hard to pull brass out of sizing die
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
It could be that the expander is to far up near the neck as that can make it require more force.
Another thing to look at is how much the die and expander are working the brass.
Measure fired neck, die sized neck with no expander and die sized with expander.
Years ago I had a die that was excessively sizing the neck and then expander had a lot of work to do with less leverage on press to do it, it work hardened brass quickly and cases were quite crooked at the shoulder/neck.
Another thing to look at is how much the die and expander are working the brass.
Measure fired neck, die sized neck with no expander and die sized with expander.
Years ago I had a die that was excessively sizing the neck and then expander had a lot of work to do with less leverage on press to do it, it work hardened brass quickly and cases were quite crooked at the shoulder/neck.
Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
Remove expander assembly, set die to size properly(lock ring secured) for the firearm. Replace expander and follow instructions for correct position. You will need lube, on the body, light lube neck inside and out. No lube on shoulder. Make sure the die is clean, rust free.
will a mandrel push out the primer?
Best way to keep from over-working the brass I've found.
Why not stop.
Do you have a primed case involved?
?
I’m missing something here
Lone Hunter
Silver $$ Contributor
No. Get a Lee Universal Depriming Die to deprime. Then like the others have said ,use a mandrel or bushings to set neck tension.
This makes life much easier on you, your press/die & your brass.
I have been using this die for a few years and I do not neck size only
No, but if you want to deprime in the same step as sizing, then I think with the Rcbs die you can remove the ball, but keep the decapping pin. I'm not 100% sure in that, but I feel like the pin can be screwed back on.
But, I would suggest depriming before sizing. First thing I do with my brass is deprime it, then tumble it. That way the primer pockets get cleaned. You can get a decapping die cheap. Like mentioned earlier, the Lee will do the trick, it's what I use.
https://www.brownells.com/reloading...ping-tools/die-decapping-units/?sku=749001833
You can also replace the guts in your RCBS die with this one and the expander ball will work while the case is supported. You can look at Forster’s drawings and figure out the proper height to set it.
You can also replace the guts in your RCBS die with this one and the expander ball will work while the case is supported. You can look at Forster’s drawings and figure out the proper height to set it.
shoot4fun
Gold $$ Contributor
If you want to leave the die assembled as it came from the factory you can follow the advice on making sure the expander ball is in the correct spot in the die and lube the inside of the necks with this:
Imperial Dry Neck Lube
Imperial Dry Neck Lube by REDDING Product Overview: For use inside and outside the case neck to reduce drag on both the die and size button without concern of powder contamination. Packaged in 1 oz. container.
www.midsouthshooterssupply.com
Brush the inside of the necks and it will go away. Just make sure you are using good lube to size the brass. Almost all of my rcbs dies pull hard through the neck unless I run a brush in and out of each case mouth. You don't need the neck mandrels to size the necks if you are not trying to get that last. 0.001" smaller group. If you want a cheap easy neck sizer get the lee collet die.
You don't need a mandrel expander, but it is much better in every way and easier on the brass.
Check your shoulder measurement with a comparator. Then set the die to not bump the shoulder, run it through with the expander ball and check the shoulder again. You'd be surprised what dragging an expander ball through the neck does.
A buddy I shoot with was complaining about inconsistent shoulder bumps. I told him to try it with the expander ball removed...problem solved.
This is not unusual in my experience with RCBS expander buttons, they tend to be too large and / or the surface is rough increasing drag on the neck, even with lube. This needs to be addressed because it places too much stress on the neck and could stretch the neck - both undesirable consequences.
Before you toss yours out, there is a simple fix if you want to stay with an expander button. I've used them for 50+ years with good results with some modifications.
Chuck the assembly into a drill and mike the diameter. Polish the button with very fine emery cloth periodically checking the diameter. Usually, just reducing it .001" is enough to allow the button to glide smoothly through the neck and also uniform it.
I actually have 4 assemblies, sized in .001" increments to provide me a range of suitable diameters since different brands / lots of cases and case hardening sometimes requires a different size button.
As is, your button is unacceptable. You need to either correct the button or switch to a mandrel.
PS: One other thing I do to aid in sizing is to brush the necks out with a stiff nylon brush, one caliber larger before I size. I chuck the brush into a low RPM drill and I can do a bunch of case in a very short amount of time. With the polished buttons and brushed necks, I do not have to lube the inside of the necks.
Before you toss yours out, there is a simple fix if you want to stay with an expander button. I've used them for 50+ years with good results with some modifications.
Chuck the assembly into a drill and mike the diameter. Polish the button with very fine emery cloth periodically checking the diameter. Usually, just reducing it .001" is enough to allow the button to glide smoothly through the neck and also uniform it.
I actually have 4 assemblies, sized in .001" increments to provide me a range of suitable diameters since different brands / lots of cases and case hardening sometimes requires a different size button.
As is, your button is unacceptable. You need to either correct the button or switch to a mandrel.
PS: One other thing I do to aid in sizing is to brush the necks out with a stiff nylon brush, one caliber larger before I size. I chuck the brush into a low RPM drill and I can do a bunch of case in a very short amount of time. With the polished buttons and brushed necks, I do not have to lube the inside of the necks.
Bottom Fodder
Silver $$ Contributor
The stem could be bent which could pulling the expander button hard to come though, most people including me remove that stem and use a universal depriming die and a mandel die and only use sizing die to full size the brass
just my $0.02
just my $0.02
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