Reloading Gremlins Strike
Posted: 18 Apr 2018 12:29
Not really gremlins but my worst day at the bench. 
Started with my very first stuck case. I was using an 8mm sizing die. Lots of telephone interruptions and I must have not lubed that case. I had 19 others done when the last one stuck. Tore off rim. Don't believe the Lee advice to tap it out by loosening the decapping rod. All it did was peen over the end of the rod. I don't have a stuck case kit so I improvised with a 1/4-20 bolt, a half inch deep socket, a washer and a nut. Drilled and tapped the primer pocket (broke decapping pin which I couldn't get out through top of die) It worked great except for the broken pin. Then I was down one 8mm case so I got a 270 Win case out for forming. With no decapping pin I put it into the Hornady universal decapping die and the pin broke off in the die. I had a spare pin but had to straighten the decapping rod which appears to be made from really soft steel. Back to the 8mm die and the oversize decapping rod I had made was too much for the 270 case neck. Thankfully the rod popped up through the die and the case came out without problem. Had to put the original rod back in, form the case, cut the neck back, clean up the cut, finish forming the case and then switch out to the larger diameter rod and finish forming the neck and then finally trim to length.
Started with my very first stuck case. I was using an 8mm sizing die. Lots of telephone interruptions and I must have not lubed that case. I had 19 others done when the last one stuck. Tore off rim. Don't believe the Lee advice to tap it out by loosening the decapping rod. All it did was peen over the end of the rod. I don't have a stuck case kit so I improvised with a 1/4-20 bolt, a half inch deep socket, a washer and a nut. Drilled and tapped the primer pocket (broke decapping pin which I couldn't get out through top of die) It worked great except for the broken pin. Then I was down one 8mm case so I got a 270 Win case out for forming. With no decapping pin I put it into the Hornady universal decapping die and the pin broke off in the die. I had a spare pin but had to straighten the decapping rod which appears to be made from really soft steel. Back to the 8mm die and the oversize decapping rod I had made was too much for the 270 case neck. Thankfully the rod popped up through the die and the case came out without problem. Had to put the original rod back in, form the case, cut the neck back, clean up the cut, finish forming the case and then switch out to the larger diameter rod and finish forming the neck and then finally trim to length.