Damaged case mouth repair tool

[HappyJack]

Cases are still hard to get for calibers and I have in the past just trashed damage case mouths. But with the price and availability being so bad I was wondering if anyone made a tool to repair dented case mouths. Thanks for any help with this my search on my computer showed me nothing. I may be wording it wrong.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

If the case mouths aren't cracked, they are pretty forgiving.

Cases that were only smashed to an oval shape; using plyers, I have gently squeezed a lubed case until it fit inside the sizer die mouth.

Ivan

 

[HappyJack]

My sons XD 45 5" is fairly new and having a lot of trouble with my reloads. My RIA CS will cycle low end and up with no trouble at all. My Sig 250 compact has a bit of trouble with low end but runs perfect on mid range and up powder charges. But even with top range powder charges the XD has trouble. Can't remember but I think my Colt Combat Elite Commander dose well with at least mid and above. Failure to eject is dinging the case mouths and when I go and scavenge for brass or others do for me at the range I seem to get dinged cases as well. I have tried to straighten these bit case mouths with pliers and hooked picks but have not had the best of luck. A burr on the inside is caught. I though maybe there was some type of curven lip tool to go inside the case and pull that burr back out inline with the rest of the case mouth.

I have a batch in the cleaner now and I can post picks in a little while.

Thanks for the reply maybe I need to try some case lube to help.

 

[Beemer-mark]

Yes, I have one. But I can't remember who I bought it from.

 

[Tu_S]

Curious on what you consider a damaged case mouth is, where a picture of it would speak a 1000 words.

FWIW, I have reloaded a lot of brass that was not perfect when it comes down the the side with the big hole in it and survived, but for the stuff that I have thrown out, there would be no tool/die that could ever revive it.

 

[HappyJack]

Well now my camera is not working. I will try to show if I can. I will get a real pick tomorrow. But what happen is the case does not eject and when the slide rebounds the lip of the mouth is caught on something and a bit of the brass is bent over inside the case. 45 acp is not as bad to toss but 44 wcf and 7.62x25 is a bit more so. Now I know the reason I really love my J, K and N frame Smith's. The trouble is getting inside to work the metal back up so it is in line and single thickness. I could remove it I guess but crip would suffer and it might not be a problem with .45 acp as much as it would .44 WCF in a lever rifle. This is a squared off drawing.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I have used a pair of needle nose pliers that fit into the case and then rotate and open them to push out a bent in spot. I don't think you can fix a case thats folded over tight.

 

[Drm50]

I have used needle nose pliers , screw drivers and other tools just to rotate and put case mouth back to round. Anything tapered that will not bottom out before desired diameter is reached will work. You can grind a paddle bit for wood into custom tool for your particular cartridge. When correct angle is made be sure to polish edges round or it will have reamer effect.

 

[Tu_S]

Well now my camera is not working. I will try to show if I can. I will get a real pick tomorrow. But what happen is the case does not eject and when the slide rebounds the lip of the mouth is caught on something and a bit of the brass is bent over inside the case. 45 acp is not as bad to toss but 44 wcf and 7.62x25 is a bit more so. Now I know the reason I really love my J, K and N frame Smith's. The trouble is getting inside to work the metal back up so it is in line and single thickness. I could remove it I guess but crip would suffer and it might not be a problem with .45 acp as much as it would .44 WCF in a lever rifle. This is a squared off drawing.

If the lip is bent over I just throw the case out. Even if the sizing die can get it straight again, it's the part of the case that gets flared out and then crimped, where I guess I'm expecting a problem with it getting stretched out or cracking from being worked too much.

For the most part, I only get fired cases stuck between the slide and breach on underpowered starting loads that are a part of my process of working up something new, which I've been doing a lot more these days as I have to substitute components because of availability.

 

[martyd]

In case you want to repair them for future reloading using a round punch chisel I simply put some lube on it and push it into the case, works like a charm. Then run through the depriming/sizing die.

I found pliers made sharp edge changes which ultimately cause the case to crack at that point.

 

[mikld]

Sounds like the case mouth is being dented back downwards into the case so flaring won't help reshape the mouth. If the edges of the dent are sharp corners, the brass has been weakened at that point and I'd toss them. Interesting to see where and when the case is dented...

What kind of troubles are your son's guns having? Do you plunk test your handloads in all your guns?

 

[GypsmJim]

Eons ago I started out handloading with an old fashioned "Lee Loader". The case flaring tool was a little stubby rod that you hit with a hammer. I used that many times to straighten out a case.

I haven't tried it, but won't the flaring die do the same thing?

 

[DWalt]

I have improvised numerous tools to straighten out a damaged case mouth. Small needle nosed pliers work well. But some cases defy all efforts, I just throw those in the recycle bucket.

 

[Greyman50]

A piece of drill rod thats OD is a slip fit into which ever case would be good. Grind a flat spot on rod so it will fit in case, simply turn rod so round portion pushes dent out.

 

[gwpercle]

I have used a pair of needle nose pliers that fit into the case and then rotate and open them to push out a bent in spot. I don't think you can fix a case thats folded over tight.

If you can't undamage them enough with needle nose pliers to be able to run through a sizing die ... they are probably not salvagable ... Needlenose Pliers will usually get the job done .
Gary

 

[mikld]

From the OP's description, the dent in downward into the case and flaring the mouth, with anything, won't remove the dent...

I have flared case mouths with everything from dedicated flaring dies to Lee Powder Through dies, chisel/punch heads, tapered brass rod, Lee Loaders, dikes/pliers to using a 30-06 case pushed into a case mouth...

 

[ddixie884]

A .50BMG bullet pushed gently into mouth and then resized will fix a lot of them..........