[oaksenov]

I am new to reloading. I just got Lee pro 1000 press with dies for 9mm from one of reputable vendors. It supposed to have carbide dies, but how can I really tell by looking at the die whether it is carbide one or steel ?

I have heard that carbide ones have of blue tint. But all of mine seams to have the same look of the steel.
The decap die has the following marks on it
Lee-9mm-B0 (or the last ones van be an "O" I guess).

Not that I had any significant problems with it. But I only loaded like 30 rounds with it and I want to make sure I got what I paid for.

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Wrench Man]

The carbide is only an insert, the outside body of the "carbide" dies is still steel, you can see the insert in the mouth of the die.

 

[miestro_jerry]

The carbide is a ring at the mouth of the die. I haven't seen too many pistols dies these days that aren't carbide. It must be a Fad or something.

Jerry

 

[MikeG]

If you aren't sticking cases it has a carbide insert in the die. You'd know if it was plain steel.....

 

[oaksenov]

it was not sticking yet. There was one case that was in that die the shaft separated frome case carrier. So I just bolted it back and was able to remove the case fairly easy.

If you aren't sticking cases it has a carbide insert in the die. You'd know if it was plain steel.....

 

[Wynn]

On the bottom of the sizing/decaping die (near the decaping pin) their is a ring of carbide which is blue tinted and it is easy to tell the ring is of a different materal than the die body. Carbide dies do not require the case to be lubed (strait wslled pistol cases anyway). Their are steel dies out there but thay are not common any longer.

 

[cottonstalk]

What Mike G is saying is you have to lube cases if it is steel.I have carbide 44dies and steel 45colt dies,I can tell a difference.I never have to lube the 44mag cases,but about every 5th 45 case I have to lube.

 

[jaguarxk120]

I don't know where the blue color comes from, but looking at a solid TC drill it looks like it is a dark metallic grey color. Darker than steel that has a shiney color to it. My 44 die(RCBS) is the same color as the drill I looked at. Maybe your die mfgr uses a different type/grade of TC for it to be a blue color.

 

[MikeG]

There are all sorts of coatings that can go on top of carbide. Common ones are titanium-derived and end up yellowish. Any tool catalog that is in color may show these on drill bits, router bits, end mills, lathe inserts, etc. There are also aluminum-based nitrides (?) I think. Hornady pistol dies are titanium nitride and a tan color. What the titanium nitride is on top of, if anything, I do not know. They work fine though.

Anyway.... regardless of the color, there is a separate ring of material pressed into the end of the sizing die. If you can't see this, then perhaps you do have steel dies? I would have expected to be sticking cases though if you did. My RCBS and Lee pistol dies have carbide rings that are about the same color of the steel die body, but you can see it is a separate part.

If the dies are steel and you haven't stuck a case yet, it may start galling and leaving bits of brass behind as you use it. At some point the build-up is likely to cause issues.

Post a pic?

 

[Marshal Kane]

Even though all of my handgun die sets have carbide sizer dies, I find that just a bit of case lube makes sizing that much slicker and easier. My final step in case prep is to tumble them in corn media anyway so I let the tumbler remove any traces of left over case lube. Just a slightly different approach to sizing.

 

[jaguarxk120]

Even though all of my handgun die sets have carbide sizer dies, I find that just a bit of case lube makes sizing that much slicker and easier. My final step in case prep is to tumble them in corn media anyway so I let the tumbler remove any traces of left over case lube. Just a slightly different approach to sizing.

Just put the case's in a baggy and give them a short spray of furniture wax. Mix them up for a few seconds and you will find they will go through the TC dies, as you say "slicker and easier"

 

[Marshal Kane]

Just put the case's in a baggy and give them a short spray of furniture wax. Mix them up for a few seconds and you will find they will go through the TC dies, as you say "slicker and easier"

Aha, yet another slightly different approach to sizing that produces the same results! Thanks for sharing.

 

[oaksenov]

Yep I see separate ring inside my Lee die. It has about the same color as the die body. I will keep an eye on it.
Thanks a lot everybody.

 

[ranger335v]

"It supposed to have carbide dies, but how can I really tell by looking at the die whether it is carbide one or steel ?
"

If it's new, it's carbide. No one has made plain steel handgun dies in years.

 

[oaksenov]

Yes it is brand new. Although almost all vendors have both stainless and carbide Lee dies in their cataloges.