As to the scratched brass. First, are you tumbling your brass? If any powder residue or grit was on the cases, it winds up in the die and it will scratch each case thereafter until cleaned.
Yeah, I tumble those babies like a rolling stone.
I
did manage to get some emery cloth inside the sizer die and give it a good polishing. Then blasted it with a heavy dose of compressed air to get any grit out.
Then I shot some lube inside the die. I ran a few case thru it to see what is happening and it looks like the scratches have subsided for now.
Also, even with carbide dies, I am in the habit of spraying a light spritz of silicon spray inside the resizer each time I start the press. I also hit the hex-shaft, the ram on top and bottom of the press, and the vertical supports where the primer jiggler rubs and where the carrier guide touches. Makes the whole press as slick as two eels copulating in a bucket of snot.
While I felt like I was lubing things enough, maybe I need
just a little more shnott.

I hate when I have to push every piece of brass back into the carrier after sizing due to vibration, that's how much resistance I was getting on the up pull.
There have been instances where brand new Lee sizer dies had surface finishes that were not as smooth as they could be and in those cases Lee repalces the die free of charge.
Well, the die was ok to start with. I'll consider shipping it back if the scratching continues after the polishing I gave it.