Decapping pins

[slavex]

Picked up a set of Brownells replaceable pin punches last week, their 3 packs. The medium pin is pretty much the same size as the decapping pins in the Dillon dies, except it has a smaller head on it. But the bonus is that it is a nice square tip on it, and they come in various lengths. Of course they won't bend like Dillon pins don't but will properly shatter. Thinking of trying them in my 223 dies as the pin shape might not allow for the primers to be pulled back into the case. 6 replacement pins is $10 USD, which is a lot more expensive than the normal pins we use, but if they work better, they'll be worth it.

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/punches/gunsmith-replaceable-pin-punch-set-prod545.aspx

[Steve_53]

Wrong type of pin to fit a Dillon rifle sizing/decap die....

[Mhall]

Like I have said in another thread, I am not trying to $h!t on anyone by DIY, but.....

Aren't the pins designed to be the "weak link" in the system? They are supposed to be the failure point because they are cheaper than other parts on the press.

[rustybayonet]

I'm only 20k into reloading with dillon dies, 15k on 9mm and the only thing that broke was the E-clip at the 10k mark. $.50 and I'm rolling again. Dillon sent me somemore, +1 for dillon. I don't load much compared to others here, but as my dillon pins go, no problems. The only problem I have ever had, knock on wood, was my old Pacific .308 set of dies from my early single stage days and that broke the collet and not the pin.

[Nathanb]

I load 300blk and 223. So I do a universal decap on the head and then the trim with a rt1500. I've broke a bunch because of crap being caught in the bottle neck of the case. I keep a bunch on hand when I'm doing a trim batch

[slavex]

these will still be the weak point. But I forgot the Dillon rifle dies don't use head pins, so that kills that idea. Might be a good replacement in my pistol dies though, as I still get pull backs with them if I don't do the reshaping everyone recommends.

[twodownzero]

Dillon will send you all the pins you can break. I think I've broken maybe 5 in 10 years.

[slavex]

it's not the breaking that's the issue, it's the head shape of them and pulling back in primers, as well as not always pushing them all the way out. Didn't expect the Brownells ones to be a solution as I ordered the punches for gunsmithing. But figured they might work in the dies after I got them.