9MM BRASS STICKING ON DIES

[TheGoatMumbler]

I have a new Dillon XL750 that I've been reloading 9mm on. 3000 rds so far. I wet tumble the brass and then dry tumble in walnut media with a bit of Nu Finish car polish. The brass is very clean when finished. Up until lately I've had no problems with the brass sticking, but now it's sticking on the resizing die and then again sticking on the flaring/powder measure die which makes the handle cycles a jerky nightmare. I've cleaned these dies and then lubed with One Shot but not getting much success. Any thoughts?

 

[rwj]

Are you using a carbide sizing die? How is the case lube being applied? Have you tried reducing the case mouth flare?

 

[DirtySteve]

I would try just doing a wet tumble and skip the Walnut tumble. Clean your dies before you try again.

 

[vegas]

They stick because the inside of the case mouth gets squeaky clean and it sticks on the powder funnel when flaring. You need some of the carbon still in there and it prevents this. I had the same issue with my 650 last year. I did a short wet tumble with no media and it solved it for me. If your sizing die is sticking also, perhaps it needs a clean?

 

[Bill K]

If you have cleaned your dies and the cases are clean, then it is possible, that after reloading these cases more than a few times, ( you mention 3000) it could be they need ran through a small base FL die to pushed back the base, that has maybe swelled.
Just another thought.

 

[Hoser]

Your brass is too clean.

Spray the case with Hornady One Shot case lube. It will cut down on the sticking/galling.

 

[Uncle Ed]

I agree with Hoser, clean the die and spray it with One Shot and spray your cases. I have had the same problem with wet tumbled cases and hard resizing.

Look at the carbide ring in your die and make sure no brass is sticking to it with a magnifying glass. If you see any brass then clean the die with a good bore cleaner.

Do not size any cases until "ALL" the brass is removed from the carbide ring. All it takes is for some grit to stick to the die and start picking up brass.

You might have to polish the carbide ring with Flitz, J&B bore paste or automotive rubbing compound to remove any embedded grit.

The polishing compound from your walnut tumbling media can stick to your carbide die.

You can use a snug fitting shotgun cleaning mop chucked in a drill and any of the polishing compounds I mentioned above.

Below a carbide die scratching and galling a .45 ACP case. so you are not the first person to have this happen.

 

[BOLTED]

Dillon makes a lanolin/ alcohol case lube (shake well before each use) that leeches inside and outside the case. I put my cases on a baking sheet and lube them according to Dillon lube directions. Just be sure to use the minimum amount of lube needed. After loading, I roll them around real quick in a clean terry cloth or microfiber towel, then tumble in corncob in a vibratory brass tumbler. Not the fastest method in the world, but I have never had a sticking issue in @30 years of reloading unless I didn't get enough lube into the case mouth.

This is using a Dillon 550, with Dillon carbide 9mm and 45 ACP dies.

Best of luck to you. With all the good advice from everyone, I'm sure you will get it worked out.

 

[Flouncer]

Glad I saw this, I started having the same problem. I am only vibrating cleaning in walnut media. After maybe 300 rounds now I get stuck cases in the Lee carbide sizer die. Stuck in the die requiring disassembly. The recommendations above wander into the flare die which is not the severe problem that a sizing die stick is. None of my cases have galling or scratches on them. The insides of the cases retain some black powder residue. I dont see how powder on the INSIDE of the case would affect anything in the sizing operation with a straight wall case die. There is no expander mandrel or rod or whatever. I will disassemble the die and clean it thoroughly.

Are you suggesting using case lube with the carbide sizer die ? - thanks

We have to survive this Chinese virus and this ammo binge panic shortage !!

 

[LHSmith]

I have seen this type of thread many times over the years. The OP's all seem to use One Shot. I prefer a sizing lube you apply with fingers or a lube pad.

 

[Rsadams]

As mentioned above you can get cases to clean believe it or not.... I simply run mine in Walnut and reload... Clean your dies and start over... Check for brass building up...

Edit... Brass build up on the powder funnel will happen and will make cases stick...

 

[Hoser]

Are you suggesting using case lube with the carbide sizer die ? - thanks

Absolutely use lube with carbide dies. It isnt required, but it makes things a lot easier.

People that wet tumble get the inside of the brass so clean that the expander/bell die sticks on the inside of the case.

