Using a universal depriming/recapping die

S

SmokeyBravo307

New member
I was thinking of purchasing a universal depriming/decapping die so I could neck size some of my magnum cartridges. I was wondering if it's better to go this route than to purchase a neck sizer for specific calibers?

I'm new to the TFL and only been reloading about a year so any advice or tips would be appreciated!!!!

Everything I've reloaded is .224 & .308 so far I have a couple pistol dies but haven't attempted any yet!!!!
 
SmokeyBravo307,

I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you are saying. If you intend to neck size cartridges, you are going to need a neck sizing die for each different cartridge you load for. Each neck sizing die will have a decapping pin in it. That being said, a Universal Decapping Die is a handy die to have.

Don
 
I use my universal decaper for popping out primers before cleaning. I run anything from 223 all the way up to 460 s&w mag and it doesn't touch the case mouth.
 
SmokeyBravo307,

It sounds like you didn't realize that the neck expands in the chamber and needs to be narrowed before it will have adequate grip on the bullet. It is not uncommon for the mouth at the end of the neck to curl in slightly after firing, so the bullet may not drop in and that can deceive you into thinking the neck is tight enough without being further narrowed, but it isn't. It won't hold onto the bullet hard enough to provide adequate start pressure to produce good velocity consistency.

So, as mentioned, you will need a neck sizing die of some sort, and, since cases tend to expand a little more with each firing, you are likely to eventually need to full length resize them and then go back to neck sizing. Some report full length resizing every five firings or so, but the exact number depends on how hot you load them. With mild enough loads you may not need to do it before the brass wears out.
 
I've always deprimed prior to cleaning and use a universal depriming die. If you plan on using a collet neck sizing die, cleaning prior to sizing is less critical. I wouldn't want to run dirty cases through any other type of die, once the die picks up one scratch every case gets scratched. Plus, I like to inspect the primer pocket.
 
I am with Howland...

Got a universal deprimer to do all my cases before wet tumble. Main reason i did this was to keep my dies clean.
 
I depin before cleaning and to do so I use one of these. Best universal decapping dies and de swagging tools available

https://mightyarmory.com/

great company to do business with also. Ordered mine on a Friday afternoon , it was mailed the same day and in my mailbox on Monday

I used a Lee for a while and it worked for most cases but now I need one for a .055 flash hole and as far as I know this is the only universal that offers .055 pins
 
Thank you everyone for your help I really do appreciate the information this gives me a better understanding of the direction I need to go from here!!! It's nice not to be put down for asking a question or for information like I have been in the past!!! I'm sure I'll have many more questions that might seem basic to some of you but I've been learning to reload on my own pretty much!!!!
 
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