Hey guys! So I have about 500 pcs of Win primed 7.62x39 brass. I figured that they needed to have the expander ball in my die run through them so the necks would be in shape so I backed out the expanding rod so that it wouldnt deprime the case every time. Instead of depriming them it crushed them like tin cans. Neat. So after some head scratching I figured out what was happening. I think. With the expander rod backed up into the die it is interfering with the shoulder inside the die that squezzes the mouth down before you draw the case back over the rod to size the mouth. Whew hard to explain. So my question is how do you size the necks on primed brass without depriming, or can I just chamfer and deburr and load?

I did a search here and several post recommended taking the decapping pin out and that doesnt seem right because you would also lose the expanding function of the decapper. Or does it not roll the neck it in to far? And how would that take out any dents in the mouth? Help! Otherwise Ive just been depriming but that seem counter-productive.

Al, most dies have a replacable decapping pin. Remove it and allow the ball enough clearance for the neck as you suspected.

Al

You should be able to remove the pin only, without having to remove the plug. Unscrew the plug and look at how it all goes together. You'll figure it out.

Ray

Lee dies are a one piece decapper-expander ball unit.

Hmmmmm. I did not know that. All of Lee dies that I have used had the conventional expander ball and seperate decapping pin.

So, I'm stumped. Maybe just screw the decapper up enough so that the primer is not ejected??

How do you replace a broken decapper? Buy a whole new die??

Ray

You should read FAQ from your die manufacturers site. For example RCBS gives you a free decapping-expanding-rod-unit no matter how you broke it.

Isn't there possibility to rise that decapper enough high to allow expanding, but not decapping?

If you read my original post thats what I tried to do originally. But because of the short stature of the round when you back out the expanding rod/decaper it interferes with the shoulder in the die that squeezes the neck down at the bottom of the stroke. After reading yesterdays post I think that if I want to utilize the primed brass and still FLR I need to invest in another full lenth Die. Any suggestions in regards to my application?

Hey Al, Try Setting the entire Die up so the Decap Pin will not touch the Primer. The Expander should stick down enough to straighten the Case Mouth by just touching it if they are severly bent in.

If that won't work, try taking a "Punch" and sticking it into the Neck just enough to straighten the Case Mouth. Don't hit on it, just use your hand and twist it a time or two. All you need is the Leading Edge of the Case Mouth straight to get the Bullet started.

You can use a Bullet Nose and barely "Tap" on it to straighten the Case Mouth. Obviously you do not want to get the Bullet stuck in the Case.

You might even be able to do it with a Champfer Tool by turning it "backwards".

Once the Mouth is "straight, the Bullets will Seat. And if you are using Boat Tail Bullets, they will pretty much go in even with a bit of irregualrity with the Case Mouth.

Best of luck to you.

I have an old Lyman 310 tong tool expander die and a bunch of expander plugs for it, including one in .308" and one in .311". I use it in a RCBS press with a 7/8X14 adapter collar. I size my 7.62X39mm cases with the .308" plug when using .308" bullets, and the .311" plug when using .311-.314" bullets. Might find such a setup on e-bay.....

OR, if you get a set of .30 Carbine dies, they work like pistol dies-size the outside of the case, then expand the mouth with the expander plug die. The expander is for .308" bullets, but RCBS or Huntington's will sell you a .311" plug, I'll bet!

Grrr! Still trying to remedy this problem. Read this old post and now Im wanting to utilize this PRIMED brass even more, due to the fact that there isnt a large rifle primer within 100 miles of my house. Any new ideas?

Apparently, you're unable to remove the de-capping pin and leave the expander in place. Your other option is to get an expander die like the Lyman "M" or a neck-turning expander.