I load on 1050s/1100s so I am doing a lot of things at once, so I need all the help my arm can get. Hornady One Shot of magic for handgun brass and carbide dies.

 

[Jdne5b]

I wish Cortina would make a new stop neck sizing your brass video and replace it with wet tumbling.

/Flame suit on.

 

[divingin]

Edit... Brass build up on the powder funnel will happen and will make cases stick...

Funnel if it's a expand/charge type. Otherwise it's likely to be the expander.

Anything that operates on the brass by squeezing or expanding can get brass embedded onto it, and that will worsen any kind of sticking or galling problem. Disassemble, inspect and clean. I use a piece of wet/dry sandpaper (800 or 1000 grit) with oil, wrapped on a bore mop for interior surfaces, or by hand for exterior surfaces.

One-Shot IMO works as well as most other lubes, but you need to pay attention to the directions. Apply, and allow to dry (10-15 minutes) before processing the brass. The big advantage of One-Shot is that you don't need to clean it off afterward.

 

[Rsadams]

Funnel if it's a expand/charge type. Otherwise it's likely to be the expander.

Anything that operates on the brass by squeezing or expanding can get brass embedded onto it, and that will worsen any kind of sticking or galling problem. Disassemble, inspect and clean. I use a piece of wet/dry sandpaper (800 or 1000 grit) with oil, wrapped on a bore mop for interior surfaces, or by hand for exterior surfaces.

One-Shot IMO works as well as most other lubes, but you need to pay attention to the directions. Apply, and allow to dry (10-15 minutes) before processing the brass. The big advantage of One-Shot is that you don't need to clean it off afterward.

We're talking about the funnel on the powder thrower system on a Dillon progressive press... Just myself here but I have never lubed pistol brass fr a carbide die but I have tryed it to see it does make it easier to work the ram up and down but I don't see the need for it... But hey if you guys want to it won't hurt anything...

 

[Uncle Ed]

I have a new Dillon XL750 that I've been reloading 9mm on. 3000 rds so far. I wet tumble the brass and then dry tumble in walnut media with a bit of Nu Finish car polish. The brass is very clean when finished. Up until lately I've had no problems with the brass sticking, but now it's sticking on the resizing die and then again sticking on the flaring/powder measure die which makes the handle cycles a jerky nightmare. I've cleaned these dies and then lubed with One Shot but not getting much success. Any thoughts?

If you are using treated walnut media the abrasive compound on the walnut media can become imbedded on the die. When this happens the friction increases and brass can become imbedded inside the die.

I use plain untreated pet shop lizard litter walnut media and Nu Finish and have no problems. If the brass is sticking to the carbide ring you will need a very strong copper bore solvent to remove the brass. I then followed up with a snug fitting shotgun cleaning mop chucked in a drill and some J&B Bore Paiste.

Below is from a post here and a bushing that picked up brass. The OP said he cleaned the bushing but I enlarged the photo and showed that brass was still sticking to the bushing. If the bore solvent doesn't curl your nose hairs and make your eyes water if you sniff it, you need a stronger bore cleaner.

 

[Uncle Ed]

We're talking about the funnel on the powder thrower system on a Dillon progressive press... Just myself here but I have never lubed pistol brass fr a carbide die but I have tryed it to see it does make it easier to work the ram up and down but I don't see the need for it... But hey if you guys want to it won't hurt anything...

Rsadams

You must have some Ewok in your family tree..........................

 

[457ciSBC]

Rsadams

You must have some Ewok in your family tree..........................

 

[skeeljc]

I gave up on wet cleaning pistol brass for just that reason. Now I just put it in the vibratory cleaner with corn cob media and a little Brasso. No sticking problem.

 

[divingin]

We're talking about the funnel on the powder thrower system on a Dillon progressive press... Just myself here but I have never lubed pistol brass fr a carbide die but I have tryed it to see it does make it easier to work the ram up and down but I don't see the need for it... But hey if you guys want to it won't hurt anything...

Which is why I specified the expand/funnel combo type (which I believe the Dillon's have.) Others, where the funnel acts as an actuator for auto-powder throw, for instance, do not intrude into the case mouth, and lubing will have no positive effect.

I typically don't lube pistol brass, but could see doing so if I had a lot of trouble with galling. It would definitely impact the progressive workflow though.