Dillion carbide 223 die?

[walker77]

Anyone ever try the dillion 223 carbide dies? Are they worth the money? I know they say you still have to lube them. Whats your thoughts on them? Im considering them because i am having problems with my rcbs x die, i have another post in here about that problem.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Anyone ever try the dillion 223 carbide dies? Are they worth the money? I know they say you still have to lube them. Whats your thoughts on them? Im considering them because i am having problems with my rcbs x die, i have another post in here about that problem.

I know nothing about Dillon .223 dies, but I have been having trouble with a Dillon .44 Magnum carbide sizer. It got some brass embedded in it from the cases and then proceeded to scratch any case that entered it. This ocurred six months ago and Dilon's solution was to send me to an auto parts store for a special 3M scouring pad. Cleaning out the die worked well enough to load some 200 rounds. A couple of weeks ago I needed to load .44s again and ruined another few cases, so I took the die out again and cleaned it. This time apparently the 3M magic was gone, as the die kept on scratching brass. I phoned Dillon and retold the whole story. First I was told that some brands of 9mm brass were giving trouble. I said, "these are .44 Magnum." Next Dillon response was "what make?" I responded, "Winchester." Then technician Tim asked me if I had any case lube. I told him sure, but their dies have been working since 1980 without, and if I wanted to lube cases I would use my RCBS dies and turret press and quit drinking the blue Kool-Aid. Looks like Dillon has changed procedure, to say nothing of warranty.

[jmorris]

I have one and it was worth the extra cost but I load 1000's at a time.

[AZ-Stew]

I have a number of Dillon carbide pistol die sets. No problems. Unfortunately, I have no input for you on their .223 dies. If they still require lube, you might as well save the expense and just buy a set of standard steel dies.

Regards,

Stew

[AZ-Stew]

I have one and it was worth the extra cost but I load 1000's at a time.

Just looking for your opinion... What makes them worth the extra cost over steel dies?

Regards,

Stew

[Shiloh]

One still has to lube with a rifle carbide die, so why bother.
The .44 is a different story. I never have heard of anything embedding in carbide, let alone
cartridge brass.

I have NEVER had a bit of trouble with my Dillon Carbide pistol dies, and I have four sets.

SHiloh

[kelbro]

I have a set of RCBS 223 dies with over 20,000 rounds through them.When would the payback start to occur with the Dillons?

[dillonhelp]

Dillon carbide 223 dies are primarily intended for commercial loaders. Case lube is still required, but the dies offer increased scratch resistance and much better die longevity. Carbide rifle dies are typically good for about 750,000 cases, whereas steel size dies usually require replacement around the 40,000 cases, depending on cases cleanliness.
NV curmudgeon, call ask for Gary at extension 311, or e-mail me at garyk@dillon precision.com, and include your name and address so I can create a return authorization for you. I'll have you send the die in for inspection and probable replacement. Running a lot of unlubed new brass can lead to vertical brass deposits on the carbide. It's a form of galling. Fired cases typically don't have this issue. We do recommend lubing larger pistol cases, mostly because it then requires much less effort to cycle the handle. It isn't mandatory by any means, however, and failure to lube should not cause any issues other than a sore elbow.

[Baldy]

I had the .223 carbide die and with a shot of lube they ran through my 650XL like pop corn they were so slick. All my die sets have been Dillon carbide and I use lube on them all. Makes the whole operation go smoother.

[jmorris]

[Just looking for your opinion... What makes them worth the extra cost over steel dies?


It just takes less effort for the operation and I spend enough time reloading its money well spent. I still use non carbide dies for many rifle and a few pistol calibers but either a carbide die is unavailable or I just don’t reload enough volume to justify the expense.

Having to lube is not an issue as I lube every case I reload, even 9mm in carbide. Those that think it sounds silly just haven’t tried it yet. I post load tumble to remove the lube.

