It's been said on this forum before and I proved it again last night; When walnut shells fill the primer flash hole knock out pins can and will bend or break. It happens just enough to get an Oh Shit about every 6 months. No EZ fix with Lee dies. roger

Try the Lee decapping die, works very well, supposedly tough enough to decap crimped primers, and the pin costs less than $2 if it does break/bend. Since I have a spare, it'll probably never fail, stuff like that usually only happens if I don't have a spare.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting2006/tworeloadingtools/index.asp

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductreview.exe/GetReviews?productid=136543

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?s...id=136543&t=11082005

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?s...id=274540&t=11082005

Don't say that! I broke my Lee decapping pin last month!

bartsche, loosen up the collet a bit, it's supposed to slide before the pin bends.

I use the Lee hand tool to knock out primers and keep the ash out of my press. Yeah it adds a little time but if you don't have time to take time when you are loading you are going to have problems anyway. Most of my die sets have the pins removed and are left loose in the box. The few Lee dies I use, I have the decapping punch backed up where it hits nothing.
My current press is a RCBS Rockchucker that I bought in 1972. I wanted to keep the ash out of the casting and I also knew its compound linkage would break any decapping system known without me even feeling it. I have not broken a single decapping pin since I bought the Rockchucker.
I have bought about a dozen pins to replace those broken by the previous owners of dies that I bought used.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
Don't say that! I broke my Lee decapping pin last month!

I manage to break them, which seems to come in batches... I have called up Lee and ordered 3 or 4 replacements at a time..

considering all the reloading I do, I consider them an expendible item, like a lot of other stuff...

or you can order a universal deprimer from RCBS and they will replace all the pins you break at no charge...

I have 3 Lee Universal Depriming Dies..another item I keep a couple of spares for backup.. they are cheap enough at $8.00 or so at big stores like Sportsmans, or Cabelas etc..

I also have 6 or so sets of Lee's RGB die sets, RGB stands for Really Great Buy... but I say they also stand for Really Great Backup...at $10.00 for a set, they will keep ya up and running when your regular dies need parts and repairs...

I don't understand the thinking in some folks who will spend big bucks on high quality dies, etc... and then skimp on purchase of inexpensive backup stuff...

like I run two tumblers, have 2 sets of dies for my commonly reloaded calibers...used dies at gun shops for $12 to $15.00 are around here locally...which make cheap investments..

A local gunsmith was telling me he has a customer who buys several custom $2500.00 rifles from him each year, yet is too cheap to buy a tumbler... because he will bring in all of this coroded brass and complain it won't chamber in his new rifle...the gunsmith uses new brass and it will chamber just fine.. and he runs the customers brass thru his tumbler overnight, and it will chamber just fine...

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
...When walnut shells fill the primer flash hole knock out pins can and will bend or break. ...

Hey Bartsche, I'd guess I go a little bit slower in my Reloading than you. And I also get media hung in the Flash Hole.

Needed a quick way to dislodge the media and tried a Paper Clip. Worked fairly well, but it was not the most appropriate "Handle Design".

Thought about it a bit and took the "Sticker" out of a Plastic Push Pin, cut off a piece of the Paper Clip wire and stuck it into the Plastic Push Pin. Decided to try it without Glue and it did fine. Never did Glue it in.

It is an Extra Step I do as the cases come directly out of the Tumbler. Once that is done, I clean the Primer Pocket, Trim, Deburr, Champfer and finally Polish the Case mouth.

Best of luck to you.

A jewelers screw driver with the swivel cap & .050 diameter blade works great for removing media from the flash hole and primer pocket. It also works well for chasing primer ash out of the bottom corner of the primer pocket.
It is also useful for digging media out of small bore bottle neck cases when it gets packed in them.

I stopped getting the Hornady decap pins. Now I go to Lowe's and buy those small finishing nails.

I use my dremel tool to cut off the point. Have not had to replace a "Lowes" decapper yet.

Hack

Lee sells replacement decapping pins & expander balls, too. Look up their die sets on their web site and the part numbers are in blue to click on and order.