Titanium Carbide dies

[Clint007]

Ran across an ad for the Redding titanium carbide die set, and can't seem to find a consistent advantage over standard carbide dies when I did some searching online.

Is this another example of paying more for some fanciful non-advantage?

C

[vwpieces]

If the carbide insert is smooth enough, you usually do not need to lube the brass cases for pistol calibers.
Some still have trouble with New brass or brass that has been tumbled in Stainless Steel pins with no lube and carbide dies.
I have not had any issues at all & never felt a need to lube a pistol case when using carbide dies. I also wet tumble my brass in SS pins. No problem sizing with carbide dies.

Neck expansion is sometimes a problem too. And may be another reason for using lube on SS tumbled or New brass.
Again I have had no issues bad enough to warrant lubing pistol brass on expansion. My expanders are well used & shiny smooth.
But I do not think the expanders are made of carbide from any brand, for pistol.

ALL my sizing dies in pistol calibers are Carbide Lee dies.

Should also point out that the only Carbide in a carbide die set is an insert in the sizer die for the outer wall of the case. Just so you are not thinking that the whole set of dies are entirely carbide.

[IDescribe]

Clint,

RCBS, Lyman, and Lee produce tungsten carbide sizing rings. Redding uses titanium carbide, which is both smoother and more wear-resistant than regular tungsten carbide.  Hornady uses tungsten carbide with a titanium nitride coating to the same effect as Redding's titanium carbide.

How much more are you getting for your money?  I would suggest that Redding and Hornady are better machined dies, in general, with Redding on top.  Don't buy it because you think it's worth paying extra for titanium carbide.   Buy it because it's a more precisely made die all the way around.  Or buy a Hornady New Dimension series.  If I'm buying a single die, I'll save the money by buying Hornady New Dimension.  But when I'm buying a set, Hornady doesn't produce their New Dimension sets with the die selection I want, so I buy Redding Pro Series sets and add an expander.  Do not buy Hornady "American Series" dies.  That's their entry level, intended to compete with Lee.

Are you looking to buy a whole set?  Or do you need just one die?  Need to replace a die?  Did you ruin a sizing die?

And for the record, you should still lube with carbide dies. 

[Clint007]

Actually I'm good for now, thanks. I was just curious re the value of the titanium.  I use the Dillon resizing die now...I was thinking of buying a Lee carbide die mainly to ensure I sized it down well for uniform neck tension. But I can't say I've experienced any problems with the Dillon die that need fixing....so I should probably not spend money unnecessarily.

That said, how many rounds does a Dillon resizing die last?  I clean them regularly, but how would I know it's time....?

But if I used the Redding titanium resizing die....would it tend to stick less on the resizing step? I do use lube for this with the Dillon die, but it still feels a bit stiff at this stage....if the titanium is smoother....and if the Redding confidently sizes down enough like the Lee....when I do upgrade I might consider buying that one...

Thx

C

[Clint007]

Oh, one more question: is there any issue with removing the depriming pin from any resizing die?  So the die only resizes? That won't affect the resizing process I assume?

At some point I will deprime and resize at different stations.....

C

[tdogg]

Oh, one more question: is there any issue with removing the depriming pin from any resizing die?  So the die only resizes? That won't affect the resizing process I assume?

At some point I will deprime and resize at different stations.....

C

No problem at all with a straight/taper wall pistol case.  I removed my 45 ACP decapping pin for resizing some primed brass I purchased.

Bottleneck rifle cartridges use an expander plug with the decapping pin and you need to make sure you don't remove that (unless you intentionally don't want it).

Cheers,
Toby

[ReloaderFred]

You're not going to wear out a tungsten, or titanium carbide die in your lifetime, and probably not in your kid's lifetime, if you have any kids.  If a carbide die starts scratching, it's not from being worn out, it will be from brass galling and sticking to the carbide, which can be removed with polishing.

If your current carbide dies are doing the job for you, there's no need to buy another sizing die.  If you're worried about neck tension, then the first place to look is the expander.  Most sizing dies size the case down enough, but expanders vary in size and they're usually the culprit. 

The only carbide die I have that doesn't size a case down enough happens to be a Lee .45 acp carbide die that leaves the case at .470" in diameter.  This works for .45 Colt brass, but is too large for .45 acp brass.  In most calibers, especially handgun calibers, I have multiple sets of dies, so one die out of spec really doesn't affect my loading.

If it works, don't "fix" it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Wobbly]

But if I used the Redding titanium resizing die....would it tend to stick less on the resizing step? I do use lube for this with the Dillon die, but it still feels a bit stiff at this stage....

I think if you'll check, your brass is sticking at the Expander stage. Take a tiny amount of case lube and apply it to the "powder die" on the bottom of your powder measure. That's the only place brass "sticks" with me.

 

[Tok36]

Interesting stuff.

[IDescribe]

I have a sizing die with a case fully glued galled in place.  Completely stuck.  It was sticking a bit leading up to that point, but I did not identify the source of the apparent sticking, until the press wouldn't let me lower the ram, then with some extra effort, the die pulled the case clear of the shell plate.  I failed afterward to remove the case from the die.  I used the trick with the screw, but failed.  It just ate the center out of the case head. 

[Wobbly]

I have a sizing die with a case fully glued galled in place.  Completely stuck. 

ID -
Send me the die.

[painter]

I have a sizing die with a case fully glued galled in place.  Completely stuck. 

ID -
Send me the die.

...or send it to me. 

I'll put it on top of my chrono and kill two birds with one stone...so to speak.

[noylj]

I think if you'll check, your brass is sticking at the Expander stage. Take a tiny amount of case lube and apply it to the "powder die" on the bottom of your powder measure.

Or use the natural dry lube that firing a round leaves in the case...



[Mods fixed the quote]

[noylj]

WC (tungsten carbide), I believe is common for all dies manufacturers except Hornady and Redding. Hornady uses TiN (Titanium Nitride, just like the gold drill bits).
Redding is TiC (Titanium Carbide).
The Titanium ceramics are supposed to be smoother and make sizing easier.

[Clint007]

Wobbly: The case sticks a bit at resizing then again at the powder drop stage when flaring the mouth.

But, I should ask this next then....some bullets need a bit more help at not toppling, so I did a little experiment. I deprime and resize , then use the Lee universal expander die with a NOE .358 plug (kinda like an M die) at a separate station on this first pass. This gives a bit more concentric expansion with a slight bell..... Then I tumble the lube off, and load.  This really helps those long 147 gr bullets not toppling as I crank the handle, compared to the MBF funnel or Dillon funnel. But...what's the down side? Am I screwing up neck tension...will this screw the accuracy?  I haven't compared em yet...

I have noticed that with the plated bullets, I need very little bell even using the Mr. Bullet feeder. But with long powder coated lead....totally helps with what I described above.