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Practically Shooting

Galling in Lee .223 resizing die


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I started reloading a batch of 1,000 .223 Rem to take PD shooting later this month in SD. About 100 into the batch a could feel and hear scraping in my resizing die. I could see scratches in the brass that are almost the full length of the case. When looking into the die, I can see what looks like three or four streaks of brass. I believe this is galling as defined by the ASTM:

Quote:
ASTM International has formulated and established a common definition for the technical aspect of the galling phenomenon in the ASTM G40 standard, and it reads: "Galling is a form of surface damage arising between sliding solids, distinguished by microscopic, usually localized, roughening and creation of protrusions above the original surface"

I have no idea if I can get the galling out of the die or how to attempt to get it out. Maybe I'll have to send it back to Lee, where hopefully they can polish it out...

Wayne

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My neighbor loaned me his Dillon .223 carbide resizing die. It's the only carbide rifle resizing die I've ever seen. It is a sweet die that you'll not have to worry about scratching and it has a no BS warranty. For the price of $120, it should be darned good. I'll say that it does work like a champ.

Wayne

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Wayne,

Just curious as to what brand / type of resizing lube you are using on those .223 cases? I would clean the die out with some strong laundry / dishwashing soap and then use a strong copper solvent. This should remove the brass from the die and allow you to check the die surface / finish to see if it was damaged. As a side note, although you are using brass cases, I have read in different die manufacturers instruction manuals that loading nickle plated cases can cause the same problem you are having.

xtell

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  • 6 months later...

I know this is an old thread, but...

I had this happen once with a RCBS die. It turned out to just be a piece of carbon scratching the cases from a dirty die and simply required some cleaning out with CLP and a paper towel.

I now make sure to tumble all my fired brass BEFORE re-sizing to remove any bits of carbon/dirt so that it doesn't ever get into the die.

On case lube, I've tried a couple, including One Shot and the Lee stuff, but I always go back to the Imperial Sizing Wax. That is the BEST case lube out there and it's very inexpensive.

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