Carbide sizing dies

[AKbushman51]

Has anyone opened up a carbide die? I have carbide dies that overwork the brass, need to open them up .005". I tried emery cloth, tried lapping compound, still no joy. Have thought of diamond paste, but don't know the grit size to start, and most of the diamond pastes I've found have been for sharpening, or polishing. Thoughts?

 

[RicinYakima]

Sorry, you will not find any joy. Redding dies are usually pretty close to correct size.

 

[Pistolero]

Diamond should cut carbide, not sure how long it may take. To keep it round I would use
a split lap. MSC used to have them in different sizes for about $15-20, and diamond paste.

Different sizes, expandable about 15% over basic diameter. Use in a drill press and with
diamond paste, SHOULD work, never tried it personally.

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/05070305

Bill

 

[RicinYakima]

Bill's idea may work, but I have never been able do 0.005" straight and even. If you want to try it, center the die in a 4-jaw chuck in your lathe and use a 1/4 diamond round hone in the tool post grinder set at 89 degrees. LOTS of lube is advised.

 

[Ian]

All he has to do is enlarge the insert, which probably isn't more than a half inch long. I know corundum, garnet, and AlO2 won't scratch uncoated tungsten carbide, so even with diamond material you may have quite a time finding a way to cut it that doesn't involve oxygen or electricity.

 

[9.3X62AL]

My resolution for this issue in RCBS T/C sizers is to replace them with steel sizing dies. Got tired of Coke-bottled cartridges and short brass life.

 

[Pistolero]

Hmm. Green wheel cuts carbide lathe tools just fine. Never tried lapping carbide ring, but it seems worth
a $20 shot, although replacing it with something else may be a good route, too.

 

[RBHarter]

I've about quit sizing and decapping as 1 for my Colts . I neck size with a Lee 45ACP FCD with the guts out . It's not a lot bigger but it is just enough for the RBH and plenty for the R92's .

 

[RicinYakima]

I size and de-prime the 38 S&W, 38 Special and 357 Mangle-em with a very vintage Lee 38 Super carbide die. It brings the outside of the cases to .384", enough to just hold a .357" jacketed bullet, but expands easily to .360" cast bullets. FWIW

 

[Pistolero]

If this is about a .45 Colt die, the root cause is that the cartridge has a slight taper, as designed and guns
have had tapered chambers for a very long time, some more than others. I quit with carbide dies which can
only straight resize, so if the mouth is good to hold a bullet, the base is
excessively sized and the ammo rattles in the chamber at the rear. For that cartridge I
bought an older RCBS steel die set which has a taper in the sizer. I have to lube the cases, a nuisance,
but the brass fits the chambers much better.

I believe that Redding has a double collar carbide die for .45 Colt, but have never used or even seen one.
Might be a solution, but expensive.

Try eBay and get an really old set of RCBS dies, not sure how old they would need to be, but they are marked
with a letter year code, and you can find the "key" online.

Bill

 

[Ian]

I believe that Redding has a double collar carbide die for .45 Colt, but have never used or even seen one.
Might be a solution, but expensive.

I've been wishing for just such a beast. I seem to remember the magnums and ACP are true straight-wall but the .45 Colt is indeed a tapered case and chamber, not really suitable for single-insert carbide dies.

 

[fiver]

most of the 'straight walled' cases are actually tapered.
that's the thing about carbide they will size the whole case down if you size to the bottom.

here is where the FCD actually works.
they are just oversized carbide rings that were out of spec for sizing so LEEE saved some money by sizing them a little bit bigger and invented the final sizing die.
using their final sizing die as the initial size die might fix your problem.
otherwise I'd be just getting a steel size die and backing it out for the correct neck tension.

 

[Missionary]

Been neck sizing pistol / revolver brass for years. Figured if it was good for a rifle it was good for the pistols.
Yes we do segregate brass to each firearm except 45 ACP.

 

[Pistolero]

Here you go.

http://redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/124-dual-ring-carbide-dies

 

[quicksylver]

Had the same problem..bought them when they came out ...stopped using them and went back to the old ones... been happy ever since...
do have to say they handled nickel brass very well though...

 

[Pistolero]

Actually, looking at the SAAMI drawings of the cartridge, the .38 Spl, .357 Mag are cylindrical.
The .38 Spl chamber has .0009 taper. The .357 Mag chamber has 0.0008 taper. I am
comfortable calling them cylindrical cartridges, and carbide sizers work fine for them.

The .44 Mag cartridge has an .0008 taper. The .44 Mag chamber has a 0.0018 taper. A
carbide die works fine here, too. I wonder if the older steel dies have any taper in
the dies for .44 Mag? Probably inconsequential.

SAAMI calls the .45 Colt cartridge cylindrical, too, but current chamber drawings show 0.006 taper.

I have read that some older SAAs (would seem to be the definition of .45 Colt, IMO) have .008 to 0.010 taper.

Living with a cylindrical cartridge in a chamber with under 0.001 taper is fine. Trying to use a
cylindrical sizer in a case for a chamber with THE INTENDED taper of .006, and possibly more
in older guns, seems to be tilting at windmills.

Bill

 

[AKbushman51]

I would go back to non carbide sizing dies if I could find them. (41 mag) Trying to open them up was a possible option, other than having a custom one made. bushman

 

[JSH]

I had the same issue with some dies and some revolvers. Not all of my 45 colts chambers are the same, ditto 41 mag. Worked the heck out of the brass. So a couple will work with the carbide and one each to the steel. When I say work, I mean pretty easily seen results on paper.
357 brass fired in another gun will not fit my FA, no matter how much it is sized. Same goes for my 44 FA.
I am not one to throw all of one caliber in a shoe box and call it good, each and every case tailored to a particular gun.
SASS type shooters, one of the Redding dies would be ideal I would think.
Jeff

 

[AKbushman51]

Well, been having "fun" late trying to open a pair of Carbide 41 Mag sizer dies. I tried the diamond paste, got some enlargement but not enough to completely solve the issue, (but they're polished real good, damn near a mirror finish). I wound up just backing out the die to neck size only. And decapping on a separate press with a 44 mag size die instead. Adds a step in step in the process, but it works for now. I have (3) 41's and each is a separate animal unto itself. I use different brand brass for each, to reduce the variables, and to ID the loads. I can really tell the accuracy difference if I mix up the headstamps.
JSH- Redding makes a dual carbide sizer die but not in 41 Mag.
bushman

 

[AMTom]

For 45 Colt, the Redding dual ring carbide die sizes the case body to .477" and about .3" long neck at .471".
It works reasonably well, but the lower ring is only about .15" tall and the lack of case guidance provided can allow the case to tip a bit before contacting the upper ring. The neck will sometimes be offset a bit.

The ultimate sizer for 45 Colt is the latest Redding steel die. Tapered in the body from .48" at the web to .476" at the start of the neck, which is .471".

Full length guidance assures perfect concentricity, and any case fired from any of the 37 chambers in my collection, even at magnum pressures, when sized in this die is reduced enough to fit them all.