Die issues and what is your favorite die brand

[Cdog]

As with presses, I think many favor the first brand owned. A lot of folks I've helped out over the years never took the time to read the instructions for a different die set.

Some have good usable features in one die type while lacking in others.

I'm a tinkerer, like to try different brands and types. Curiosity can been expensive. Regardless of brand, I always incorporate a Lee powder through case mouth expansion die for my straight wall cases.

I get along with most brands. In recent years Hornady rifle dies lost a few stars. The Zip Spindle rod used in their sizing die is easily bent. After discovering mine was arc shaped I found many others complaints of the same issue. My older Hornady dies have never given any problems with bent or slipping rods.

I have several calibers with multiple brands of dies. The majority being Lee and RCBS. As for a new set, FL bottleneck dies: whichever is available. I prefer Lee carbide for handgun loads. The powder through expander is a winner. I like the Lee Factory Crimp Die for heavy magnum loads. 300+ grain .429 and .452 revolver rounds being launched by a case full of H110 require a solid crimp.

Many of my most used die sets are a mix of brands. My 9mm are loaded using Lyman carbide sizer, Lee PT expansion/Lee Deluxe Auto Disc, Lyman seater, and Lee fcd.

I use a combo of Hornady, Lee, and RCBS for .308 Win.

.223 includes RCBS, Redding and Lee brands.

As long as they work and have features I like, I couldn't care less what name is on them.

 

[stansdds]

My first set of dies came in the form of a Midway kit that contained a Lee Challenger O-frame press and a set of Lee 38 Special/.357 Magnum dies. The second set of dies I bought was a Lee set for 45 ACP. I found the press to be good, but the Lee dies seemed cheap and the powder through expander plugs were not exactly round. The third set I bought was a Lyman set for 9x19mm and they were quite a bit better quality. Since then, I have replaced the Lee dies with those from RCBS and have been very happy and have added RCBS die sets in 10mm Auto, 44 Special/Magnum, and .308 Winchester to my collection.

 

[GB]

With the exception of "Texan" dies (from the 60s and early 70) All the die brands I have used, worked. Some better than others. I have dies from all the current makers except Dillon. I have a about 15 different makers. Most all will make decent ammo. Some, Lee and the old Herter's brand, sometimes require taking apart and a little polishing and deburring. My Lee 45 Colt and 45-70 dies date from the 1970s and make great ammo. My newer 30carb. And 300 H&H Lee's also so a fine job. I have wrecked several dies ,mostly carbide sizers, RCBS and Lyman ) and have been able to bring them back. My advice is buy what you like and if they don't work for you, sell them and move on.

 

[zeke]

Am not loyal to one brand of dies. As Cdog indicated, some brands have better features for differing purposes. Being older, some information may be dated as haven't bought new dies for awhile.

One example is a preference for Lee dies in traditional lever action calibers. They don't act like a small base die as some other manufactures do.

Another example is preference for Redding comp seating dies for precision loading. While always expensive, they be extremely expensive now.

With the prices of dies nowadays, maybe should be locking em up or insuring em.

 

[TXBryan]

We use a lot of different brand dies; Lee, Redding, RCBS, Hornady, and quite a few no longer manufactured. Totally agree with an earlier post that relates poor dies to those not cared for properly. They all work pretty much as advertised. I really like the old Pacific Dura-Chrome dies - when you can find them.

I used to buy Redding exclusively expecting some extra margin of perfection and, frankly, that extra margin has proved elusive compared to virtually all the other brands I use. Pretty much a Lee guy these days.

With respect to anything "crimp" I long ago relegated all crimping duties to Lee Factory Crimp Dies. They work perfectly every time and I don't miss the trial & error learning curve that is intrinsic with adjustments of seating dies for the task.

 

[gwpercle]

CH4D CH4D
Experienced reloaders know about this brand ...

Pacific and Bonanza are no longer made but if you see a set for sale , in good used condition , they can usually be had for a great price and are very good dies .

Lyman used to make some good dies , Lyman All American , but I haven't bought any lately so don't know if they are still good .
When they were All American ...I liked them a lot .

CH4D are perhaps the best made today ... made in America by an American and his American Wife ... Nice people to do business with , very helpful .
Gary

 

[DR505]

Good info here.

I have and use Dillon, RCBS, and Hornady. They all work great and I have had zero issues with any of them.

If I pick up a new cartridge I may have to give Redding a go.

 

[BE Mike]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Lyman dies. I own and reload with Lyman, RCBS, Lee and Dillon. Lyman and RCBS are very good quality. Dillon dies work best in Dillon presses. If I were a bench rest shooter or other rifle accuracy shooter, I might consider some of the premium (expensive) brands, but mostly I load for pistol.

 

[diyj98]

RCBS is what I normally buy, but I have several sets of Lyman die's that I've owned for 40 years or more.

 

[Skeet 028]

Luckily picked up 2 sets of Redding Competition dies recently. One was a set in 22 Hornet. The Hornet has always been a bit harder to seat in because of thin necks and case length issues. Brass for the Hornet has seemed to be better made than years ago though. Also got a set of 25-06 Comp Reddings. And for some reason I bought a set of 45 ACPs too. But I did good at 35 bucks a set from an estate. Hornets and 45s were both new. I also have a few sets of RCBS Competition dies in the wooden box. 222 223 243 and I think 30-06(never used them...yet). The 222 and 223 work great. I also recently bought a Frankford Arsenal Universal Bullet seating Dies I am going to try. Hey the price was discounted one day on Amazon...45 bucks for the set. Guess we'll see sometime soon. Anyone had any success with the FA set?

