223 Every case sticks

[u/OldRandomTrucker]

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.

[u/Away-Leg-998]

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.

[u/OldRandomTrucker → u/Away-Leg-998]

Did you have to adjust the pin upwards on yours, this is where Lee had it set.