Can carbide sizer dies wear out?

[L9X25]

I have been using the same Dillon carbide 9x25 sizer die for about 15 years. I always tumble polish my cases until bright and lubricate with Hornady One-Shot to reduce the effort. I have recently had problems and started searching for the cause. It appears that my cases are being sized about .002" larger (at the shoulder) than what they once were. They still drop check, although tighter than before, but the guns are a less forgiving of chamber cleanliness. Unburned powder remnants can frequently cause jams. I measured the internal diameter of the carbide ring and it appears to be about .002" larger than a friends die but the ring is still bright and wear is not readily visible. It is possible that the brass polishes the ring as it wears it out.

Anyone else have this happen?

[wide45]

How many rounds thru the die?

Just guessing, but I'd expect the chamber to wear faster than the die. How many guns are you feeding?

What kind of polish are you using in the tumbler? Might be wearing the die.

[L9X25]

The rounds through the die will be well above 100,000, maybe closer to 200,000, and I have worn out several barrels during that time period.

I am using corn cob media and have occasionally used a small amount of Dillon polish.

I hope to test a theory this weekend, will post back with the results. I loaded some ammo with my usual die, and then ran the loaded ammo through a brand new 10mm die and it reduced the diameter by .002". If that ammo works fine, I will order a new die and move on.

[wide45]

At 200,000 rounds, the old die owes you nothing.

I'd replace the die.

Is it possible that your newer barrel chambers are cut with a worn reamer? They might be undersize.

Edited May 7, 2010 by wide45

[wide45]

I've seen an article somewhere by someone who claimed to have examined dies that were actually worn out. He found that the dies did not wear perfectly round, and showed a measurable eccentricity.

If your die is no longer round, that would be good evidence of significant wear.

[el pres]

It is a possibility that Dillon may Warranty that die ??

Worth a check ..

[Sean Gaines]

I have take a bench grinder to them, with no success, its tough stuff, I doubt brass would do anything to it.

[flutedchamber]

I wore out a RCBS carbide 45acp die. It wore eccentric by almost a full .001 and overall by the same amount. It's not the brass that wears the carbide, it's the microscopic grit that wears it. NOTHING is impervious to wear.

I have not used Dillon dies long enough to wear them out...so far. The RCBS die went over 200K before it went south.

[L9X25]

That seems to support my experience ... based on several sources 200,000 seems to be the life expectancy for a carbide die. I am really not worried about a warranty, $75 for that many rounds is to be expected. I just want to get my reliability back and that the cost to replace the die would be a bargain.

Thanks all