 

[TheTinMan]

My preference is Lyman M expander dies - they are more gradual and give me more control than others. If I use a powder-thru die on the progressive press, it's also Lyman. Looks like I use Redding crimp dies, both taper and roll crimps. Redding crimp dies seem to offer more control and more gradual crimps than others I've tried. I don't like to seat and crimp in the same step. For seating and sizing I've used Hornady, Redding, RCBS, and Lyman dies. Hornady pistol seating dies are nice because of the multiple inserts to accommodate different shaped bullets.

If I were starting to reload a new pistol cartridge, I probably would buy a 3-die set from Lyman and add the appropriate Redding crimp die.

P.S. for rifle seating dies, the Forster Bench Rest Seater can't be beat IMHO. Redding uses Forsters now expired patent but costs more. Basically, there's a sliding sleeve inside the seater die that mimics your chamber and does a great job of aligning the bullet properly.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

I see lots of votes for Dillon dies but you don't want Dillon pistol dies if you don't have a Dillon machine. Dillon flares the case mouth with the powder measure funnel which means their die sets don't include a flaring die. Why pay $140 for an incomplete die set when you could get a Lee set for $40 and load ammo that is just as good? The other thing about Dillon pistol dies is that you have to turn the whole die body to adjust seat and crimp, which is a pain. I have a few Dillon sets and they are phenomenal but I only use them for cartridges that I load 1k at a time.
For rifle dies I would pick Redding every time, with a Lee FCD for most cartridges. For handgun just pick your favorite color die box. Redding and RCBS are excellent. Dillon is great for progressives and turrets. Lee is far and away the best value and some of the smartest design features. One big reason to buy a Lee Delux set is you can split up the seat and crimp steps on a progressive or turret (just like a Dillon set) and you still get a flaring die. My only experience with Hornady left me a little unimpressed. Lyman products get very mixed reviews.

 

[Skeet 028]

I still use Dillon dies in other presses. I have a few powder dies for the AT-500. They lock the expander in one place. and have a little funnel for dropping powder. Works great on a Redding T-7...or on a Lee Classic cast turret press. One of the 2 or 3 Lee products worth having...in my opinion. I load a couple of cals with both turrets and use the AAT 500 powder dies with powder scoops...by Lee or my own homemade scoops

 

[BE Mike]

I forgot that I use Dillon dies to load my .223 cartridges for the AR on my RCBS Junior press. The sizer die is small base and carbide. I get excellent accuracy.

 

[zeke]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Lyman dies. I own and reload with Lyman, RCBS, Lee and Dillon. Lyman and RCBS are very good quality. Dillon dies work best in Dillon presses. If I were a bench rest shooter or other rifle accuracy shooter, I might consider some of the premium (expensive) brands, but mostly I load for pistol.

Am liking Lyman pistol carbide (or whatever the sizing ring is made of) dies for 45 acp and 40 S&W. They have a small lip lip that can be gently peened over so you can resize more of the case.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

I still use Dillon dies in other presses. I have a few powder dies for the AT-500. They lock the expander in one place. and have a little funnel for dropping powder. Works great on a Redding T-7...or on a Lee Classic cast turret press. One of the 2 or 3 Lee products worth having...in my opinion. I load a couple of cals with both turrets and use the AAT 500 powder dies with powder scoops...by Lee or my own homemade scoops

I would love to see your setup using the LEE Classic Turret press you mentioned, please...?

Don't you need to also obtain Dillon's inserts for different calibers?

Cheers!

 

[rhodesengr]

I think the 'hang up' issue on the crimping as you are adjusting the die is due to the press going 'over center' which they are normally designed to do.

I did another run last night and I noticed that this "catching" thing only tends to happen as I am adjusting the crimp on the first round. So the seater is out of the equation. It is backed out or lately I am just removing it. After I settle on a crimp setting and put the seater back in, all the production rounds don't catch.

I am curious about the Lee Factory Crimp that was mentioned a few times. Can someone say more about that? How does it differ from the crimp in a Nornady or RCBS die? Is it like preset for a given case so nothing to adjust?

 

[StakeOut]

I'm a Lee guy.All my stuff is Lee except RCBS scale..
Lee Classic Turret Press
Lee Safety Prime
Pro Auto Powder Measure
Lee Bench Powder Measure and Stand
Lee Hand Loading Press
Lee Hand Priming Tool
Lee 4 Die Carbide sets

 

[41]

In my opinion, Hornady fails miserably with dies and should stick to making bullets. . .

My findings as well.

I have four sets of Hornady dies for Reeder cartridges and they are not finished inside resulting in failure to form a case in some cases.

I used 600 grit emery cloth to finish the inside of the case forming die. This allowed forming of the case smoothly and easily without any ruined cases.

I later polished my other die sets resulting in improved case forming.

 

[rhodesengr]

I watched some videos on the Lee Factory crimp. I guess it is adjustable so would need adjustment but I do like the idea of decoupling the seating from the crimping. It adds a step to the process but everything is trade-offs. Since I learn by doing, I just ordered the Lee four-die sets in 38spl/357 and 9mm. I super appreciate everyone's input here.