are carbide dies less "sticky"?

1
i've just had to discard 2 30-06 sizing dies because i can't drive out stuck cases. insufficient lube, i suppose. so i'm thinking of replacing them, and i've heard that carbide dies are less prone to stick. any opinions?
Last edited by lurker on Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:20 am, edited 2 times in total.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: are cabide diees less "sticky"?

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Having been vaccinated with a phonograph needle, I have to reign myself in lest I babble incoherencies the likes of which no one has ever seen.

The best part is no lube. I don't know if they make 'em for necked cartridges. There's also "nitride," another coating made by Hornady.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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Yes.

Just like in construction, reciprocating saw blade teeth that are coated with carbide last 10-30 times more than the non-carbide versions.

I think nitride, is titanium nitride, also has less friction. I think carbide will last longer as nitride is more anodized coated, and carbide is usually a metal insert. Though for most reloaders both would last a lifetime.

It is certainly recommended to clean your cases before and after case prep! You don't want any dirt, sand, brass shavings, etc. Slip into the dies.

I usually use first use the lee universal decapper if not clean, then throw it in whatever kind brass tumbler so my primer pockets come out a bit more cleaner. And use your resizing die on clean cases.

I do recommend to use a little lube if your cases have a bit of tarnish on them. I'm still a beginner but this is what I got from it so far.

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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I poked around, and carbide and nitride dies are indeed made for necked cases, so, cool. I haven't chased carbide rifle dies because I make only about 20 or 40 at a sitting, so lubing is not bad. Pistol, yeah, because I make at least 50 at a sitting.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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Rust wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:49 am I did not know until now that they made carbide dies for bottleneck cases.
They cost a lot. You still have to use lube.
How do you lube your cases?
I've been loading '06 for over 40 years and have never stuck a case in a die.
I use coconut oil on the outside and a qtip swipe of Lee resizing lube (powder safe) on the inside of the neck. Usually get away with doing this only every third case even with steel dies.
Crow
Minute Of Average

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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Rust wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:49 am How do you lube your cases?
I've been loading '06 for over 40 years and have never stuck a case in a die.
not enough obviously. these dies basically sat unused for near a decade, so i don't remember what process i used. i think i was using something in a spray bottle, green, so rcbs?*
lately, i get a little castrol gtx 10w40 on my fingertips and rube them all over the empty cases, works flawlessly with 30-40 krag and 308win.

eta: yes, rcbs case slick. the packaging has changed some. when i started reloading again last year, 10 bux for 4 oz just seemed over the top, and i had some castrol handy and it seems to work fine. i'm careful not to get it inside the case. then i roll the finished cartridges on a paper towel to remove any sticky excess.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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You can hose out the inside of dies with acetone (nail polish remover--note whether it's scented (don't ask)) and your wife's old toothbrush. Adjectives are things for a reason.

I use RCBS case lube on an RCBS lube pad. Roll 'em five at a time, pick one, leave the rest on the pad. Repeat--but I do 20 most sessions.

Why, yes, I do live 39 miles from the RCBS plant. Why do you ask?

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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I wonder if the dies got a little rusty inside.
I generally use RCBS lube, the stuff in the squeeze tube, and their pad, when I full-length size, and I brush inside the neck. I use just a little lube when I neck size.
When I looked up those carbide 30-06 dies, the only ones I found were from Dillon, and I didn't see anybody who actually had them in stock.

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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Rust wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:19 pm I wonder if the dies got a little rusty inside.
I generally use RCBS lube, the stuff in the squeeze tube, and their pad, when I full-length size, and I brush inside the neck. I use just a little lube when I neck size.
When I looked up those carbide 30-06 dies, the only ones I found were from Dillon, and I didn't see anybody who actually had them in stock.
i appreciate the concern. they may very well have had some corrosion or debris. like i said, they sat for years. i'm going to have to replace them at some point, thought i'd ask. if/when i find some, i'll post a link.
neck sizing dies here:
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/ ... rentpage=2
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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shinzen wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 9:37 pm Haven't used carbide rifle dies, but they do work great for pistol. RE: Stuck cases, sounds like you need some hole wax.
https://theliberalgunclub.com/product/a ... izing-wax/

(Made by our own Marlene)
well then i suppose i must have some. just so happens i paid off my credit card bill today so now i can use the card again without feeling like i'm in debt to the evil capitalist banker man.
and while we're on the subject of LGC loot, what would it take to get more LGC-branded centerfire chamber flags made up? what would be the minimum number for a batch? i could use a couple myself and i like to have them when recruiting new victims, er, potential members at the range. let me know, please, PM if you prefer.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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I only know of one company that makes 100% carbide dies for bottle knech cases. Dillon and only for 308 and 223. They cost a fortune.

Everybody else makes dies with a carbide ring that only comes in contact with one part of the case and the dies require sizing lube any ways.

Liquid lanoline lube is so easy and effective that I don't think that carbide is even necessary for strait wall pistol dies.

Re: are carbide dies less "sticky"?

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The best two case lubes I have found for the exterior of cases are anhydrous lanolin and Imperial sizing die wax. Use anything else and you will stick cases in steel dies.

Several types of metal carbides are used in exterior sizing dies. For straight walled cases, one may not need a case lube for the exterior. I discussed why with my Metallurgy professors long ago, and they told me it was because the melting point of the Carbides are so high that an inter-metallic compound of usually tungsten carbide and brass is much more difficult to form as the brass is in microscopic areas is greatly heated by rubbing the carbide.

I have never worked with Carbide dies in bottleneck cases.

My bachelor's was in Metallurgy, not lubricants, so you will have to look to others for an explanation as to why some lube under some circumstances prevents the kind of micro metallic bonding I mentioned above.

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