.30 Carbine dies

I was given a set of Lee dies. Recent production, unopened. I haven’t had the pleasure of test driving them yet though. If nobody chimes in about Lee dies I can pop them open and take some pics.

 

Personally I have found the need for case lube when sizing the 30 carb so I tend to lean to using profile full length sizing steel dies.

Another point to make, if a wasp waisted case bothers you then use a steel "profile " full length sizer to get a proper appearance

If not carbide is swell and will work fine, any manufacturer will do.

I use lee for sizers and nothing else from their die sets because they think o rings are the proper method of locking dies.... stupid

 

The 30 carbine is a tapered case. Steel.

 

I buy lock nuts from other makers. Whatever is cheap and readily available. I also scavenged a bunch of lock rings off of junk dies and partial sets I have accumulated. Nothing wrong with the Lee dies, but I agree that the o-ring is dinky and useless.

 

The dies I have are carbide and not the color of those on your list..
That being said, I have had no issues with sizing with the carbide although I DO spray some lanolin based lube on 'em .
They will size without lube and no issues, but much smoother with lube..........
I do trim those cases on every reload......

 

Noticed I highlighted in BLUE.........

I didn't want to start a color bashing thread, so I didn't mention the name in the original post..................

They are the only set I have in 30 Carbine and have worked flawlessly so far........

I will also add that the cost was much more reasonable when I got them 4 or so years ago.......

 

From what I understood, 30 Carbine needs either carbide dies or lube, some folks say both.

 

I'm actually running RCBS Grp C Carbide die for 30 Carbine.
`Have no ideas on the engineering details, other than they are foolproof (good for me).
I recommend them.

ps:
- Pay attention (big time) to case length.
- Carbide notwithstanding, I recommend light lube.

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I use RCBS Carbide dies .30 Carbine.
Also, .357, .41, .44, .45 C and .45 ACP.
A little squirter of One Shot Lube and ready to go. Not necessary with Carbide, but it does make things go smoothly.

Carbide is preferred for any straight wall case.

I have RCBS, Lee, Hornady and Dillon dies.
They all work.

 

So are the carbide dies tapered? or do they consist of a simple carbide ring? Because the 30 carbine is not straight-walled.

 

My 30 Carbine dies are RCBS Carbide. RCBS mostly because I have several other RCBS sets and they have worked well. Also because their customer service is outstanding! They recommend using lube even with the carbide. Something about the taper of the case. I assume the insert it tapered and its longer than the inserts in my other carbide sets, it looks like about an inch. Also, my shell holder looks different, a little flatter on top. My set dates back to 1990, for what its worth.

 

Not sure what I did to make the print smaller???

 

I have the Lee Carbide Dies.
They are Full Length Carbide the best I can tell.
I just looked at them.
There is not the usual Ring Insert like the straight wall pistol dies that I have.


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The 30 carbine is a tapered case and fairly long .
A sizer with a carbide ring will not do a proper job .
I would buy a steel die ... I'm not sure if any brand makes a fully tapered carbide die and since I'm going to lube them regardless , might as well just use tapered steel .
Gary

 

I have Lee dies. At one time I loaded for a number of calibers, I have a wide selection of Lee dies. Pretty much from .32 ACP to .458 Winchester Magnum.

I cannot remember if they are all or just some carbine surfaced. I can say with certain none of them cause me any problems other than what I do for myself.

The .30 Carbine dies work as expected. The ammunition they produce seems to chamber and fire without comment.

Back story. The cases are all G.I. cases, presumably once fired. I deprime and clean them with a steel pin and soapy water mixture in a tumbler (commercial from Frankfort Arsenal). Then dried by air exposure. I use the spray - pump sprayer - by Dillon or Frankfort Arsenal for lubrication. No real problems. Yes, I'm not in a hurry.

 

IIRC; this is the same "problem" as 9mm carbide sizing dies. Full length carbide sizing dies are way too expensive to machine and it's doubtful if a manufacturer would try to sell a $400.00 sizing die for a mundane caliber like 9mm or 30 Carbine. If my OCD insisted on a sizing die with the taper built in I'd opt for steel and lube cases just like I do for my rifle handloads...