Best Dies for 38/357

Spartikus

Spartikus

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
129
Reaction score
19
I quickly learned that I will save a TON of money reloading 38/357 ammo so I am trying to decided what the best set of dies would be. I have Hornady 45 ACP dies and love them but I know that you have to roll crimp 38/357 and wasn't sure if there was a particular set that suits this type of reloading best. Also, my 45 ACP seating die taper crimps the case but have read lots of people prefer to have a separate crimp die. Is this really necessary?
 
Register to hide this ad
Spartikus I think most of the die mfgers today are pretty good, I just happened to start with RCBS and stayed there. if your going to load both 38 & 357 in any volume you would be better to get 2 seater dies just so you don't have to adjust for the case height difference. I understand the cost savings when 38's at wally world cost $19 for 50.
I don't know what type of bullets you are going to shoot, I use plated bullets from Xtreme bullets they're like $41 for 500 shipped, and a pretty good bullet at that.
 
The two brands that I have found to be excellent are RCBS and Dillon. I do have one set of Lee and while the price is attractive, IMHO they are just not as good as the other two above.

Chief38
 
I started with RCBS 40 years ago and still use them. I also have no problems with Lee. If anything breaks on the RCBS they will fix or replace no questions asked.
 
Lyman 4-die set is the best I've found with Lee being definitely inferior and RCBS being adequate and somewhere in between.
Carbide sizer is a must and seating and crimping being done as two separate operations really produces a superior result and eliminates lead shaving that results from crimping a bullet that is still moving toward its fully seated position.
 
bobbyd said:
Lyman 4-die set is the best I've found with Lee being definitely inferior and RCBS being adequate and somewhere in between.
Carbide sizer is a must and seating and crimping being done as two separate operations really produces a superior result and eliminates lead shaving that results from crimping a bullet that is still moving toward its fully seated position.
Click to expand...

+1 on separate crimp step. I prefer Redding's Profile Crimp Die for revolver cartridges that need a roll crimp. The contact surface is nicely polished and it seems more gradual, making adjustment easier instead of being an on/off proposition.

Lyman's M-Die expander is great for lead bullets - it expands the case in 2 steps and then adds flare to the mouth so there's less chance of shaving.

The Lyman site says that the 4-die set includes a taper crimp die and seater that can do a roll crimp. Er, ok.

However, Hornady's seater die comes with two floating seating stems. One with a flat tip for flat-nosed bullets and another that engages the ogive. In some calibers, being able to fit the seater stem to a particular bullet has helped a lot.

So I'd get either a Lyman or Hornady 3-die set and add the Redding Profile Crimp Die. You, of course, are free to do whatever you want!

Just suggestions based on my experiences...
 
Most dies made today will provide the appropriate crimp for the round being made. Your 45 auto dies come with a tapered crimp but if you buy 38/357 dies they will come with the roll crimp you need.

Like said above, current production dies are all fairly good and will all do a good job. I use mostly Lee and RCBS dies and I have one set of Hornady dies too. While the RCBS dies are made very well, look better and have a nice mat finish for the most part they make no better ammo than the Lee dies will. Actually, I think I like the Hornady dies a little better than the RCBS dies I have. All of my pistol dies are Lee and most of my rifle dies are RCBS. The Hornady dies are a used set of 45-70 dies I bought even before I had a 45-70 rifle.
 
Personally I don't think crimping in a seperate step is neccessary when
roll crimping. Lead shaving can be greatly reduced by careful die adjustment and not over crimping. All my dies are Lyman or RCBS and
both are good quality. I agree with the others that a carbide sizer is
a must.
 
I have RCBS, Lee, Lyman, and some oddball mix & match setups from the yard sale bin. They all work just fine. The do precisely what they are engineered for. The only bad dies I have ever encountered were ones that had been neglected and were no longer serviceable. Any corrosion or blemish on the interior ruins 'em. The sizers anyway.
Buffalo hunters and cowboys never squaked about the quality of their reloading gear.
 
I have really happy with my RCBS carbide dies. Started with 45acp, now have 9mm, and the 38/357 set. If you do get the RCBS make sure you get SKU#18212 if reloading for a revolver to roll crimp, as SKU#18215 is a taper crimp set.
 
You don't need 2 die sets to do both 38 and 357. They make a spacer washer that is the exact size difference between 38 and 357. You just put it under the expander or seater die when loading 357. Works fine.
 
Spartikus said:
I quickly learned that I will save a TON of money reloading 38/357 ammo so I am trying to decided what the best set of dies would be. I have Hornady 45 ACP dies and love them but I know that you have to roll crimp 38/357 and wasn't sure if there was a particular set that suits this type of reloading best. Also, my 45 ACP seating die taper crimps the case but have read lots of people prefer to have a separate crimp die. Is this really necessary?
Click to expand...

