LEE Precision Decapping Die

Gets it done and gets it done right.I purchased this in combination with the lee hand press so that I can sit in front of the boob-tube and decap brass while watching Jon Decap Janos.I have thus far decapped aprox2000 - 9mm,100 - 40 s&w500 - 45 acp,1500 - 5.56 x 45500 - .308 win100 - 243 win50 - 30.06and a collection of odd 7mm rem, 300 wsm 44 mag and 10mmthe decapping die works great, popping even the toughest crimped mill brass with ease.as long as you crank down on that collet pin is held securely and concentric.There is no centering done by the die. it just depends on the case being properly positioned in the shell holder. despite this I have found that this is the easiest and perhaps fastest decapping die I have used.there is one thing I would change from the start.after about 750 - 1000 primers I noticed that the tip of the pin was deformed and slightly bent..I proceeded to purchase the Hardened Steel Decapping Pin Upgrade from “Squirrel Daddy”.The hardened pins are a significant upgrade,they come to more of a point as opposed to the rather blunt tip on the lee pin.this perfectly pointed pin precisely aligns through the flash-hole and punches the primer from the pocket without puncturing it… POP!Anyway if this decapping die came with a better pin in the first place it would be perfect.. that is the only reason for me knocking a star

I never knew these existed! All of my research prior to my recent start in reloading and I never came across these. Awesome price, very practical, and it should be the FIRST thing on your list after buying a press or press kit. I pounded out 250 .45ACP empties in 20 minutes after dialing this in on my breechlock press kit.This item is a must-have. Lee makes awesome and affordable products, too.***UPDATE*** The decapper pin broke after about 700 rounds. I contacted Lee and they sent me a replacement free of charge, then sent me a second one on accident. At least I have a spare if it happens again. Guaranteed unbreakable? Not in my case. Maybe I got a dud pin, but otherwise I've decapped at least another thousand casings with no problems. The new pin is slightly larger in diameter, too.

Works very good. Excellent product. Fits perfectly in my Lee press, and has decapped all of my brass: 9mm, 38spl, 357mag, 223/556, 762nato/308, and 30-06. It will decap brass with crimped primers.The only reason I deducted a star is because the pin on mine seems to be SLIGHTLY off centered. If the brass isn't all the way into the shell carrier it wont work. A lot of people said they have broken the decapping pin on their dies, I don't know how hard they are on their press when decapping, but the couple of times I felt strong resistance, I stopped putting pressure on the ram, and adjusted the brass and tried again, it always ended up finding the primer and working correctly. On a couple of taller brass, like 30-06 and 308, I had to guide the brass up into the die. These things aren't a big deal to me, as I am new to reloading and go at a fairly slow pace. If somebody was rapidly changing out brass and moving fast, it might be more problematic for them.It has de-primed all of my brass, roughly 2000 to 3000 pieces.

There are several reviews that mention the decapping pins break after a few rounds, but that hasn't been the case for me.I bought this last week and have decapped 2,500+ pieces without a problem. Any issues I had were operator head-space issues and not the die. Mostly not seating the brass in the shell holder correctly.After just a few pieces, you get a feel for the die and can tell if the brass isn't seated right, or you have a berdan primer. There is no need to jam the handle down (resulting in a broken pin), you can feel the pin touch the brass or the berdan primer and you stop...Purchased because I wanted to decap and clean the brass before running through a Dillon press. Bought this and a small RCBS press to decap my brass before cleaning. I load with a Dillon press and could decap with it, but not that easy to run just one station. This die works and I'd recommend to friend.UPDATE (01/11/2017) 10,000 shell casings decapped so far and still running on the same pin. Works like a champ

I very much like being able to decap cases prior to performing any cleaning or sizing steps. It is descent quality and performs flawlessly on any size case that I have ran through it, both large rifle and small pistol. One thing I do not understand, and Lee may very well have a good reason for it, is a lock ring that incorporates an "O"-Ring into it. The locking ring actually has a groove around its circumference into which the "O"-Ring sits. It then seats against the top of the press I assume to keep the die from loosening. But for me, none of the dies I have ever used that have just a plain old locking ring have ever come loose. And, for decapping only, it just isn't that critical in my opinion that this die stay rock solid. Still, I will give Lee the benefit of doubt and reiterate that they probably have their reason (nothing stated in the instructions) and, I can just use the locking ring without the "O"-Ring if I so desire. I am very satisfied with the Lee Universal Decapping Die and would recommend it to others!

I bought several other decapping dies made by other companies. One of the major companies stated when I kept breaking the pins that their die was not made for decapping crimped (most Military) brass. That is why I bought the darn things and their web site said nothing about crimped brass. So I decided to try Lee as they had very favorable reviews. I will say they were right. Upon receiving this die I immediately started decapping 556 Lake city brass. So far I am into the brass 2,500 rounds and no breakage. This is a superior die and if you like to decap brass before cleaning and running thru your reloading dies this is the way to go. I highly recommend these dies.Update: I have now decapped over 6,000 crimped military brass with the same pin. No breakage and flawless operation.