Need help with sizing die - chunk of neck stuck

603Country · February 8, 2013, 02:56 PM

Well...heck. I've been prepping brass prior to reloading for my 220 Swift. Was going to work up loads for the 60 gr Partition. The cases are Winchester and have never been fired. They've probably been in my 'extra brass' container for maybe 10 years or more and sealed in a plastic bag the entire time. I turned the necks a bit, but not more than normal and certainly not excessively. Then, just to be sure the cases were all in exactly the same preloading state, I FL resized them in a Redding FL (non-bushing) sizing die and got down to about the last 8 or 10 cases when one of the case necks broke off and stayed in the die. That one wasn't tough to remove, but a few cases later a neck broke off and stayed up in the die. I can't get that rascal out of there. Never had this problem before, so I can't fall back on doing what I did the last time. I could sure use some suggestions on how to get that thing out of there without damaging the die.

And I don't know what to think about the brass.

F. Guffey · February 8, 2013, 03:20 PM

I do not have a bushing type sizer die, I do have a few expensive seating dies. The good news! Redding, the manufacture will repair or replace your die, If I had a rule about these things it would sound something like “it went in from the bottom, therefore, it has to exit the same way. All of my dies are versatile dies.

I have rifle friendly drifts and punches, on occasion I have found it necessary to pull out rather than drive out, something like “Depends on which side the hammer is on”. Then there is the sudden stop like the inertia bullet puller or the sudden acceleration technique, careful with dints and upsetting the metal.

F. Guffey

603Country · February 8, 2013, 06:43 PM

I got it. I reversed the decapping rod and the neck expander button pushed the brass case neck out of the die.

Mobuck · February 8, 2013, 07:40 PM

Always resize before neck turning especially new cases.

603Country · February 8, 2013, 09:14 PM

Mobuck, according to the note that I had in the bag of brass, the brass had been fully prepped and the note to me said that "most of them had been neck turned". I could see that some of them appeared to have been neck turned, but I didn't know if they had all been FL resized. So I checked the primer pockets with that tool and checked the flash holes for burrs and then trimmed them to length, then turned the necks to the degree that some of them had already been turned. Then I decided to go ahead and resize all of them, just to be srue that all were identically prepped. Out of about 50 cases, two necks were torn off. I don't remember that ever happening before. Both necks were torn off about 1/3 of the way from the shoulder.

I'll load em on Sunday with 60 gr Partitions and see what load works best. Then I'll find a few pigs and "choot em", as Troy Landry might say.

Whenever I store brass, I put a note in the bag as to what I've done to the brass. Might be 20 years before I get around to doing anything with that brass.

eldermike · February 8, 2013, 09:23 PM

603, I use that same method. Last few weeks I have been finishing some things I started 10 years ago.

February 8, 2013, 02:56 PM	#1
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,996	Need help with sizing die - chunk of neck stuck Well...heck. I've been prepping brass prior to reloading for my 220 Swift. Was going to work up loads for the 60 gr Partition. The cases are Winchester and have never been fired. They've probably been in my 'extra brass' container for maybe 10 years or more and sealed in a plastic bag the entire time. I turned the necks a bit, but not more than normal and certainly not excessively. Then, just to be sure the cases were all in exactly the same preloading state, I FL resized them in a Redding FL (non-bushing) sizing die and got down to about the last 8 or 10 cases when one of the case necks broke off and stayed in the die. That one wasn't tough to remove, but a few cases later a neck broke off and stayed up in the die. I can't get that rascal out of there. Never had this problem before, so I can't fall back on doing what I did the last time. I could sure use some suggestions on how to get that thing out of there without damaging the die. And I don't know what to think about the brass.

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February 8, 2013, 03:20 PM	#2
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	I do not have a bushing type sizer die, I do have a few expensive seating dies. The good news! Redding, the manufacture will repair or replace your die, If I had a rule about these things it would sound something like “it went in from the bottom, therefore, it has to exit the same way. All of my dies are versatile dies. I have rifle friendly drifts and punches, on occasion I have found it necessary to pull out rather than drive out, something like “Depends on which side the hammer is on”. Then there is the sudden stop like the inertia bullet puller or the sudden acceleration technique, careful with dints and upsetting the metal. F. Guffey

February 8, 2013, 06:43 PM	#3
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,996	I got it. I reversed the decapping rod and the neck expander button pushed the brass case neck out of the die.

February 8, 2013, 07:40 PM	#4
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	Always resize before neck turning especially new cases.

February 8, 2013, 09:14 PM	#5
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,996	Mobuck, according to the note that I had in the bag of brass, the brass had been fully prepped and the note to me said that "most of them had been neck turned". I could see that some of them appeared to have been neck turned, but I didn't know if they had all been FL resized. So I checked the primer pockets with that tool and checked the flash holes for burrs and then trimmed them to length, then turned the necks to the degree that some of them had already been turned. Then I decided to go ahead and resize all of them, just to be srue that all were identically prepped. Out of about 50 cases, two necks were torn off. I don't remember that ever happening before. Both necks were torn off about 1/3 of the way from the shoulder. I'll load em on Sunday with 60 gr Partitions and see what load works best. Then I'll find a few pigs and "choot em", as Troy Landry might say. Whenever I store brass, I put a note in the bag as to what I've done to the brass. Might be 20 years before I get around to doing anything with that brass.

February 8, 2013, 09:23 PM	#6
eldermike Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2013 Location: NC Posts: 545	603, I use that same method. Last few weeks I have been finishing some things I started 10 years ago.