I have a 243 die that is the same way. It deprimes fine and I shoot tight groups with it. I wouldn't worry about it to much unless it becomes a annoying problem or if you notice case damage such as widing the flash hole or case sticking.

Ben

I have the Hornady New Dimension dies in 270 Win. and the decapping pin is off center by about 1/16 inch. It has been this way since I got the dies about 7 years ago, and it doesn't seem to be a problem. I just wonder if it could be pulling the necks out a little as the expander comes through. My uncle tells me the case will move enough in the shell holder that it will align itself with the expander even if it's off by a little, and the necks will be sized correctly and will be straight. Just wondering what some of you experts on here think about that. Should I consider getting a different die just so there's no doubt, or is there a way to measure my resized cases to verify if the necks are straight or not?

Lots of dies are like this. The rod is probably not stiff enough to deform your case neck, but occasionally they are crooked enough that the primer punch misses the hole, then youv'e got to do something about it. Often if you loosen the locking nut and move things a 1/4 turn or so it will change the position of the pin. If all else fails you can reach up inside the die with a small screwdriver and torque it some. Just be sure to reach up high enough that you are bending the rod above the small diameter area that is threaded for the expander plug.

For a nominal investment you can purchase the Lee decapping tool which does an excellent job. Many people prefer to prime and deprine as a separate step. I grew tired of the decapping pin falling out or working loose. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Thanks for the input everyone. It's not far enough off center that it causes problems with depriming. I must have resized/deprimed at least 300 cases, without a problem. I was just worried about whether it would cause the necks to be a little off.

Bob338, thanks for the help. I did try playing around with the depth in order to find a spot in which it was centered, but I couldn't get it centered at a spot where the decapper was also at a position that would work for knocking the primers out. Maybe I will go ahead and get that separate decapping die as you and the other gentleman suggested. I hate to bother with sending it back to Hornady. With my luck they'll send me a new one and it'll be the same way. What about just buying a new set of dies? Or just a new resizing die of a different brand? What do you think would be the better option? (and most economical)

As long as it punches primers, I wouldn't worry about it.
I think I would either call or E-Mail Hornady about a replacement. They should either want the die back or send you a new de-capping stem.

Partially agree with Madison, but disagree that it's "unimportant". The problem undoubtedly lies in the fit of the threads for the collet. Another collet would possibley take care of the problem. If that did not, then somehow the female threads in the die are wrong. I think you should call Hornady and discuss with them. It seems I recall a similar problem with a Hornady die way back. Simply swapping collets with another die fixed both.

There is nothing wrong with Hornady dies. Of the "cheap" dies I think they are the best, along with Lyman. At one time or another I've had a problem with the dies from most all manufacturers. The nature of the manufacturing process leaves much room for slight misalignment, especially in ALL the threads cut in them and in the presses. If you value concentricity, and I do, that's just something you have to fuss with. The manufacturers know it and that is the reason they all work with you in correcting problems. With your negative attitude about your luck, you stand just as much chance of a similar problem with the die from any manufacturer. Devote a bit of time and let Hornady help you correct the problem.

If you do want to change dies, the easiest one to correct this particular problem is Forster. The expander in their sizing die is located at the neck. That gives much less possibility of misalignment. They, Redding and RCBS are arguably the top die makers but they cost a bit more than others. One way to eliminate the problem totally is with the Redding S dies but they aren't cheap and you do have to buy the bushings, usually at least 2. I've been slowly converting all my dies to bushing dies which eliminates all concentricity problems related to the expander. Good luck.

Depends on what is good enough for you. I don't think I have one set of dies where the rod is perfectly centered, but I have several rifles that will shoot less than 1" with my reloads. If you're a benchrester looking for 1 hole groups then maybe you need to do something special. As your dad, or was it uncle said, when you are withdrawing your case, things are free to move around and it will self center.

I will call Hornady and see what they will do to help. I just didn't want to have to ship the dies to them and then wait for them to ship them back. Seems like an unnecessary hassle and expense. If they will just send me a new decapping stem to try that would be great. Also I will think about ordering the Forster die you mentioned.