RCBS Carbide 44 Magnum Resizing

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Tilley

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Hi,

Just wondering if anyone else has the same findings as myself using the RCBS Carbide 44 Magnum Resizing die. Before I get into my question, I want to mention that I am familiar with reloading 9mm(lee carbide) and 308 (RCBS) on an old RCBS JR2 press which continues on without any issues.

I recently got the RCBS Carbide 3 die set in 44 Mag and after cleaning a box of spent factory rounds, threw them under the Resizing die. All the shells have come out the same being that the lower 1/4" is slightly larger in diameter (.453") and the upper has been resized smaller(.447"). I know its not much of a difference but it is visible and although its not really a bulge and they still fit into the cylinders of my S&W which are .459/.460"

I know that the die is placed correctly touching the top of the shell plate holder and the die just doesn't resize all the way down to the rim since the case doesn't have a taper like 9mm etc. Anyone else out there having the same thing happening?

Cheers
 
Tilley,
I've used the RCBS carbide die for thousands of rounds and they always come out as you describe. I've worn out brass after multiple target loads. They always split from the mouth edge not in the middle of the brass. It appears that the larger diameter near the bottom doesn't cause problems when the cases expand to fit the cylinder. Note: This is for target loads. I haven't shot enough full loads to wear out a set of reloaded brass but after 6X of max. reloads, no splits.
40-82
 
I really appreciate it! Wanted to make sure my die set wasn't off or that there wasn't something else I was thinking of. That's exactly what I am going for as well is target loads.

Cheers,
Tilley


40-82 said:
Tilley,
I've used the RCBS carbide die for thousands of rounds and they always come out as you describe. I've worn out brass after multiple target loads. They always split from the mouth edge not in the middle of the brass. It appears that the larger diameter near the bottom doesn't cause problems when the cases expand to fit the cylinder. Note: This is for target loads. I haven't shot enough full loads to wear out a set of reloaded brass but after 6X of max. reloads, no splits.
40-82
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It happens with my 38spl/357mag brass and 500mag brass, its completely normal. The reason is the carbide ring cant reach the bottom of the case because of the thickness of the shell holder and where they put the carbide ring.
 
Oh, and no, your die is not adjusted correctly if it is touching the shell holder when the ram is fully raised. Carbide dies are a wee bit brittle, and so, after raising the ram, shell holder in place, you screw the carbide die down until it just, repeat, just touches, and then you back it off an eight turn, and lock it in place. At least, that is what is in the instructions on all my RCBS carbide die sets, as well as all the manuals I have which mention carbide dies. YMMV
 
This is completely normal. The solid web of the case cannot resize, so the body of the case sizes down, the mouth of the case expands to accept the bullet, and the loaded cartridge has a slight hour glass appearance.
 
sunray said:
Carbide dies aren't about the size. They're about not requiring lube. Same thing otherwise.
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Not sure what the first sentence means, but while it may be claimed that lubrication can be skipped with carbide I tried that and have wrote that off as an old wives tale. I wish I had taken pictures but I got a 9mm stuck in a carbide die, rim tore off and I had to veeeerryyy carefully drill the sucker out. Anyone who uses these dies knows that the decapping pin cannot be backed out the top to tap a drift against the inside of the case to free it. Very irritating situation and I caution anyone who would not lubricate every case to at least lubricate every second or third case.
 
New Camper, after several thousands of un-lubricated, and frequently not even tumbles, .38's, .357's, .44 Spl and.44 Magmuns through carbide dies, my experience does not mirror yours. As in, no stuck cases, ever. Wonder why.
 
New Camper said:
Not sure what the first sentence means, but while it may be claimed that lubrication can be skipped with carbide I tried that and have wrote that off as an old wives tale. I wish I had taken pictures but I got a 9mm stuck in a carbide die, rim tore off and I had to veeeerryyy carefully drill the sucker out. Anyone who uses these dies knows that the decapping pin cannot be backed out the top to tap a drift against the inside of the case to free it. Very irritating situation and I caution anyone who would not lubricate every case to at least lubricate every second or third case.
Click to expand...

as ykkid said, 20k+ reloads and i've never had a stuck case in a carbide sizer and i've even put a 40 cal in my 9mm die (on purpose) and it came out just fine. that being said, lubing does make the process ALOT easier though, so it won't hurt to lube with carbide dies. it's incredible how much of a difference it makes with 500mag brass, i could almost size it with just my pinky.
 
