Decapping Die or Not?

[Phil3]

Is there any real benefit to having a dedicated decapping die? I clean the primer pocket with a Sinclair tool, which removes any carbon, decapping prior to cleaning does not really provide any benefit.

Perhaps there is another way, but one thing I did find is that trying to measure overall length to shoulder from fired cases, using calipers is not possible unless the primer is removed. This is because the primer sometimes sits proud of the case bottom. This was on factory ammo. I could deprime through my full length sizing die, but that action would resize the brass, making it impossible to measure what the dimensions were prior to resizing.

- Phil

[Fjold]

I use a seperate decapping die with my S type bushing dies because I remove the decapping assembly from them. I don't like dragging the sizing button back through the case after I have the neck diameter set by the bushing.

For regular dies I don't think that it makes a difference.

[Cowboy T]

I find that the decapper die is very good, and handy, for getting sideways primers out of cases without extra working of the brass. Fortunately, that's not too often, but it can happen.

[LGB Loader]

Depends on the job... For my "Good Brass" that I assemble with the arbor press, I run the brass through the tumbler and then decap with a Lee Decapping die on the old single stage, prep 'em, and then assemble.

The main reason I got the decapper was so that my son could deprime brass on "his" single stage or "his" 550B. yup... he claimed them when he was 5.

LGB