Lee "Unbreakable" Decapper Pin....

[goodlookin1]

Just broke.....ON THE FIRST FREAKIN PIECE OF BRASS!!!

What good is a product that promises it's unbreakable when it is just as breakable as any other resizing decapper pin? There's gotta be a better way to deprime stubborn military brass....

[fatfreadiescat]

Berdans tough on LEE decapers.
Send it back and they will send you a new one, as many times as you break it.

[Thomas1190]

Stubborn military brass is just that, stubborn. With the primer being crimped in, its a pain. Give Lee a call they will send you a new one. I had to get a replacement part that was machined a little off center and they sent a new part out for free, no questions asked. I didnt even need to send the old part back.

When you get the new part in, you can adjust that lock nut doo hickey thing for it. Make sure its not super tight so when/if it happens again the decapper pin will just rise up in the die instead of snapping due to the stress.

[bohoki]

ive broke 2 but it was my fault since both times a primer fell in the case i was decapping at least they are cheap the one for my 9mm die was $3 and the one for 223 was like threefiddy

[goodlookin1]

Will they have me send in the entire center rod? I cannot get the old pin out as it broke off flush with the base of the center rod.

Maybe i'll just try taking it back to SW tomorrow...might be faster.

Cant believe the center rod didnt slide up! Grr....

Berdans tough on LEE decapers.
Send it back and they will send you a new one, as many times as you break it.

LOL. Berdans are tough on ANY decapper

[3006mv]

send it back and buy some extras so you don't have to wait. i've done it before.

[ocabj]

I bought a Lee Universal Depriming Die because I was constantly breaking pins on an RCBS Universal with military primer crimped brass several years ago. Ordered the Lee die with 2 spare rod/pin assemblies. I still have the same 2 spares. I never broke a pin on the Lee even after tens of thousands of military once-fired (30-06, 308, and 223).

[Bill Steele]

There are a few ways to break the Lee pins. Have the collet that holds it tight enough that the pin won't slide up when it meets something immovable. Another (which I have experienced a few times) was posted earlier, when a loose primer inside the case directs the pin sideways before it gets to the flash hole. The final is Berdan primers, again it is luck of the draw if the pin slides up or breaks off.

The Lee pins come as a complete unit (thick part that rides in the collet and pin in the end which does the decapping). You replace the whole pin. Getting a pack of 5 pins is a good idea for anyone planning on doing this hobby more than a few times.

[Gio]

Lol! At least you can send it back and get it replaced

[NoHeavyHitter]

Heh.. The last time I missed culling a berdan primed shell, the decapping pin simply punched a nice hole through the center between the two smaller ones.

[Munk]

Lee's good at making things right. Call them, and they'll set you up with replacement parts.

never tighten the collet nut if you can avoid it; Out of the box, it's about the right stiffness.

It can't deprime berdan primers. They need to be stabbed and pulled with a different tool.

I have yet to run into a military primer of a normal boxer primer type that it couldn't remove. This is from my experience with a cross-section of military crimped .30-06 of many year stamps, as well as a variety of commercially loaded cases. I DID break a RCBS pin when it was deflected sideways, but my Lee pin has yet to run into this; and I have had to get damn assertive a number of times. I'm glad I had the primer-reamer for cutting the crimp out of it afterwards; made seating the next primer amazingly easy.

Edit to add:

Heh.. The last time I missed culling a berdan primed shell, the decapping pin simply punched a nice hole through the center between the two smaller ones.

Wow, nice lol. Looks like you now have a "universal" case. (I've never bothered with Berdan priming, and to me it's not worth the hassle, so I don't know if they're the same diameter as a LR primer or not)

[Fishslayer]

Will they have me send in the entire center rod? I cannot get the old pin out as it broke off flush with the base of the center rod.

Maybe i'll just try taking it back to SW tomorrow...might be faster.

Cant believe the center rod didnt slide up! Grr....
LOL. Berdans are tough on ANY decapper

Ummm... you know that thing is adjustable, right? Back off the clamping nut & the pin should drop right out.

[chim-chim7]

Breaking decapping pin is always operator error on the Lee Universal decapper. When set correctly it will push up into the body. Most people just crank down on the collet, then bang it's broke.