Correct dies for 357 revolver?

[Forefinger]

I picked up this old set of RCBS 357 mag dies for $6.00! and want to be certain they are the right set for my S&W PD360. The three die set 357 mag wc appears to be in great condition. Group B Part# 18207 I hand load 32acp, 380, 9mm and 30 carbine, but have no 357 revolver experience. Do i have the correct dies for my needs? What does the "WC" in the description mean? Thanks for your help and any other advice you care to share.

 

[rockquarry]

I would guess "WC" indicates the seating stem is for a wadcutter design bullet; seems unusual for a .357 die set. Maybe it was a special order. It may work with the bullet you choose or you may want to get a very inexpensive replacement seating stem in another design from RCBS.

What would lead you to believe the die set is not appropriate for loading .357? As long as the dies are marked .357, they should work fine.

 

[oldman10mm]

I believe that old obsolete RCBS part number 18207 indicates steel and not TC (tungsten carbide ) sizer.

 

[ken158]

You don't want steel dies since cases will need to be lubed - just pony up and get carbide and the wadcutter seating stem is also for seating flat point bullets - not just wad cutters. If you are new to reloading, buy a book, several books and the Lyman is a good place to start for a rookie.

 

[glenwolde]

Yes, with the yellow box label these are steel dies and will work just fine but you'll have to lube the cases. Dies of that vintage would have a blue label if they had a carbide sizer die.

Also, older dies often have the decapper in the expander die instead of the sizing die. Nothing wrong with that if you're using a single stage press but can throw off the process if you're using a turret or progressive press.

The wadcutter seating steam may work just fine with SWC and WC bullets, or a bullet with a prominent flat point like a RNFP.

If there's two-digit number stamped on the top that's the year they were made.

 

[dogdoc]

Hornady 1 shot case lube is your friend with steel dies. Those dies should work just fine. I have several sets of older steel dies for handgun calibers.

 

[DWalt]

Nothing wrong with using non-carbide steel sizer dies. I loaded for many years with one. Just lube the cases. In fact, I still lube cases even using a carbide die. For WC or SWC bullets, a WC seating stem is all you need. Probably OK even for use with RN bullets but better to get a RN stem..

 

[sophie]

Nothing wrong with using non-carbide steel sizer dies. I loaded for many years with one. Just lube the cases. In fact, I still lube cases even using a carbide die. For WC or SWC bullets, a WC seating stem is all you need. Probably OK even for use with RN bullets but better to get a RN stem..

Same thing he said, just lube the cases. I've got the same set with the yellow label and used the dies for years and have the carbide dies with the blue label and lube the cases too. Old habits are hard to break.

 

[Forrest r]

I have 2 of those sets, 1 for 38spl & the other for 357mag's. Between the 2 sets I ended up with the rn/swc/wc seating stems.

If you get tired of lubing cases (like I did/high volume shooting) I bought a lee carbide sizing die for the 38spl/357mag cases.

The rcbs reloading dies have served me well for decades.

 

[Forefinger]

Thanks everyone for the very helpful replies.

In response to several of your questions. I am a limited experienced reloader. I started handloading about seven years ago when I retired. I bought "Metallic Cartridge Handloading" by McPherson and one other book, and a host of booklets with recipes. I had a friend where I used to live teach me the basics in his shop. I have a Redding single stage press and powder drop. I have only loaded autoloader, small pistol, and 30 carbine cartridges with RN projectiles. I am a bit OCD so I keep it simple and by the book.

I don't shoot my S&W 360PD very often, but I save all my brass for anything I shoot (even 25acp, though I don't plan to reload it). When I saw the seemingly mint RCBS 357 mag die set (79 dated) on the table for 6 bucks, I impulsively decided to buy it. The "WC" on the label puzzled me.

After I got home, I wondered about what I had bought and thought I'd get your advice. I'm glad I did. Your responses were very helpful. I plan to buy a RN seating stem and plan to use case lube since they are steel dies.

Again, thanks!

 

[max503]

You shouldn't need another seating stem. Try that one first. The "WC" is just an extra perk.

Those look like the dies I got with my RCBS press when I bought it back around 1980. They will work fine. I'm too cheap to buy carbide. RCBS water-soluble lube works fine and it washes off with Dawn and water and it leaves your cases squeaky clean. No need to tumble.

Now get busy and make up some boolits. I mostly use mine for 38 Special.

The fact that you keep all your brass, even the 25 acp, shows you possess the proper mindset to be a handloader of ammunition.

