Stuck case

Okay, so I've been prepping all the 30-06 military brass that I have laying around. Resize, ream crimp, trim and tumble. Some of them had been fired in a machine gun and are oversized and take alot of effort to run thru the sizing die. I had to stiffen my bench to keep the plywood top from flexing. Last night the rim on a case let loose while pulling the case out of the die. A quick internet search showed 2 methods of removal. Punch it out using the decapping rod as a punch or tap the primer pocket and pull it out. 1/4-20 tap, socket head bolt, washers and a 1/2" drive socket and it pulled right out. I checked the case and it had been lubed but it stuck anyway. Now back to resizing all that brass.

I've yet to be lucky enough to get one out. Good job!

I've been reloading off and on for 30 yrs and never got one stuck until the other night. Have you tried the freezer method. Drop the die with the stuck case in the freezer for 15 min. The brass should cool faster than the die causing it to shrink. Also Kroil(a very light penetrating oil) may penetrate between the case and die helping to free it.

fogman said:

Okay, so I've been prepping all the 30-06 military brass that I have laying around. Resize, ream crimp, trim and tumble. Some of them had been fired in a machine gun and are oversized and take alot of effort to run thru the sizing die. I had to stiffen my bench to keep the plywood top from flexing. Last night the rim on a case let loose while pulling the case out of the die. A quick internet search showed 2 methods of removal. Punch it out using the decapping rod as a punch or tap the primer pocket and pull it out. 1/4-20 tap, socket head bolt, washers and a 1/2" drive socket and it pulled right out. I checked the case and it had been lubed but it stuck anyway. Now back to resizing all that brass.

Click to expand...

Use the tap and die method. The punch method ruins the decapping rods. I have the drill and tap if you need it.

After 20 years of reloading I can count the cases I've stuck in my dies on one hand. But they can happen and they're a PITA when they occur. The OP doesn't mention the brand of die he was using. I use both Lee and RCBS dies and the removal procedure is very different for them.

Lee Dies: Following Lee's procedure I've found it easy to remove stuck cases from their dies. Simply drive it out with a 3/16" punch using the decapping pin. The times I've had to do it hasn't damaged my dies at all. They post a video on their website: http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/video.html

RCBS Dies: They are built and work differently. I would not use the decapping pin to drive out a stuck case on an RCBS die. It would seemingly cause damage to the die. RCBS makes a kit for tapping and extracting the stuck case. I'm cheap, so I jury rigged basically the same thing out of a tap, a nut, a bolt and some washers I had on hand: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=504741

Another thing I've learned over the years is this: When you're full length sizing bottle-neck cases in steel dies, pay attention to the grip the shell holder has on its rim. Rimless cases like .223, 7.5x55 and many others don't have much rim for the S/H to hold onto - and brass is much softer than steel. Even though I lube my cases well, each time I feel unusual resistance on the upstroke as I drive the case into the die I back off. I re-lube the case, and take it into the die in slow resizing steps. It takes more time, but the time saved means I won't have to remove a stuck case. ...and there are some precious cases I load I'd just as soon not eff up in the process.

Hope that helps.

Don't reload so I can't add any suggestions but I do have a small amount of 30.06 brass if anybody would want it.Not enough to make a special trip if not in the area only 48 rds M2 believe to be once fired AMA headstamp.At least I assume it can be reloaded.Think I have 100rds .45acp in the box from the last trip to the range as well,if not wanted/needed will be thrown out shortly.

AMA is Berdan primed. It's from Norway or Denmark.

After a slight 20 years of reloading I cant count the # of stuck cases
All I've ever done is remove the de-capper lock nut and beat out the case using the de-capping/expander rod. Hundreds of stuck cases, one broke rod, but you should have spares anyway right

Had one in .270 i was loading. Removed die and drilled and tapped the case used socket and removed case. then back to work.