Carbide dies - which individual dies are actually (or need to be) carbide

[sisson_d]

FYI, I am a newbie to reloading and, yes, I do have a reloading manual. I just picked up an incomplete set of RCBS dies for cheap in 9mm luger. It came with a carbide FL resizer and a steel seater, taper/crimper die. I still need an expander and I may possibly get a seperate taper/crimper to avoid having to adjust the seater once it's dialed in. So, I imagine that the seater being steel is no issue. If I want to avoid lube, should I get an expander or taper/crimper in carbide?
Thanks,
Doug

 

[zxcvbob]

The only thing "carbide" is the full-length sizer. In some rifle dies, maybe it's possible to get a carbide expander ball. Steel everything else is normal and just fine.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Well that might come in handy/be fortuitous. How do you plan to charge your cases? The Lee powder/expander through die is nice to charge and flare in one step.

 

[sisson_d]

Thanks for the info, that'll save me a good chunk of change. I saw a few dies from incomplete sets (1 die out of 3 or 4 originally included) online and in a local store that are listed as carbide even though they are expander or crimper dies. I suspected that they were just steel dies from carbide sets since they had no separate inner sleeve of different material. But being new to this, I wanted to double-check that with experienced re-loaders.

And I was specifically thinking about the Lee powder/expander through die. That sounded like a great idea for an AP press. While I have started out with a Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic single stage press, I do plan on getting an AP in the future (when I have money and they are actually in-stock again). Would the Lee die be compatible with the Lock-N-Load AP press and the Hornady powder measure?

 

[zxcvbob]

The Hornady LNL-AP press has enough stations for you to use the powder measure in a separate step and it trips automatically. I'm not sure if the Hornady measure has a spigot that would fit a Lee powder-thru die. But it's a nonissue.

The Lee dies work just fine in the Hornady press, but they are a little short so you have to screw them down pretty far and don't have many threads left for the lock ring.

 

[MEHavey]

If I want to avoid lube, should I get an expander or taper/crimper in carbide?

Neither the expander nor the crimper (of any variety) need lube.
You are Good2Go w/ steel in both cases

 

[cfullgraf]

And I was specifically thinking about the Lee powder/expander through die. That sounded like a great idea for an AP press. While I have started out with a Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic single stage press, I do plan on getting an AP in the future (when I have money and they are actually in-stock again). Would the Lee die be compatible with the Lock-N-Load AP press and the Hornady powder measure?

The Hornady progressive will come with a case activated powder measure that also expands the case mouth. You just need the appropriate drop tube (sometimes called a funnel, I think Hornady calls it a PDX) for the diameter of the mouth you are expanding.

So, if you want to let the powder measure system do the mouth expanding, you will not need an expander die when you go to the Hornady.

If you are operating on a single stage press, the Lee powder through the die system is not needed, but these dies may be more economical than other manufacturer's dies. The Lee die will expand the mouth just fine without dropping powder through it.

The Lee die would be handy if you upgrade to a Lee turret instead of the Hornady progressive.

I prefer to clean my cases loaded on the progressive between resizing/case mouth expansion and reloading. I machined drop tubes for the case activated powder system so that I do not need to re-adjust, or change, the Hornady powder drop die. So, my powder measure does not do any case mouth expansion. My preference.

 

[ranger335v]

As a practicle matter, only straight wall pistol sizer dies have any carbide at all and that's just quarter inch thick washer crimped into the die's mouth. Everything else is steel.

Dillon sells full carbide FL rifle sizers for .223 and .308 for something like $175and they require lubing same as steel dies.

 

[BYJO4]

Just buy a normal expanding die at this point for your single stage press and no lube is needed. When you finally get your LNL AP press, it will come with a powder measure that you can insert the proper size PTX (powder thru expander) into that is made by Hornady thereby eliminating the separate expanding die altogether.