Been at the reloading game for many years and have accumulated Dies of different brands. I've got Dillon, RCBS and Lee. I basically use the Dillons exclusively on the Dillion 650 and the RCBS and Lee's on my Rock Chucker.

My Fav's are Dillon - they work very well, are made of Carbide, come apart instantly and go back without any adjusting, and clean up really well. The RCBS Dies also work well but are a bit more trouble to clean up. The Lee's work but are my least favorite. Quite honestly, I have a bunch of Lee's that were given to me that I rarely use and when I do use them, it's always on the Rock Chucker.

I have never used some of the other's such as Hornaday, Redding, etc and was wondering what you guys use and why.

Mostly a mix of RCBS and Lyman in rifle and pistol with a set of Lee dies thrown in for the 7.62 × 39 which work great. All used on an old Lyman Crusher single stage press.

I am a fan of RCBS.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

RCBS , Lee , + Hornady all work for me with never a problem in decades -

Most of my dies are either RCBS or Lyman, both of which work very well in either my Rockchucker or my Dillon 550B. Lee dies are okay but in my opinion, their pistol dies are too short to use in Dillon presses.

I once wrote Lee suggesting that their dies be lengthened slightly to function better in what I believe are the best-selling reloading presses. They laughed at me.

All of my dies are Lee. Carbide where possible. I am a fan of the FCD.

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Only a cold warrior

I prefer Redding dies in spite of their cost.

Mostly have RCBS dies. Also have Redding, C&H, a Lee set as well as a set of Lachmiller and Echo. I'm fine with anything but Lee which are the most wretched dies in the world in my view.

I’ve always liked and used RCBS.

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Some Might Say.

Any brand that is carbide is perfect for pistol/revolver ammo. As for rifle reloading, I do not like brands that do not have set screws in the collars. Lee is an example with a collar O-ring that always seems to loosen and cannot be screwed down tight without moving. Often needs adjustment every time I put them back into my press.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

All of my dies are LEE . That said I will say that I have had several sizing / de priming dies that left deep scratches in the case . I have polished them out to remove the burrs inside . I really shouldn't of had to do that . I really like the fact they come with the proper shell holder . If I would of been born with more money and not so darn good looking I probably would of by now switched to Dillon or Redding dies . Regards Paul

Started with Lee. only buy carbide if available. Didnt go Dillion because at the time you had to use THEIR dies only and they didnt make some of what I needed. Still have my original Lee single stage, used for de priming brass, on the original reloading bench I made when I started. Still have most of my original Lee dies, but after using a Lee turret press it started scratching my brass, and nothing done could correct that. RCBS did not make a turret press at the time so in preparation for retirement, I went with a six station REDDING turret press. They now make a 7, but I have too many plates in six so no reason to switch. I did buy a Lee carbide set a couple years ago when I started loading 38S&W and found the set, NIB at a gun show after paying 25.00 a box for two boxes. I knew that wouldnt go on so it was a no brainer for me. For the most part, Redding has served me quite well and when a problem arose no matter how slight, they were quick to correct it. My 357 SIG dies however are Dillion as they are carbide. Had RCBS had a turret press at the time I would of gone that way as I have several RCBS die sets. The fun continues

I have and use them all. Favorite if forced to pick would be Redding. Super high quality and many different specialized dies available. I also mix and match - for instance, all my bottle neck rifle die sets are set up with Lee collet dies and Redding body dies. This combo results in minimal run out. I use a Turret press and set my dies up once and leave them - just change turrets. This is the beauty of the lee 4 hole classic cast turret press and the Dillon 550/650/750 set ups.

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Regards,

Tom

RCBS
LEE
REDDING

All work great.
Jim

RCBS, and Redding, and Lyman. The only dies I have ever stuck a case in was Hornady, and I'm not partial to that easy move spindle thread on the sizing die. I have one set of Lee dies, and find them rather cheaply made.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Lees for general use. RCBS and Hornaday for guns more in focus with targets and small base autos. I really like RCBS X dies to slow case stretch.

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Front sight and squeeze

I don't have a favorite brand. For cartridges that I have multiple sets for I often use dies out of different sets. I strongly prefer the sizing die that is closest to the specific gun's chamber diameter. That extends brass life. Sizing dies can vary a lot. I like Lyman's two step expanders for cast bullets.

I'm still using dies from a few companies not yet mentioned. My first set of .44 Magnum dies are Hollywood. I use a .38/.357 C-H carbide 4 die set. I like the discontinued Pacific Dura-Chrome carbide dies better than the Hornady/Pacific titanium dies that superseded them.

Lee's rubber O ring die rings make them the last choice among new dies.

I don’t reload any more.
But when I did I preferred RCBS, hands down.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Redding all the way now. Threw out all My Lee stuff.

My first choice inevitably comes in an orange box. Others I get only if they have some special feature not available from Lyman, or some other unusual reason. My second choice is usually Lee.

Froggie

Got them all but Dillon my favorite for progressive because of features
no one else has. Got more RCBS than any other. For my precision rifles
custom made by my gunsmith with same reamer that cut the chamber.
Only one downsize.....cost. Size and seat set around $300.

I agree. I toss them and install Hornady split lock rings and never look back. Most of my die sets are RCBS. I still have .30-06 Herters dies. A can of Brakekleen makes cleaning any make of dies easy.

I started with RCBS 40 years ago and their customer service is phenominal. I also have Lyman and Lee and have no complaints with any.

I use a lot of Lee dies, a couple Hornady die sets, but the purdiest is my RCBS Cowboy dies...

