This is why I bought a decapping die. However, I also use it for setting up the sizing die for bolt action rifles with bottle necked cases. Getting the primer out eliminates possible errors measuring the shoulder location on fired but NOT resized brass.
Convince Me......Universal Decapper Die
- Thread starter AJ
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If you are shooting the brass in the same gun, full length resizing is not needed. In a revolver you might run into problems because of the multiple chambers., but in a single chamber gun you will be fine! With bottle neck cartridges you will neck size only which retains the bullet on the final step. With a straight wall cartridge, you will taper crimp or roll crimp as the final step . For those of us that play with wildcat cartridges this system is very familiar. Custom made dies are very expensive.
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gwpercle
Member
You don't need one .
I like to use one on crimped in primer , mil=surp cases .
The Universal Decapping die is just a little stouter for those crimped in primers and takes some of the wear and tear off my good dies ... If you reload little crimped primer cases ...
You can get by without one .
I used to buy buckets of fired military 45 acp , 30-06 and 308 ...
this was in the 1960's .
Gary
I like to use one on crimped in primer , mil=surp cases .
The Universal Decapping die is just a little stouter for those crimped in primers and takes some of the wear and tear off my good dies ... If you reload little crimped primer cases ...
You can get by without one .
I used to buy buckets of fired military 45 acp , 30-06 and 308 ...
this was in the 1960's .
Gary
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AJ
US Veteran
Always used the decaping/sizing die that came with the set. I reloaded many a military .38 Special case and military .45 ACP case for years (read free cases). In Ca. on the base I was stationed at, there were several hundred 55 gallon barrals of fired brass in the scrap yard awaiting a DRMO sale. I am thinking the Universal Decapping Die will go on the shelf for now.
Inkgardener
Member
I use one occasionally for all the reasons previously posted. I do like to mainly use it for harder to decap primers and if I crush a case I can recover the primer.
A friend had 4 different 17 cal cartridges he shot in contenders. 17 Hornaday Hornet, 17 Ackley Hornet, 17 Fireball and 17 Bee. He used the universal decapper with each of them and never resized anything other than the necks.
50 target
Member
I use the Lee Universal Decapping Die for several reasons, almost always on rifle cartridges. First I have single shot rifles in different calibers and several guns in the same caliber. It allows me to use the brass in most of the single shots without resizing at all. Second,, I do not like to push and pull that ball through the neck when resizing. I decap with the Lee and resize with the sizing die without the decap stem.. So far that has worked well for me. Most of the time I will decap and wet tumble for really clean brass before I size. On my high production calibers if the brass isn't dirty, only dull, I will resize and load. Most of that is target pistol and I shoot in a relatively clean area so dirt isn't a problem. Another step yes, but so far no issues so I am good with it.
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AJ
US Veteran
If you get rid of it you will suddenly need it for a one-off situation.
Put it in a drawer.
Way ahead of you. Had already posted that I would keep it.
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Military brass has crimped primers, which are hard to remove in a standard press, and should be reamed or swaged before recapping.
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AJ
US Veteran
Have reloaded many thousand military .38 Special and even more military .45 ACP brass over the years and never really noticed a difference. Maybe it is only rifle brass that is crimped? I have noticed that some of the newer commerical brass is a bit on the hard side to deprime.
If I come into a large quantity of military brass or range brass (.223/5.56), I use a Lee universal decapper to avoid breaking firing pins or bending decapping stems in my regular resize die.
I’ll decap, swage the primer pocket, and trim it to length before loading.
A tool head with the Lee decapper and a Dillon power trimmer on the 650 with case feed makes two of those three operations relatively quick. Especially if I have several thousand to process.
YMMV
I’ll decap, swage the primer pocket, and trim it to length before loading.
A tool head with the Lee decapper and a Dillon power trimmer on the 650 with case feed makes two of those three operations relatively quick. Especially if I have several thousand to process.
YMMV
venomballistics
Member
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AJ
US Veteran
Why would I be grinding dirt and grit between the case and the die? I tumble my brass to clean and polish it after I come home from the range after each range trip.
When one has been handloading for an EXTENDED period of time . . . in my case, since 1964 . . . .one accumulates a great bunch of tools.
A universal decapping die resides on my bench, and I find uses for it . . . .sometimes!
Just recently, I was handloading some ANCIENT “UMC 7/Mm” brass that had a flash hole that was too small for the decapping pin on my RCBS decap/sizing die . . . .
So-o-o . . .
After annealing the ancient brass, I proceeded to decap with the universal Lee die and drill out the flash hole with a #46 (.081”) wire-size twist drill.
At the cost of components today, I try to be all-the-more frugal!
A universal decapping die resides on my bench, and I find uses for it . . . .sometimes!
Just recently, I was handloading some ANCIENT “UMC 7/Mm” brass that had a flash hole that was too small for the decapping pin on my RCBS decap/sizing die . . . .
So-o-o . . .
After annealing the ancient brass, I proceeded to decap with the universal Lee die and drill out the flash hole with a #46 (.081”) wire-size twist drill.
At the cost of components today, I try to be all-the-more frugal!
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AJ
US Veteran
I usually tumble for about two hours. Just turn it on and go do something else. Nice bright and shiny brass.
cowboy94916
Member
I us mine specifically to deprime military cimped primers on 06,08 and 45acp. I also use it when neck sizing for bolt or single shot bottleneck cartridges.
Huskerguy
Member
I thought of another use as I was reloading this weekend. If I load a piece of brass, happened to be 9mm this weekend and the brass splits or something goes haywire and I need to remove the good primer, I use my single stage press and a universal decapping die. I usually toss my seconds in a pile and when time allows, I break them down and save what components I can, mainly primers. My SDB that I use for 9's was having an issue with the primer pocket getting caught on the shell plate and flips the primer over so it is inverted. I use the universal die to remove the primer and use it again. Carefully of course.
Lance Boyle
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Nailed in one fell swoop.
They also are handy if doing a pile of military brass with crimped primers. Easy to punch them out and not having to worry about sizing issues at the same time. Then use a deburring tool or swage to claw an the crimp out and then tumble them.
