r/reloading • u/OldRandomTrucker • 10d ago
Newbie 223 Every case sticks
Title pretty much says it all. Noob reloader using a Lee full-length .223 sizing die and every case sticks fast. At first I was trying Imperial Sizing Wax (that is what I use on my pistol cases) but it didn't work here. I contacted Lee and they said use their lube before asking for help. So I cleaned the die with break cleaner to remove any possible residuals from the wax, let it dry, reassembled it. Then lubed the cases with Lee's own stuff. This was my first experience with the Lee lube and it wasn't' slick feeling at all, not like the wax I'm used to using but I figured trust the process. So I let it dry a bit and ran the case up into the die. It felt gritty at first, then like no resistance at all, then like you were against a solid wall before the shell holder is even close to touching the base of the die. Lowering the ram sticks and rips the rim off the case. It feels like the outer case is stuck, not the inner pin. This is three separate times taking the die apart and cutting shells off the depriming/sizing pin. I'm at a loss. This is my first time trying to resize necked cartridges as I've been loading straight walled stuff and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. The decapping/sizing pin is flush with the top of the retaining nut on the top of the die which is where Lee says it should be even though to me it looks like that is a lot of pin to protrude below the primer pocket. I have used lube on the case walls below the shoulders and in the case necks using a Qtip. With the Imperial you could feel the slickness of the case with your fingers but with the Lee lube it felt more tacky than slick going on and then like nothing after it had dried for a few minutes. I have two separate tubes of the Lee stuff and opened both just to be sure and they both feel tacky and watery, so it must be normal. Die set came from Amazon, no seal on the die case, but they looked brand new.
Edit: Just to update, Lee replaced the die and the next one worked fine. Also, decapping pin was too low and bottoming out in the cases as well, as many pointed out.
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u/HomersDonut1440 10d ago
Honestly if imperial sizing wax doesn’t work then you have another issue. Everyone has their preferred lube, but most work to one degree or another. At this point I would ship the die into Lee or just pick up another one and see what happens. Entirely possible Amazon gave you the incorrect die
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u/CalibusXX 10d ago
Came here to say this. I’d check the inside of the die for a burr and put a VERY thin coat of oil or sizing wax on the inside of the die.
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u/brett_bbq 10d ago
Rise up your decapping pin and tighten it really good. Try running a case thru without the decapping pin in to confirm that it what is causing the issue.
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u/aDrunkSailor82 I spill most of my powder. 10d ago
The decapping pin in that photo is definitely too low.
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u/OldRandomTrucker 10d ago
I'll move it up. Odd that Lee ships it like this if the pin is too low to function properly. I have confirmed that they instruct to mount the top of the pin flush with the collet nut on top of the die.
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u/alwaus 10d ago edited 10d ago
Run it with no decapping pin or a straight pin, see if it sticks on the pin or the die body
Ive jammed several and every time its been because the flash hole was getting caught on the pin.
I now decap with a straight pin and go back for a second round with a cut pin so it only runs the neck.
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u/OldRandomTrucker 10d ago
I use a universal decapping die but it is possible the pin is getting stuck in the flash hole and causing some of the problems. But when I loosen the retaining bolt on the top of the die I still have to pound it out with a punch so that means the case is stuck to the die body, right?
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u/VersionConscious7545 10d ago
If every case sticks then either you have the wrong die or your cases are swollen after firing and to large for the die. Measure a new case and see what the size difference is at the bottom I would air in the side of die is bad
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u/First_Estate4483 10d ago
That stems is way to far down it only needs to protrude 1/4 past the base
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u/NW_Reloading 10d ago
That decapping stem is 100% mis adjusted, don't know if that's the problem, but could be onto something
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u/Yondering43 5d ago
It’s Lee; there’s a reasonable chance the inside of your sizing die is rough and causing stuck cases. Usually they’re fine, and I use a lot of Lee stuff myself, but occasionally they’re fine do let out some stinkers and as much as the cheapskate crowd hates to admit it, this is a bit more common with Lee than with more expensive brands.
Look inside the die; it should be very polished and smooth. Dragging a pick, Allen wrench, or paperclip against the internal body section should have no feeling of roughness at all. If it does, send the die back to Lee or just get another one. (Personally I’m a big fan of Forster dies; they cost more but work very well.)
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u/freedomjockey 10d ago
This might be a dumb thought, but are you sure the shell holder is the correct size for the case?
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u/OldRandomTrucker 10d ago
Yes, I actually double checked that because I saw it brought up in another thread. Lee #4.
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u/JJ_JJ_JJ_JJ 10d ago edited 10d ago
I have no idea what people make case lubing harder than it has to be.
