Cleaning and Lubricating Dies

[TheTinMan]

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.

 

[socal s&w]

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!

 

[GypsmJim]

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

 

[Alk8944]

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.

 

[gwpercle]

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

 

[Nevada Ed]

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.

 

[mikld]

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.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

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.

 

[mikerjf]

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.

 

[TheTinMan]

Thanks guys! I especially like the Bore Snake idea.

 

[GypsmJim]

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.

 

[38magnum]

well zippo or ronson lighter fluid would work for cleaning a die

 

[venomballistics]

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.

 

[venomballistics]

well zippo or ronson lighter fluid would work for cleaning a die

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

 

[38magnum]

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.

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.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Annually and RCBS Dies of course.

 

[GypsmJim]

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.

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?

 

[venomballistics]

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

 

[Timothy2700]

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.

 

[rwsmith]

Just tonight....

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.