Universal De-capping dies

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Bucksnort1

New member
I searched this forum for pervious posts on this topic. If BigTex308 and Wogpotter are still members, I have questions for both of you.

BigTex, you said something about if using a universal and you hit a Berdan primed case, the pin will simply push up instead of breaking. I think I'm missing something. How can a pin, that is screwed in the top of the die, push up?

Wogpotter, I believe you said you use the universal as a back up in case you break a pin and don't have one. Is this correct?

Someone also said to use a regular de-capping/sizing die, which may have been Wogpotter. I agree with this. I got a smokin' deal on a universal die at Cabela's for about $12 in the Bargain Cave and couldn't pass on it.
 
Not BigTex but I'm guessing he was talking about the Lee universal decapping die. The pin is held in place with a collet and if you hit something the pin will slide up in the collet.
 
Most likely referring to the Lee decapping die. I not only broke multiple pins with this die, I also stripped the threads trying to tighten it down. I purchased the Lyman Universal Decapping Die, which as you have observed, does not allow for a release of the pin, thus you will bend or break it. That being said, haven't lost a single pin since I purchased the Lyman.

When you sort your brass a Berdan case should stand out, strictly based on color. That grey color is unmistakable and should be the proverbial flag up a pole.

Good luck.
 
Wayne_E, that's probably the explanation.

MarkGlazer, Berdan primer colors are a dead give away but size is too for rifle cartridges. Also, the cost to replace the entire Lyman pin is about $3.
 
The Lee Universal Decapping Die pin is retained by a collet just like the decapping pin in Lee's .223 resizing die. I have had the pin push up on Guat milsurp brass, some of which has a smaller than standard flash hole. However, once I got the Universal Decapping Die, I've never had the pin pop up. Instead, it has punched through.
 
I have not seen a brass round with berdan primers in years. Steel have them, an since they shouldn't be reloaded anyway, they shouldn't ever wind up in your reloading store, nor should aluminum.

When I collect brass I grab everything I see when I bend over for my round. Steel is tossed into the can, aluminum (also berdan and non-reloadable) goes into a bin to recycle. I've got a big bucket of both aluminum and scrap brass that I need to take in sometime.

Since I started shooting a .380 that scatters brass all over the county,I've found myself carrying home thousands of rounds of both nine and forty while losing about half of my .380.
 
briandg,

If you are losing brass all over the county, may I make a suggestion you lay down a very large tarp then, stand just off the center of the tarp to the left. Most of the brass will land on the tarp. Or, you can buy one of those brass catchers that attaches to your semi. I don't know if they make them for 380s.
 
I need a hand brass catcher. Seriously, this thing honestly throws brass EVERYWHERE. It will send it right, left, overhead, into my face, and up to thirty feet to the right. It's insane. I plan on sending it in after I have tinkered with loads again, . And I honestly think that t h e magazine spring may need to be stiffer. Last week I took it out with a friend and got popped by a shell behind and left of him. It also stovepipes with Winchester ammo.

The first time I took it out, I had three stovepipes and a cut on my forehead from one that hit me just above my glasses.

It's a really entertaining little gun.
 
It will send it right, left, overhead, into my face, and up to thirty feet to the right.
Click to expand...

That sounds like an "ejector" problem in your pistol, not a spring issue, or so it sounds. You may want to bring this up in the gunsmith section of the forum.

Stay safe.
Jim
 
I use the LEE universal decapping die on everything, no issues. I'm a newb so take it for what its worth :D

I guess I have de-capped at least 2,000 various rounds from 9mm-30-06 range brass with it.
 
Lyman and Hornady also makes a universal de-capping dies. RCBS makes a large and small one.
 
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I was having very good luck with my lee decapping die, then a steel case made it by me, bent the pin and now it sits waiting for me to get around to ordering another pin rod.

Edit; now that I'm looking at my decapping die I think if I had it adjusted properly the rod would of just pushed up instead of folding over the pin and breaking it.
 
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Jim, I absolutely agree. This is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen and I honk it as simple as eve to and extractor. To throw te stuff behind and left seems to be Ben beyond the capability of thos things, and involving all three. Pressure from the spring seems to be the only thing that could get that 45 degree angle back and left, along with a terrible extractor ejector that can't work. It needs work.

I can pretty reliable
Y say that all three are at fault in the stove pipe jams as they seem to occur on an empty magazine. The pressure of a feeding round isn't there, the ejecto is hampered by a weak back pressure from low recoil round, and the ejector hook will not fling the round out. Plenty of ways to fix it all. The last happened just a few weeks ago, and right away I realized that it was the last round of Winchester low recoil in a magazine. It irritates me theAt it I can't endorse either product.

I also loaded new rounds with Remington primers and got light strikes and failures. The spring is light to create easier trigger. Could a tungsten head on the hammer help inertia? I don't know. It might. The gun needs further development, or it will never be reliable.

I truly apologize for both the thread jack AND especially the typing. I ganuinely believe that this is important to anyone who migho be tonsidering a purchase of either the gun or ammo. It's horro
If yin that peop[le are depending on either product.
 
Boomstick, I did the same thing you had happen the first go round I used my Lee universal. Didn't bother checking how tight that collet nut was set. Figured it would push up. Boy was I wrong, bent the pin right over.

However credit to Lee customer service they made it right even tho it was clearly my fault. I filled out their form online and took a picture of the bent pin. Even told them I was my fault for not setting the collet correctly. They sent a new pin free of charge..... Just had to wait for it to arrive.

Ended up saving the bent pin as a back up. Ended up cutting the tip off and re-machining it a bit with a layth.
 
Yes I'm using the Lee Universal decapper. I switched to it after breaking too many pins on my RCBS decapping die.
Its as has been mentioned a collet type & it just breaks the seal & slides if you adjust the collet tension correctly.
 
John.. Thanks for that info, I did not even think of checking to see if they would replace it. I just assumed no warranty.

Like to add I emailed lee a picture attached to online form yesterday, new part in mail today, :) thanks again John.
 
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I have a RCBS decapper where the pin/stem is spring loaded. If you come across something that isn't boxer primed or the flash hole is seriously off center, the pin goes up with no damage. I thought it was the heavy duty model or something similar.
 
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