die maintenance?

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  • davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    any cleaning regimen necessary? do you just dump them in an ultrasonic cleaner? need to disassemble them? scrub them? any recommended cycle such as 1k rounds etc?

    ps, just broke off two de-priming rods, crap! haven't been looking at the headstamps and guess it was military or something.
     

    platekiller

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 7, 2011
    1,780
    Martinsburg, WV
    any cleaning regimen necessary? do you just dump them in an ultrasonic cleaner? need to disassemble them? scrub them? any recommended cycle such as 1k rounds etc?

    ps, just broke off two de-priming rods, crap! haven't been looking at the headstamps and guess it was military or something.


    What kind of dies are you using? Most decent dies should be good to several thousand before you need to do anything unless you’re running dirty brass through them. I would recommend a universal decapping die (lee or Lyman).


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    guzma393

    Active Member
    Jan 15, 2020
    736
    Severn, MD
    My dies are seldom cleaned. Having them too clean can also result in a stuck casing. There is definitely a "seasoning" period when running some lubed cases on a fresh die. Only time I had to clean a die was to flush out any brass shavings left from extracting a stuck casing with some cotton swabs and alcohol or reconditioning a die set that has been sitting for too long in the elements by throwing them in my wet tumblers with stainless steel pins and dousing all the parts with CLP for storage. The CLP is then wiped off (mainly in the die channel area with alcohol/degreaser) and used as directed.

    As for decapping operations, I run Lee resizing dies/combination of resizing die with universal decapping die. The lee dies have a lock nut that holds the decapping rod by friction. When properly configured, it will slip up if it hits a berdan primed case, saving the decapping rod from being bent/damaged. If decapping with threaded rod decappers, be ready to have a bunch of spare decapping pins around or even whole threaded decapping units as I bent and broke a bunch of them running them through a berdan case, some rock lodged in the case head, mis-aligned flash holes, etc.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,665
    Not Far Enough from the City
    any cleaning regimen necessary? do you just dump them in an ultrasonic cleaner? need to disassemble them? scrub them? any recommended cycle such as 1k rounds etc?

    ps, just broke off two de-priming rods, crap! haven't been looking at the headstamps and guess it was military or something.

    Yes, do disassemble and clean your dies periodically. Reloading dies can and will pick up a collection of bullet lube, powder and primer fouling, dirt, brass shavings, and copper and lead shavings. In sufficient quantity, buildup in seating dies can change bullet seating depth settings. Case Lube buildup of sufficient quantity can cause sizing issues as well.

    I like Hoppes 9 on a patch for the heavier gunk myself, followed by a shot of Gun Scrubber, which evaporates rapidly. But as long as they finish dry, most any good gun cleaning product will work.

    Your case headstamp may be what prompts a look, but it's a good flashlight on your bench that will allow you to quickly look inside cases to quickly identify Berdan priming.
     

    radnor

    Member
    Jan 31, 2010
    71
    Delaware
    Dont think I've EVER cleaned my Dillon carbide dies.

    Had a case stuck in the resize die. Couldn't remove it at all. Called Dillon they replaced it and sent return postage for mine.
     

    noylj

    Active Member
    Jun 3, 2012
    144
    You clean dies when you first get them and if you let bullet libre and brass shavings build up to the point where it interferes.
     

    larr

    Active Member
    Apr 1, 2011
    232
    Easternshore
    any cleaning regimen necessary? do you just dump them in an ultrasonic cleaner? need to disassemble them? scrub them? any recommended cycle such as 1k rounds etc?

    ps, just broke off two de-priming rods, crap! haven't been looking at the headstamps and guess it was military or something.



    I always like to clean the vent hole to make sure its fully open.
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    well in a bit of good news, i emailed the guy i've been corresponding with at redding getting all my reloading going, and he said he'd send me some replacement rod/pins! guess i will need to check brass before i just blindly (try to) de-prime.

    i started by tumbling and then depriming/sizing. then i bought the separate depriming dies to do that first and then tumble, figuring the primer pockets would also get clean and then resize. but then i was handling all that dirty brass so went back to tumbling first. not sure it makes a huge diff?
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,729
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Yes, do disassemble and clean your dies periodically. Reloading dies can and will pick up a collection of bullet lube, powder and primer fouling, dirt, brass shavings, and copper and lead shavings. In sufficient quantity, buildup in seating dies can change bullet seating depth settings. Case Lube buildup of sufficient quantity can cause sizing issues as well.

    I like Hoppes 9 on a patch for the heavier gunk myself, followed by a shot of Gun Scrubber, which evaporates rapidly. But as long as they finish dry, most any good gun cleaning product will work.

    Your case headstamp may be what prompts a look, but it's a good flashlight on your bench that will allow you to quickly look inside cases to quickly identify Berdan priming.

    This is my routine. I load lots of lead bullets and the seater and crimp die will get loaded with bullet lube.
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    well in a bit of good news, i emailed the guy i've been corresponding with at redding getting all my reloading going, and he said he'd send me some replacement rod/pins! guess i will need to check brass before i just blindly (try to) de-prime.

    i started by tumbling and then depriming/sizing. then i bought the separate depriming dies to do that first and then tumble, figuring the primer pockets would also get clean and then resize. but then i was handling all that dirty brass so went back to tumbling first. not sure it makes a huge diff?

    I usually decap, clean primer pockets and then Tumble. It helps keep your dies cleaner also. Once out if tumbler ill lube/size and back into tumbler.
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    You don't load for three gun I assume. :innocent0

    Nope fclass, I didn't add the annelaing step in there.

    I'd imagine factory stuff should be fine for 3 gun distances and target sizes. Most of the pros I talked to at peacemaker were shooting factory stuff, maybe do to sponsorship.
     

    cstone

    Active Member
    Dec 12, 2018
    842
    Baltimore, MD
    I have on occasion, disassembled dies and run them through the sonic. Take them out, brush them off inside and out with an old toothbrush, then dry them out real well. Put a little oil on my fingers and rub down the outside of the die body and put them back in a tool head. No real schedule for this type of cleaning. Just when I am inclined and they look like they need some attention.

    Look into the Harvey deprimer if you want to deprime off the press. https://harveydeprimer.com
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    My dies are seldom cleaned. Having them too clean can also result in a stuck casing. There is definitely a "seasoning" period when running some lubed cases on a fresh die. Only time I had to clean a die was to flush out any brass shavings left from extracting a stuck casing with some cotton swabs and alcohol or reconditioning a die set that has been sitting for too long in the elements by throwing them in my wet tumblers with stainless steel pins and dousing all the parts with CLP for storage. The CLP is then wiped off (mainly in the die channel area with alcohol/degreaser) and used as directed.

    As for decapping operations, I run Lee resizing dies/combination of resizing die with universal decapping die. The lee dies have a lock nut that holds the decapping rod by friction. When properly configured, it will slip up if it hits a berdan primed case, saving the decapping rod from being bent/damaged. If decapping with threaded rod decappers, be ready to have a bunch of spare decapping pins around or even whole threaded decapping units as I bent and broke a bunch of them running them through a berdan case, some rock lodged in the case head, mis-aligned flash holes, etc.

    Found out you CAN tighten down a Lee recapped tight enough to bend the pin.

    It kept slipping up every few cases on 32acp and I couldn’t figure out why. Third time it happened I really cranked it down.

    Turns out there is such a thing as brass cased Berdan primed 7.65 browning.

    Managed to punch out (and ruin the case) a pair of primers through sheer force of will operating the press before it bent on the third one mixed in.

    Oops.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Only cleaning I have every done is the seating stem when loading cast bullets. Just pull it and scrap out the lube build up.
     

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