Today didn't go well...

[Speed3]

Where are you located?

I've had some similar issues with 308 machine gun brass and have the stuff to pull it if you don't and are local.

15 mins from you.

 

[Soundman1]

Dry tapping!!!???

Enough to make a Machinist cry.

Dry tapping is the standard procedure .......

Just took a 'NRA Basic Metallic Cartridge Reloading Course' yesterday ... Instructor warned about lubing neck and shoulders (especially on .223) because of sticking and denting on the bottleneck. Could this be causing your problem?

 

[Sticky]

Dry tapping is the standard procedure .......

Just took a 'NRA Basic Metallic Cartridge Reloading Course' yesterday ... Instructor warned about lubing neck and shoulders (especially on .223) because of sticking and denting on the bottleneck. Could this be causing your problem?

Overlubing the outside of the neck and shoulders can cause problems, but the inside of the neck should be lubed to aid in the expander withdrawing from the case. With liquid spray lubes you need to let the lube dry before sizing, this will prevent sticking and denting on the shoulders, with lube pads, I just lube the case wall and then mica the inside of the necks to aid in sizing(for full length sizing).

 

[j8064]

Dry tapping is the standard procedure .......

Just took a 'NRA Basic Metallic Cartridge Reloading Course' yesterday ... Instructor warned about lubing neck and shoulders (especially on .223) because of sticking and denting on the bottleneck. Could this be causing your problem?

That's true. Lube near the case mouth and shoulder when resizing 223/556 (among many other calibers) can and will dent the case - especially in the shoulder area.

The "dry tapping" folks were talking about here is regarding tapping the drilled out primer pocket on a case stuck in a sizing die. That's a different issue altogether.

 

[Half-cocked]

It's less than 1/2" of soft brass, no cutting fluid needed to tap that.

 

[Speed3]

It's less than 1/2" no fluid needed to tap that.

Dam it....I feel like I've heard that before lol.

 

[Magnumite]

Lubing the inside of the neck goes a long way to easing the sizing efforts. Done properly and using RCBS lube and case lube pad, I can run a dry case through every third case.

You can tell when someone has done this when there extra decapping pins, stems and neck expanders. Oops, did I say tthhaatttt?...

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

One of the things I like about Redding dies is that after you pull out the decapping rod assembly, a 1/4 inch punch will fit down into the die. Then you can just drive out the case.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

If you are using a liquid spray lube, be sure to let it dry for a bit before you start to size. Longer is better, I wait at least 5 mins after spraying the cases before I start to size the brass and it won't hurt to get a phone call and do it a half hour later.. lol

I have reloaded for many years, most of em using the RCBS stickygoo and a lube pad with no issues (other than being careful about overlubing). Now I use a liquid spray and it's easier to use, but you have to be a bit more careful. So far, I still have never stuck a case and I've resized many thousands of rounds of various calibers.

Pistols I use carbide dies, no issues there..

So, would it be safe to say that the lube is actually creating a compression seal because of the air tight chamber of the die body and the lube is acting like a liquid gasket ?

The problem I had was that the cone on the sizing pin was actually getting stuck in the neck of the case.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Case stuck on the decapping pin? Is it bent? That's odd.. I do deburr the flash holes, but usually after I have sized and trimmed... never had that happen before. My 223 dies are RCBS, but I use Lee dies for most all other cartridges (except 300blk rcbs again).

I know of a few that swear by Imperial Sizing Wax.. never tried it, but it may be worth a look for 223 brass.

Where was that brass last fired?

It is not sticking on the decapping pin. It is getting caught by the sizing cone on the pin. The sizing cone will go in, but, it won't come out before the brass pulls off of the holder.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Some old military brass is MUCH more dense when compared to new brass and does not compress well. I had some old "87" dated brass that I could not reload at all.

Also, if your not cleaning the old brass to get ALL of that dirt, grit, and filth off of it you should. That old, brown, tarished brass loves to stick even with lube.

And to the guy who thinks tapping threaded holes without lube is a standard procedure: You are wrong. The tap will last much longer and you will always get better results with lube. Brass or not.

Don't forget to remove the crimp on the primer pockets if using military brass.

As for lube/pressure build-up. My RCBS die has a small hole in the side to relieve the pressure. Check and see if yours does.

What's really fun is making 300 BLK out of old 556/223 brass.

Good luck.

 

[byf43]

It is not sticking on the decapping pin. It is getting caught by the sizing cone on the pin. The sizing cone will go in, but, it won't come out before the brass pulls off of the holder.

