Replacing RCBS Decapping Rod

ninosdemente · July 28, 2022, 12:24 AM

Using RCBS 6.5 Creedmor die sets and I managed to bend the decapping rod. Not paying attention, now I have to replace the rod. Can one buy just the rod? If so, where can I get it or better off buying the die or set depending on cost? Thank you in advanced for the help.

jetinteriorguy · July 28, 2022, 05:04 AM

Just call RCBS, I’m sure they’ll send you a replacement at no cost.

mehavey · July 28, 2022, 06:32 AM

You bent the actual rod (not just the pin)?

ballardw · July 28, 2022, 06:03 PM

Yes. https://www.rcbs.com/spare-parts-and...-pin/2079.html

The above web site offers the pins in packages of 5, 10 and 50 but you need to know your size.

smith627 · July 28, 2022, 06:49 PM

I broke a RCBS pistol primer decap pin years ago and called customer service about purchasing one or two pins. They said they would send me a few at no charge. I tried to at least pay for the shipping but they said no. They sent me a package of four decap pins.

dewcrew8 · July 29, 2022, 11:01 AM

rcbs's web page should have them plus midwayusa should to. If you call and rcbs sends you one then great, I would get extra's rods and pins so you don't have the down time next time it happens , I have them for lc brass. some things are made to wear out.

**44 AMP** · July 29, 2022, 12:02 PM

Quote:

some things are made to wear out.

the pin, ok. The shaft, not so much....

If you've bent the decapping stem in your die, you need to STOP, and figure out A) just how that happened, and even more importantly,

B) is there anything ELSE in your reloading process that you've screwed up?? and, how badly?

mehavey · July 29, 2022, 02:41 PM

If the shaft was actually bent, `betcha the OP has small-flash-hole brass.

(Probable ditto for pin bent as well.)

**44 AMP** · July 29, 2022, 08:11 PM

If the decapping stem (shaft) is contacting the web of the case (which it would have to be in order to get bent) your die stem is seriously out of adjustment.

A too small or off center flash hole can bend or break the PIN, (which is why they are replaceable) the shaft should never touch the case web.

hammie · July 30, 2022, 10:48 AM

@ ninosdemente: As everyone else has said, midway sells the stem, expander and pin assembly for a little over 6 $.

For a long time, I've been doing the decapping and re-sizing in two steps. RCBS, Lyman, and Redding, all make universal decapping dies. I have a set of the redding's, but the one I use the most is the Lee universal decapping die. It's almost indestructible and costs about 12 $ now, from midway. When decapping in a separate step, you're not applying the same pressure you would from re-sizing, and you can easily feel if the pin is off center or hitting something it shouldn't. By decapping separately, you can run the expander rod higher in the re-sizing die so that there is little chance of hitting something.

And if I were replacing the decapping/expander rod, I would also get a tungsten carbide expander. Redding offers them for their dies, and I think the Lyman carbide expanders come with an adapter which allows them to fit RCBS dies. Carbide expanders are a bit pricey, but they will make your life a lot easier. No squawking, no need to lubricate, no neck stretching, and little effort. Although I've found that with light lubrication, the little effort reduces to no effort.

lll Otto lll · July 30, 2022, 01:31 PM

If you bent the pin, find a drill bit that closely matches the diameter and Dremel off the shank.

ninosdemente · August 10, 2022, 12:10 AM

Thanks guys for the replies. Yes I bent the rod as I took it out of the die. Don't ask how... just that I should know better than to have that happened. Was not paying attention when it happened. The pin is fine. I will call RCBS and thanks for the link ballardw.

Hammie, I do decap separate. I have a Lyman universal decapping die. I was working on a dummy round when this happened. Would be able to provide a link to the Lyman carbide expanders? Thanks.

hammie · August 10, 2022, 01:08 AM

@ninosdemente: Midwayusa.com shows the decapping rod and tungsten carbide expander to be in stock. Midway's item number for the 6.5 version is 245335. If you type that number in their search box, your screen should go directly to the rod and expander assembly. It doesn't say so, but the lyman rod assembly has always included an adapter for RCBS dies. They're currently priced at 35.49 $.

