Stuck case removal (head broke clean off)

T

Tex S

New member
I stuck a 5.56 case in a Lee FL sizing die. The head broke clean off.

I should've known better. It was one of those cases Hornady makes for their OAL gauge, so the head is drilled out. I was trying to size it to make it the the same size as all of the other cases I have so my measurements would all be the same.

Never broke one off before, but this one is a doozy.

Any ideas?
 
Uh....jeez, usually the flage tears and you can knock it out with the decap rod. If it were me I would hollow grind a small round punch and tap it out on the lip of the case from top.
 
That has happened to me on several cases that i wildcat. I made a self tapping bolt to screw into the case body, the bolt then gives me something to pull on. I shaped the bolt head to fit into my shell base and use my my press to pull out the case.
 

Attachments

  • 0725152327.jpg
    0725152327.jpg
    51 KB · Views: 89
  • 0725152343.jpg
    0725152343.jpg
    113.6 KB · Views: 75
  • 0725152354.jpg
    0725152354.jpg
    109.1 KB · Views: 79
I tapped the remnants of the case head to 5/16 x 24.

Put a socket and 2 washers over the die then ran a bolt in.

Came out easy!
 
RCBS makes a Stuck case extractor set. Drill, tap, coarse thread allen head screw and a cap. Buy the set, it will last your lifetime, and if you ever tear the rim off another one, you will have it.

You drill through the head of the case, tap the case, then put the "cap" over it, and use the screw to "pull" the case free.

I've used it, it works.

And, its reusable...

Do remove or back off the decapping stem as much as possible, before drilling..
 
When it comes to pushing and or pulling I got a grip on both. When the case head separates in the die and or chamber I have no problem running a starter tap into the case, what tap? What case? I have taps, lots of taps. I thread the tap into the case and then drive the case out by driving the tap out. I can install the tap onto the end of a slide hammer and then pull the case out.

Remember: When hammering on something there is the 'GLUPE; effect meaning hammering on something can upset the end of it and that could increase the diameter of piece being hammered on. I understand, most are confused but if the driver increases in diameter the hole increases in diameter; and that could render your work scrap. So I am the fan of pulling.

A friend was hammering on the barrel of a black rifle in an effort to remove it from the receiver. I told him I would pull it off and I think I broke his brain,

F. Guffey
 
Do remove or back off the decapping stem as much as possible, before drilling
Click to expand...
..

If the case head has been pulled off I would suggest the reloader drop the primer punch/sizer ball assemble out the bottom of the case. When removing stuck cases I drill the primer pocket/flash hole out to a diameter that will allow for removing the primer punch/sizer ball assemble out the bottom.

If the reloader raises the sizer ball too high they risk locking the case into the die. There are a few manufacturers that have gotten real cute with shortening the assemble; a shorter assemble reduces the clunk time between the case being removed from the die and the sizing ball being pulled through the neck. For me this has never been a problem because I have a built in defense system that kicks in when someone tries to sell me something I do not need.

Forgot: :) or should I say :eek:

F. Guffey
 
When the title said the head came off, I thought that was what he meant. I did that once. .308 Win case stuck in a Redding die. I had been given an RCBS stuck case extractor that I tried. I drilled and tapped the primer pocket and ran the bolt in with its retaining cup against the die mouth and it simply tore the whole head clean off at the pressure ring, like a head separation of ammo reloaded too many times, but with more ragged edges. What was left in the case was too thin to tap again. I finally etched the case out with bore cleaner. That could be done a lot faster today, using something like KG-12 copper remover by sealing the threaded end and pouring that stuff in.

Using cold temperature would help. If I were doing it today, I'd pop over to Graeter's Ice Cream and get some dry ice. I'd set up the case puller and wrap it and the die in some paper and bury it in the dry ice for a couple of hours, then pull it out with insulated gloves and see if that didn't help it come out.
 
If the entire head of the case is torn off, removing the decapper is then simple.

The best friend you can have when the entire case head is torn off is a ruptured case remover, the kind the military has used for well over a century.

the kind with the split end that grabs the mouth of the case. A .30 handles most things, and a .45 isn't bad to have around if you load .45s. I do not recall ever seeing one for a .22, but some body probably makes one.

If you're handy with machine tools (or have someone that it,) you could have one made. A pro shop would probably cost you more than a new die. a buddy can be cheaper...;) (of course, a buddy might cost you more in beer than a new die, but such is life..;))
 
And then there is the slide hammer with a ton of attachments. I purchased a rifle; cheap, no one knew what chamber the rifle had. I used a 3/8" starter tap in the chamber and once it 'fit' I drove the tap out with the case. And I wondered; did I push the case out or did I pull it out?

F. Guffey

In the old days machine shops could not figure out why they could never find guides that fit. Seems they had the bad habit of driving them out instead of pulling them; when I hit something with a big hammer or impact tool I always want thing to get smaller in diameter as opposed to larger in diameter.
 
I should've known better. It was one of those cases Hornady makes for their OAL gauge, so the head is drilled out. I was trying to size it to make it the the same size as all of the other cases I have so my measurements would all be the same.
Click to expand...

:eek: I make those because I want all the bullet hold I can get, I drill the primer pocket/flash hole out to a diameter that will accommodate a dowel or cleaning rod. I am told the store bought cases from Hornady are $7.00 +/- each. I skip the threading and use the case with my tightly held bullet as transfers. I transfer the measurement/dimension of the chamber to the seating die.

F. Guffey
 
I totally ruined a comp .223 sizing die in the same fashion. I found a case I forget to size, ran it up into the die no lube, pulled the entire rim off the case....i then proceeded to try and punch it out with a hammer after removing pin....that didn't work as the punch went through the brass, then tried to thread in a tap and pull it out with hydraulic press, the brass was too soft...then tried to run a small punch up the sides and bend it, and in the process I ruined the die.

Moral to that story is lube is your friend
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top