Loading die question

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
I immensely enjoy reloading (well maybe more back when primers were valued at less their weight in gold). But there does come a point when time spent loading competes with other activities.
I load all rifle and some of my handgun ammo on a single stage press. But some of the handgun stuff is done on a progressive press. In that arena, carbide dies rule. (at least for me)
I also once gave myself a serious case of tendinitis with a single stage press and an overly ambitious production goal. So, carbide dies sort of fit in with that desire to produce a lot of rounds in a short period of time.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I too am a cheapskate, but I'm also lazy.
So, I balance the benefits of carbide sizing dies against the drawbacks of carbide sizing dies....

I started paying the premium for carbide dies in the early eighties. Didn't have such a convenience at home, growing up, but once out on my own, I not only had an indoor toilet and hot running water, I got myself carbide dies too!

I'm was willing to pay then for carbide dies, because a whole LEE three-die set, WITH carbide cost less than just the Lyman Carbide sizing die.

I looked up that Redding "dual-ring" die though and the cheap-skate in me started showing through. Dang! $80 - $100 for ONE DIE. I could have another mould for that. That ones going on the back burner for now, but I'm still interested. We'll see how it goes.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I started paying the premium for carbide dies in the early eighties. Didn't have such a convenience at home, growing up, but once out on my own, I not only had an indoor toilet and hot running water, I got myself carbide dies too!

All three . . . That's called poopin in a tall cotton field. :)
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Redding dual carbide. Me and the other two people somewhere in the USA that actually have and use them are quite happy.
Isn't that the one (.45 Colt?) you had to modify to size properly?
 

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
I bought my first carbide sizing die (Lyman 38/357) in 1964. It was the great new coming thing. It sure did squeeze down the cases. I thought it was wonderful not to have to lube cases anymore. That was 58 years ago and I have learned a thing or two since then.
 
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fiver

Well-Known Member
no Doc the carbide sizer is the first die.
i still throw some spray lanolin at them even if i am using a carbide ring to size with.
it just makes things go smoother.

anyway the lee final crimp thingy is just a use for the carbide size dies they screwed up, i don't know if they grind them to some actual final size or just use them as is??
 

Ian

Notorious member
Indoor toilet, HOT running water, and ELECTRICITY were the luxuries I treated myself to after leaving home. No more studying or reloading by kerosene lamp, still have my first electric table lamp that I bought at Wal-Mart for my dorm room (back when that's what it was and made in USA was a thing).

Yep, I did modify the .45 Colt top ring but only because I could and was trying to maximize brass life. Had to polish some rust spots out of the steel part between the rings anyway.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Nothing like going to the outhouse at -5 Fahrenheit at 0600, starting a fire and making a teakettle of boiling water then pumping the yard pump for three gallons of water to rush into the house for breakfast. That is why I live with city services. Then when I was old enough, milking the cow at 0530.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Nothing like going to the outhouse at -5 Fahrenheit at 0600, starting a fire and making a teakettle of boiling water then pumping the yard pump for three gallons of water to rush into the house for breakfast. That is why I live with city services. Then when I was old enough, milking the cow at 0530.

I didn't have to milk any cows. Shoveling a path to the outhouse wasn't fun, and it meant you were first. Being the one who had to "defrost" the seat was less fun than the shoveling.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
And the seat was just as cold in Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio! Baby brother still lives in Anna, but he has indoor plumbing.
 

Mowgli Terry

Active Member
One might look at one of Lee's new products. This set has carbide rings in two separate dies. One of the benefits of steel dies is one gets closer to the original shape of the case. I have a dies for RCBS 38 Special and 357 Magnum-so marked on the box. It possible to make some nice looking handloads. I am convinced one reaches the point of diminishing returns loading cartridges for standard revolvers fast. When the bogus famine is over we'll run some of these rounds made various ways through the club Ransom Rest.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
...This set has carbide rings in two separate dies....

Does LEE have a catchy name for this special die set? Not something I've seen, but might be interested in.

Speaking of "not having seen," best friend texted a link to LEE's site with a new SIX-HOLE turret press! I'm still good with my three-holer.

Speaking of which, when we moved into the place that I moved out of when I finished high school, it had several privies scattered about the property. One of them was pretty fancy. It had THREE HOLES! Even better, they were GRADUATED holes - large, medium and small.

Anyway, any further lead on that die would be of interest. I'm not seeing it on my own.

Thanks.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
In the olden days. many reloaders tried only partially sizing straightwall handgun cases like 357 or 38 spl. They would decap the cases in whatever manner was available to them, some would run 357 cases through 44 mag dies as a sort of decapping die, then run their 357 sizing die up to about half mast and only size the first inch or so of the case. This gives mixed results because the case mouth is the end that work hardens and eventually cracks. Additionally, lead bullets often got swaged down in the case mouth a mite, which contributed to leading. Swaged bullets were the worst for this problem all around.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
In the olden days. many reloaders tried only partially sizing straightwall handgun cases like 357 or 38 spl. They would decap the cases in whatever manner was available to them, some would run 357 cases through 44 mag dies as a sort of decapping die, then run their 357 sizing die up to about half mast and only size the first inch or so of the case. This gives mixed results because the case mouth is the end that work hardens and eventually cracks. Additionally, lead bullets often got swaged down in the case mouth a mite, which contributed to leading. Swaged bullets were the worst for this problem all around.

I had to do this with one of my 45 Colts, which had rather wide chambers and blew brass out pretty fat. I only sized the first bit of the case to hold the bullet.
 

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
Neck sizing of revolver brass works just fine UNLESS you want to shoot the loads in a cylinder different than the one first fired in. Sometimes you can and many time you can't.
 
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Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Absolutely! My Mod 25, 45 Colt, will not accept brass fired in my Ruger or Marlin.
I actually use my Redding profile crimp die to size the base enough to chamber.
I need to make a dedicated decap die for it made to size the bottom of the brass just enough to chamber.
 

Mowgli Terry

Active Member
Does LEE have a catchy name for this special die set? Not something I've seen, but might be interested in.

This is from the net. Gotta go vote in our election:

Each Deluxe 4-Die Set comes packaged with a carbide full length sizing die with decapping unit, powder through expanding die (used for expanding and belling the case mouth while charging the case with powder), a bullet seating die, and Lee's exclusive carbide Factory Crimp Die.