How often do you clean inside your pistol die sets?
What do you use to clean them?
Do you use Hornady’s 1-Shot or something else on the contact ares inside the dies?

I am embarrassed by this story but here goes. I was doing a long run (for me) of .45 ACP when it started taking more and more effort pushing the ram of my Hornady LNL press back down right after topping out. Part of the problem was the insert in the Lyman M-Die expander had accumulated brass on it, but the real culprit turned out to be the Redding Profile TAPER Crimp die. (My bad) There was a ring of brass/gunk where the top of the cases reached so bad it nearly jammed up my press.

No, I did not inspect inside the dies before starting this run. I have been reloading for a long time but never in much quantity - just lots of different cartridges, often for rifles. However, my Ruger LC 45 carbine is one hungry little beast, especially after I set up steel plates on my property and got the 30-round magazine extensions. As a result I had loaded 3,000+ rounds of 45 ACP over time without seriously cleaning the dies.

I have wiped inside dies with an alcohol soaked Q-Tip. Brake cleaner seems popular. Also, I had used dry graphite lubricant and that could be part of the problem. A cleaning schedule, cleaner, and lubricant recommendations would be awesome.

Hello!
I routinely clean my dies after each session (a session being between 200-300 rounds.
Using Hoppe's #9 and cotton swabs on wooden sticks. The 'standard' size, plus a large size of about .625" diameter.
Not sure what press you are using, but with Dillon dies on a SDB, it's super easy to do, so I do it!

I clean them after each use. A brass brush followed by a bore snake, then a visual inspection. Never needed to use any chemicals.

Cleaning depends on what you are loading. If exclusively jacketed bullets then only rarely. For lubricated cast bullets the dies need to be cleaned more frequently. I use Hoppes #9 or "Break Free CLP" on a cleaning patch when needed. The only lubrication dies need is what is used on the cases for the sizing stage. If they are thoroughly de-greased during cleaning then they should be lightly oiled with typical gun oils to prevent corrosion. This is rarely an issue.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

I load mostly cast lead bullets with old school lube in the lube grooves .When I notice a accumulation of lube , a build up will affect seating and crimping ... I clean the set with Ed's Red Gun Solvent .
A spray with Ed's Red , a little marinating time and finish with a patch on a pistol cleaning rod or a pull-through with a Bore Snake ... snakes clean dies real good .
Any time a die starts looking grungy ... clean them
clean the complete set ... take the dies completely apart .
If you don't know what Ed's Red Gun / Bore Solvent is ...
do a search on the term Ed's Red Gun Solvent Recipe ...
it's a great cleaner and you can mix it up you-self !
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

I "Gut" my dies and run a clean rag threw them and check for anything
left inside.

I have yet to need a solvent to clean the inside, of my old "Standard"
RCBS dies, unless there is a "Ring" inside of one.

A light oil patch with one dry patch followed to remove any buildup,
has worked for all my years of loading.

I will wipe down the bullet seater, to remove any wax etc. that might have built up inside the cup.


All threads are inspected for dirt or rust and cleaned, if needed,
including the die base unit.

My area in Reno is pretty dry and dust free, most of the time, which helps.

I keep a container of my version of Ed's Red on my bench. If I have used a die set a lot, several hundred rounds, I'll just drop the set in the container to soak. When I remember they are soaking, (days, weeks ?) I'll get them out, wipe the outside well, run a patch through the ID and they are good to go. Normally there is a light film of oil left which keeps rust at bay.

I keep a small mayo jar with 5" of regular ol' paint thinner (aka, "mineral spirits"). Dip the dies, let them sit for 5 minutes, disassemble and clean, usually with just a Q-Tip. A brass brush is only needed occasionally.

A shot of Hornady One Shot when dry and they are ready for the next time(s), depending...

Cheera!

P.S. This is also how I treat a new (to me) die set.

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Sit Reloader Sentiret

Don’t feel bad… exact same thing happened to me a month back. 45acp flare die, it got so hard to extract the mildly flared brass that I could hardly do it on my Lee hand press (even getting feet involved, LOL…).

Disasm, used Hoppes and finally even Mother’s to polish the gunk off the inner piece. Better now, so I’ll have to start keeping an eye on it.

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Uvidíme se později, aligátore.

Thanks guys! I especially like the Bore Snake idea.

The "rust" comment piqued my interest. While my rifle dies are "steel", all the pistol dies are carbide. Regardless, I have never seen rust and can't imagine seeing it.

I clean them .... eventually.
after some 2K rounds of 5.56, I still haven't bothered
My 9mm set ... I really should buy the set dinner for the 6k+ merciless ride I took them on. Still no cleaning. but, I probably should look at them at least.

back in the day with traditionally lubed cast lead .... I never got away with this.

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it just needs more voltage

even cheaper ..... naptha if your just dealing with bullet lube buildup

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it just needs more voltage

Annually and RCBS Dies of course.

WOW. Your comment shocked me. It made me go downstairs and closely examine my Lee dies.

I bought my first set of Lee dies in 1971. I never bought a competitor's product. I'm now up to 28 different calibers.

I could not find a single die with a trace of rust. Rifle OR carbide pistol. Do I have unusual basement storage conditions? I ONLY use Lee sizing lube.

