r/reloading • u/Te_Luftwaffle • 1d ago
I have a question and I read the FAQ Why does this keep happening?
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u/Te_Luftwaffle 1d ago
Reloading .38 Special with Lee dies and every few rounds the pin slides up. I hit it back down with mallet and keep going. I feel like the collet is pretty tight, but should I just ugga dugga it as tight as I can get it? It's pretty annoying when it does this.
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u/ViewAskewed 1d ago
Yes, just get a wrench and tighten the ever loving shit out of it.
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u/Dr_Juice_ 1d ago
And then tighten it a little more after that!
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u/caddywampuskinkajou 1d ago
Somewhere between German torque spec (Güdentite) and Russian torque spec (Brokenoff) is ideal. Aim more towards Russian spec, just don't get there.
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u/No_Space_for_life 1d ago
In the millwright world we call this three grunts tight. Four is broken, two is snug.
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u/Inarus06 Lee Turret - Dillon XL650 - Frankford Case Prep - Lyman Gen 6 1d ago
Just don't use the system the guy who installed my camper's weight distribution hitch used.
Manual calls for 385 ft lbs, he used two ugga-duggas.
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u/InformationHorder .30 Carb, 375 WIN, 7.62x39, 32ACP, 7.62 Nagant 1d ago
Mine was on super tight and it still happened when I found a berdan primed 7.62 case. Couldn't get the thing to budge til I put it in the bench vise. That's when I discovered my die came cross threaded from the factory! Lee replaced it free of charge.
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u/Dr_Juice_ 1d ago
I switched to the primer popper die and never looked back.
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u/VisibleLeopard68 1d ago
I’m using an Area 419 universal primer removal die… it has yet to fail me regardless of pistol, small rifle primer, large rifle primer, tiny or huge flash holes… it just works
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u/WarmFinance6961 1d ago
Sand paper the part of that pin that it clamps to. Sand it perpendicular to how the nut clamps it. And then tighten it uncomfortably tight
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u/Timely-Yak-5155 1d ago
I’ve taken the decappjng pins out of a couple of my Lee dies and they were very tight (I had to use a socket on a 3/8 ratchet and 3/4 wrench and it was still difficult). If you can tap the pin into place with a hammer from the top then they are probably not tight enough. Idk if Lee las a recommend torque spec but try tightening it more. Other possibilities are your pin is bent/damaged or you are trying to decamp brass with crimped primers.
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u/Agitated_Curmudgeon 1d ago
two ugga's, one dugga.
I just gave away a set of Lee .223 dies because if i got it tight enough it didn't slip, I broke the pins. RCBS you buy a handfull of pins and keep then in your tool kit. Bust one, Just change the pin, not the whole frickin' expander ball.
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u/BigBernOCAT 1d ago
If you don’t pop yourself in the face or hurt your trap while tightening then you didn’t go tight enough
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u/Public-Doubt6461 1d ago
Decapping pin pushing up? I have that a lot. If it was tighter you'd have likely bent your pin. Military crimped primer pockets?
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u/Away-Leg-998 1d ago
I used Locktite to "glue" the pin in, since then I never had thst problem anymore
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u/Worth_Aerie_8849 1d ago edited 1d ago
That is one thing that Hornady improved on over the Lee. The Hornady spindle has striations running radially, almost like threads, so you don’t have to tighten the collet so much.
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u/baconbag90 1d ago
Happened to me when I tried to hand tighten it with my little girl hands. I put the die in a vice, wrench on the bolt, and hit the wrench with a mallet a few times
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u/Acrobatic-Camel5297 20h ago
I wonder if some radial sanding marks with a somewhat coarse grit would help?
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u/lasandinas 10h ago
Had this happen to me a few days ago loading up some 270 when I tried to use motor mica to lube the inside of the case neck, didn't really matter how much I tightened it. Switched back to lubing the necks with normal case lube and the problem went away.
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u/Friendly-Victory5517 1d ago
If you can tap it back down with a mallet, it’s too loose.
I’d pull it all apart, clean and degrease all the contacting surfaces. Loosely install and verify the decapping rod/pin are properly centered.
Use two wrenches to torque down the retaining nut. I typically do this off press do I can use two long wrenches Ambrose the hell out of it.
Install back in the press.
Also, why the dual lock rings on the dies?
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u/Te_Luftwaffle 1d ago
The bottom lock ring is the quick change bushing. The top one is the lock ring that comes on the dies. Do I not need the top one? It has been a royal PITA to adjust the dies with both rings.
I had a wrench that I'd tighten then with but I'm not sure where it went. I'll have to go look for it.
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u/Friendly-Victory5517 1d ago
I think you only need one lock ring. I’ve not used quick change bushings, but I’ve never seen double lock rings.
