Carbide dies were introduced in 1981 and 1982 for pistol dies only, and phased out the steel dies by 1985. If your dies are stamped Lee-(caliber)-85 or Lee-(caliber)- and a letter/number combo (ex. B7), the Sizing Die will feature a carbide sizing ring. There are very few pistol calibers that do not offer a Carbide Sizing Die and these can be found in our catalog or through here Steel 3-Die Sets
The easiest way to determine if you have a carbide die is to look closely at the base of the die. If it is carbide, you will see the carbide insert pressed into the base. This will be slightly darker colored dull metallic sleeve, sometimes a brown to gray color. If you have a needle file, try dragging it over the sleeve, if it's carbide, the file will not "bite" but will just slide over the surface because the carbide is harder than the file.
