Carbide rifle dies

[don1911]

Who makes a carbide sizing die so I don't have to lube the cases when reloading for my 45-70?
Thanks.

[cowboykell]

No one does. The 45-70 is not a straight wall case, it has a slight taper to it.

[1894cfan]

So does a 30 carbine, but several die makers have them. Then again, the 45/70 is a lot larger, requiring more carbide for the resizing die, which increases cost.

[Larkbill]

The .30 Carbine has less taper than the .45-70, plus the instructions and personal experience say that the Carbine die still requires a small amount of lube for proper functioning. Not every case, but using the Lee lube about every 5 or 6 cases needs to be lightly lubed. I only shoot it in a Blackhawk so I'm not trying for really fast production.

Could you use a .45 Colt or .454 Casull die to neck size only? then use your .45-70 expander, or would that work the brass too much?

[AJMD429]

Maybe you could talk Dillon into making you a set - they DO make carbide dies for bottleneck rifle cases, but I think only in 308 Win and 223 Rem...

• http://www.dillonprecision.com/#/conten ... _Die_Sets_

[Chas.]

I sent Lee the same question back in 2010. Here's the response I got back.

"We could make the 45-70 dies in carbide, but it would not be very cost effective. Because the 45-70 has a tapered case, the carbide insert would have to run the entire length of the case, which in turn would be very expensive. In all reality, it could cost us up to $5,000.00 to make the first die, and would raise the customer's cost of the die dramatically. We would rather not take the chance of making the die at all.

Thank You
Lee Precision"

[stretch]

Five Grand buys an awful lot of case lube!


-Stretch

[sore shoulder]

The Dillon rifle carbide dies are for high volume wear and scratch resistance, and they still require lubing the cases.

[AJMD429]

The Dillon rifle carbide dies are for high volume wear and scratch resistance, and they still require lubing the cases.

Yep.

Then there's the issue of "what if you break one" since they ARE supposedly a bit more fragile.

[sore shoulder]

The Dillon rifle carbide dies are for high volume wear and scratch resistance, and they still require lubing the cases.

Yep.

Then there's the issue of "what if you break one" since they ARE supposedly a bit more fragile.

Yea that's an expensive break at $125 for just a sizing die. However, they are supposed to have a expander ball that also works as a broken case extractor which i find useful. I have a couple dies laying around here that have cases stuck in them. I finally just bought new dies. Both are Lee bottleneck. I've given some serious thought to purchasing the .223 sizing die.

[Sixgun]

I have no idea why all of the "hoopla" over carbide sizing dies. They squeeze down the cases too much......just take some measurements (carbide vs. steel) and you will see what I mean, especially 45 L.Colt cases. They rattle around in the chamber after using one of them, ensuring the bullet to hit the forcing cone at an angle.

Spray lube is cheap. After loading just spray 'em down with diluted Simple Green and swish 'em around on a towel.----------------Sixgun

[sore shoulder]

Spray lube is cheap. After loading just spray 'em down with diluted Simple Green and swish 'em around on a towel.----------------Sixgun

I discovered the Hornady spray lube years ago, but I've never used Simple Green, or any other spray cleaner for that matter. I like it.

Also the comments about carbide dies over sizing is very interesting, does this include all pistol rounds, or just revolver type rounds? Would hitting the forcing cone at an angle be noticeable in accuracy? Other ways? I did experience some things with a Ruger in .480 that might be explained by that.

[Sixgun]

I discovered the Hornady spray lube years ago, but I've never used Simple Green, or any other spray cleaner for that matter. I like it.

Also the comments about carbide dies over sizing is very interesting, does this include all pistol rounds, or just revolver type rounds? Would hitting the forcing cone at an angle be noticeable in accuracy? Other ways? I did experience some things with a Ruger in .480 that might be explained by that.[/quote]

Sore Shoulder,
The reason why guns with tight (or match) chambers shoot so well is because there is minimum clearance between the case and the chamber wall. Anytime a case is "sloppy in the chamber" will ensure that the bullet is not lined up with the bore 100% and will enter the bore, upon firing at an angle, thus delivering a bullet to the target that is lop sided That's why benchrest shooters only neck size..............the case is preformed to THAT chamber. This applies to all guns, whether they are rifles, revolvers or auto's.

Simple Green is the sh___! I buy a gallon and mix it 10-1 and put it in a spray bottle of some sort. Spray the cases on a towel and then hold the towel by the corners and let 'em "ride" back and forth. I load 7-10K a year and can count the misfires on one hand.........after 30+ years. Hunting/defense ammo, by superstition and "Murphy's Law" don't get this treatment.