**44 AMP** · August 10, 2022, 03:06 PM

Quote:

If you bent the pin, find a drill bit that closely matches the diameter and Dremel off the shank.

as a makeshift temporary pin, ok, but drill bits are notoriously hard/brittle, and unlike a proper decapping pin, they tend to break, not bend.

Quote:

Midwayusa.com shows the decapping rod and tungsten carbide expander to be in stock.

I would contact RCBS before I spent any money with Midway, or anyone else. RCBS has a long history of good customer support and often supplying replacement parts at little or no charge.

They might have ended that practice, I don't know, but I think it's well worth finding out before you buy from a retailer.

Unkl Chuck · August 10, 2022, 07:07 PM

If you're already using a decapping die setup, remove the pin from the expander. You don't need it and it only gets in the way and can lead to problems. The expander only needs to clear the case neck slightly to do it's job, you should make that adjustment early in the initial setup of your die.
If you have bent the stem, definitely contact RCBS first, they are good folks and stand behind their products.
Good luck.

ninosdemente · August 16, 2022, 09:31 PM

Thanks guys for the reply.

Unkl Chuck.... sure was thinking of doing what you mentioned but was not sure if I should do so or not. Thanks for the suggestion.

Marco Califo · August 19, 2022, 12:09 PM

Another vote for separating Decapping and Sizing.
The Lee Universal Decapper is inexpensive and works great, never touching the brass (just the spent primer).
I also have the Frankfort Arsenal hand decapper, which is very handy when decapping a 1000 or more range brass. This also makes them easier to clean after depriving. Then, only clean brass goes into the resizing die.

ninosdemente · August 25, 2022, 08:42 PM

I did end up calling RCBS, first time calling and customer service was excellent. No hassle, questions, just how can we help and they sure did. They are sending the stem plus two pins. I was expecting to pay, so I asked what the fee was. They said no fee and enjoy reloading. Just waiting for the package to arrive. Thanks everyone for suggestion to call RCBS.

**44 AMP** · August 26, 2022, 11:15 AM

RCBS has been doing business that way since I started reloading in the 70s, and probably has been since the company's Day One decades before that. Good to hear they still are.

langenc · September 1, 2022, 07:31 PM

Might take several days for delivery of replacement parts but it will come..

July 28, 2022, 12:24 AM	#1
ninosdemente Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2017 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 831	Replacing RCBS Decapping Rod Using RCBS 6.5 Creedmor die sets and I managed to bend the decapping rod. Not paying attention, now I have to replace the rod. Can one buy just the rod? If so, where can I get it or better off buying the die or set depending on cost? Thank you in advanced for the help.

July 28, 2022, 06:03 PM	#4
ballardw Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 1,411	Yes. https://www.rcbs.com/spare-parts-and...-pin/2079.html The above web site offers the pins in packages of 5, 10 and 50 but you need to know your size. __________________ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ All data is flawed, some just less so.

July 28, 2022, 06:49 PM	#5
smith627 Member Join Date: April 27, 2008 Location: Central Mississippi Posts: 16	I broke a RCBS pistol primer decap pin years ago and called customer service about purchasing one or two pins. They said they would send me a few at no charge. I tried to at least pay for the shipping but they said no. They sent me a package of four decap pins. __________________ NRA Life Member *Shoot Safely, Shoot Often, & Share Your Sport - Shooting USA*

July 29, 2022, 08:11 PM	#9
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,833	If the decapping stem (shaft) is contacting the web of the case (which it would have to be in order to get bent) your die stem is seriously out of adjustment. A too small or off center flash hole can bend or break the PIN, (which is why they are replaceable) the shaft should never touch the case web. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

August 10, 2022, 01:08 AM	#13
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@ninosdemente: Midwayusa.com shows the decapping rod and tungsten carbide expander to be in stock. Midway's item number for the 6.5 version is 245335. If you type that number in their search box, your screen should go directly to the rod and expander assembly. It doesn't say so, but the lyman rod assembly has always included an adapter for RCBS dies. They're currently priced at 35.49 $. Last edited by hammie; August 10, 2022 at 01:17 AM.

July 28, 2022, 05:04 AM	#2
jetinteriorguy Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 3,175	Just call RCBS, I’m sure they’ll send you a replacement at no cost.

July 28, 2022, 06:32 AM	#3
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,894	You bent the actual rod (not just the pin)?

July 29, 2022, 11:01 AM	#6
dewcrew8 Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2009 Posts: 214	rcbs's web page should have them plus midwayusa should to. If you call and rcbs sends you one then great, I would get extra's rods and pins so you don't have the down time next time it happens , I have them for lc brass. some things are made to wear out.

July 29, 2022, 02:41 PM	#8
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,894	If the shaft was actually bent, `betcha the OP has small-flash-hole brass. (Probable ditto for pin bent as well.)

July 30, 2022, 10:48 AM	#10
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@ ninosdemente: As everyone else has said, midway sells the stem, expander and pin assembly for a little over 6 $. For a long time, I've been doing the decapping and re-sizing in two steps. RCBS, Lyman, and Redding, all make universal decapping dies. I have a set of the redding's, but the one I use the most is the Lee universal decapping die. It's almost indestructible and costs about 12 $ now, from midway. When decapping in a separate step, you're not applying the same pressure you would from re-sizing, and you can easily feel if the pin is off center or hitting something it shouldn't. By decapping separately, you can run the expander rod higher in the re-sizing die so that there is little chance of hitting something. And if I were replacing the decapping/expander rod, I would also get a tungsten carbide expander. Redding offers them for their dies, and I think the Lyman carbide expanders come with an adapter which allows them to fit RCBS dies. Carbide expanders are a bit pricey, but they will make your life a lot easier. No squawking, no need to lubricate, no neck stretching, and little effort. Although I've found that with light lubrication, the little effort reduces to no effort.

July 30, 2022, 01:31 PM	#11
lll Otto lll Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2008 Location: Lone Star State Posts: 295	If you bent the pin, find a drill bit that closely matches the diameter and Dremel off the shank.

August 10, 2022, 12:10 AM	#12
ninosdemente Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2017 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 831	Thanks guys for the replies. Yes I bent the rod as I took it out of the die. Don't ask how... just that I should know better than to have that happened. Was not paying attention when it happened. The pin is fine. I will call RCBS and thanks for the link ballardw. Hammie, I do decap separate. I have a Lyman universal decapping die. I was working on a dummy round when this happened. Would be able to provide a link to the Lyman carbide expanders? Thanks.

August 10, 2022, 07:07 PM	#15
Unkl Chuck Member Join Date: December 21, 2012 Location: south of the piney woods,TX Posts: 64	If you're already using a decapping die setup, remove the pin from the expander. You don't need it and it only gets in the way and can lead to problems. The expander only needs to clear the case neck slightly to do it's job, you should make that adjustment early in the initial setup of your die. If you have bent the stem, definitely contact RCBS first, they are good folks and stand behind their products. Good luck.

August 16, 2022, 09:31 PM	#16
ninosdemente Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2017 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 831	Thanks guys for the reply. Unkl Chuck.... sure was thinking of doing what you mentioned but was not sure if I should do so or not. Thanks for the suggestion.

August 19, 2022, 12:09 PM	#17
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,598	Another vote for separating Decapping and Sizing. The Lee Universal Decapper is inexpensive and works great, never touching the brass (just the spent primer). I also have the Frankfort Arsenal hand decapper, which is very handy when decapping a 1000 or more range brass. This also makes them easier to clean after depriving. Then, only clean brass goes into the resizing die. __________________ ............

August 25, 2022, 08:42 PM	#18
ninosdemente Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2017 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 831	I did end up calling RCBS, first time calling and customer service was excellent. No hassle, questions, just how can we help and they sure did. They are sending the stem plus two pins. I was expecting to pay, so I asked what the fee was. They said no fee and enjoy reloading. Just waiting for the package to arrive. Thanks everyone for suggestion to call RCBS.

August 26, 2022, 11:15 AM	#19
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,833	RCBS has been doing business that way since I started reloading in the 70s, and probably has been since the company's Day One decades before that. Good to hear they still are. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

September 1, 2022, 07:31 PM	#20
langenc Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2007 Location: Montmorency Co, MI Posts: 1,551	Might take several days for delivery of replacement parts but it will come..