 

[tom2]

Straight wall revolver cases do not stretch as dramatically as something like bottle neck rifle cases at much higher pressures, but if firing full max loads in a magnum revolver, it might behoove you to be able to check case lengths after resizing magnum cases. Especially after multiple full power loads in the cases. Which will shorten the case life, anyway.

 

[BE Mike]

Straight wall revolver cases do not stretch as dramatically as something like bottle neck rifle cases at much higher pressures, but if firing full max loads in a magnum revolver, it might behoove you to be able to check case lengths after resizing magnum cases. Especially after multiple full power loads in the cases. Which will shorten the case life, anyway.

Straight walled pistol cases don't stretch, they actually shrink a tiny bit. I have never trimmed straight walled pistol cases. Some may want to trim them to get a uniform length, but it has nothing to do with them stretching.

 

[glenwolde]

By all means try the seating stem, if it does not deform the bullets then it works. If you want a vintage work-around for your vintage dies get a chunk of paraffin wax. use a .38 or .357 case to cut a slug out of it. You will have to drill out the flash hole first to push it out. Put a primer in it and you have a wax bullet but shooting it out gets it dirty and it will deform.

Put the wax slug in the seating die. Back the seating stem way out. Slowly seat a bullet. The wax will compress and form to your bullet profile as you seat the bullet. Voila! A custom-fit seating steam. But factory stems are cheap and easy to find these days. That was our pre-internet-get-everything-you-want-in-two-days solution. We had to mail-order everything out of paper catalogs or The Shotgun News if the local gun store didn't have it. It would take a couple of weeks to get things. Life was slower.

I started reloading with steel dies. I'm sure many of us did. I still have some. My memory is fuzzy, but as I recall steel dies were about $12 and carbide dies were like $30. I don't know if anybody even makes steel dies for pistol cartridges anymore. As you are finding out, they last forever properly cared for. Modern carbide dies won't load better ammo.

 

[gwpercle]

I have been reloading 38 Special and 357 Magnum with "Steel" RCBS dies for over 50 years ... They still work just fine .
Don't let anyone tell you you can't reload 38 / 357 with steel dies .
All you do is lube the cases before you size em' ...
Ta-Dah they will work like a magic charm !

With the WC seating stem you can usually seat any bullet with a flat spot on it ... WC , SWC , RF . RCBS makes three styles WC , SWC & RN .
You can also custom fit a stem to a bullet with Epoxy Glue or Epoxy Putty ... to get a "perfect" fit .

I actually prefer steel dies when loading 9mm Luger ... the case is tapered and carbide dies can only size straight sides , so you get a "wonkey" sized 9mm Luger case , straight halfway down and then flareing to a tapered base ... it just ain't right !

Carbide dies were expensive , like three times the cost of steel .
Then Lee started making affordable carbide sizing dies and every one and their brother started going Carbide ...
There are still some cartridges , especially tapered cased ones that I prefer using steel sizers .
Untill Lee started selling them ... you had to have deep pockets to afford a Carbide set of dies .

To answer your question ... the dies you have are correct to load 357 Magnum.
When I bought my first dies in 1967 the shop owner told me to put back the RCBS 357 Magnum dies and get the RCBS 38 Special die set ... I was Confused !
He showed me how to adjust the 38 Special dies to load the slightly longer 357 Magnum ... You can't load 38 special with 357 magnum dies ... the dies are Too Long !

Gary

 

[Nevada Ed]

My old .357 three die set has the number........... 18212

and it has been making ammo since the 1960's.

Have fun.

 

[jb28]

If you ever get a .357 lever that bulges brass at the base the steel dies will size farther down than carbide. So an old school steel set is nice to have around and you are only into them for 6.00

 

[Chubbs103]

If the set decaps on the expander die, and you prefer to decap on the sizing die, you need to call RCBS. They have a screw-in insert that allows you to use their current de-capping pins in the sizing die.

I can't guarantee they will do the same for you, but they sent me one for free when I started loading on a progressive.

 

[barkbark]

I am wondering about the WC on the label... W is the symbol for the element tungsten (wolfram). Could WC be tungsten carbide instead of wad cutter? Maybe post a close up photo of the mouth of the sizing die?

 

[Forefinger]

I am wondering about the WC on the label... W is the symbol for the element tungsten (wolfram). Could WC be tungsten carbide instead of wad cutter? Maybe post a close up photo of the mouth of the sizing die?

Here are pics you requested. I think these are steel and WC stands for wadcutter. Is there anything in the photos to suggest otherwise?