You might try lowering (screwing inward) the decapping pin/neck expander 'ball'.

Sounds like the neck expander 'ball' is opening the neck while the neck is still 'high' in the sizer.
(Die is closing the brass and the 'ball' is opening the brass at the same time. This will cause a stuck case very quickly!)

The expander ball should be opening the inside of the brass when the press ram is lower. . . . . . even 1/8" to 3/16".

 

[GUNSnROTORS]

I too have had issues

Lots of great suggestions. In the past to avoid fits with military brass (& full length or small base dies), I would decap first with a universal decapping die, then resize without the expander, then size with the expander. Very time consuming. When I first started forming 6x45 from 5.56x45, an old batch of case lube was my culprit.

Don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but a light polish on your expander ball can help. Others have mentioned lubes. Think about trying Imperial Dry Neck Lube and Sharp Shoot R Royal Case & Die Lube (aerosol). The Royal case lube smells like a urinal mint, but you get used to it, and it's slicker than goose ...

Now I keep a stuck case remover in a bin on my bench for luck, and luckily, haven't needed since.

 

[SKIP]

Buy an RCBS stuck case remover. I had a case stuck back in the 1970 and never used it again. Leaned my lessen to lube properly.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Urinal Mints...

Having Great Lakes, boot camp, E-nothing, Navy flashbacks.

 

[Pinecone]

You might try lowering (screwing inward) the decapping pin/neck expander 'ball'.

Sounds like the neck expander 'ball' is opening the neck while the neck is still 'high' in the sizer.
(Die is closing the brass and the 'ball' is opening the brass at the same time. This will cause a stuck case very quickly!)

The expander ball should be opening the inside of the brass when the press ram is lower. . . . . . even 1/8" to 3/16".

This is the first thing I would check.

I have seen that before.

 

[Soundman1]

Some old military brass is MUCH more dense when compared to new brass and does not compress well. I had some old "87" dated brass that I could not reload at all.

Also, if your not cleaning the old brass to get ALL of that dirt, grit, and filth off of it you should. That old, brown, tarished brass loves to stick even with lube.

And to the guy who thinks tapping threaded holes without lube is a standard procedure: You are wrong. The tap will last much longer and you will always get better results with lube. Brass or not.

Don't forget to remove the crimp on the primer pockets if using military brass.

As for lube/pressure build-up. My RCBS die has a small hole in the side to relieve the pressure. Check and see if yours does.

What's really fun is making 300 BLK out of old 556/223 brass.

Good luck.

Bold statement .... (YOU ARE WRONG) ... to the guy who thinks tapping threaded holes without lube is a standard procedure:

#1 What other kind of hole would you tap ... besides a threaded one?

#2 Standard procedure for hand tapping brass and cast iron IS to do it dry.

#3 Using a sharp tap is a given ... A quality sharp tap used for dry hand tapping brass will stay sharp and serviceable a lot longer than you or I will.

#4 Dry vs. lubed .... Topic for a different thread ....

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

You might try lowering (screwing inward) the decapping pin/neck expander 'ball'.

Sounds like the neck expander 'ball' is opening the neck while the neck is still 'high' in the sizer.
(Die is closing the brass and the 'ball' is opening the brass at the same time. This will cause a stuck case very quickly!)

The expander ball should be opening the inside of the brass when the press ram is lower. . . . . . even 1/8" to 3/16".

Yep tried all that too. It's almost as if the sizing cone is a nanometer too thick. The bullets seat just fine regardless, but it just seems to be a pinch too large in diameter.

 

[JailHouseLiar]

Stuck cases are just a memory using this:

Best stuff EVER made and I have never had a stuck case using it. That includes making 300 BLK brass and resizing 458 SOCOM.

Hornady came out with their version which I bought but haven't used yet.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Lots of great suggestions. In the past to avoid fits with military brass (& full length or small base dies), I would decap first with a universal decapping die, then resize without the expander, then size with the expander. Very time consuming. When I first started forming 6x45 from 5.56x45, an old batch of case lube was my culprit.

Don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but a light polish on your expander ball can help. Others have mentioned lubes. Think about trying Imperial Dry Neck Lube and Sharp Shoot R Royal Case & Die Lube (aerosol). The Royal case lube smells like a urinal mint, but you get used to it, and it's slicker than goose ...

Now I keep a stuck case remover in a bin on my bench for luck, and luckily, haven't needed since.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I mentioned it seemed a pinch too large in diameter.