I appreciate what you are stating here with regards to the carbide being brittle and when I say touching, that's exactly what I mean touching...no pressure placed on the shell holder which of course moves a tad as well. The instructions verbatim from my manual read "Screw the Sizer Die into the press until the die touches the top of the shell holder when the shell holder is brought up to the top of the press stroke. Tighten the die lock ring. DO NOT CAM OVER on a carbide sizing die!" and then several lines lower it states the following "We recommend lightly lubricating every fourth or fifth case for best results." Not looking to argue with you as I myself continue to enjoy learning this stuff but if that's not what's in your manual but it's included in my die set which was manufactured 7 months ago maybe RCBS has changed some of their instructions to account for customer service dealing with caring for folks like New Camper.
ykkid said:
Oh, and no, your die is not adjusted correctly if it is touching the shell holder when the ram is fully raised. Carbide dies are a wee bit brittle, and so, after raising the ram, shell holder in place, you screw the carbide die down until it just, repeat, just touches, and then you back it off an eight turn, and lock it in place. At least, that is what is in the instructions on all my RCBS carbide die sets, as well as all the manuals I have which mention carbide dies. YMMV
Click to expand...
 
ykkid said:
New Camper, after several thousands of un-lubricated, and frequently not even tumbles, .38's, .357's, .44 Spl and.44 Magmuns through carbide dies, my experience does not mirror yours. As in, no stuck cases, ever. Wonder why.
Click to expand...

I've only put a few thousand 9mm, 45acp and 44mag through carbide dies some uncleaned, some through the USC and all it took was one 9mm to get stuck. So while you may be getting away with it for several thousand cases, I elect to lubricate every second or third case to avoid the risk of damaging a carbide die having to carve a 9mm out of it. While carbide is incredibly scratch resistent, it does not possess magical lubricating powers in and of itself: I don't wonder why the laws of physics would dictate that cramming an oversized piece of brass into a smaller block of carbide, produces a great deal of friction during said process, and only once would a bit of friction reducing lubricant might just reduce the force required to resize each case and eliminate, the while obviously rare, possibility of a stuck case.

I expect a bit of case lube would increase the useful life of the press while making it easier to operate. Anyway, that's what I do, and why I suggested it.

Spawn - Yes, a bit of lube makes the resize movement incredibly easy: That itself is enough for me to use case lube especially with the 44mag case. Component and tool wear are cumulative so the less force required each use could equate to doubling the useful life of these things.
 
Adjust the carbide die for the cases you are shooting and the hand gun being fired in, why adjust the die to make the sized portion of the case smaller than the base diameter of the case.

Start with the die adjusted high and then adjust the die downward to the point the "minimum" amount of resizing is done to fit the chamber. You don't have to cram your size 12 feet in a size 9 shoe, meaning the dies are adjustable up and down. Think of this like adjusting your full length resizing dies for minimum shoulder bump and not making hard contact with the shell holder.
 
With my 9mm carbide dies, if I don't lubricate I get stuck cases. I have found it works a LOT easier with Bonanza resizing oil on the case exterior. I use Lee paste lube on the inside of neck. Mind you, these are an old used pair of dies I picked up. With the Lee lube on the outside, it is very critical to lube just often enough. Every case and it builds up and comes out the vent holes and puts wrinkles in the case. Not enough and the cases stick. No problem with the Bonanza oil.
 
bushwhacker said:
With my 9mm carbide dies, if I don't lubricate I get stuck cases. I have found it works a LOT easier with Bonanza resizing oil on the case exterior. I use Lee paste lube on the inside of neck. Mind you, these are an old used pair of dies I picked up. With the Lee lube on the outside, it is very critical to lube just often enough. Every case and it builds up and comes out the vent holes and puts wrinkles in the case. Not enough and the cases stick. No problem with the Bonanza oil.
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Try mixing the lee lube with 20 parts 70% (99% if you can get it) isopropyl alcohol to 1 part Lee lube. You will have to shake it before you use it, but a light coat and minute of evaporation and it works great.
 
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