It happened. First time reloading on my f'king 5th case I was only FL sizing so there's no powder or primer in it. I went on line and got the tap and die but did not get the #7 drill bit. I used a 1/4 inch bit which made the hole too big so now a 1/4x20 bolt will not thread into it. I tried a putty like compound that "supposedly turns into metal" called Quicksteel (it sucks so dont ever buy it) to fill in the hole in hopes of being able to drill and tap again but the shit turned into dust. So here's my question to you re-loaders, welders, mechanics etc... what about melting a brass brazing rod with a blow torch to fill in the hole (mind you that the hole is plugged so the brass will not come out the neck end) and then drilling and tapping the tail end again? Seems like it would work right? Since the portion I'm drilling and tapping will be pure brass it should work right? I just dont want to send it off and wait for weeks only to have them tell me "we can't fix it".
Stuck case removal idea....Yes or No.
- Thread starter Ultraman550
- Start date
If all else fails, put the die with the stuck case inside the freezer overnight and see if you can get it come apart when it's nice and cold. We did this at a friends house one day, he sprayed a little power blast on it and popped it in the freezer. The next day he gave it a good wack and the stuck case came out. Not sure if this technique is common as I have never had a stuck case but it might be worth a try.
The few stuck cases I have experienced, have been removed in the following manner:
Leave everything in the press
Loosen De-capping pin and allow it to drop drown into the case.
Using a punch small enough to fit into the hole where the de-capping pin lived, slide the punch into the hole on top of the pin, and give it a whack with a hammer. It may not be what is recommended, but usually this works to free the case...
Leave everything in the press
Loosen De-capping pin and allow it to drop drown into the case.
Using a punch small enough to fit into the hole where the de-capping pin lived, slide the punch into the hole on top of the pin, and give it a whack with a hammer. It may not be what is recommended, but usually this works to free the case...
Cold enough to "Freeze the balls off a brass monkey." That's exactly where the term came from; the difference between the expansion rates between iron and brass in extreme cold weather.
OFG, milo and ksthomas, I'll definitely try that trick today. I was thinking heat but then it dawned on my stupid ass heat expands.
1quick, luckily I have the decaping pin out so I'll freeze the bitch and try this as well.
Thanks guys for the help. I might just buy an old used FL die and try to create the same situation to see if my method works but I'd rather try your guys' ideas first because it's a Redding FL die and I have the Nitride bushing in it as well so fucking it up will eat me alive. I forgot to mention it's a 5.56 round so wouldn't a 5/16 be too big? I'll go to Home Depot today to look. This is one of those things I'd rather miss a day of work for because its all I'm going to be thinking about.
1quick, luckily I have the decaping pin out so I'll freeze the bitch and try this as well.
Thanks guys for the help. I might just buy an old used FL die and try to create the same situation to see if my method works but I'd rather try your guys' ideas first because it's a Redding FL die and I have the Nitride bushing in it as well so fucking it up will eat me alive. I forgot to mention it's a 5.56 round so wouldn't a 5/16 be too big? I'll go to Home Depot today to look. This is one of those things I'd rather miss a day of work for because its all I'm going to be thinking about.
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You heat the die not the stuck brass, the die expands around the brass and the interference is reduced... It isn't rocket science.
Take the die assy apart, leave the die body/stuck-brass in the press, heat the die, use a brass/steel/whatever drift and punch the stuck brass out from the top.
Last one I got stuck I thought I would simply have to replace the die. After attempts failed--including bent brass punch I finally took a chance and dropped it with my local gunsmith. Picked it up the next morning. Other than tarnished ego and $10 lighter--no worse the wear. I asked how he got it out--received some secret ninja non-answer.
All else fails--ask the professionals.
All else fails--ask the professionals.
You could also buy a stuck case remover kit or make your own with, tap, bolt, washer and short piece of pipe.
VICTORY!!!! I did it. I froze the bitch, went out and bought a 5/16 tap and die set, placed several washers between to create the leverage and it came out. No harm done to the die or bushing........So happy I didn't send it to Redding (not that they're bad but I'm impatient). That was a traumatizing experience though man, fuck that ever happening again. I'm soaking my brass in sizing wax and one shot and I don't care if the brass sits in it for 15 years. That one g*ddam die stopped my whole process. Thank you guys for the help!!! That thing would be off to Redding right now if it wasn't for you. From one newbie to the pro's I owe you.
Ultraman550,
Do yourself a favor and get yourself a stuck case removal kit. They're cheap insurance, and it's money well spent. Everyone should have on on their bench somehwere. No body plans on using them, ever, but I suspect they've come in handy for most of us from time to time. I know mine sure has!
Do yourself a favor and get yourself a stuck case removal kit. They're cheap insurance, and it's money well spent. Everyone should have on on their bench somehwere. No body plans on using them, ever, but I suspect they've come in handy for most of us from time to time. I know mine sure has!
I did. I went to Home Depot and got the whole shebang. The tap, die and drill bits are all from Irwin, very well made. It was my fault in the beginning for using a 1/4 drill bit for the 1/4 die because the drill bit was too big and a #7 drill bit was supposed to be used. The entire rim of the case broke off in the shell holder and my stomach dropped to my nut sack. I've got a 1/4x20 and a 5/16x18 tap and die set now. That feeling for me equated to when you lose your wallet or when you hydroplane on the highway going 70 mph and your car starts fishtailing. Never again, never ever ever ever again will I not lube my cases. I lubed every one of them BUT that one and for a split second as I was pulling down on the handle I thought "shit I hope this one doesn't get stuck"....F'k me. I'm going to the desert now with 70 lbs of Tannerite and a 20mm and I'm going to shoot that fucking case.
Shoot I just scrounged up some bits of hardware at home and made my own kit. I had 6mm tap drill bit and bolt I used when it happened to me. A 1" brass piece of pipe thread for In between and done. Works like a charm like a real kit.
I bought the RCBS kit, years ago. After seeing it, it would be very simple to put one together. Heck, I've got all the necessary stuff in the shop. I just did not figure out how they worked until I saw one. They came in a die box, back then, and that makes it easy to store. Lightman
It just happened to me tonight. I put the die in the vise upside down and flipped the lock-n-load bushing. I had a large diameter washer and used my 6mm tap. I had to use a 1/2 ratchet and a socket insert bit to get the leverage.
I had a case head seperation in my die once. 1/8" (I think) pipe tap fits .243, .260, .308 & 30.06 cases if this ever happens to you. It also works for extremly stuck cases in a chamber after case head seperations I've been told. You could probably do this with a regular stuck case if you can get the head off or drilled out.
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Do that! Or "throw it out, and buy a new die, use "enough" wax, and don't do it again! throw out every thing else, except the wax.GET WAX! One shot, should be "shot, and thrown out".
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