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De priming 30-06 brass... Best methods?

wpagewpage Member Posts: 10,204 ✭✭✭
edited March 2014 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Whats the best trick to depriming once fired 30-06 brass
a)standard brass
b)WWII M1 brass if its different.
Just busted my Lee press. Broke after about 5 round from the pressure of poping out primers. The cast aluminum base of the lee could not cut it...
Would hammering out with a awl do it or would that blow out the hole too much?

Please share your knowledge.
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    charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A hand held punch powered by a hammer. Put case in shell holder on hard flat surface. A punch ground from an allen wrench works nicely. C&H made a nice set up. I have a base I turned from round stock one side is 7.62 the other side is 5.56, the punch is from an allen wrench.
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    victorj19victorj19 Member Posts: 3,642 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here's a link to Le Precision's decappers (22 & 30 Caliber) http://leeprecision.com/case-conditioning-tools/

    Are you sure there wasn't berdan primed brass in your mix? I doubt it if it was WWII US brass.

    I use the Lee decappers. It's a bit slow but they do work. Lee also sells an universal decapping die. The pin isn't thread and can move upward in the die if the primer doesn't pop out under heavy pressure. Then the pin can be hammered back down in the die. However, if you try to decap a berdan primed case, the pin will bend or break off if a lot of pressure is applied.
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    wpagewpage Member Posts: 10,204 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The case that broke my press was a regular Remington 30 06 hunting round. Have not attempted any of the military brass yet.

    Not off to a good start except Lee will replace the broken base since its less than 2 years old.
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    AmbroseAmbrose Member Posts: 3,163 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Something is very wrong in that very little force is required to push out a primer from a commercial case. Are you resizing while de-capping? Even so, providing your cases are properly lubed, a press should not break: That's what they're designed to do. Without further information, I'd say you have (had) a defective press. You should not have to de-prime in a separate operation. Your dies are designed to remove spent primers in the sizing operation.
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    Ray BRay B Member Posts: 11,822
    edited November -1
    Just make sure that you aren't using the standard punch to deprime Berdan cases.
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    JimmyJackJimmyJack Member Posts: 5,397 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    What Ambrose says!
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    dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    If you need it,

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEE-30-Cal-DECAPPER-BASE-FOR-CRIMPED-PRIMERS-90102-/221209694262?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3381201036
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    charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Nice unit dcs shooter. I have some of the sealed and crimped -06 cases hold the primes so well that they were coned out and pierced by the punch, yet still holding on to the cases. DEN? 42 or 43.

    Lee case lube in the red and white tube or Redding Sizing Die Wax are the ones I use. A little of the Lee on a q-tip for inside the case neck, sometimes.
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    MG1890MG1890 Member Posts: 4,649
    edited November -1
    Standard press and reloading die is all that is needed. Was your die set to the correct height?

    Should take no more than 2 fingers on the press handle to pop out a primer.

    There was more going on here, I suspect.
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    wpagewpage Member Posts: 10,204 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks Dick...
    Just ordered the universal for when my new base arrives.
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    MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 13,779 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It wasn't "depriming" that broke your press(unless it was already cracked).
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    jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Second what everyone else says. Something is very wrong here. Have you had the press long? Which model Lee press? Even their smallest C frame press is MORE than adequate for depriming, or for that matter resizing.

    I have broken a few toggle links on the older O frame Challenger presses, which was solved when Lee went to the new system and I ordered the upgrade. However, I can't fathom cracking a 'base' whatever that is, as the 'base' is part of the casting of the whole press. If that cracked, get in touch with Lee, they will make it right.

    Even if you have crimped military brass, the primers pop out with little effort, minus the occasional overcrimped one that the decapper rod punches right through. For a remington case, agree- 2 fingers of pressure is all that is needed to decap only, or for that matter a light palm push to size a properly lubed case full length.
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    JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    send the press back for a replacement. That is NOT supposed to happen. I would bet a bad/contaminated casting was to blame.
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    wanted manwanted man Member Posts: 3,276
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by JustC
    send the press back for a replacement. That is NOT supposed to happen. I would bet a bad/contaminated casting was to blame.


    +1
    I've never heard anything but good things about Lee cust svc, I'll bet they'll do right by you......
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    TheBrassManTheBrassMan Member Posts: 3,808 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have had problems recently with my 30-06 Lee Dies. I have broken 2 of the depriming pins.
    Luckily I had ordered extra from Lee. Been dealing with some very corroded cases.
    Wanted the primers out before I scraped the cases. Better scrape price without the primer in them.
    Also safer if the primer was a miss fire and was still active. I'll post something about this later.
    The cases are not Berdan Primed, just very corroded and not safe to clean and reload.
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