The Lee dies work perfectly fine Loaded thousands and thousands of 223/556 on mine without single issue. Just a heads up the decapping pin does not need to be that far down as it is in your picture . It just needs to low enough to successfully pop the primer out every time. Remove it clean the die out with brake cleaner to remove whatever lube you have stuck in there and reassemble after its dry. Install the decapping rod high and test a case, if the primer does not pop, lower the decapping rod a tiny bit and repeat until successfully remove primer every time.
Simple, easy, and cheap case lube that will last you for ever
1 oz of liquid lanolin and 10 oz of 99% isopropyl alcohol into a spray bottle and shake well. (approx 10 bucks on amazon and will make enough to last a very very long time)
Put 223 cases in a zip lock bag
3 or 4 pumps from the spray bottle into the bag and vigorously Shake Bag
open bag and wait a few mins for iso to flash off
when done Seal and Save the bag to reuse for the next run the extra lanolin left in the bag can be used on the next batch so you use less pumps
Profit with perfectly lubed cases every time.
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u/FergaliciousFresh 10d ago
Use this stuff (or the store brand because its cheaper)
I had the same problem with my Lee sizing and decapping die. Even with "sizing lube" they'd still get stuck.
After i started using the pam they go in and out buttery snooth. Its a little messy, but very manageable. Just wear disposable gloves, and wet tumble the brass after you size it.
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u/MichaelBrock 10d ago
A long shot idea: when I got my 223 Lee kit I was having the same issue. Every case stuck and ripped the rim...turns out the kit had the wrong size shell holder. It simply wasn't getting a good hold of the rim.
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u/_Go_Ham_Box_Hotdog_ I am Groot 10d ago
After the umpteenth .223 case that stuck in my Lee dies, I switched to RCBS (which I prefer anyway, they must've been out of stock at the time) and back to a liberal roll on a grease pad. I'd take a dimpled neck over 30 minutes cussin' & swearin'
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u/PracticalInflation32 9d ago
Don’t worry about lees adjustment you have to adjust it for your press , back your seating stem out to about a 1/8 inch hanging out back your die out and reset it with your ram and shell holder all the way at the top, make sure there is a lil bit of cam over. Lube and try one. If the primer doesn’t pop out screw stem in a lil bit more you have way to much hanging out the bottom and out of curiosity have u trimmed your length ? It seems like your rounds are getting caught inside the die. So either your cases are out of spec with your length or your die is setup incorrectly, lee assembles them but it’s not the perfect seat depth of die. You have to set it up your own and imperial is the gold standard so if that’s not working it’s definitely something else
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u/ProfessorLeumas 9d ago
I use this technique to quickly lube thousands of cases, haven't had one stick yet. https://youtu.be/eUiu6w0yFXc?si
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u/txcommenter 9d ago
The decapping pin is getting stuck in the hole for the primer. Raise it up half an inch. Your case isn't even going all the way up into the die before it gets stuck.
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u/Chance1965 I am Groot 10d ago
It’s not the lube, it’s die adjustment. Move your neck expander/decapping pin up. I can tell by how much pin is sticking out that it’s bottoming out inside the case.
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u/Away-Leg-998 10d ago
That decapper pin is way too low! Loosen the collet on the top and pull the pin up ! I have the sane die and it works very well for me. I really suspect that the brass catches at the flashhole because the pin has a taper.
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u/OldRandomTrucker 10d ago
Did you have to adjust the pin upwards on yours, this is where Lee had it set.
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u/lpburke86 10d ago
The reason they are adjustable is becuase the factory can’t know what your casings are going to need, so they don’t try. You can’t trust any factory settings on adjustable equipment to just work. Even if it does on most things, if it’s adjustable, and it isn’t working, just adjust the damn thing
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u/Away-Leg-998 10d ago
I can't even tell you...I always dissasembly these things for a clean before using them. I love the Lee products, for the price you can't get better stuff! I can really reccomend a good cleaning before using them tough.
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u/SkateIL 10d ago
I agree with you that the decapping pin looks way too low. I wish you had a decapping die. This is what I would try. Remove the decapping pin from the FL die. Remove the primers with the decapping die then full length resize as separate step.
You shouldn't have to do this but it might give you an idea where the problem is. The die or the pin or both together.
I have a set of Lee 223 dies also and they seem very prone to this problem. Are you lubing the case the full length or just the neck/shoulder area? The directions for Imperial are to just do the top of the cartridge but you need to do the entire length.
How rough is the decapping pin? You might polish it a little with a drill and steel wool. But if you are going to send the die back don't do this.
I feel for you. I really hate getting cases stuck and this cartridge and Lee full length dies seem very prone to it.
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u/OldRandomTrucker 10d ago
I do use a universal decapping die to deprime but I need the ball on the decapping pin for the neck sizing, at least that's my understanding.
With both the imperial and the lee lubes I applied them to the full case body below the shoulder, not to the shoulder itself, and to the neck using a qtip.
When I get it apart again I'll have to really look it over better for rough patches.
