I am starting to start reloading again and it has been quite a few years. I am going be mostly loading cast bullets into 44 mag, special and 38's. I know I want to get carbide dies but I think i remember reading that one particular die does a good job of expanding the throat of the shell for lead bullets. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Rich

Lees are the cheapest and Ive been using them in 44s/44 mag,38/357 and 45 colt for years with no problems ( my 45 acp dies are RCBS)

I believe all pistol die sets have a die that expands the case to aid in bullet seating...yes?

When shooting lead in revolvers where they headspace off the rim, I use the Lyman M die (or the Redding equivalent since the Lyman patent has expired) for all my expanding needs.

thanks for the help folks!

The RCBS expander die is easily adjusted for amount of flare whether using cast or jacketed.

Larry

All dies can be used for the 44mag & lead bullets. All I load are lead bullets in all my magnums, no need for a special M die IMO.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

44 Special dies will reload 44 Spl and 44 Mag. 44 Magnum dies only reload 44 mag because the 44 mag seater die will only crimp the mouth of a 44 mag case (44 spl case length is too short to reach the crimp step in the die).

Buy a 3-die 44 special set and you will be good to go. The best setup is a standard 3-die set and a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp die. This will allow to seat the bullet and crimp the case mouth in separate operations.

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S&WHF 366

Thanks again! Couple of questions. If the Lyman M die is used do you have to lube the case? I see when looking at Midway that it is not carbide.

Thanks Engineer, I was not aware of the 44spl 44mag die difference. I definitely want to do both.

Hey there, the Lyman expander die is not a resizeing die and thusly does not need a carbide ring as a sizer die would. The Lyman M type expander die is a two step procedure, first it expands the inside of the case to just under bullet diameter and then will flare the case mouth for easy insertion of your cast bullet. This is a ideal way to seat your cast bullets as the case is formed to accept the bullet and will not deform or size the bullet down to fit the case. I use the M type expander for all of my calibers using cast bullets. One tip for the Lyman die, the expander "ball" that sizes the case is threaded onto a shaft, it will come loose and cause havoc with your setting! Just unthread it, put a dab of blue Loctite and snug it back on and your good to go! Hope this helps!

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Stay safe people!

Another vote for the Lyman M die.
While I've loaded 10s of 1000s with regular flaring dies, the M die does make for a nicer job. May even be easier on the cases.
I've swapped the expanders on most of my die sets for one.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

I would be the last one to tell you that the Lyman M die expander is a requirement. But with this illustration courtesy of Unclenick, which do you want?

On my Dillon 650 I use Redding's Pro series carbide dies which are capable of doing both specials and Mags. I've only loaded Missouri bullet companies 240 gr Keith bullet and their 240 gr round rose with no problems...Eric

I too thought I didn't need the Lyman M die for seating lead bullets.

Then I bought one.

Now I need them for everything I reload.

If you still think you don't need one then don't ever try one.

So you're saying that RCBS 44 Mag/44 Special dies are really 44 Special dies????? I've loaded Mags and Specials for many years with the same set ----- they crimp just fine.

Nothing wrong with a separate crimping operation but NOT required -- I like the Redding model ---

Do you use on a roll crimp or a taper crimp on your 158 grain Lead SWC in 38special/357mag?
Can you take a photo of one of your finished LSWC bullet and post it?
Thanks

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Proud NRA Life Member

Can you even buy a 44 Mag. only set of dies? RCBS, Hornady, Redding and Lyman are all labeled and sold to load both.

Lee works great for me.

I guess I am confused: I thought the Lyman "M" die was for rifle calibers... as I understand it and in my experiences, expanding the neck of cases works best in rifle calibers, and is unnecessary in handguns. As a matter of fact, brass/case tension in handgun calibers is what keeps a bullet from moving under recoil, so the case has to be very tight against the projectile. The "M" die would absolutely eliminate the capability of doing this.

I have shot thousands of handgun rounds loaded with conventional handgun caliber dies and never used a "neck" expander for a single case mouth, primarily because handgun cartridges typically have no true "neck". I have used the standard "expander die" to flare the mouth of the case prior to seating a projectile, but that is it.

And as for the photo above, the seating plug in the seater die will square the projectile during the seating process if the proper profile for the seater plug is selected.

Finally, I have to believe that the die manufacturers would offer an expanding die for straight wall handgun cases rather than just a mouth flaring tool if there was any benefit to using one for handgun rounds. But I may be completely out to lunch...

From 2012 to 2013 now to 2014

Lyman M die

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Still Running Against the Wind

The M die still provides adequate neck tension with most brass. If not, it can be turned down 0.0005". It jus allows for straighter seating in handgun rounds. Not req'd, but does a good job.
As far as other manuf, more people shoot jacketed than lead so not as much demand as you might think.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Yea that sounds good unless you've actually used both. The value in the M die is not seen in pistol rounds, but in rifle rounds. The M die does help seat a cast bullet in 45-70 with less run out.

You can start a bullet crooked and it will straighten out - you don't need an M die for that. The only caveat are button bullets, (e.g. 155gr 45acp).

Good threads never die!!!

I will argue with you on this one. Is it needed? No. Does it help make seating easier? Yes. I have yet to really find a negative to the M-die, but I have found several positives. I know from starting out on a single stage that you may never feel the need to use one since you are moving so slow and with a purpose anyways. But once you move to a progressive (if you ever do of course) then you may feel it really helps even more. There were many times that I would place a bullet and go to raise the shell plate only to see it at the last second wobble to the side. Usually you catch it or the seating die manages to straighten it up. But you get that occasional bullet that crushes the case neck. Won't happen with the M-die. EVER. That is reason alone to use one for me.