Polishing seating die?

[GIJOEL]

I have some high mileage Dillon carbide dies on my 650XL press. I use cast lead bullets and have to clean the seating die every 100 rounds or so. Would polishing the seating die help to prevent lead shavings and lube build up? The finish on the die is pretty smooth to the touch, but I wonder if 30k rounds and 10 years of use have caused any wear worth worrying about. The dies still produce nice ammo, and the seater die has always required cleaning now and then, but maybe a mild polishing could help?

 

[atblis]

Hmm, maybe try flaring a little differently (perhaps more). I've had good luck with the Lyman M die.

 

[FROGO207]

I would clean them well and spray a LIGHT coating of something with Teflon/or silicone on them. That said most seating dies will gum up some when exposed to lead and wax anyway. The Teflon will make it easier to remove and may keep some of the residue from sticking. If you use something that is sticky like reloading lube I would think that it would make the problem worse. I have some silicone spray lube that has lost it's label and that's what I use. I am unsure of what it is at this time. Might be Utility brand Teflon/silicone lube ??? not for sure though.
IMHO polishing the dies would not help much and would not waste time on doing this.

 

[ranger335v]

IF you're flaring enough, lead shaving may say you need to chamfer the mouths.

No amount of die polishing is going to prevent an accumulation of excessive bullet lube.

I really doubt you have worn your dies out with anything less than - maybe -300,000 rounds. So, you have a ways to go yet!

 

[Sunray]

"...polishing the seating die help to..." Nope.
"...wonder if..." Nope. Brass isn't anywhere near as hard as any kind of steel. Clean 'em, for sure, but they're not going to wear out.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Add more bell to the case mouth, especially if you're getting lead shaving. It won't take much, but if you take a belled case and set a bullet on top of it, the bullet should fit just inside the case mouth and be slightly supported, before seating.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[GIJOEL]

Ok, i'll try belling the cases a bit more. I looked and there is barely any bell to the mouth of the case.

Thanks high roaders, you probably saved my seating die from the deadly combination of over thinking and the dremel!

 

[GURU1911]

Keeping dies clean

This works well for me:
1. Clean die internally with a bronze bore brush & some solvent
2. Blow dry with air compressor
3. Put some "break-free" on cotton swabs & apply to inside of die. A spray of break-free will also work.
4. Allow to air dry for about 5 minutes
5. Insert clean & lubed die in press & git-er-done !!!!!!!