Well, I have joined the club

[dobarker]

I am out of date with dies now. I didn't know they made titanium nitride dies, I knew carbide still needed to be lubed but didn't wear down as bad for marathon reloads. I'll have to look into the others though.
As for the scale, if you find a really reliable one, let me know. I've got a Dillon d-terminator I bought to replace a 6-8year old same model due to variance. The new one still does it, just not as bad.

 

[Moonpie]

I warned you! Didn't I? You are DOOMED!

​Bwahahaha....................

 

[Vaquero]

I am out of date with dies now. I didn't know they made titanium nitride dies, I knew carbide still needed to be lubed but didn't wear down as bad for marathon reloads. I'll have to look into the others though.
As for the scale, if you find a really reliable one, let me know. I've got a Dillon d-terminator I bought to replace a 6-8year old same model due to variance. The new one still does it, just not as bad.

I've never used lube with carbide dies.
Never had a stuck case. Not even a difficult one.
Carbide are made to be used with no lube.

 

[jrbfishn]

Lube carbon steel, not carbide.

 

[dobarker]

I've had an 06 case stuck in carbide dies from not lubing and trusting the no lube they claimed so naturally I'm a bit suspicious. On a straight walled case, I could see it working, on a small bottle neck even like a 5.56, I just got burnt once by a large case and put a light oil on my cases in carbide now when I use them.

 

[ROGER4314]

I use carbide dies but also lube the case OD. I have ugly arthritis in both elbows so any reduction of effort given by lubng the cases is greatly appreciated!

Incidentally, the Lee dippers served me well in my first years of cartridge reloading. I started first loading 12 gauge shotgun shells but my first few thousand rounds of .45 acp, .38 Special and .357 Magnum were all charged with Lee Dippers. I still have all of that stuff!

Please let me share the technique that worked best on the dippers. I put the powder in a cartridge box, made one pass of the dipper through the powder then scraped off the top with a piece of paper. No tapping, or bumping the dipper allowed! It's pretty consistent but since I know you're staying short of max loads, it will do just fine!

I you get to the point where you'll consider a powder measure, consider the Lyman 55. It's a classic and very few measures can compete with it.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/703838/lyman-55-powder-measure?cm_vc=ProductFinding

The Lyman 55 has three separate chambers that can be set to get a powder charge. It is very precise and once set, gives charge after charge with very good accuracy.

Regarding stuck cases, the most trouble I've had was with .223. The rims are very fragile and it's real likely that if you pull on a tight one, the rim rips off! Bigger cases are strong enough to manhandle them out of the die. There are many ways to Southern Engineer a repair but the best is the RCBS stuck case remover for $18.

I kept breaking the center punch on the sizing die trying to beat stuck cases out of the die. I got
that RCBS kit and the stuck cases come right out! I broke enough center punches to more than pay for the kit.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/504741/rcbs-stuck-case-remover?cm_vc=ProductFinding

There are other, similar kits but I've only used the RCBS kit. If I have not used it, I won't recommend it.


Flash

 

[Rebel]

This is a great thread... I will definitely be earmarking this for when I buy my first loading equipment (with luck, toward the end of Summer).

 

[Dawico]

I've had an 06 case stuck in carbide dies from not lubing and trusting the no lube they claimed so naturally I'm a bit suspicious. On a straight walled case, I could see it working, on a small bottle neck even like a 5.56, I just got burnt once by a large case and put a light oil on my cases in carbide now when I use them.

Always lube rifle or bottlenecked cases. Period. I don't care what the dies are made of.

Carbide (or better) pistol dies do not need lube but I usually give them a little shot anyways.

Lube big straight wall cases like .45-70 also.

 

[Andy]

Andy - I appreciated your advice too. You could barely see the powder at the bottom of those .38 casings.

Oh, you're welcome. I hate to be "that guy", but it's probably the most important tip about reloading that hardly anyone mentions - and it takes no time to do but results in really reliable ammo.