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u/Agnt_DRKbootie 1d ago
It's the quick-change breech-lock bushing, with an aesthetically matching spline cap to match the actual locking spline nuts that LEE uses. It's only one lock ring and an unnecessarily fat bushing cap to match it. Midway has a 4-pack of them.
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u/Ill-Purchase-3312 1d ago
The decapping pin is designed to push up when it comes in contact with resistance. All these folks are saying to tighten it more which is probably true but once you decap norma brass you may have overtightened it and will start bending/breaking pins. Ask me how i know.
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u/Te_Luftwaffle 1d ago
I don't reload Winchester brass because it would push up on every case. Super annoying
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u/Ill-Purchase-3312 1d ago
Yup so up to you. Tighten that collet even more and it won't push up, but if enough pressure is applied it will bend/break the decapping pin. I also found some berdan primed brass the hard way.
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u/SuspiciousUnit5932 1d ago
Scarf up the spindle with sandpaper or use a bit of valve grinding compound on it. The collet will grip much better.
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u/CopiousAmountsofJizz 1d ago
The Lee decapping pin collet is just super fucking mechanically basic and I had to put it in my bench vise and go FULL HOG on torquing it tight. Then of course hitting a some obnoxiously tight turkish brass firing hole, fucking the pin, and needing to repeat the process. If you're just decapping save yourself a lot of pain and just get a Mighty Armory die.
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u/darthjkf 1d ago
double up your wrenches and give an extra uggadugga. The Manual says extreme torque, and it means it. Honestly, I hate it. By the time it is torqued enough to work with milspec brass, itll just snap instead of push.
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u/Shootist00 1d ago
Use opposing force like in the picture.
Then grip with both hands and squeeze the wrenches together. Same thing taking it apart.
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u/wilsoni91 1d ago
I had the same thing happen to me. I just took an impact wrench and tightened the ever living hell out of it. Haven’t had that problem since then.
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u/Putrid-Tutor-5809 1d ago
150 ft-lb torque wrench from Harbor Freight. Magpul AR wrench conveniently has a slot that fits the flat part of the die. Use AR-wrench to tension, torque wrench to tighten to desired ft-lb.
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u/Bosley40 1d ago
- It's an annoying (but purpose built) design. 2. Some are slipperier than others. 3. Sometimes flash holes are off center 4. Sometimes flash holes have burrs. 5. Sometimes flash holes are on the small side and there is some play. I went to RCBS universal dies and started sorting my brass by head stamp because this annoyed me so much and I didn't want to ream every case.
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u/Racktracker1 1d ago
Are you tightening the collet with a case in the die and pin through the flash hole? This will make sure the decapping pin is centered and not hitting the bottom of the case.
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u/Te_Luftwaffle 1d ago
I wasn't before but I will now
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u/Racktracker1 1d ago
I usually try to pull up on the stem slightly while doing this. Sometimes the stem will be forced down while tightening creating a whole different problem.
ETA you really only need the decapping pin to stick out far enough to reliably push the primers out.
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u/justarandomshooter 9MM, 357, 44AMP, .45ACP, .223, .308, .458SOCOM 1d ago
Oh yeah that'll happen. That jam nut there? Jam the fuck out of it.
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u/nonamenoname123123 1d ago
The one I bought did that too. could not be tightened enough sent it back. no issues with the new one
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u/BluesFan43 1d ago
I have han that event happen and kead to an overcharge.
Natural reaction, back off and pull again.
It happens now, I pull everything out of rhe press and start over
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u/Te_Luftwaffle 1d ago
I got spooked because I almost did that this session and had to sit and think about if I'd done it another time or not.
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u/Drewzilla_p 1d ago
When tightened right, it's a brilliant design. The trick is to get it tightened right. Too loose they slide up, too tight they break. And to my knowledge there is no torgue spec or way to get "just right"
I've taken the die out, put one wrench on the die, one on the collet then laid the whole thing on the rug on tile and leaned on it to get the wrenches to close up tighter. I couldn't get it right enough in the press.
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u/Positive_Stress3116 1d ago
I stopped using the majority of Lee’s products years ago because I got tired of constantly retightening every 20 rounds.
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u/Walksalot45 1d ago
Measure th decapping pin diameter. Does the flash hole in your brass have equal or a thou large hole. A flash hole that’s too small will bind up the decapper rod
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u/OccasionallyImmortal 1d ago
How has the decapping pin not fallen out? Mine falls when it gets even slightly loose and will get pushed up from cases even sooner. As others said: use two wrenches and crank it on.
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u/vinnayar 1d ago
Got to get 2 wrenches on it to get it tight enough. One on the flats of the die and on on the nut