Twice now, ive been trying to reload for a .264 win mag, and the brass gets stuck in the sizing die. i ruined the first set of dies trying to get it out, any tips for getting it out without messing up the dies?

I believe someone makes a special die or tool for pulling stuck cases.

Not sure if this would work or not, but you might try sticking the sizing die, case, and shell holder if you can get it all loose from the loader, and stick it in your freezer for a half hour or more. The cold should make the brass contract and it might come out.

Are you sizing brass that was shot from your gun, and are you neck sizing or full length re-sizing?

Are you lubricating the brass before running it through the dies?Mine will get stuck if I dont.

Never used them, but several companies (RCBS, Hornady, etc...) make stuck case removal kits. I believe they are in the $15 range. The bigger question is, why do you keep getting cases stuck? If properly lubricated, it should not happen. Let us know your procedure for prepping cases for sizing and maybe we can help solve the problem.

-Lou

Im trying to size brass shot out of my 17 enfield. Im full length resizing and lubricating the brass with an rcbs lubricating pad. Will neck sizing alone work?

I full length resize everything I reload, but if you are working with brass shot from your rifle, neck sizing will be fine.

My guess is one of two problems, either not enough lube on the cases or too much.

Is your sizing die adjusted properly? Are you depriming and resizing the cases in one operation?

If the die is settring too far down in the holder, as you finish the stroke to push the primer out, you may be forcing the case mouth slightly closed, or even forcing the case mouth up further into the die than it is supposed to go, thereby sticking it. JMO.

I second the freezer trick. But that, like others have said, is just fixing a symptom. You shouldn't be sticking cases to begin with.

How many times have the cases been loaded?
Do you anneal your cases?
Have you checked the case length, and is it under max length dimensions?

I use vegetable oil to lube my cases. Not near as messy, sticky, or hard to clean as RCBS lube. It also seems to slip right through the die, as opposed to RCBS lube. And we always have some in the kitchen. I just keep a bowl of it handy, and dip my fingers in it, then roll the case in my hand before it goes into the die. I rarely full length size though, as my cases/ammo are kept separated for each rifle. After I get them all sized, they get an alcohol bath to get rid of the lube, and then blown off/out with air.



Jay

This is all once fired brass. I would tell you whether or not i anneal my cases, but i have no idea what that means. I typically trim the cases after I have sized them.

I purchased a Forster Stuck Case Remover from Cabela's and it does a good job of getting stuck cases out of the dies

The freezer trick worked great. I was using some remington brass, and that seemed to be part of the problem, also maybe running the brass into the die too far. at any rate, the winchester brass hasnt messed up yet. Thanks for the help.

Not to dobt your you or anything like that, but I think I remember you saying that you were pretty new to reloading, and I just want to make sure that you know that you have to put case lube on the lube pad.

matt

It's been a while since I handloaded/reloaded so this may not be true anymore. but in the past, different manufacturers would have different case thicknesses. You could take once fired brass, trim them to the same length and 1 manufacturer (I don't remember if it was Rem or Win) was heavier. If the ODs are the same, that means that the case walls are thicker on one of them. If the case walls are thicker, that means less powder capacity. If there's less powder capacity, a "maximum" load can be too much. Of course, if you stay away from hot loads it's not an issue but that's like telling a kid to stay away from a candy store. Sooner or later, you'll probably work up a maximum load...it's just a guy thing.

There's an old Mark Twain quote that is especially pertinent to reloading.

It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.

i have been making sure to use lube on the pad. i wouldnt put it past myself to forget something like that. Its an older action, so I dont think im going to want to load up anything ultra heavy. Plus, at 140 pounds, that 264 will push you around a little bit, so I dont want to develop a flinch.

Annealling is a process of softening the brass back to where it was originally. As you work brass (expand, and contract it), or any metal for that matter, it will work harden. Bend a paper clip back and forth, it'll work harden until it becomes brittle enough to break. Brass will do the same thing. The reason I ask this, and I didn't know at that time that they were once fired only, is that a piece of brass that is harder than usual might stick in a die (although unlikely), where as a softer piece might not.

It doesn't sound like this is you problem though after hearing that your's is only once fired.

Annealing is very easy though. Get a cookie sheet, propane torch, and some water. Put enough water in the Cookie sheet so that you can submerge your shell while laying on it's side. Then stand the case up, I do several at a time. Heat it with the torch until it gets almost red hot. Then knock it over in the water and let it cool. You have jst annealed a case. I find it eliminates a lot of cracking, and greatly extends the life of brass. But then again I necksize only, and thus get even more life out of my brass.

Like I said, after getting more info, I doubt this is where your problem is. But it's still not bad info to have.
If your shooting it out of the same rifle, try neck sizing some. See if that works. Just set your die where it would normally be, then back it off about 1 full turn. Lube a shell and run it thru the die. You should be able the see a ring around the case neck. Adjust the die so that ring is just above where the shoulder begins, and lock the die. Your now neck sizing.

Hope this helps,
Jay