Help with reloading dies

[RCF]

So i got my RL 450 with all the 550 upgrades setup on my bench last night. I just need to get my reloading dies setup, I reload 9mm and 40 s&w and already have lee die sets for them minus the crimp dies. I need some help trying to pick what type of crimp dies to get. its between dillon Lee factory crimp die or lee taper crimp PLEASE HELP. JUST NEEED TO KNOW WHAT WILL WORK THE BEST.

thanks guys

 

[gwpercle]

9 mm and 40 S&W headspace on the case mouth edge , most rimless rounds for semi-auto,s do. So you want to taper crimp them. I have not used the factory crimp die so am not sure on its suitability. The taper crimp works for sure

 

[Neumann]

You have a choice - a new seating die or a new crimp die. If the existing die does both, just back off the die or the seating post as necessary.

Any die sold for a rimless cartridge should have a taper crimp. IMO, Dillon makes the best seating die (easily disassembled for cleaning and changeover). The cost of the die is about the same either way.

You also need a powder die, which also serves as the expansion/belling die. The net savings, reusing the original die set, is only about $25, and you lose the quick disassembly feature of the Dillon resizing/decapping die. IMO, it's worth the money to get the complete Dillon set.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Not sure on the Dillon design but I'm sold on the Lee Factory Crimp die. It resizes the finished round so that you know the round will fit your gun right every time. No more kinked/bulged cases making it into the finished pile. I've sold off all former pistol die sets and replaced them all with the Lee four die sets. No regrets.

 

[john16443]

I'd go with just the taper crimp die recommendation, especially if you're going to (or thinking about) load lead bullets. The last thing you want to do is have a factory crimp die resize you lead rounds in the bullet seating area.

 

[cellllman]

As I only reload copper plated bullets I am also sold on the Lee factory crimp die. With it I can easily get whatever crimp I want on my loads; I reload 9mm, 40sw and 45 acp and have never had any problems with headspacing.

 

[noylj]

You want a taper crimp die. The Lee taper crimp dies are as good as any other.
I really like the crimp that the Lee FCD creates, but I find the dies to be even more use with the Lee bulge buster kit. I use a Lee 9mm Mak FCD with the bulge buster for 9x19 and 9x21.
If you don't pick up used 9mm Major or "Glocked" .40 brass at the range, you will be fine with the std. taper crimp die.
The only real negative I have with the Lee FCD is that it will swage down over-sized lead bullets (i.e. 0.357-0.358" lead bullets for 9mm).
The critical things is to use the proper expander plug for your bullets. Your case ID, after expansion and NOT the case mouth flare, needs to be 0.353-0.354" for 0.355" bullets. If less than that, the bullet will seat crooked and you will bulge the brass, at the base of bullet, as the bullet pushes out on the thinnest case wall area. The Lee FCD will "iron" this out so the round chambers, but it will not return that round to the accuracy it would have had if the case was properly expanded and the bullet had seated square.
For the price of the dies, you can easily buy both and try them out and compare and report back what you learn.

 

[mikld]

I'd say go with a Dillon taper crimp die. I have had no need for Lee's Factory Crimp Die, in handgun calibers, in nearly 30 years of reloading. When my dies are set correctly, there is no need for a post seating sizing die...

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Just a FYI. The taper crimp dies for 9mm and 45acp work great on their rimmed cousins 38 special and 45 Colt. This comes in handy on mixed brand brass and a few other problems. 40 s&w may work on 41mag, but I don't mess with them. When ever possible, seat and crimp on 2 different steps, as it will save all kinds of bulge problems (on 44-40, it is the only way I don't crush cases). A local commercial loader has an old Dillion 1000 and always seats in 2 stages (even on 25acp) and then crimps. Please have fun, Ivan