carbide dies?

[ddd482]

i am finally going to bite the bullet, so to speak, and start reloading-
my question is this-
are carbide dies worth the extra $ ?
as i am starting from scratch, i would like to buy what will work the best and last the longest-

 

[flhr62]

Yes.

 

[flhr62]

Yes.

 

[Kerz]

Absolutely. Dillon is my first choice and Hornady second.
Vic

 

[WESHOOT2]

I start any new handgun cartridge with a 4-die Lyman 'Deluxe' set (specifically for the 'M' flare/powder-drop-through die), a three-die LEE set (specifically for the ease of adjusting bullet seating depth), and an appropriate crimp die bought separately if required (revolver cartridges get the Redding Profile Crimp die; auto cartridge mostly get the LEE Carbide Factory Crimp die).
I then buy Forster die-lock rings for all of them.

I then add other dies or die-sets as I feel warranted.

This is my "best".

 

[Snake45]

Yes. It isn't even debatable.

Lee's carbide dies sell for about the same price as others' non-carbides, and they work just fine. Best value.

 

[Pal Val]

Straight-wall cartridges and carbide dies go together. No question about it.

 

[Chief 101]

I am going the other option one this on for the first time. The Carbide sizer I got for 44 mag about 1978 is somehow lost in space as last time I used it is the last time I saw it. Last summer when I loaded 44's I spent a couple of hours scouring for the Carbide sizer thinking I can't load well without it I finally used the steel sizer and lo and behold I spray a little One Shot on the straight-walled 44's and they sized in about the same time and effort. That is why I am going to say you don't need to spend the extra money if you don't want to. If you don't use theCarbide be extra sure to use the case lube, and, after 40+ years and countless rounds loaded I finally found a case lube that is not messy...One Shot.
Chief aka Maxx Load
ps...I am using a single stage loader and that may make a difference.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

My first experience w/ loading metallic cartridges was w/ one of the early Lee "beat on it w/ a hammer" kits making .38 Spls. Musta missed reading the part about needing lube on the cases, and those babies were certainly hard to size and even harder to get back out of the steel die!

My first experience w/ carbide dies taught me what a joy they are to use, and I'd suggest getting them for any caliber they're made in (basically straight walled stuff.)

Rick C

 

[ddd482]

thanks for all the replies- i think i will go the carbide route- i do not mind the extra $ for them-

 

[Ruber]

Yep, but like Chief said, you can live without them if you can't afford 'em. I still use the old steel dies for 44 mag also, at the time I got them the carbides were at least triple the cost, the price difference isn't so much anymore and I'd go with carbides if I were buying new now.

 

[wixedmords]

Carbide dies in handgun calibers yes.

Although some will still add a little lube to a carbide handgun caliber die to ease the process.

 

[Tam 212]

+1

Factory new component brass and/or really clean brass can be a bit sticky and/or cause issues with the carbide/nitride insert.

I generally lube like 1 case in 20 or so during resizing.

 

[mraywi]

Yes. It isn't even debatable.

Lee's carbide dies sell for about the same price as others' non-carbides, and they work just fine. Best value.

NO BRAINER!!! LEE dies are a BARGAIN!!!
Buy the four die set and don't look back!!

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Yes. It isn't even debatable.

Lee's carbide dies sell for about the same price as others' non-carbides, and they work just fine. Best value.

NO BRAINER!!! LEE dies are a BARGAIN!!!
Buy the four die set and don't look back!!

:lol: :lol: +1 I use lee dyes and have no problems. Can't be beat in my book! JMHO!! :lol: 8)

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Sure, you can go with regular steel dies if you want. I load 44-40 with regular steel dies because carbide is not available for tapered cases. But I take a couple of minutes to spray Hornady One Shot case lube on all my cases before I start loading, and I sit and wipe the lube off the completed rounds while watching TV when I am done.

Certainly not impossible, and with modern spray lubes it is a lot easier than wiping lube on every case with a pad like in the old days.

But every straight case I load I always spend the few extra bucks for Carbide. It saves a lot of time in the end.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

All my pistol caliber dies are carbide, and Lee.

All my rifle caliber dies are steel, and RCBS. I don't even know if you can get carbide rifle dies. From all I've read you should always lube your rifle cases in any, er, case.

I've taken to doing the One-Shot thing on pistol cases, even though I use carbide dies. It makes the whole operation smoother.

I've used the RCBS wet lube & pad (a mess), One-Shot (stinks), and just got a tin of resizing wax.

-- Sam

 

[ddd482]

i will only be doing pistol calibers-
ok-another question- do the dies have to be the same brand as the press? i have a rcbs rock chucker press-can i use the lee dies in it?

as you can tell- i am really new to this! :shock: :shock:
and i really appreciate all the help so far!

 

[RICHGCOOP]

Go with the LEE carbide dies. I put A little lub on my fingers and run them thrue the brass before I size it, It makes it size easier.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Mo, Most brands are of the same thread size.

