Case Stuck Question

[Madball13]

I have now succefully pooched my .223 and my .308 full length sizing die. I made sure to lube the cases with One Shot. The only thing i can think of that caused this was my press not being rock solidly mounted. Can anyone confirm this?

I'm using Lee Dies with the Lee Challenger Press which is a single stage.

Constructive help is much appreciated, please no Lee bashing

Thanks!
MB

 

[Mike-Mike]

Are the cases brass?

 

[Madball13]

Are the cases brass?

Yes sir, Lake City too

 

[doobie]

Do you clean your dies after each use? If not the lube will gunk it up and you'll start jamming. I almost sold all my rifle reloading gear until I realized my mistake.

 

[Madball13]

Do you clean your dies after each use? If not the lube will gunk it up and you'll start jamming. I almost sold all my rifle reloading gear until I realized my mistake.

I don't think i did but i had only processed 110 cases or so. I sized 100 of the .223 without issue then a couple of days later lubed another 50 and lightly lubed the inside of the die and on the 3rd or 4th case it jammed.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Can I bash One-Shot?

The only time I've stuck cases was when I was using One-Shot as a case lube. After trying a number of brands, I now use Imperial Sizing Die Wax and have not stuck a case since I switched.

 

[bpm990d]

You need to clean the die, and shake up the can and then give the die a squirt. After that squirt the cases and then let them dry before you try and size.

I've stuck a couple of cases with one shot and this seemed to be the only way I could get it to work reasonably well.

B

 

[Patriot]

I have used the Dillon lube on approximately 1K cases over the past six weeks and they
run as slick as can be with the Dillon spray lube. I am sizing on a Dillon with their carbide die.

 

[jhrosier]

This is about the 18 millionth time I've heard about someone sticking a case in a die with one shot.

The Hornady lube is just not very good and if you use it, you will eventually stick a case in a die.
If you keep using it, you will keep sticking cases in your dies.

The RCBS or Lee lube is good stuff. In a pinch, good old STP oil treatment is good and a can will last a lifetime.

If you have a good lube, it takes only a tiny amount to do the job, and it is no more trouble to wipe off than the ineffective stuff.

BTW, I have been using the same .45 ACP carbide dies for decades with absolutely no lube and they are holding up just fine. I only lube cases when using steel sizing dies.

Jack

 

[Dan Hurley]

I use One Shot on 30-06 with Lee dies and have never had a problem. If you're full-length sizing (which I think might be the norm with 223 and 308) are you getting lube inside the neck? There is a lot of friction on that mandrel and I've experienced excessive forces when I got lazy. Once I started paying more attention to the case mouth, the loading went like clockwork.

I don't think that the problem would be related to the press mounting. I load 50 BMG on a Lee press that is C-clamped to a Workmate. (It looks like a redneck YouTube video.) I will confess that I use Lee lube with the 50, but it's a whole different ball game loading those torpedos. I slather them up like a greased pig. If you stick a 50 case, I'm guessing you probably need a high quality slide-hammer to get it out.

 

[doobie]

I don't think i did but i had only processed 110 cases or so. I sized 100 of the .223 without issue then a couple of days later lubed another 50 and lightly lubed the inside of the die and on the 3rd or 4th case it jammed.

If you use it then let them sit the lube will harden and make it a pain, regardless of round count. If you did the 110 in one sitting, I'd still recommend using a wire brush and your favorite gun cleaning liquid and don't forget the little hole in the side.

 

[Dick]

Can I bash One-Shot?

The only time I've stuck cases was when I was using One-Shot as a case lube. After trying a number of brands, I now use Imperial Sizing Die Wax and have not stuck a case since I switched.

+1 My experience(s) exactly.

 

[jkelly]

Using One Shot, I've run several 10s of thousands of PISTOL cases through a Dillon press with no case sticking problems. I noticed early on that poor coverage or not letting the lube dry, will allow for increased friction.

I assume, without having actually checked, that the sticking stories I hear about are related to improper use of the product.



Respectfully,

jkelly

 

[Cross-X]

One Shot is bad ju-ju

 

[EddieCoyle]

Using One Shot, I've run several 10s of thousands of PISTOL cases through a Dillon press with no case sticking problems. I noticed early on that poor coverage or not letting the lube dry, will allow for increased friction.

