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stuck case
3K views 36 replies 19 participants last post by  Hooknline 
#1 ·
Soooo.... I got my first stuck case. I was decapping and resizing a bunch of 223. I saw one that I saw might need another run through as I wasn't happy with the shoulder. ( I should have just tossed it to recycle), So after inspection I put it back in the press, ( I had already wiped it off). BOOM!!!!!
STUCK.
I looked at the case remover kit, and I have a complete tap and die set.
looks like I just need an oversized nut and an allen bolt that will match the Tap.
Or am I delirious and just the rcbs kit?
:D
 
#2 ·
All you need is a #7 drill and 1/4-20 tap and cap screw and a couple washers. Its easy to screw the die into the press from BELOW. Leave a gap between the stuck case and the top of the threads. Lay the washers on top and run the cap screw through and when its tightened, the case will pop out.

Don't forget to back off on the de-capping pin so the drill doesn't hit it. :eek:
 
#8 · (Edited)
With broken cases in a die or rifle chamber, simply pour a sulfur cast and the part come out with the cast.

At one time, I had about thirty ruined dies. One with a screwdriver driven in from the top but the blade was wider than the hole...bigger hammer!
 
#13 ·
Imperial...not good but great!

I had a few stuck cases and then discovered "IMPERIAL" sizing wax.

Randy
Right, this is the best stuff since sliced bread! The old Imperial would last forever. Recently finished up a large can purchased in the early 1980's The Imperial stuff works great also but, does not last as long. Way less likely to dent shoulders. No more sticky STP like stuff.

I have stuck a couple of cases since buying that first can. Strictly operator error. My lawyer friend called me at 9:00 PM recently with a stuck case. Talked him through the trauma. Spoke to him again and was the happy owner of two cans on Imperial. Wonder what would have happened if I had called him at that hour for legal advise?:)
 
#14 ·
As a gunsmith, stuck cases usually come after ruination. Some folks just don't THINK right!!

About three years ago, a had a friend that I was teaching to reload and a batch of nickled, FC .222 brass was to be loaded. He stuck a case within ten minutes. I showed him enough about the lathe and phase converters and secret combinations so he could pull the next one. It was THE NEXT one! THAT is when I found out that Hornaday One Shot hardens in the can so the wax that is actually the active ingrediant was petrified in a lump stuck in the bottom of the can. No amount of shaking made it work. Imperial solved the problem, of course.

When you hear a squeak going in the die, go buy a case remover.

Submoa---All that work did nothing. You still haven't had a sho-nuff stuck case, because heating, oil, witchcraft and wishing will NOT pull one that's stuck. Brass jammed in steel is an oil SEAL. There is no penetration.

There is an alternate method that works but is a LOT of work--- Cut the head off the case so the expander and rod can be removed, pour a sulfur cast in the case and then knock it out just as it cools.

BTW, using the threads in the press as a die holder and spacer means you don't have to have a vise or pliers to hold anything. Drill, tap, washer and bolt is the complete kit.
 
#15 · (Edited)
As much as I hate to admit it . . . . . . I find RCBS's water soluble case lube to be as effective as Imperial for day to day use, but for reforming or wildcat work there's no substitute for Imperial.

RJ
 
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#16 ·
Whatever FN uses As a Polymer Coating on their FNB 5.7x28mm Brass Does Work as Case Lube in my Reforming that .314" diameter Brass down to .276" Diameter Body and Head.
By going multiple Steps the Coating lasts all the way to the Last Swaging step.
By the way, I am using Lee Precision Carbide Ring sizing dies "Opened" by Lee to the various step size diameterss I use.
Chev. William
 
#17 ·
If you can get the case and die really cold, that may help with removal. Brass expands/shrinks faster than steel. Heating it up, would only make the brass swell up worse and be harder to remove.
 
#18 ·
I have stuck several cases over the years(35). I've however learned the feel of a stuck case as I'm going in the die w/the case. As soon as I feel the least resistance...I back out and re-lube. Imperial will save a man's bacon regularly. I don't trust or use the spray lubes. powdr
 
#21 ·
Now i have to dissect that useless spray can of Hornady One Shot!


Yup stuck one with that stuff.
I like the Lee resizing lube and also use the Imperial.
Had the RCBS lube cement the bullets into the cases and never used that stuff again. My fault when i lubed inside the case neck and didn't clean properly but its still glue!
 
#25 ·
Had the RCBS lube cement the bullets into the cases and never used that stuff again. My fault when i lubed inside the case neck and didn't clean properly but its still glue!
Case prep is only a couple steps up from having a cornea sanded. The most boring part of handloading.

I've used RCBS case lube for decades, because it has worked so well for so many years. I gave up goat lanolin in the early 70's.

I do lube the inside of case necks when forming pickup brass to "other" things, as it seems to decrease the losses to case neck splits. (Once formed, I never bother with that step). Once cases are formed, I remove all the lube with dishwashing detergent and really hot water. Then rinse a couple times and dry over a register. It is an off season task. Grimy cases get a half cup of white vinegar added to the soapy water, which really strips the lube off.

I've also found that tumbling brass before resizing decreases the amount of resistance on the expander button, and makes a difference I cam measure when compared to cases not pre-tumbled. Saves lubing inside the necks.
 
#23 · (Edited)
According to Fred Hunnington in 1969, "Think of RCBS lube as colorless STP." If you don't want a stuck case, use Imperial, RCBS or STP. MANY others will work, but those three always work.

What do the factories use? What is used in the manufacture of drawn copper and brass tubing/pipe? What was used on lathe steady-rest before live centers? All of those lubes have things in common and those things ALL occur in the three sizing lubes named above.
 
#26 ·
Well, I have come across an interesting case that got stuck. I was sitting there yesterday resizing a ton of .223 including what I find out in the field. After tumbling and inspecting I found a PPU 556x45 (casehead stamp).
Lubed it up and ran it into the die. ( now I had done this to another of the same stamp and it was tough but it resized.) upon lowering the ram it tore the rim right off. I drilled and tapped it and it slid right out. Still had plenty of lube.
Could this be due a extremely small size difference at the head?
I only had 2 of these cases.
 
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