Lee 3 or 4 die set for .357 magnum

[Granddad]

For 30 yrs, all I've used for 357 is 3 die, but who knows maybe I would have been happier with 4 die. I do use 4 die for 40 and 10mm. Really, just pick one; I don't think you can make a wrong choice for your 357 die set.

 

[mikld]

The one single reason I use the 4 die set and the Factory Crimp Die is that I load lots of cast lead bullets and some of those won't chamber (easily) in my cylinders unless I run them through the factory crimp die, which "re-sizes" the case and bullet by squeezing it a bit from the outside. And no, I haven't noticed any differences in accuracy....

Do you measure the bullets prior to loading? I load a lot of cast bullets in my 8 revolvers and the only ones the swell the case enough to prohibit chambering are those that are grossly oversize. Besides, I size my cast bullets to the proper size before I stuff them in a case...

FWIW; for my peace of mind I adjust my dies so as to not bulge any cases and remove case mouth flares, and I never have any problems chambering in any of my guns, semi-auto and revolver (12 total) from .38 Special to .44 Magnums, because I keep the FCDs away from them...

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Tweek or Trim

case trimming is a better fix for that - takes under 5 minutes to trim 50 cases on Hornady case trimmer, and a couple more to debur - alot less difficult than adjusting dies - and provides a more precise load

I don't go into "trim mode" until the cases get to max. case length. In between times, tweeking the crimp die, if needed, works for my purposes.

 

[Bohica793]

3 or 4 die?

I use 4 die sets for my autos and 3 die sets for my wheel guns. I have found that if I do not crimp my .45ACP and 9mm loads, I can have feed issues (especially in my Glock 30).

 

[blujax01]

I use four die sets for all of my hand guns. Why wouldn't ya'?

 

[mmesa005]

This thread has saved me from posting the question about 3 or 4 die sets. I have the Lee 4 die set and I use a Lee Loadmaster. Today I shot .38 Special using bullets made with both 3 and 4 dies and found no difference. What I have decided is more important to me is to have a "Powder Check Die" in the turret for peace of mind.

My 2 cents.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have been using a lee 4 die set to load 9mm for some time. I can understand wanting to use a taper rather than crimping the case. I plan to start loading .357 now and wonder if the 4 die set would have any advantage over the 3 die set since the magnum uses a crimp.

Just a note, both cartridges use a crimp, they are just different crimps. The 9mm uses a taper crimp and revolver cartridges use a roll crimp. The Lee dies will supply the correct type of crimp with their FCD depending upon which cartridge you are loading.

I like crimping as a separate operation so I like Lee die sets. Even if Lee didn't have a FCD I would buy a second seating/crimp die and use it for crimping alone. Since i use a 4 hole turret press once I set up the dies I'm done.

If you are happy with the FCD in your Lee 9mm die set you will probably be happy with the FCD in the Lee 38/357 die set too. (all IMO of course)

 

[NotObvious]

The FCD comes in 2 different types. A taper crimp and what amounts to very slight neck sizing die for the cartridges that get a roll crimp traditionally.

There was a good write up about this in handloader magazine a while back.

If all your roll crimps are light and tight, don't bother with the FCD. But it does help with making sure all your ammo is within spec for the case mouths once loaded.

The FCD will effect accuracy on cast bullets as it squeezes them an extra thou or so.