I assume, without having actually checked, that the sticking stories I hear about are related to improper use of the product.



Respectfully,

jkelly

It's a different story with rifle cases. I've never stuck a pistol case period (and I load more big pistol cases than anybody I know). One Shot doesn't work well with rifle cases.

 

[GTOShootr]

Yeah, with the blown forward shoulder on a rifle case you get a wedging into the die that will stick much worse than a pistol case ever could.

Dillon lube. It works whether it is wet or dried.

 

[Timberwolf]

Lee Case Lube. I've been using it for almost 30 years.

I wear sugical gloves when I apply it.

 

[KMM696]

Add me to the "stuck rifle cases with One Shot" list. 308's - I had been using it on 30 Carbine for a long time with no troubles, and no bottleneck, of course. Finished up with Lee, because it's what I had on hand. I'll have to try Imperial wax next.

 

[Nickle]

The case lube (one shot this time) is the issue. Neither your press nor your dies will cause this.

I've been using RCBS lube and a pad for decades, and had good luck with it. STP, or any other similar lube works as well. Watch for oil dents on the shoulders.

I've used the Lyman equivalent of One Shot, and stuck a couple cases (due to my error). Considering I sit down and work in batches of 500 to 1000 at a time, that isn't so bad.

Pistol, I use carbide dies and NO lube.

 

[The Goose]

Lee Case Lube. I've been using it for almost 30 years.

I wear sugical gloves when I apply it.

That is what I use for rifle cases, works great. I use One Shot for handgun cases only and it works fine. Also I use Lee dies almost exclusively without issue. I remember trying One Shot on a batch of .45-70 brass, which is straight walled. The first case took all the strength I had to full size it. After 3 straining attempts I used a little Lee Case Lube, it was like a miracle.

 

[jkelly]

It's a different story with rifle cases.---Eddie Coyle

I know, that’s why I wrote pistol the way I did. The point I was trying to make is that when used incorrectly One Shot allows for more friction, even with lower friction straight walled cases.

I spent years working up loads for necked cases, shooting thousands of rounds a year. I have a very good idea of what causes case stuck problems. Some hand loaders don’t seem to have problems when loading rifle cases and using One Shot, others do. I’d still guess that the problem is with the user.

Yeah, with the blown forward shoulder on a rifle case you get a wedging into the die that will stick much worse than a pistol case ever could

Dillon lube. It works whether it is wet or dried. ---Steve

I think you would find that a major difference in Dillon lube and One Shot is the viscosity. Thicker lubes, such as Dillon’s, are much more forgiving in that they allow for a greater error when coating brass than do thin lubes like One Shot. Thick lubes leave more residue on the walls of the dies and on the expander plug. I believe this larger residue makes up for brass that has been improperly coated. There is less residue left with thin lubes and so less of a buffer for poorly coated brass, or so I think.


Respectfully,

jkelly

 

[notalib]

Lee Case Lube. I've been using it for almost 30 years.

I wear sugical gloves when I apply it.

Why do you need gloves? Real question.. I just started reloading and am using Lee Case lube.. apply with hands (no gloves) wash off with soap and water..

 

[MinesBroken]

Add me to the "stuck rifle cases with One Shot" list. 308's - I had been using it on 30 Carbine for a long time with no troubles, and no bottleneck, of course. Finished up with Lee, because it's what I had on hand. I'll have to try Imperial wax next.

I reload for .308 and .223 - resized thousands of cases using Imperial Wax. never had a stuck case or any other problems with it. Still using the same can after 2000+ cases resized. A little goes a real long way. Great stuff for rifle cases.

I could not imagine using it for pistol cartridges. I've always heard for pistol the Dillon Carbide dies work great.

 

[Jamie]

One Shot is ka-ka. Same experiences mentioned previously. Imperial is IMHO the end-all be-all of sizing lubes. I've also used the Cabelas branded stuff that comes in the pump sprayer (it's just lanolin and alcohol) and that stuff works great. When you run out you can go to the local Walgreens and make your own.