Carbide sizing dies for rifles?

[fordf1004x4]

Does anyone make carbide sizing dies for rifles? And if so, does anyone here use them? It seems to me that it would be a lot easier if I didn't have to use a lube pad before sizing.

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[PaulZ]

The Lee Deluxe die set works without lube but I don't know about the others

 

[Throckmorton]

dillon shows them for .223 but you still MUST lube the cases. lube pads suck. I switched over to a tub of hornady lube,just put some on my fingers and give the case a light coating.it gives me one more chance to look the case over and can be done pretty quickly.a tub of the stuff will last forever. the go-to wipe on for years for a lot of loaders has been Imperial wax.

 

[deadshot2]

Does anyone make carbide sizing dies for rifles? And if so, does anyone here use them? It seems to me that it would be a lot easier if I didn't have to use a lube pad before sizing.

Carbide dies for rifle cases still need lube. There are too many "actions" taking place in the die with a bottlenecked case for the carbide to provide any relief from the lube requirement. The only real benefit to a carbide rifle die would be for some serious high volume presses like a Dillon 650 or 1050. The benefit in this instance would be resistance to wear on the die itself.

As for anyone using them, very few that I know of and the ones that do are either commercial loaders or shoot so darn much ammo in competition that they are loading commercial quantities.

Some have ordered the .223 carbide die from Dillon only to return it when they realized that it didn't work any better than a good RCBS, Hornady, Redding, or even Lee sizing die.

Carbide dies are only "NO LUBE" when used on straight walled cases.

If you are neck sizing only, for a bolt action rifle, the Lee Collet Die is a great tool. Case neck runout is often less from that <$30 die than from dies costing 3 times as much and NO LUBE required. No good if you're loading for an auto-loader though.

 

[Throckmorton]

PaulZ, you must mean the neck size die? yes,they will work without lube.

 

[unklekippy]

Lube pads do in fact suck. Throckmorton's example is perfect. If you don't lube, you're asking for a stuck case. In my opinion, lube pads need to be replaced every 2nd or 3rd use.

 

[Mark W.]

Lube pads do in fact suck. Throckmorton's example is perfect. If you don't lube, you're asking for a stuck case. In my opinion, lube pads need to be replaced every 2nd or 3rd use.

I'm confused I have been reloading with my current setup for over 25 years. In that time I have gone through 3 RCBS lube pads and a more then a few bottles of RCBS and Redding lube. Are you not cleaning you brass before you lube them? are your hands not clean? Are you pushing so hard as to drive the neck openings into the pad cutting it?

Whats causing you to have to replace your pads so often?

I lube my cases in batches of 10 on the pad at a time (rifle cases like 30-06) do maybe 20 and reapply a little lube. After resizing the cases I put them in a tupperware container with a little citrus dish soap and very hot water shake it up for a couple min. Drain the soap and rinse very well with HOT water. I then place the cases in a folded up towel and shake them around to remove excess water. Stand them on there head on a small sheet of alumimum and place then in the oven at 150-175 degrees for an hour. Or if its winter I just place them on top of the pellet stove to dry. Once clean and dry I charge them with powder (I weigh each charge) and then set the bullet (done in one action)

I know its complicated and takes time but I enjoy reloading and don't mind.

 

[deadshot2]

dillon shows them for .223 but you still MUST lube the cases. lube pads suck. I switched over to a tub of hornady lube,just put some on my fingers and give the case a light coating.it gives me one more chance to look the case over and can be done pretty quickly.a tub of the stuff will last forever. the go-to wipe on for years for a lot of loaders has been Imperial wax.

I like Hornady's Unique. Not just a good case lube but you can also use it to waterproof a leather boot

 

[deadeye]

You should use lube for rifle rnds and suggest you use Astroglide.......yes I said Astroglide. I get alot of comments on that but it does work and easy cleanup.

 

[deadshot2]

I'm confused I have been reloading with my current setup for over 25 years. In that time I have gone through 3 RCBS lube pads and a more then a few bottles of RCBS and Redding lube. Are you not cleaning you brass before you lube them?

I've found that lube pads act like "fly paper". They attract every piece of dust, stray powder, and no matter how clean the cases, some of the fine "schmutz" that remains. I now just use my little tub of Hornady Unique. I figure my first tub will last me around 10 years even with the volume of cases I process.

You should use lube for rifle rnds and suggest you use Astroglide.......yes I said Astroglide. I get alot of comments on that but it does work and easy cleanup.

I have a far better use for Astroglide and it isn't making a rifle case easier to insert in a die

I smear it on the door knob of the Master Bedroom. Keeps the grand kids from disturbing us as they can't turn the knob

 

[XSubSailor]

Lanolin....dab it on your fingers every four or five rounds. Works great and it's dirt cheap.

 

[RVTECH]

dillon shows them for .223 but you still MUST lube the cases.

Yes I learned the hard way with my Hollywood .223 carbide die. Read my thread from last week AND I like the spray lube. You don't really need to hose the cases down just a light spritz on the left and right sides of the cases in the loading block and wait a few minutes and the lube 'creeps' over the entire case.

 

[deadshot2]

just a light spritz on the left and right sides of the cases in the loading block and wait a few minutes and the lube 'creeps' over the entire case.

And all over the loading block too. That's why, when I spray, I put all the cases in a large zip lock bag, spray a little, close the bag and tumble it. I prefer to not have the stickiness all over my loading blocks.