installing carbide dies in a press?

goldeneagle76

I thought when you had carbide dies you were not supposed to touch them all the way against the shellholder when installing them (supposed to leave a small gap). When watching the "Instructional videos" on the Lee website it says to screw them in snug against the shellholder when installing. What is the correct install????

Pearyw

I have several Lee carbide dies and I set mine up just short of touching the shell holder.

dcso3009

All carbide dies I have seen, have the carbide insert recessed in the die. The part you are contacting is not brittle like the insert is. I run full contact with both my RCBS and Lee dies with no problems. Has to be done to get the brass into my chamber on my 45.

Throckmorton

I set all mine to just touch the shell holder.After the initial setup,you will have brass between the die and the shellholder,should not ever hurt it that way.

RCrosby

dcso has the right idea with the concern for the brittle nature of the carbide. My Lyman carbides do have the recessed carbide ring, and so there is no problem with them. On the other hand my .45 ACP die is a 1974 vintage RCBS. On this one the carbide ring is finished flush with the base of the die and doubt it would tolerate much pressure. On that one I'm carefull to keep a visible gap.
Good luck.