When did Carbide Sizing Dies become available?

[John C]

The title pretty much says it all. When did carbide sizing dies become available? I'm thinking about approximate years. Did you guys lube your pistol cases each loading, before carbide dies? Or just neck size them, with an occasional full length resizing.

The reason I ask is that I got into using 310 tools and a tru-line jr. press, but for rifle rounds. I'm wondering how you guys did it in the "good old days".

Thanks,

-John

[burntpowder]

The first carbide die I'm aware of came with my first star progressive purchased in 1964 when I got that thing I was in hog heaven.Pior to that I used a C and H C press and standard dies full length sized and each case lubed.That star still sets proudly on the desk in my cave and must be approaching the 1/2 million round mark.I've never replaced anything on that piece of equipment still runs like a swiss watch.

[ReloaderFred]

They were generally available in the late 1960's, when I bought my first Lyman Carbide die in .38/357 Magnum, that I'm still using today. There were LifeTyme carbide dies for Star and Loadamatic presses prior to that, so my guess would be sometime during the late 1950's for that use. It may have been earlier than that for commercial operations.

Prior to purchasing my first carbide sizing die, I rolled my cases on an RCBS lube pad, and wiped them down after loading. That was from 1963 to 1969, when I bought that Lyman sizing die.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[John C]

Thanks, gentlemen, for your replies. Why did you guys resize pistol cases every time? It seems like a lot of work, when it doesn't seem that necessary. These days, of course, it's no trouble. I'm just trying to understand how the process evolved.

Thanks,

-John

[Az Rick]

John C, If you're de priming and resizing with the same stroke of the press,... it doesn't really add "work".

Best, Rick

The real reason is probably that you want your cartridge to work in multiple guns. I own several different firearms in the same caliber and want them to work in all my guns.

[ReloaderFred]

As Az Rick said, for multiple firearms. Whenever I grab a box of ammunition in a particular caliber, I want it to fit in all my handguns in that caliber. It's kind of like factory ammunition, which is made to chamber in any firearm within SAAMI specs.

Back when I started, most reloading for handguns meant revolvers, except for the 1911's. A revolver round without enough neck tension and crimp will allow the bullet to walk from the case under recoil. Full length resizing helps with that, along with depriming, though some die sets deprimed at the case belling die, and not the sizing die. I prefer my handgun cases full length sized anyway.

For rifles, I do tailor ammunition to the rifle, due to differing headspace requirements.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Iowa Fox]

I upgraded to carbide for the 38/357 in the early 70s. Using the best lube I could find the steel dies took an incredible amount of handle pressure to size.

[John C]

Exactly, Iowa Fox. I guess I didn't articulate correctly. I was thinking that the extra work of not using carbide dies is the lubing and de-lubing of the cases. I full length size all of my pistol cases, as well, but I have carbide dies. When I load with my 310 tool, I don't. It's not usually a problem, because the cases have been sized the previous loading. I just think it'd be a huge pain to lube and resize the cases every time.

I usually only load rifle rounds on my tru-line, with the specific intent to neck size.

I really have respect for the dedication of the earlier generations of handloaders. I used to think that it was simpler in the old days. Now I realize how tough it was.

-John

[Bwana]

I bought a RCBS 38/357 carbide die set around 1970 and it had a sharp edge on the bottom of the ring opening. It would put a ledge on the cases near the head where it had pushed brass ahead of it. It wasn't until later that they started rounding the opening of the ring. I think that die is still around here someplace.

[Char-Gar]

There was a die maker who sold "Carbaloy" dies I'm pistol calipers as far back at the 50s and maybe farther. The first out with reasonable priced carbide was Lyman in the early 60s, but the other makers jumped in real quick.

Many of the recent carbide dies oversize cases and I have gone back to steel dies for 45 Colt and several other pistol rounds

[3006guns]

Phil Sharpe mentions carbide dies for government arsenals in his 1937 reloading book, but they didn't become commercially available until the late 1950's and were EXPENSIVE. As already posted, I didn't see them offered until the mid sixties or so, and they were still a little spendy.

Over the years better and quicker manufacturing techniques brought the cost down and made them generally available by all die manufacturers.

[gl89aw]

My old Buchanan progressive which was only made from1936 or so to 1941 has a carbide sizer that is definitely made special for it.

[Pressman]

Lifetyme dies were the first practical, affordable and commercially avaliable carbide dies. They were developed from WWII technology and made for Pacific, Star, Meepos and possibly others. They were available by 1946.
Still they were pricey by the standards of the time. Better technology both in metalurgy and production has brought costs down considerably, to the point that no one wants steel sizers any longer for handgun dies. Even the 223 and 30 Carbine carbide dies are affordable today.

Ken

[o6Patient]

The technology to produce the commercial materials to machine carbide
back when (IE:man made diamonds etc.) it takes would have made the cost
prohibitive.. the hard stuff was the carbide, nowadays diamond stuff is
common place. If I could I would replace all my dies, rifle and other wise
with carbide ones.