I've smeared a little lube on a straight-wall case while using carbide dies is in order to ease the pressure a bit on a 5-station progressive press (much more resistance when a press is working 5 shells at the same time) - I smear a tiny dab on the incoming shell every 20th or so. Exactly for the reason Roger and Dawico mentioned - it's not necessary but it just makes things easier when there's a lot of brass going into the dies(s).

On a single-stage press, I don't bother - unless they're bottle-necked cases, obviously.

 

[Brojon]

When I was a kid, I'd go to the tire places and there were zillions of wheel weights just sitting on the ground. I'd grab up a bucket of them, take them and take them home. I'd take a 2x4 and drill 1/4" holes 3/4 of the way through, grab dad's propane torch and a tin can and start melting the weights, pour them into the holes in the 2x4 and wait for them to cool. They made awesome slingshot squirrel ammo. Since lead is a neurotoxin, you better understand my mindset.

Dad has two gasoline blowtorchs used to melt solder for the old school knob and tube wiring guys, hmm. Might need to get one or both of those puppies.

Naw - you want to get an electric 10 or 20 lb Lee bottom pour pot. They're pretty inexpensive and well worth the money. Just make sure you don't get teh alloy too hot as it will bake out the good stuff - tin and antimony - that make the lead harder. Also be aware that you'll need to lube those bullets, I pan lube but also have a Lyman Lubesizer. lately I've gotten into powder coating via the "shake and bake" method - I like it a LOT. No leading and easier cleanup.
Welcome to the club - you're gonna have a blast!

 

[Brojon]

I've never used lube with carbide dies.
Never had a stuck case. Not even a difficult one.
Carbide are made to be used with no lube.

I convert 223 to 300BLK. I had a 223 case get so well and truly stuck I had to unscrew the ejector pin and pound it out. That was with Hornady case lube.
I do lube the 223 cases to shape them as it just makes the forming that much easier. Straight walled cases like 44 mag - nahhh, but I do clean 'em first.

 

[Andy]

Only cases I've ever had stick were in Lee .308 sizing dies (yes, lubed) - Midway sent a replacement, but that jammed as well (different lube), so I said fuggit and bought RCBS instead for .308. Point being it was the dies, not the lube in my case.

 

[Younggun]

I've stuck a .243, .308, 45-70, and .50 BMG.

All except the .50 were from no lube, the .50 was because I attempted to use crappy Lee lube.

Never stuck a straight wall pistol case in a carbide die. The .45-70 was in a steel die and it stuck TIGHT.

 

[Moonpie]

Imperial Sizing Die Wax.

This is is the answer you seek Padawhan.

 

[Younggun]

I use Valvoline for .50, Hornady 1 shot works well for everything else.

 

[Andy]

Imperial Sizing Die Wax.

This is is the answer you seek Padawhan.

S'good stuff - if you can't find that specific wax, Hornady make a great version too, which I'm still using.

 

[robertc1024]

Y'all might find this interesting - or not, but here goes. I thought I'd tumble cases in my kids old, old plastic rock tumbler - ordered some corn cob media. Media came in, I whipped the tumbler out - motor wouldn't budge - can't get it apart because it has tamper-proof torx screws holding it together and I gots no bits for those. I ended up getting a small Lyman ultrasonic cleaner & some of their cleaning solution. I am impressed on how well it cleans brass. Last night I put 2 batches of 50 or so .45 brass in there for 15 minutes or so, and wow - those things came out clean. I'm impressed so far. The funny thing was, after I dried them and stuck them in a re-loading tray - there was a huge disparity on how shiny or dull the inside of brass was. All of the shiny ones were Federal brass, all of the dark ones were Winchester.

 

[robertc1024]

And - I can't stuff large primers into the Federal brass - need a damn primer pocket reamer.

 

[Vaquero]

And - I can't stuff large primers into the Federal brass - need a damn primer pocket reamer.

New federal .45 takes small pistol primers.
Forgot to warm you about that.

 

[Dawico]

And - I can't stuff large primers into the Federal brass - need a damn primer pocket reamer.

Some .45 ACP and 9mm is crimped. Usually Federal but not all Federal is crimped.

And yes, watch for small primer pockets too.