Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Who’s using a Universal decapping die,,

I use Redding FL bushing dies on several calibers, I remove the decap/expander hence why I use a Lee decapper die.

We replied at the same time, but I’m still not grasping this………….

A FL die sizes the neck, along with everything else.

If I'm neck sizing with a bushing die then no expander is involved since I choose the bushing diameter to suit the brass thickness. The neck is then not sized down too much.

To size necks I mostly use Lee collet dies.

I do not use conventional neck sizing dies, they're often the fast track to bad runout.

I have two Lee universal de capping dies in case one fails. I always de cap then clean. I find it has its advantages. A few are cleaner cases then doing it without. Clean cases are better for full length dies. You don’t make a mess with loose primers or the ones that bounce out of the catcher because it’s done and cleaned up before the charging or other prep work. It makes a difference when you keep up with de capping as a task of its own and nothing else except maybe case cleaning behind it, then next day or days latter prep and reload. I try to de cap after each shooting session, but it can go three or four times before I de cap. Doing it before cleaning helps to let you know the quantity involved in the next reload and you can plan accordingly. It will help you plan on a big reload or minor and at least the number count is established before and the cleaning timeframe is also known. It just helps for better planning and controlling inventory I’ve noticed. I have three cleaning methods, rotary, tumble and sonic. I mostly use the sonic as it comfortably holds 100-300 pieces and that’s the amount I like to do for one session. If I go crazy with 400+, I will use the rotary and I sometimes do that when spending days to prepare for a big session or not planning on reloading but getting brass cleaned and ready and put into storage. To dry, I leave outside and the dry weather will dry them out fast enough for me, kind of like clothes drying on a clothes line. It’s important to have the cases held vertically when drying and the best method I found is the plastic cartridge holder that comes in 50 round factory pistol packages like in the 9mm, especially for the 223. 45 ACP works for the 06 type. The plastic holders have open bottoms that allow the water to drain under it and evaporate. I have accumulated dozens of these over the years from my own purchases, friends giving me theirs, and finding them at the range. They work well for shell holding trays when reloading too.

MM, back on track, Thanks.

1. The case is deprimed with the universal depime die.

2. The case is pushed into the FL die, no deprime/expander assembly in place. All of the case is sized. Neck, shoulder and body. Most of the time this will leave the neck too small in diameter.

3. If the case necks are too small in diameter, then I employ one of a couple of methods to expand the necks. I can put the expander assembly back into the FL die and then push the over the ball, without going all the way into the die. For the deliberately obtuse in the audience, I must of course pull it back out. It requires much less effort to pull it out now than if it had been done in the conventional way, and I generally get straighter sized brass as a result. Yes, it adds a dreaded extra step, but it also relieves me of the need to remove "wet" lube from inside the case neck. Dry lube works better for the push through first method, and I'm not bothered by thoughts of powder contamination. I prefer not to tumble brass to remove lube.

I prefer to push whatever expander I'm using through the case necks, rather than pull an expander ball out.

Nothing dense about it, either you found a mechanical and mathematical work around of Newtons 3rd law, or you either have to push the expander ball all the way through the case head to remove it, leave it in there or pull it back out. You made the illogical statement.

Sure.

It should have read "I prefer to push whatever expander I'm using through the case necks to do the bulk of the expansion work before withdrawing it, rather than doing all the work when pulling an expander ball out."

What dies do you use?

Cheap dehydrator in the winter or sunlight in the summer..

I found the Lee to be worthless unless I replaced the pin with a hardened, tool-steel version (eBay). Before that, I broke two factory Lee decapping pins. I also didn’t like how the pin would slide upward from use unless I torqued the snot out of it.

I switched to the Redding Universal decapping die and like it a lot, but I can’t say it’s “better” — just better for me.

Repurposed food dehydrator..

I keep a RCBS decapping die on my old RockChucker press on a separate bench to use as a de-priming station. For rifles I've sopped using expander balls and now using either bushing dies and/or expander mandrels to control neck tension.

^Same here. I've pulled most all the decappers out of my dies.

Hey, that could help with load density.

I use a Lee universal de-capping die on all of my rifle brass, then wash them in Lemi shine and Dawn dish soap, rinse, then dry in direct sunlight or in front of a forced air heat vent, then polish them in a vibratory case cleaner. Any polishing media that may stick in the primer flash hole is pushed out by the de-capping pin in the size die.

I keep one in a lee hand press. De-cap everything that way.

Ive been running a Lyman universal decapper for years. Decap then clean I don't tumble found walnut shell media used dryer sheets and a teaspoon of lacquer thinner or mineral spirits more than sufficient for my uses. If you like shiny primer pockets you have to tumble.

Good luck and shoot straight y'all

Mainly RCBS, Sometimes with Redding body dies and lee Collett for the necks.

Weber grill, not just for food………..

A few of the decapping tools I use:

Pope-style de-recapper


Frankford Arsenal 1909 de-recapper


A couple simple decappers I made


Ideal de-capping tool, circa 1903-1906