Old Bonanza dies

[revbc]

Just received a free 3 die set in 45LC made by Bonanza from a great friend.  Does anyone know if they are carbide or not?  Is there a way to tell?  The box sticker does not indicate they are.

Thanks
Bobby

[wncchester]

Any carbide is limited to the entry of the sizer die.   Look at the mouth of your sizer.   If it's steel the die's bottom edge and mouth will be a constant color and the inner wall will be a smooth cylinder all the way up.  Carbide sizing rings are a slightly different color and the inside of the die will show a simple short wall about 3/8" deep and the rest will be cut away.

If the die box is correct for the dies and doesn't say carbide it's unlikely they are.  If not, use 'em anyway.  They're very good dies and few shooters will load enough .45 LC for lubing to be much of a problem.

[revbc]

Thanks for the info.  I cleaned em up, but will have to give them a good lookin over.  So...even if they are steel they only need minimal lube if any, correct?

[nicholst55]

Most revolver cartridges don't require a huge amount of lube.  You will likely find that the chambers of 99% of .45 Colt revolvers are quite generous in their dimensions - enough so that full length sized brass has to expand quite a bit to seal the chamber.  I normally only size the portion of the case that actually holds the bullet, simply to minimize the amount the brass is worked.  If you do so, accuracy should be slightly better than otherwise, and brass life may be significantly longer.  Accuracy frequently improves because the body of the case is centered a bit better in the chamber, so the bullet is better aligned with the bore.