So, what am I doing wrong?

No idea here, fill me in if you figure it out.
I'm screwing up the same way

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it just needs more voltage

I started having problems with a few reloads not passing the plop test in a gage. Second big batch of reloads more than a few wouldn't ‘chamber’ in the gage.

I called Hornady (my brand of dies) - great customer service BTW - and was told after every thousand or two of reloads take apart and clean the dies (esp the resizer) with brake cleaner and follow-up with one-shot.

Problem solved.

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Tim

My .38/.357 dies were getting scratchy. I cleaned it like I do my guns. Hoppes #9 with a brass barrel brush with some copper Chore Boy wrapped around it. Then dry patches. I don't lube the dies. I lube the cases and let them lube the die.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I clean the dies only as needed. Dismantle, BF-CLP with cloth and brushes, wipe off and re-install back on tool heads.
Since forsaking lubed lead for coated over a decade ago the cleaning interval has seriously stretched out.

Only when needed, which isn't often with jacketed bullets. Slightly more often with coated bullets and at least every 500-1000 rds with lubed hard cast lead. Gave up on swaged lead long ago.

Am prone to use popsicle sticks (whittled to any shape needed), patches and hoppes. Gives good rationale for summer treats.

"Am prone to use popsicle sticks (whittled to any shape needed), patches and hoppes. Gives good rationale for summer treats."

Ha Ha....I use chopsticks for that very reason. Easily carved to any shape needed, longer reach and most already have a square on one end....PLUS, it gives rationale to eat Asian food whenever!

Clean mine out with a Q-tip and brake cleaner then a Q-tip with ONE SHOT.
Works for me

Originally Posted by 38magnum View Post
all of my dies are steel body, even pistol. sure pistol have that nifty carbide ring..

ALL of my lee dies have been rusty within one week of original arrival at the mailbox.. some have been rusty on the outside IN the factory box.

But use of that lee size lube will make the insides rusty within a week.



When I lived in Idaho (a dry climate) I had no problems with my dies rusting. When I moved to Southeast Alaska where yearly rainfall varies from 90 to 140 inches per year (depending upon location) I had the same problem as 38magnum. To prevent rust I began to wipe down the inside and outside of my dies with Break Free CLP after every use to keep them from rusting. This was probably more often than necessary, but I decided not to take any chances. By the time I realized the local high humidity was causing problems with my dies, I had completely lost two sets of dies to rust, and I had to clean light rust off individual dies from many sets of dies. To help, I also put a piece of rust inhibiting paper in each of my die boxes.

The REAL culprit and major problem, however, was Lee water soluble sizing lubricant (the white stuff in a tube). Any time I used it without cleaning out and oiling the inside of my sizing die immediately after use, the inside of my sizing die would rust in a few days. Lee resizing lubricant was not only water soluble, it was hygroscopic (it attracted water) which would make my dies rust. I quit using the Lee resizing lubricant. I cleaned the stuff out of my dies, then switched to imperial Sizing Die Wax. I haven't had a rusting problem since.

I'm sure there are other lubricants/oils that will work to keep your dies from rusting (I've used Ed's Red some, and it seems to work well), but mostly I've used Break Free CLP on my firearms and reloading stuff since the early 1980s and feel little need to change (especially since I buy the stuff by the gallon, so I have a lot of it). Although I don't know this for sure, I've been told the only reason the military has switched from Break Free CLP to whatever they are using now is simply because you can't convince soldiers to read or follow the directions on the bottle. Break Free CLP contains teflon and needs to be shaken well so the teflon goes into suspension. Since young men (particularly those in the military) can't seem to read the directions, the bottles aren't shaken so the first stuff that comes out of the bottle is thin and doesn't contain the teflon needed for lubrication, and the last stuff that comes out of the bottle is thicker than hell so it doesn't apply right or clean properly. Since I know how to read directions, Break Free CLP works well for me.

Whelenshooter

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SWCA 2379

I've been reloading for 45 years. Never cleaned any dies. Never used Lee resizing lube. I only use Imperial Sizing Wax. No issues yet.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

Since it looked like brass was building up in the crimp die, I tried copper solvent. Worked like a champ! And yes the first patch came out partly blue.

Glycerin based? It is water soluble.

Cleaning and Lubricating Dies." Oh, shoot, I started getting real emotional about it until I realized we were talking about reloading stuff :-D

I rarely clean mine unless I am loading lead and get a buildup of the bullet lube. I do give all of my cases a little spritz of Lanolin lube, even pistol cases with carbide dies. It makes the press work much easier.

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Plastic has no soul

On my main Press which is a Dillon XL650 I have the Dillon Carbide dies with the quick pull pin release that instantly drops the dies out with no loss of settings. When loading lead bullets I usually clean them after about 500 rounds. The wax is the culprit! When reloading FMJ or Polymer coated bullets I can easily go 1,500 - 2,000 rounds before cleaning.

I normally use Alcohol and a bamboo chop stick to clean them and sometimes when loading 158 grain RNL 38 specials I use Hoppes 9 and a cotton twill patch. Sometimes on the sizing die I use a small amount of Flitz on a cotton flannel Foredom Electric tool polishing wheel to remove brass deposits. That isn't very often.