Handloading: Stuck Cases

A Friend In Need

While in Africa, I shot a lot of .375 Ruger ammo. The cartridges were loaded with 270-grain Barnes TSX FB bullets and performed beautifully. Once home, I figured I’d reload the empties in case I ever needed to jet set back to Africa for any kind of emergency Safari.

When using case lube, you don’t need much. Like Brylcreem hair cream, a little dab will do ya! I put a few drops on my left index finger and work it in with my thumb. Then I pick a case up, rub it around the case sides and place it in a pile. A few drops are enough for a dozen cases. When it feels dry, I reapply a few more drops of lube. Like I mentioned, I’d never experienced a stuck case in over 35 years of handloading. I suppose the brass head/rim could have been soft, but it happened. The shell holder pulled through the rim, and the case was stuck!

I found my RCBS Stuck Case Remover and grabbed my phone to refresh myself on the process. Fortunately, it is a very basic procedure.

• I placed the die with the stuck case in a vise with case head up. I used the supplied drill bit and drilled out the flash-hole with a hand drill.

• I then used the supplied tap and tapped threads into the freshly drilled hole.

• A supplied cap slips over the die. Using the bolt with Allen head, screw the bolt until it bottoms out.

• Now comes the elbow grease part. Using the supplied Allen key, start backing the bolt out. The cap presses against the die as the brass is pulled out. You’ll need some leverage to get the brass out. I used a crescent wrench. It worked like a charm