Hello, I will probably be a new Ruger Bisley .45 colt owner soon. I have read an article, I will try and dig it up that dealt with dies and the .45 Colt. I believe it was by John Barsness said that due to the taper in the case, carbide dies dont work right (as I remember). What troubles have you run in to and which dies have you found to be the most satisfactory? I will be loading cast bullets. thanks
Ian

I've been using RCBS carbide dies for reloading my .45 colt Blackhawk without problems. I load cast and jacketed bullets. I can't see any logic in thinking one die works and the other doesn't. As I understand it, there are no dimensional differences between steel dies and any with carbide or titanium nitride inserts. The carbide and TiN only eliminate the need for case lube under most circuimstances.

Ryan

I have lees rcbs and hornadys in .45 colt all work fine. I prefer the lees though.

Lloyd Smale,
You say you've used the Lee dies and prefer them. I have purchased a set of .45 Colt/.454 Casull dies for reloading my .454, my first straight-walled handgun caliber. I don' understand how to adjust them for belling and crimp, is there somewhere you could send me on the web for this or is it just easier to explain. I've only ever reloaded bottleneck cartridges, and never crimped before, please help me out.
Willie

The RCBS dies work great in either the steel or carbide with the 45 long colt. Now there the .44-40 has a tapered case which takes a little more care while reloading while the .45 long colt doesn't have a tapered case it is a straight wall just like the 44,357 and other pistol cases. Good Luck

I found the article I remembered. It is from Handloader #209, Feb 2001. The Author is Dave Scovill, and he states that carbide 45 colt dies can cause excessive sizing because the 45 colt case has a slight taper, which steel dies are built to accomodate, but the carbide ring will size the whole case down to the size of the neck. He goes on to suggest partial sizing with carbide dies to remedy the problem of undersize brass in oversize chambers, cautioning that a full length size will be needed periodicaly to ensure easy chambering.