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Author Topic: Sizing Scratches  (Read 379 times)

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Offline GH1

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Sizing Scratches
« on: June 15, 2009, 12:01:14 AM »
While sizing my .357 & .38 brass yesterday I noticed light scratching after I ran them through the die.  I cleaned the die bore with a soft cloth & used plenty of case lube but I still got scratches, is this normal?  Would tumbling thew brass eliminate this? The brass hadn't been cleaned in anyway.
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Offline gypsyman

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Re: Sizing Scratches
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2009, 02:22:45 AM »
Shouldn't get scratchs. You didn't mention if you were using carbide dies or hardened steel. Are you getting light scratchs all the way around the brass, or just one big scratch on one side? One big scratch indicates something imbeded in the die. Run a case in the die, and make note of where on the case the scratch is. Then check your die in that location. If your getting light scratchs on all side's, sounds like either the die needs to be polished out. Or, your not using a good enough lube. Did you buy the dies new, or used? If used, that might be the reason they were sold. You can still send them back to the manufacturer to have them checked out. A couple of manufacturer's have a lifetime warranty, so check with them. gypsyman
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Offline moosie

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Re: Sizing Scratches
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2009, 03:59:58 AM »
I had the same problem with my 9 mm die  from RCBS.  It was not carbide and apparently I ran some dirty cases through it without noticing.  The scratches were immdediately obvious and bad.  I contacted RCBS and asked about polishing the die.  They said to send it in with $5.00 to cover reshipping and they would either polish it or send a new one.   Took about 3 weeks, but now have a new 9 mm die and will take extra pains to make sure cases are all clean next time.  RCBS is great about supporting its customers, but I will never buy non carbide pistol dies again.
Moosie
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Offline GH1

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Re: Sizing Scratches
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2009, 04:19:39 AM »
The scratches are all the way around.   They're RCBS dies that I bought used but I don't know if they're carbide or not.   It seems to me the more dies I sized the less they scratched.   I also noticed the nickel cartridges scratched less than the brass ones, probably due to nickel being harder.  I was using RCBS case lube.  Is polishing I can do myself or does the factory need to do it?  Are these  cartridges safe to laod & shoot?
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Offline moosie

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Re: Sizing Scratches
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2009, 06:13:03 AM »
If you have scratches in the die it is definitely not carbide--that stuff is really tough. 

You can try to polish it yourself by wrapping some 0000 steel wool around an appropriate sized dowell and chucking it into a variable speed drill.  Run it for a short time and check to see if it scratches still.  You might even dip the steel wool into a mild abrasive such as "Soft Scrub" or a metal polish to add to the polishing effect.  I tried that on mine and it was too badly scratched.  RCBS does not care that you did not buy the die from them; they guarantee their products and even if it is your fault that the die is scratched, they will polish it or replace it with no more charge than the cost of postage.
Moosie
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Offline buck460XVR

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Re: Sizing Scratches
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2009, 12:18:37 PM »
Quote from: moosie on June 15, 2009, 06:13:03 AM
If you have scratches in the die it is definitely not carbide--that stuff is really tough. 



.............not necessarily so. If the die was adjusted incorrectly and hit the shell plate it may have shattered the carbide ring. Carbide is hard, but brittle.
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