[NVcurmudgeon]

In a followup to my post last week about my scratched Dillon Square Deal .44 Magnum die, and my complaint about being given what I perceived as short shrift from a Dillon tech, I talked to Gary Keith today. He recommends lubing ALL cases, it makes the handle easier to pull. Guess I missed that part of the instructions. Anyway Mr. Keith is sending me a new sizing die, NC, and gave me an RMA number to return the old die so they can see the problem. So Dillon is still no BS, but sometimes you have to go a little higher in the chain of command. However, I'm disappointed I didn't get to talk to Carly!

[1hole]

This is totally off subject but you may wish to consider this about lubing for carbide dies.

The primary advantage to lightly lubing cases use in carbide dies is that dry brass tends to gall on the sizer wall in microscopic bits. Over time those bits will collect more brass and eventually it will score cases, making it appear as if the die is "scratched" when it really isn't.

The galled brass can easily be lapped off the dies, steel or carbide, with a split dowel wrapped with a snug fititng bit of 3M's green scrub pad, driven by an electric drill motor. Steel dies are case hardened so they are unlikely to be damaged by such light lapping but the brass will scrub off fairly quickly. Carbide can only be cut, or polished, with diamond so the 3M lap won't change the dimensions on them at all.

[ddeaton]

The Dillon dies also are opened up a little on the bottom end to allow ease of use in progressive presses. The Dillon carbide 223 die is also equivalent to a small base die. I use it for prepping my brass that will be loaded for the gas guns. I dont use this setup for bolt bun brass. Just my 2 cents. I dump cases in a plastic bag, spray a couple squirts of alcohol diluted car wax, shake well, let dry, then dump in the case feeder, and run them through to size. I then throw them in the vibrator for a few minutes to clean the wax off, then trim to length. Prepped and ready to load now by just changing the tool head out that is set up with powder throw, seat, and crimp die.

[HeavyMetal]

Dillonhelp:
Good to see a manufacturer show thier face when a possible problem shows up with thier product.

A big pat on the back for at least offering to "check out" the 44 die. One more reason I'm glad I bought a pair of 550's back in the day!

Curious as to what you decide on the die just for the sake of knowledge.

[cardonasharp]

I have those dies. The only problem I had was with the decapping and sizing die.
The decapping rod broke and I replaced it with the spare one that came with it. That one bent also called Dillon and they sent me a replacement part. I switched it on station one with the Lee decapping die only and use the Dillon decapping on a signal stage press from lee. Better feel sometimes the primer are tight will bend the rod in the Dillon. I lube the 223 brass and clean them and the lee decapping in station one to remove the media that gets trap in the primer hole. this set up works for me.

[burfurd]

Don't know if anyone here has tried the RCBS Lube Dies or not....I use a #1 lube die in station 1 and size in station 2 with regular RCBS dies. No problem there. Have run several thousand and not the 1st stuck case.

burfurd

[elk hunter]

For what it's worth, I used to load a lot of pistol ammo with carbide dies and found that if I lubed them the effort to size them was reduced significantly which helped keep my arm from getting sore. To lube them I would put a teaspoon of "Ivory Snow", which is flaked soap not detergent, in an empty eight pound cardboard powder tub and then shake the tub for ten to fifteen seconds. I left the lid on for a minute or two to let the dust settle and then poured them into the case feeder. The soap was so sparse that I didn't bother to clean the loaded rounds.

[Lloyd Smale]

The only thing carbide on a dillon .223 carbide set is the expander ball. the rest of the die is identitcal to the standard die set. It is done to make progressive loading smoother not to ease in sizing efford or to make the dies last longer.

[elk hunter]

The only thing carbide on a dillon .223 carbide set is the expander ball. the rest of the die is identitcal to the standard die set. It is done to make progressive loading smoother not to ease in sizing efford or to make the dies last longer.

Dillon must have changed their 223 carbide die as I had one from them years ago that was a true carbide sizing die. The carbide insert was made in two pieces that were joined at the body/shoulder junction and were a press fit into the steel die body. The reason for a carbide die, as stated in an earlier post, was steel dies wear out rather quickly. At that time I was going through a set of RCBS dies every six to eight months. The wear would show up at the junction of the shoulder and neck. I never did wear out the carbide sizer. The answer to the question , "are they worth the extra money" is, it depends on how much you load.