Sizing Die Problems

[jma1965]

I bought two 38 special sizing dies off of e-bay, I got them yesterday but one puts heavy scratches on my brass and the other puts medium scratches. I can't see if it is rust, dirt or what. Someone must have had to deal with bad sizers before. I have tried brake cleaner, and a bore brush (bronze). Anyone one ever dealt with this problem? :shock:

[jsizemore]

Are these carbide or steel? How's the manufacturer?

If steel then it could be that lube wasn't used on the case before sizing.

If carbide then it could be nickel build up from, you guessed it, nickeled cases.

Or it could be trash build up from improper care.

You need to determine what the trash is to tend to it. Bright light and magnification are your tools.

There are some professional and amateur machinists on this website that can help you out if you don't feel up to the task. Most manufacturers will repair or replace if necessary.

Good Luck

[Doc Highwall]

I use to shoot a M-14 a lot and I would tumble the cases before sizing them so the hard silicates/sand would not scratch the dies.

[mdi]

I've purchased junk dies from ebay, once. The inside of the sizing die (.357 Mag.)was imbedded with some grit (sand, dirt, metal filings, ?) that put deep scratches on my brass. RCBS steel die. I soaked it in Kroil for several days, no better. I "honed" the ID of the die with emery cloth on a dowel. Most came off but not enough to satisfy me; still scratched the brass. haven't looked at it in a few years...

[jma1965]

They are both RCBS dies, as far as I know they are steel. The one causing medium scratches cleaned up with a green scratch pad. Its not touching the one making the deep scratches. It looks like the inside of the die has many deep scratches. I think that one might be a lost cause. I paid six dollars for them combined. If I get one good one, I guess I can't complain.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/jma2006_bucket/SDC10864.jpg

The H Die is the one that cleaned up

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/jma2006_bucket/SDC10875.jpg

One pass through the L die.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/jma2006_bucket/SDC10879.jpg

One pass through the L die.

[Larry Gibson]

As Doc suggested try emery cloth on a slotted dowel chucked in a drill. Go slow, clean out completely with lots of solvent as the emery cloth will also leave grit. Test often. I had the same problem as Doc with the residue from cleaning cases. I solved the scratch problem with the above. Once solved use lube on the cases and make sure there's no tumbling media residue on the cases, especially the gritty "polishing" kind.

Larry Gibson

[1hole]

Few dies are actually badly scratched. They are case hardened steel and will usually crush bits of sand, etc., or push it into the much softer brass.

What usually causes scratched cases comes from bits of galled brass in the die from insufficent case lube; rub two dry metals together under pressure and the softer will soon begin to stick to the harder as firmly as if welded. The common solution is to make a dowel lap with fine sandpaper or green scrub pad chucked in an electric drill and keep going until it's gone. Use a fine grit, 320 or finer, and you aren't likely to change the dimensions of the die enough to matter.

[jsizemore]

Call RCBS. They might surprise you.

[7of7]

I had a .357 magnum sizer that did the same thing.. I just bought some new ones, and started using them. I took a .500 carbide reemer to the old one and made it a universal decapper.. Problem solved.. I now use it when I decap stuff prior to the hot citris bath..
I size just prior to reloading with the appropriate sizer die on the toolhead of my Dillon 550B..

But, you may want to call RCBS, as they may just replace it with a new one..

[jma1965]

Like I mentioned in the post above, I used a green scratch pad to get the one dies cleaned out, used it with a drill.... The other die actually has scratches in it. along with being able to see them, I can feel them with a steel hook and the tip of a pen. I'm going to stop and pick up some fine emery cloth like mentioned above and try that....

[jbelder]

Like I mentioned in the post above, I used a green scratch pad to get the one dies cleaned out, used it with a drill.... The other die actually has scratches in it. along with being able to see them, I can feel them with a steel hook and the tip of a pen. I'm going to stop and pick up some fine emery cloth like mentioned above and try that....

Send them back to RCBS they will take care of you! Had the same problem they couldn't polish it out so they sent me a new one.

[Isaac]

Like I mentioned in the post above, I used a green scratch pad to get the one dies cleaned out, used it with a drill.... The other die actually has scratches in it. along with being able to see them, I can feel them with a steel hook and the tip of a pen. I'm going to stop and pick up some fine emery cloth like mentioned above and try that....

I picked up a used .270 RCBS die that had the same problem. Before touching it I called RCBS and spoke to a technician. He told me to use emory cloth and if that didn't work, send the die back to them and they would replace it.

The emory did work. I called RCBS, related the success and thanked them for the offer. The technician was pleased for the return call.

Isaac

[Char-Gar]

I have had dies that leave scratch like that. Clean them with a good solvent and try again. If, they still scratch, I put a rod shaped fine Cratex abrasive point in the Dremel and run it around the mouth of the die, inside and out. That takes care of it .

[jma1965]

I tried the emery cloth without any results, I'm going to send it to rcbs and see what happens. I hope the same thing as listed above. :coffeecom