 

[Tam 212]

I found this site to be very helpful to the new reloader:

http://ammosmith.com/basic-reloading/new-to-handloading.php

 

[Ruber]

Going with the carbide or nitrides is a good plan and most should fit.

If you've got the RCBS press, you might have got the case lube pad also. If so, one thing I've learned is that less is more. It takes very little of the RCBS case lube to saturate the pad and a barely noticeable amount on the case makes a world of difference in sizing and just a little bit more makes a big mess. (as I mentioned before, using the RCBS steel dies on the .44 Rem Mag with just tiniest amount of lube on the RCBS pad does the trick but I only load maybe 50-100 rounds of .44 mag a week)

I also noticed that MidwayUSA has a bunch of the Hornady nitride dies on sale right now too. I wound up going with them for some of the more finicky guns I load for and have been really happy with them and they work nicely with the Rock Chucker.

Either way, you'll have fun!

PS. I'd add one other thing to the Ammosmith site... Check weights which would also be really important to pick up if you got the RCBS kit.

 

[ddd482]

I found this site to be very helpful to the new reloader:

http://ammosmith.com/basic-reloading/new-to-handloading.php

thanks!

 

[RugerSP101]

i am finally going to bite the bullet, so to speak, and start reloading-
my question is this-
are carbide dies worth the extra $ ?
as i am starting from scratch, i would like to buy what will work the best and last the longest-

Yes.
My first and only set was carbide simply because of the research I did at the time when I was deciding what to buy.

I dont use the 4th die at all but I figured I may as well go for broke and get the best dies I could afford now.
Cheaped on on the press however, since I dont need anything fancy.

 

[Snake45]

i will only be doing pistol calibers-
ok-another question- do the dies have to be the same brand as the press? i have a rcbs rock chucker press-can i use the lee dies in it?

No and Yes. I've loaded many thousands of rounds with that exact combination.

 

[ddd482]

cool- i just ordered the lee 4-piece carbide set-34.99 on sale at midway- now to read the books and do some studying -and i need to build a bench- thanks all!!

 

[revhigh]

No question about buying carbide ... but buy RCBS .... avoid Lee products like the plague .... you'll only end up buying good stuff later .... and then you'll have spent twice for the same product. They're the only carbide dies I've ever encountered where you have to lube the cases first .... the exact reason why you bought carbide in the first place. RCBS isn't that much more over the life of the product, and you get good stuff instead of cheap junk. If you load a lot, you'll outgrow Lee products in a year.

REV

 

[Rclark]

Carbide? You bet. There is no other type of die in my books for straight walled cases. I 'remember' the lube days .

I use RCBS dies. Has worked great for me for years. No experience with Lee dies.

 

[Snake45]

avoid Lee products like the plague .... you'll only end up buying good stuff later .... and then you'll have spent twice for the same product. They're the only carbide dies I've ever encountered where you have to lube the cases first .... the exact reason why you bought carbide in the first place.

REV

Disagree completely. I've loaded tens of thousands of 9mm, .38/.357, and .45ACP rounds with Lee carbide dies without one problem of any kind. Never used case lube, never saw any NEED to use case lube in the slightest.

I've also used RCBS carbide dies, which are also a fine product. But the Lees always did just as good a job for me. :wink:

 

[Rick Courtright]

ok-another question- do the dies have to be the same brand as the press? i have a rcbs rock chucker press-can i use the lee dies in it?

Hi,

Your Rock Chucker is threaded for 7/8" x 14 dies, which is today's standard size for virtually everything ('cept .50 BMG: that's why your RC press has that threaded bushing in the top!) So, as long as you buy dies threaded to that standard, you should do ok.

There are some minor variations in thread lengths that might make certain dies more universal than others. For example, certain current Lees have longer threads than some of their earlier ones to work better w/ some of the beefier presses out there today. But if you're buying new stuff, that shouldn't be an issue.

One thing to remember about getting your dies: Lee DOES include a shellholder w/ their sets. Most all other mfrs require you buy a shellholder as a separate item at extra cost. Unless you find yourself collecting vintage equipment at some time in the future, you'll find most current holders are interchangeable from press to press. Most folks I know match their shellholder brand w/ their dies "just cuz," but that's neither here nor there for function.

Just an added thought about die brands:

Nobody out there makes BAD dies these days. I like Lees (and have failed so far in all my attempts to wear a set out!) Used to use RCBS, which work fine, but weren't as much to my liking regarding adjustments. My brother in law uses ONLY RCBS, so anything I don't want has a willing foster home!

The BIG difference in dies is that each mfr has his own ideas about what's important (or not) in his design. There are lots of different ideas, and NO set's perfect in all respects, so don't be afraid to try a couple of brands to learn what your own preferences may be. And don't be too surprised if you find Weshoot2's custom "mix & match built" set concept has a LOT of merit!

Rick C