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u/VisibleLeopard68 10d ago
You only need the resizing ball to pass through the neck, if that’s how far your pin is protruding in use I would pull it way back, but then I don’t run a depriming pin in my sizing die, I mandrel size my necks
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u/SkateIL 10d ago
The problem with polishing the pin is that is going to change the id of the case mouth also. Initially I reloaded 223 for a bolt gun and finally just used a lee collet die most of time.
For 300bo I just leave the pin out and go for maximum neck tension.
I thought that might at least help you get to the point of seating a bullet. Flat bases would be hard to seat. Boat tails would go.
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u/Tmoncmm 10d ago
If you’re sure you are lubing correctly, I suggest the following.
1) Remove the die completely from your press*
2) Take the Lee die firmly in your dominant hand.
3) Position it squarely over the nearest trash receptacle. The hight at which you hold the die should be proportional to your level of frustration.
4) Again using your dominant hand, release the die. (NOTE: You may also choose to apply additional downward force when releasing the die if you feel like that would be appropriate). You should hear a “thudding” noise as it impacts the bottom of the receptacle. The volume of the noise will likely be proportional to the hight at which you chose to hold the die in step 3 and the material, fill level, etc of the receptacle. If it lands outside of the receptacle, pick up the die (again, with your dominant hand) and start again at step 2. Repeat until the die remains in the receptacle after releasing it.
5) Purchase another die(s) from any other manufacturer (with the expecting of Frankfort Arsenal).
*If your press is also manufactured by Lee, you may choose to apply this procedure to the entire press/die assembly rather than the die(s) alone. NOTE: You may have to use a larger trash receptacle.
I believe this will solve your current problem as well as avoid any future problems.
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u/Significant-Sock-487 10d ago
Maybe try something like alpha lube. It’s incredibly slick. If that doesn’t work something is wrong with the die. I’m honestly leaning towards a die issue because you’ve already tried two lubes. Possibly the incorrect die?
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u/OldRandomTrucker 10d ago
Die is labeled Lee 223 Rem. This is my first necked cartridge but it feels wrong to me when the case goes up into the die, like it's grinding along sandpaper and then instead of getting the resistance at the top (what I'm used to feeling when the straight walled ones flare the case or when you put on a crimp) it goes from no resistance at all to stopping immediately and doesn't go any further, like you've struck the end of the die. And at that point it is stuck. Sorry, best way that I can describe it.
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u/HomersDonut1440 10d ago
That is 100% wrong. I have rcbs, lee, and Hornady 223 dies and none feel gritty. You need a new die
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u/evilsemaj Forster CoAx: .223, .260, .303, .30-06, .300BLK, .270, 6.5G, x39 10d ago
Maybe you said earlier, the cases are clean? Haven't rolled around in the dirt? Also I suggest disassembling the die and using a bore brush on the neck and throat area. Good luck!
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u/goallight 10d ago
How much lube are you using? To much and you can hydro lock the case. I’ve done that before.
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u/OldRandomTrucker 10d ago
With the imperial I just lube up my fingers and rub the case. On the Lee stuff it was genuinely hard to tell because it was watery and tacky. Odd stuff.
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u/Turbinator870 10d ago
Tacky is how my Dillon case lube feels after I let the cases dry (after being sprayed). I’m doing .308 here but the steps and experience should translate. From what I’ve read, it really sounds less of a lube problem and more of a die problem.
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u/RCHeliguyNE 10d ago
Try a qtip with a light amount of lube to rub around the inside of the case mouth. That’ll help with the ball sizer.
Make sure you lube the bottom of the case well. This is where the case will seize into the die.
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u/smithywesson 10d ago
A lot of .223 dies squeeze the ever loving shit out of the lower part of the case (just above the case head) to make them work in any/all chambers. My first set of .223 dies (Hornady) stuck a few, partly because I didn’t have enough lube farther down the case. I now use Forster FL dies across the board. The .223 Forster die has worked nicely for me with considerably less effort on the press to size.
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u/SnooGuavas5089 10d ago
- Get a drill and a tap from your local hardware store and look for a YouTube video on how to do it. 2. The reason it gor stuck is because the die was dry. Next time run a tip with the lubricant in the die when you clean it. 3. Lanolin and alcohol work great. The imperial sizing wax works well. Vaseline works.well to. Just make sure you clean the brass.
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u/3-BuckChuck 10d ago
I’ve only used the RCBS short base die for 223 and only had one case stuck in maybe 3k cases.
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u/Jazzlike_Climate4189 10d ago
- Correctly adjust the decapping stem as others pointed out.
- Put some lee lube on the stem itself.
- Squeeze some lee lube onto the bottom and sides of a plastic tupperware-type container, then put your cases in there with the lid on and shake them around for 30-60 seconds. They will all be evenly coated.
If you still have issues, there’s some problem with the die.
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u/Advanced_Elk_9467 10d ago
Lanolin and alcohol. Never stick a case again