If taken care of properly, reloading dies will provide years of service to their owner. Most dies are hardened and then micro-polished for that mirror internal finish many of the dies exhibit. Many are treated with rust preventative before leaving the factory floor. But dies still need some attention before they are put to use.

Clean Your Dies Before First Use

The first step in caring for your dies starts when you receive them. We advocate cleaning all new dies before you begin to use them. Remove the decapping assembly from the die body when your sizing dies. Flush the decapping group with a good degreaser (such as Hornady One-Shot Cleaner & Dry Lube, Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber, or Shooter’s Choice Quickscrub III) and clean the expander ball.

 The only part of the decapping assembly that should contact your brass is the expander ball and the decapping pin. Please pay particular attention to the decapping ball because it depends on the final interior dimension (bullet grip) of your case neck. Ensure you inspect it after cleaning to ensure the surface is clean and free of burrs.

Next, flush the interior of the die body out with some more degreaser. Push a couple of wet patches through the die using a pistol cleaning rod or a dowel rod. Then, run a couple of dry patches through. Reassemble your sizing die, and you should be good to go.

Seating Die Cleaning and Maintenance

Taking apart your seater is pretty simple, depending on the complexity of your seating die. A standard seater requires you to turn the seating stem out of the die body, exposing the seater's interior. Flush and clean both the body and seater as described above. Benchrest sliding sleeve seaters such as Forster or Redding Competition Dies are involved in a few more parts. As you take them apart, please make sure you know how the spring is oriented and any other details, such as chamber sleeves or seating plugs, are arranged. Any springs or threads can be wiped down with a rag or patch lightly coated with refined oil. Please look over the opening in the seating stem for debris. You can twist a patch and use the end to clean out the smaller calibre stems/plugs.

Regular Cleaning and Storage

Regular maintenance of your dies should include routine cleaning. Sizing dies collect excess lube off the cases, and this lube can begin to build up. We have seen dents formed in the case shoulder from the hydraulic compression of the extra lube in the die when the case was sized. We recommend cleaning the dies every 500 to 1000 rounds, depending on how frequently they are used and the cleanliness of your reloading area. For longer-term storage of your die, I recommend putting a light oil or rust preventative on them, especially if you have a shop that has a humid environment.

My reloading area is in the same building (different room) as my workshop, and I have to watch the dust, so I keep most of my reloading dies covered or stored away. I keep a cover over my press and scales as well.