Carbide Dies

[stiggy]

I was talking to a gunsmith today and I told him I just bought a Dillon 550. I asked his oppinion regarding carbide dies and what he recommended for .223....asking if all carbide dies are the same (brand wise). He replied that RCBS dies are better than Dillon. Is there truth to this or not?

Thanks!

 

[Geckgo]

I was unaware that anyone made carbide dies for the 223 or any other bottleneck cartridge.

nm - google search turned some up

 

[Geckgo]

to be honest, I'm new to reloading, but I see an issue with using carbide dies on a bottleneck cartridge, specially if you want to fully resize them. If you are not doing a full resize then I guess it's okay, but regular dies allow your press to "cam over" at the end of the press stroke, which can crack carbide dies (super hard = not as tough). For pistols this isn't as big of an issue as full resizing isn't as big of a concern.

as far as quality, carbide is carbide and I have an RCBS so I use RCBS dies, simple as that.

 

[stiggy]

So basically save my money and lube em up! Thanks!

 

[dmazur]

Re: carbide dies for .223 -

My understanding is that Dillon makes these for "volume reloaders" such as police departments. They are designed to last longer than standard dies, but they still require lubrication.

I believe the reason for this is that pistol dies have a carbide "ring", which has relatively small contact area. Combined with the extreme hardness of carbide and you can resize a case without much friction. The same design will not work for bottleneck cartridges, however. Full-length resizing dies develop too much friction to work without lubrication, even if made of carbide.

 

[cfullgraf]

dmazur has it. Carbide bottle neck dies still require lubrication and are designed to last longer for high volume loaders.

Are RCBS dies better than Dillon? I don't know. Dillon dies have some nice features but I have never used them except on my SDB press. I prefer Redding dies but have my share of RCBS and Hornady dies as well. They all work as advertised.

 

[243winxb]

223 rem. tungsten carbide dies are only made by Dillon i think. They still need lube to FL size. No reason to buy them unless your a high volume loader. RCBS is top of the line IMO.

 

[Cherokee]

You still have to lube the cases with carbide dies for bottleneck cases. I have been using a carbide 223 sizing die in my SS press for many years and it works fine. Steel dies would be fine as well. It's your money.

 

[Walkalong]

Dillon makes a carbide .223 die, but they are very expensive and still need lube. Get a $20 to $30 standard set and forget about it.

Dillon makes good stuff

RCBS makes good stuff

Can't go wrong.

 

[codefour]

I called Dillon once on this matter. Dillon representative said carbide will last five times as long as steel dies. Dillon stated 10,000 rounds is the usual life expectancy out of a steel die and 50,000 for a carbide die. The Carbide rifle dies are said to be smoother on the sizing. I only use steel RCBS rifle dies and RCBS carbide pistol dies. I actually did not get the Dillon press, I bought the RCBS Pro 2000..

 

[jimmertoons]

I have Dillon carbide for both 223 and 308. The force required with the carbide dies is much lower than standard dies. When using a progressive press, I seem to get less flexing on the drive plate with the carbides. I do use lanolin/isopropal lube, sprayed on sparingly so as to not contaminate the inside of the case.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

He replied that RCBS dies are better than Dillon. Is there truth to this or not?

Like many things in life an opinion is subjective. Any high quality dies will do a good job. If you like one die set over another you will obviously feel they are better even if the results are the same with both die sets. IMO RCBS, Dillon, Redding and a few others will all do an excellent job but you may like one over the other because of look, feel or the way they setup. I suggest you look at and if possible try a few different dies before you invest your money. I use a lot of Lee dies because they are inexpensive and they work. I also use a few RCBS and some specialty stuff from other die makers. What works for you is the "best" for you...

 

[medalguy]

Dillon stated 10,000 rounds is the usual life expectancy out of a steel die and 50,000 for a carbide die. Really? I'm waaaaayy over that on nearly all of my steel dies, but they still work very well and cases still fit the gauges OK. If that's all I could get out of a steel die, I'd be replacing some of my dies every couple of months.

BTW ALWAYS use lube, even with pistol carbide dies. It sure makes them slide a lot easier.

 

[codefour]

Medalguy, That is what he told me.. I was kind of taken back by that as well. I am new to reloading but I did not know any better. It is good to know I will get more than 10,000 out of my steel dies..

Medalguy, BTW, how much rifle do you shoot..??