I guess being a lifelong machinist/mechanic I know how nuts, bolts and lock nuts work. The main problem with Lee's O-ring lock nuts is the user's failure to understand how they work. In 40+ years of using Lee dies, I have never had any work loose or change die adjustment...

Redding is my choice, due to all the options they offer.

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GARY
SWCA #2897, SWHF #436

Same here! Been using Lee since the mid 80s.

I use RCBS, LEE and Hornady.

Rifle dies are mostly RCBS and Lee for handgun ammo. I like the Lee bullet seating dies most for handgun ammo. For "straight wall" handgun sizing I like the Hornady dies because of the Titanium Nitride insert. Makes the 9mm, 45 Auto and 45-70 very easy and smooth to full size.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

WOW - Guess I'm the only one here that prefers the Dillon Carbide's for Pistol Calibers. My rifle calibers are mostly RCBS.

Depends on what operation am doing, and what cartridge. Tolerances/dimensions/capabilities vary.

Lee, all 4 die sets

I only have Dillon & RCBS dies anymore, prefer the RCBS dies, bullets are more uniformed and consistent OAL. Started with Lee Dies, they worked just fine, as did the old Lyman Dies I had.

RCBS and Redding. Dillons are ok except for the seating die, it's too hard to adjust.

The real allure of the Dillon Dies (at least to me) is the quick disassembly and reassembly (for cleaning) feature, without loosing adjustment. Since I load all Lead bullets, the wax lube needs cleaning from the Dies every 1000 rounds or so. With the Dillon Dies it takes 1 second to remove and 1 sec to replace - no adjustments needed.

I have just about everything except Dillon. They all work if you keep them clean. When I buy new I usually buy RCBS because they stand behind their products.

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That's just somebody talkin.

RCBS, Redding, and Dillon.

If Whidden makes dies in a Caliber I want, that is what I buy. For Pistol dies, Redding is my go to for quality. For low volume stuff I tend to buy Lee 4 die sets and get the shell holder etc. with them. Of course the powder dipper is a waste of money for me. I guess some people may use them.

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Sag Harbor & Manhattan, N.Y.

I have a little bit of everything, but RCBS is numerically over-represented. Also have Lee, C-H, Hornady, Lyman, and even some old Herter's dies. They all do the same thing equally well so far as I am concerned.

When I reloaded I preferred Redding Dies, Scale, Powder Measure and Trickler. I used an RCBS Jr Press

Dies in order of preference were Redding, RCBS, Hornady

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

I've turned a wrench or two in my time, and when I set a lock ring, I expect it to stay in place until I want it to move. That's why it's called a lock ring. The Lee does not.

All RCBS except for one Lyman set (9.3x62) and a new Lee set I just got in .44 Russian (want to explore powder-puff loads for my two 29-2's and the Bulldog).

Dillon for pistol -then RCBS

Attached Images

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Dillon pistol dies in four calibers and Dillon .308 rifle. Redding rifle dies in three calibers and a couple sets of Lyman, Hornady, RCBS and Lee. The Dillon and Redding sets seem to work the best for my purposes.

I started 40 years ago with RCBS and a Rock Chucker press, which I still use. I lived not far from the Huntington store and RCBS factory, so help was close. After they sold, at some point there were a lot of complaints about the RCBS dies, so I switched to Redding and have no complaints. A couple of odd Lee dies because I didn't want to spend much for something I did not reload much.
t

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Kevin in Oregon

I've replaced virtually all of mine with Redding. I think they are top of the line.

I have cut down on calibers recently but still load for more than 30. No way am I standardizing on dies. I have everything from Bonanza to Redding and a few of most makes.

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Front sight and squeeze

Since 1965, I've probably bought 85 - 100 die sets by most of the makers of dies. This includes custom die sets and forming dies, almost all of which were RCBS. I probably have more Redding and RCBS dies than anything else, but have never really been able to see much difference in any of the dies, including the often-maligned Lee dies. Generally, everything has worked well.

Some whine to the point of condemning a particular brand as being inferior based on a one-time occurrence. I'm sure all manufacturers occasionally put out a bad die, but I think such instances are rare. Consistently poor products wouldn't last long in a very competitive market.

I like Dillon’s die sets for loading pistol calibers on the 550. They’re kind of cheesy looking, but they do work great.

I have dies made by just about every manufacturer. I couldn’t agree more about the silly Lee “lock” nut, and the Hornady expander-decapper rod. Both ridiculous ideas, IMO.

I like bushing dies for bottleneck rifle cartridges. It took a while for them to grow on me, but now I’m partial to them. I have mostly RCBS and Redding. Ultimately, what I buy depends on how much I think I will use them and, sometimes, what brand is available at the moment. I’ll put up with about anything to get started shooting.

I particularly dislike lock rings that are knurled only. Redding dies use a lot of them. I much prefer to have a lock ring (nut) that has wrench flats. The knurled rings look pretty but are a nuisance when they get too tight to loosen by hand. Then you have to go lookin’ around for a scrap of leather and the pliers.

I have lots of RCBS and Redding. Prefer the former.

Mostly RCBS, a couple Lyman dies from the 80's, 3 Redding dies, a few Hornady sets. No Lee's for me. Redding has the best machined and excellent dies but more expensive than others. I love Hornady seating dies with the sliding alignment sleeves. RCBS is the workhorse for most of my calibers. I do have different brand die sets for the same caliber and have bought separate Hornady seating dies for some calibers. One Weatherby die set for 300 Wea. and I love the seating die which has a window to put the bullet directly into the die. Works great and I would buy other dies with this feature. Not sure who made them for Weatherby? Maybe Pacific??

RCBS and Redding and I'm finding the Redding are in their boxes while the RCBS's are in the press.

Stu