So I keep getting stuck cases in my LEE carbide sizing die. I have reloaded about 2k rounds with these. I have never had anything get stuck using the carbides in 9, 40, 45 and 380. Any ideas. I am going insane trying to solve the issue.

What caliber are you reloading? If it is a rifle caliber with a bottle neck case, you have to lube them even if using carbide dies.

NO sorry, forgot that part. they are 9mm.

only thing I changed recently is I am using an ultrasonic cleaner. I never did before, I tumbled. Maybe it is getting them too clean?

I'm sure somebody will come along with a definitive answer, but if a short, straight wall case like the 9mm gets stuck, you must need a (very) little lube. When you clean your other calibers with the ultrasonic do they stick?? I would suspect the inside of the die is rough, but being a carbide die I think only the carbide ring contacts the case and there's no way to polish a carbide ring. Just in case I'd clean the die real good and maybe polish the non-carbide part of the die. Other than that it's a mystery and I'd like to hear what people say.

Call Lee and see what they say...otherwise spray them with One Shot Spray lube and see what happens....

It might be time for a new sizing die.Ive been having a similar problem with my lee die in 44 with several thousand through it too.I put a drop of oil on every fifth shell and it really helps.

Edit: I just looked at Lee's site and they recommend resizing dirty brass in their carbide dies as clean brass tends to gall against the carbide ring and the 9mm is the worst.They also say to use a bit of oil or lube when that happens.

I was getting stuck cases on 9mm only with Lee Carbide Sizing die. I lube about every 10th case and haven't had a stuck case for awhile. I think there is a slight taper on 9mm. I never have a stuck case with 40SW which I also load.

I have never needed to put any lubricant on a case being sized in a carbide die. I think the cause of your problem is the ultrasonic cleaner.

I bought a Hornady cleaner a year or so ago and used it once. Not only did the cases not come out clean and shiny even after several cleanings, they had a sticky coating on them when they dried. I can see where that might cause problems in a die. Fortunately, I bought that ultrasonic cleaner from MidwayUSA and was able to return it for a refund.

The last thing I do to my brass is clean it and I only clean my rifle brass. After resizing, I clean or, if it is new or once-fired brass, uniform the primer pockets and trim the necks if needed. I clean the burned-on deposits from the necks with Flitz polish and then box them up until I'm ready to load them. At that time, they go into my tumbler and then go through the loading process. I load my rifle ammo on a single-stage loader.

I don't clean my handgun brass because there is too much of it and with a progressive loader, it isn't convenient unless you do it first.

Ed

I'm using the Lee die for my 9mm and haven't had a problem so far but I have had some range brass (cleaned) that have been pretty tight going through. Just as a suggestion - you've changed the way you're cleaning - maybe clean your die well and when you size, just put a little lube on your thumb and index finger (I'm assuming your hand feeding the press) every half dozen casings or so. Someone told me they use bag balm but any lube would/should work. It should give you enough lube to smooth things out. If not - then I'd be looking at the die?

You don't say if this has been coming on gradually or just started happening? Give the lube a try first and then if it's a no go - maybe a new sizing die? They really aren't that expensive from Tital or similar vendor.

I'm loading on a 4 place Lee classic turret but do my de-priming on all my brass on a old single stage RCBS Jr3. I take the depriming pin right out of the sizing die. If you de-prime with the sizing die at the same time - I believe you can get the sizing die body by itself at a pretty cheap price. I've been thinking of ordering one in 9mm and 38/357 just to have them on hand "in case".

If you use ultrasonic cleaning (or stainless steel pin tumbling like I do) you need to lube the cases. Both these methods clean the brass squeaky clean. If you tumble with walnut (or some other media) or not clean at all, the dust or dirt will lubricate the die. I clean my brass in 2000 case lots and after they dry I spray them with case lube (either Dillon or Hornady) and shake them around in a pillowcase to distribute the lube and then dump them in the bucket by the press.

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Minimize the variables

Well actually the 9mm is a tapered wall case. That makes it more likely to stick in the carbide die than a true straightwall case.

I use NuFinish with my tumbling media. It does leave a slick layer on the cases that reduces the effort to size using carbide dies. If I use a different additive in my media like Frankford Arsenal brass case polish, the brass wants to hang in the sizing die.

I also polish the inside of the carbide from time to time with Flitz. It doesn't do anything to the carbide, but it does remove anything that has built up on the carbide. Over time the brass can deposit a layer on the carbide. Not a thick layer but I see the difference on how the outside of the brass no longer has the shiny burnish. After the Flitz polish, the shiny burnish is back.

What he said ^.
About every 1000 loads or so I "polish" the dies with JB using a loop jag and a big enough patch to jam into the die.
I chuck the jag on a short rod into a drill.
I also use a small amount of RCBS spray lube especially on nickel cases.
It increases the hassle but improves everything else.

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Nemo

I clean the cases in a vibratory cleaner with 50/50 walnut and corn cob media. If I think of it I put in a little Nufinish. But the Nufinish, while it makes the brass look nicer, has had no effect on the reloading process.

I use RCBS carbide sizing dies for all handgun calibers. No sticking. No need to lube.

Save yourself some trouble. Get some RCBS dies.

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USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

Have the same issue with 9mm and my carbide dies.
After cleaning I toss the brass in a baggie and give a short spray with super lube (would expect most any spary lube would work) . Shake the bag to distribute and size away without problems.

stevej

Yeah too many people claim you don't need any lube with carbide but that's a myth regardless of case. Most of the major manufacturers say use lube and in any case it makes sizing so much smoother. I typically just use hornady one shot and some other stuff depending on case. Funny thing about resizing cleaned cases though... I was reading something (not sure if it was Redding or Dillon) for 223 and the suggestion is you should size cases before polishing them up. An unpolished case is supposedly less likely to get stuck regardless of lube. Obviously you don't want to size/process dirty cases (especially here with sand) so I guess best routine would be sonic wash, deprime, size, trim etc. then tumble for polish. Then reload finished brass.

thanks, im assuming my cases are getting too clean from the Ultrasonic cleaner. It has never happened until I started using it. ill just retumble ll my cleaned brass

1+

I have RCBS carbide dies in 9mm, .38/.357, .44 Mag, and .45. No problem with any of them.

I have had no problem with sticking on any Lee die. I too use an ultrasonic cleaner. I have found it makes a BIG difference what product you use for the solution. I first used the Lyman stuff and it worked good. I ran out and bought some cheaper stuff from fleabay. Didn't work at all. Went back to the Lyman product.
As for your sticking I use the steel and gun parts cleaner in my ultrasonic for my dies. Maybe they need to be cleaned.

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Tom
NRA Pistol Inst

Wet cleaning can make cases too clean IMO, they will need more force to size. Add a poorly polished carbide insert, they are likely to stick. My issue with all Lee products, questionable QC. Send it back for repair or replacement or use something like OneShot or stop wet cleaning.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO