I got the stuck case out!

Here's what finally ended up working.

First of all I unscrewed the center rod with the decapping pin and expander on it and pulled it out as far as I could. I then drilled out the primer hole and with the aid of some oil and a power screwdriver I drilled a hard, self tapping screw into the primer hole until I couldn't get it in any longer. I placed the die bottom up into the vice with some scrap wood between the jaws and the threads and tightened it down. The next step was to take my pry bar and inserted the head end of the screw into the tear drop shaped nail hole near the straight end. A small piece of wood under the bar gave me the leverage I needed and with a small sledge I tapped the end of the pry bar three or four times and suddenly the case flew out of the die.

I tried a few other methods including channel locks (never could find my pair of lock jaws) and using my reloading press with a shell holder. All this did is chew up the end of the shell and almost pull the bolts on the press through the plywood. That reminds me, I'm going to have to fix that now...

I am so relieved! These dies aren't cheap! I can see now the need for a stuck shell remover kit. It's been added to my "to buy" list come payday.

Lyman Power Deburring Tool

I finally got tired of hand deburring, primer pocket cleaning, neck cleaning..etc, so I gave in and got the Lyman Power Deburring Tool last night at SW. No more aching wrists and arms! It has attachments for inside and outside neck deburring, primer pocket reaming, primer pocket cleaning and neck brushing/cleaning. Plus you can screw any standard cleaning device into the adapters and use it. The tool can also be used as a power screwdriver if you so desire, and the attachments will fit a standard power screwdriver too. ...and yes, they do sell them separately so those of you who already have a power screwdriver can use them.



Now if I could figure out how to power my RCBS Case Trimmer II I'd be set! :-)

Found during reloading

I found this in a new batch of .223 brass I got at last weekends gun show. Can you spot the problem?

Here, I'll make it easier for you...

I think I'm going to chuck it into the recycling bin. It'll probably work just fine, but I have plenty that aren't wonky I can use, plus the brass isn't too expensive...yet.

Now I just have to figure out how to get that stuck case out of my resizing die... F&%#!

Speaking of 7.62x54R...

I have made fire...again!

I just finished these up last night and thought I'd share. You're looking at 100 homemade 7.62x54R rounds. These are the first for this caliber I've loaded and I think they turned out pretty good. The components I used are Prvi Partizan brass and 150 gn .311 FMJBT bullets (for 303 British but I've got a .312 bore) seated so that the COAL is 2.9", Winchester WLR primers, 43.9 gn of IMR 3031 (stick) powder (per the Sierra manual). All this and a trip through the Factory Crimp die to finish up.

Reloading Issue

I finally got around to installing my .311 decapping/expander into my brand new Lee sizing die today and started to run my brand new Prvi Partizan brass through it. I've put four cases through it so far and each one of them has the same issue. It seems the opening in the sizing die is either too small or the brass is too big around at the base. I'm ending up with a slightly shaved ring about an 1/8th of an inch from the case rim where the brass is too big around to fit into the die. As a result, I cannot completely insert the case fully into the die. I'm using Hornady One Shot case lube, btw, not that I think it matters.

I tried a sample case in my Mosin Nagant M91/30 and it chambers and extracts fine. Is this something I should be worried about or is it just a cosmetic issue?

Here's a photo:



UPDATE: Reading the reviews on MidwayUSA, it appears I'm not the only one having the brass ring shaving problem. *sigh* As stated earlier, I can't even fully seat the case. Looks like Prvi Partizan, Sellier & Bellot and Winchester cases all seem to have issues with the die. Of course I tried calling Lee Precision but no one picked up the phone. More than likely because of this being Christmas Eve, but still it's frustrating.

UPDATE II: After doing more reading on the internet, I've decided this behavior is normal for this die and seems to have no impact on case integrity.

Today's Delivery

I placed an order with Graf's not too long ago and it came today:


Here's what you're looking at (clockwise from the top): Lee Auto Prime II, 100 unprimed Prvi Partisan brass in 7.62x54R and 100 150gn .311 (303) Prvi Partisan projectiles. I got the .311 projectiles because my m91/30 barrel slugged out at .312 and I don't think that 1/1000th of an inch is going to make that much of a difference.

I already have primers (Winchester Large Rifle) and powder (IMR 3031) so all I need to do now is get off my ass and get them loaded up.

One small thing. The brass has discolored areas on the neck from annealing, will tumbling remove that or will I need to get some Scotch-Brite? I know it's only cosmetic...

On The Reloading Front...

Today I received my Lee Pacesetter Dies in 7.62x54R from MidwayUSA. That's them below. Now all I need is some brass, powder and bullets. The Lapua brass looks good, but expensive. Another thing I could try, as Jeffersonian suggested, is buy some Wolf Gold ammo and reload the brass. Winchester also makes a loaded hunting round in this caliber, but it's also very expensive. Any suggestions? For powder, I think I'll be using IMR 4320, and for bullets, Sierra makes a good .311 bullet in 125 gn (ProHunter #2305). It's a softpoint hunting bullet, and while I'd prefer a FMJ, it looks to be pretty good. Not to mention Sierra's reputation for quality.


Oh, I got around to modifying my reloading setup the other day. I got a piece of scrap plywood from Home Depot and some assorted mounting hardware and this is what I came up with.



What do you think? The powder measure, reloading press and case trimmer are all mounted to the plywood with bolts from the back side, the heads mounted flush, and the whole mess can be clamped to the counter top and then removed as needed. I had been clamping just the press to the counter top before, but that has proved to be unsatisfactory. Now, with four clamps along two sides of the plywood, I have a secure enough platform I can operate the press with no worries of ripping the decorative molding off the edge of the counter. Also, under the reloading press, there is a small hole cut out of the wood that roughly matches the interior recess to aid in removing spent primers, since they collect in the body of the press.

BTW, that brass you see is .303 British rifle brass and the die currently in the press is the decapping/resizing die for the same caliber.

Be Careful When You Reload...

I'll state right up front that I haven't done this (yet) thankfully. Here are the spectacular results of a double charge of Titegroup in a Colt Anaconda.

Ouch! Remember folks, be careful...