[jd45]

sixgun, I've read that .45 Colt-chambered firearms, both long & hand, routinely are bored to the high side of the chamber dimension spec, (.492"), and the rifles are even bored slightly cone-shaped to aid in feeding. If that's true, I should be neck-sizing my brass as well. Regarding your suggestion of a mix of Simple Green, you said in your 1st post, "after loading", implying using it on assembled cartridges, & in your 2nd post you used the word "cases", implying a "cleaning of dirty cases" technique. I'm confused. Can you explain? I'll appreciate it, cause I'd like to try the Simple Green approach. Thanx, jd45

[Sixgun]

sixgun, I've read that .45 Colt-chambered firearms, both long & hand, routinely are bored to the high side of the chamber dimension spec, (.492"), and the rifles are even bored slightly cone-shaped to aid in feeding. If that's true, I should be neck-sizing my brass as well. Regarding your suggestion of a mix of Simple Green, you said in your 1st post, "after loading", implying using it on assembled cartridges, & in your 2nd post you used the word "cases", implying a "cleaning of dirty cases" technique. I'm confused. Can you explain? I'll appreciate it, cause I'd like to try the Simple Green approach. Thanx, jd45

Yes, 45 Colt chambers of production models routinely run on the fat side. Try a Freedom Arms............the loaded rounds just slide in snugly.....everything is lined up nice.....that's why these guns will shoot into 2" at 100 yards.....if your up to it....I'm not, even with a scope.

Not sure on the levergun 45 Colt chambers. Never owned one, but I "hear" and "read" they are not tackdrivers, like the early Winchesters, Marlins or Colts, so there must be some truth to it. If the leade is "fat", its going to allow the bullet to enter the rifling on an angle, but I guess its close enough for a 10" plate at 15 yards, which most of these guns were designed for........cowboy shooting.

I should have clarified myself on the Simple Green thing. First, I tumble/vibrate my shot empty cases. Then I spray 'em down with Hornady or RCBS spray lube. Then I load the empty cases. After loading, I just dump them on a real nice quality fluffy towel and spray the loaded rounds lightly with a mix of 10-1 Simple Green. I guess Windex would work just as good. Then, while the loaded rounds are on the towel, I grab the corners of the towel and roll the loaded rounds back and forth, like a see-saw for a half minute or so. They come out all nice and fresh, lube free, ready to grab the chamber walls. Mike Venturino writes in Handloader magazine that he does not even bother to wipe it off.-------------Sixgun

[piller]

Slight drift. My SRH in .480 has tight chambers and my carbide sizing die is necessary for getting the rounds to load, much less extract. Speer factory ammo does not fit at all. I can use it in my Rossi and then reload the cases. My SRH has no problems with accuracy.

I use the Lee lube on my rifle brass and find that every 3rd round seems to benefit from a little inside the case neck. Qtips work well for this. I just dump the cases back in the tumbler after sizing and that takes the lube off just fine. Carbide sizing dies are fine for my straight wall rounds, but do not seem to be worth the cost for the small amount of rifle rounds I reload.

[Pisgah]

Not sure on the levergun 45 Colt chambers. Never owned one, but I "hear" and "read" they are not tackdrivers, like the early Winchesters, Marlins or Colts, so there must be some truth to it.

I only have extensive experience of one .45 levergun, a Hartford (Rossi) Model 1892 with 24" octagon barrel, big fat brass bead front sight and semi-buckhorn rear. I have two loads for it, a 255 gr. lswc at 1200 fps and a 250 gr. jhp at nearly 1600. Both feed slick, and both will shoot in to 2" at 100 yards benchrested. These days, bifocaled at age 60, that's a tackdriver in my book.

[sore shoulder]

Slight drift. My SRH in .480 has tight chambers and my carbide sizing die is necessary for getting the rounds to load, much less extract. Speer factory ammo does not fit at all. I can use it in my Rossi and then reload the cases. My SRH has no problems with accuracy.

I use the Lee lube on my rifle brass and find that every 3rd round seems to benefit from a little inside the case neck. Qtips work well for this. I just dump the cases back in the tumbler after sizing and that takes the lube off just fine. Carbide sizing dies are fine for my straight wall rounds, but do not seem to be worth the cost for the small amount of rifle rounds I reload.

I had those same problems with a .480 SRH even using carbide sizing dies and only Hornady brass, very sticky chambers requiring beating the ejector rod pretty hard. Since I had purchased it for bear defense I decided that was unacceptable, and eventually sold it.

[Sixgun]

These days, bifocaled at age 60, that's a tackdriver in my book.

I'll say! I was good for 1 to 1 and 1/2 with tang sights until a couple of years ago. My limit is 2 and 1/2 to 3 now.---------Sixgun

[harry]

Slight drift. My SRH in .480 has tight chambers and my carbide sizing die is necessary for getting the rounds to load, much less extract. Speer factory ammo does not fit at all. I can use it in my Rossi and then reload the cases. My SRH has no problems with accuracy.

I use the Lee lube on my rifle brass and find that every 3rd round seems to benefit from a little inside the case neck. Qtips work well for this. I just dump the cases back in the tumbler after sizing and that takes the lube off just fine. Carbide sizing dies are fine for my straight wall rounds, but do not seem to be worth the cost for the small amount of rifle rounds I reload.

I had those same problems with a .480 SRH even using carbide sizing dies and only Hornady brass, very sticky chambers requiring beating the ejector rod pretty hard. Since I had purchased it for bear defense I decided that was unacceptable, and eventually sold it.

I don't think being able to reload in a bear incounter would have done you much good anyway. You would be sloppy joe meal if the first cyl. full didn't get the job done

[BAGTIC]

I have Hollywood carbide dies in .223 and .308 and they too require lubing. They also size to a minimal dimension probably to guarantee chambering in the plethora of autoloading guns. I once even used them to load some 308 for a friend with a fluted chamber rifle and even with lube it was an effort.