Reloading is a very rewarding hobby that facilitates the shooting and enjoying of all sorts of firearms, especially those one uses frequently. The various dies made by the major manufacturer are all just about excellent. The very first set of reloading dies I ever purchased were RCBS .30-06 Springfield. That was in 1980. I am still using that set of dies to load for my various .30-06 rifles. The next set of dies I bought was a set of .38/.357 carbide dies by (guess who???) RCBS. I am still loading for my various .38/.357 revolvers using that set of dies. I have also used Lee, Dilion, Redding and Hornady dies with complete success.

I have used both the roll and taper crimp on handgun cartridges. I prefer a roll crimp on revolver cartridges and a taper crimp on pistol cartridges. For rifles, I much prefer a taper crimp for those occasions when I use a crimp. I do not normally crimp rifle rounds as I consider it unnecessary. If I am loading rifle rounds for use in my M-1 Garand, I will crimp due to the nature of the loading cycle of the M-1. Even when used in the rapid fire stages of a match or when out hunting deer/hogs, etc. with my bolt-action 03 and 03-A3 rifles I do not use a crimp as it simply is not necessary. HTH. Sincerely. bruce.
 
I like carbide RCBS dies for pistol. I've used them with great results for my .357 Mag loads and .45 Colt.
 
I have die sets from all of the major manufacturers and they all can do a fine job. Don't over look the necessity of having a competent operator to get the most from ANY die set.

I like the Lee die sets for their easy "finger adjusting" bullet seating and crimping. I also like and use their factory crimp dies.

I have a Dillon set for the .38/.357 and they have some features missing on other dies. They are made for use on progressive presses (wide tapered opening to self align bullets and brass) and allow quick disassembling by means of snap rings WITHOUT disturbing the die body adjustment. I use cast bullets almost exclusively and it is nice to be able to take the die apart and clean bullet lube from the insides without disturbing the die adjustment.

The Lee factory crimp die has interchangeable inserts for either taper crimp or roll crimp - this is very useful when loading either .45 ACP (taper crimped) or .45 Auto Rim (roll crimped with heavy bullets) with the same die set.

If a person shoots .38 Special - I, for one, prefer taper crimping for wadcutter target loads but roll crimping for semi wadcutter field loads. Lee allows you to do this by simply replacing the crimp insert while others require two different dies.

FWIW
Dale53
 
I find RCBS the best for roll crimped ammo
Had some crimping problem with Lee Dies 38/357, so I switched ti RCBS, for .44 went directly with RCBS

Lee are OK for taper crimped ammo
 
Why spend all the extra money for the "name" brand dies? Get the Lee deluxe set (4 dies). I have Dillon dies and hate them. They are hard to adjust and the clips that are used for easy dis-assemby get in the way making the process even harder.

Lees have the finger tip adjustment knobs on the seating and crimping dies making it a breeze to fine tune.

To recap Lee dies offer;
savings
easy fine tuning
longevity. Keep them clean and you'll be passing them down to your grandchildren.

Just make sure the set you buy has the carbide sizing die. I think all Lee sets do but not sure on that.
 
I use Dillon dies for all standard cartridges like 38/357,9mm,.40,45acp,380,45 colt etc.If Dillon doesnt offer it I like Redding dies.
 
Another fan of RCBS dies......and yes, carbide sizers are a must.


Separate seating and crimping is not really necessary for .357 with the proper dies being correctly adjusted. This is especially true when using jacketed bullets. While I seat and crimp separately when loading for the .460, the .38s, .357 mags, .44s, .44 mags and .45 ACP all get seated and crimped at the same time. Most of the .357 mags and .44 mags get a heavy roll crimp. I tried seating and crimping separately, but my experience showed little if any difference in accuracy with the aforementioned calibers, with consistent case length having more influence on the quality of crimp and accuracy than the difference between one step or two. Main reason for separate steps in the .460 is a combination of the very heavy crimp needed to prevent bullet jump and the long length of the case itself that makes them prone to buckling.
 
.38 / .357 was the first caliber I ever reloaded. I bought Lee carbide dies and one set works for both. Roll crimp for any bullets I use. Easy to set up and adjust - no tools necessary. The dies have reloaded literally thousands of rounds and work as good as the day I bought them...which to my recollection is when they first came out - back in the 1970's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
What Crimp die for 32 H&R?
Replies
8
Views
476
Brooks
B
S
RCBS 45 ACP Shotshell Dies
Replies
4
Views
604
Sam McCord
S
T
.45 auto rim crimp
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
Rodfac
Rodfac
T
Cleaning and Lubricating Dies
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
chief38
chief38
M
Newbie question: dies..
Replies
17
Views
752
jcelect
J

Latest posts

Back
Top