Stuck case removal.
I don't know whether it's old age or just a string of brain fades, but I just did something I've only done once before in all these years. I stuck a case in a sizing die. Boy did I ever.I'm working with a lovely Cooper .22-250 right now and am trying to really find out the ultimate accuracy capability of the rifle. So I'm using Redding's Competition Bushing neck sizing dies and a selected lot of Norma brass. The cases have been loaded several times and some were getting to the point where closing the bolt required more effort than it should.
When you do the sort of minimal neck sizing possible with the bushing die, case length usually isn't an issue and they don't need trimming very often. But sometimes the case shoulder will move forward a bit--as much as the headspace will allow--and you need to put it back where it belongs.
The best way to do this is with another special die called a body die (some folks call them bump dies because you bump the shoulder a bit) this basically is the same as a full length sizing die but it doesn't touch the neck of the case at all. That way all your effort from neck sizing isn't undone and you can still re-establish proper body dimensions.
This is a full length sizing die which means you need to lubricate the cases before sizing them. I bet you can see where this is going now can't you? Since the amount of actual sizing work done is very little, I apply the lube sparingly and often just lube every other case. The residual lube in the die is almost always enough for one case--but not three.
Loading is one of those repetitive jobs that lets you do all sorts of heavy thinking, so I'm hustling along just fine and notice that this case seemed to take a bit more effort than usual. Brass sometimes is like that so I put another case in and everything came to a screeching halt. When I tried to reverse course the shell holder pulled the rim slap off that case. Charlie may have said a bad word.
It didn't take many smarts on my part to figure out that I had made a boo-boo. So the immediate question was how to fix it. With the rim pulled off there is nothing to grab onto and more aggressive measures could damage the die. I unscrewed it from the press and was studying the mess I had made when one of those little epiphany moments came, "Wait, I have a stuck case remover."
The challenge then became remembering where it was. That took a whole lot longer than it did to get in trouble, but in due course a Redding stuck case remover emerged from a bottom drawer. Actually it's a kit containing a drill, tap, screw, allen wrench and--most importantly--a small collar that slips over the base of the die.
The actual removal is very straightforward. First put the die with the stuck case in a vise where it can be held without damage. The, using the No. 7 drill provided drill a hole right in the middle of the primer pocket. A 1/4-20 tap is included but it is helpful if you have a tap wrench. Then tap the hole you just drilled. A drop of light lubricant on the tap is nice although brass' softness makes it easy to tap.
Now place the collar over the case and insert the allen screw through a hole in the collar and screw it into the hole in the case. Once you have it finger tight use the allen wrench to turn the screw some more. It takes a lot more effort than you might expect to turn the screw, but remember you had a whole bunch of leverage when you stuck the case.
With the die body safely in the padded vise jaws you can use some force to turn the screw. If it won't budge with the pressure you can apply by hand you could tap it with a mallet or use some additional leverage. I always have scraps of barrel lying around and a 6-inch section provides more than enough additional force. Then everything is easy.
Should this happen while using a standard die with a decapping pin in place you may not be able to completely remove the decapping stem. But you should be able to draw the pin up into the die a good bit and then proceed gently with the drill to avoid damaging the decapping assembly.
As I said, I had owned the stuck case remover for years. I bought it the first time because I needed it then and it's been lying there helping ever since. Isn't there some sort of perverse philosophy that says if you carry an umbrella it won't rain? Maybe if you keep a stuck case remover around you won't need it. But if you ever do it is nice to be able to solve the problem painlessly. Call it a cheap insurance policy if you like.
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| Title Annotation: | Handloader |
|---|---|
| Author: | Petty, Charles E. |
| Publication: | Guns Magazine |
| Date: | Feb 1, 2004 |
| Words: | 859 |
| Previous Article: | 14 tips to better sporting clays. |
| Next Article: | As the world turns. |