Handloading: Stuck Cases
Sticky Wickets
Drill-out primer pocket with supplied drill bit.
A “sticky wicket” is a metaphor defining a difficult circumstance. It is an English phrase referring to the sport of cricket where problems are caused by a damp and soft wicket. Applied to handloading, there’s no worse sticky wicket than a stuck case in your sizing die. A stuck case laughs in the face at the inconvenience of a sticky wicket.
Many a man (and woman) has sweated over a torn rimmed cartridge case, cursing the handloading gods as they rotate their shell holder, hoping and praying for positive purchase on the cartridge rim. Alas, once stuck, the rim resembles the chewed nails of a high anxiety beaver.
Preparation
I had a long 35+ year streak going. I’d never experienced a stuck case before because I knew the importance of lube. My pap was a greaser. A farmer, he greased every piece of moving machinery he used. Tractors, combines, hay bailers, you name it — if it moved it got greased. He instilled in me the importance of preventative maintenance and lube.
Which, with this background, I was gobsmacked when a .375 Ruger case rim pulled through the shell holder. I was living the dreaded “sticky wicket!” Fortunately, I was prepared just such an emergency. Years ago, and I mean years, I ordered an RCBS Stuck Case Removal Kit. Like the Maytag repair man, it sat on a shelf in my reloading room gathering dust.
Place cap over die body
Screw the supplied bolt until it bottoms out and then
reverse direction to remove the stuck case. It’s tight
and hard! Use leverage like a crescent wrench.
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
Worth Having
You may as well order a stuck case remover now. They run about $25 and are worth every penny in frustration-saving effort. It will eventually happen if you handload enough cases. There’s a reason I like straight-wall cases and carbide dies. There’s no risk of getting a stuck case. Sticky Wickets be damned, be prepared for the worst and a stuck case will never happen to you. And if it does, it’s easy to remove.
