Lee or RCBS dies

[David LaPell]

I have used both and I like Lee dies, they can be adjusted quicker than the RCBS, which works well for me since in my .357 and .38's I load so many different bullets. The four die sets are really nice with the separate crimp dies.

 

[125JHP]

Most of my dies are RCBS but I do have a few Lee, Dillon, Lyman, Hornady, Herters, C-H and maybe a couple others.
What i don't like about Lee dies is... the rubber lock ring that doesn't lock, The one piece decapper pin that breaks and has to be replaced and the friction fit decapper lock that always slips, the cheap plastic round boxes that nothing else fits in, the cheap plastic square boxes that nothing else fits in.

 

[GyMac]

I've been using the same set of Lee .45 ACP dies since 1984 w/o any problems. I have other Lee dies in .38 and .44 Mag that also have been great.

 

[jimkim]

Most of my dies are RCBS but I do have a few Lee, Dillon, Lyman, Hornady, Herters, C-H and maybe a couple others.
What i don't like about Lee dies is... the rubber lock ring that doesn't lock, The one piece decapper pin that breaks and has to be replaced and the friction fit decapper lock that always slips, the cheap plastic round boxes that nothing else fits in, the cheap plastic square boxes that nothing else fits in.

I gotta' wonder how you managed to break a pin that "always slips".

This is my experience.
1) My lock rings work.
2) I've never broken a Lee decapping pin. I have broken several RCBS pins however.
3) My sizing stems don't slip unless I don't adjust the locking nut properly. I guess it's a fairly good design given the fact that Hornady has pretty much adopted the same system. 4) My RCBS, Pacific, Herters, Hornady,and JAX dies fit in my Lee boxes.

So far I've had no problems with any Lee dies, but I've only been using them since the mid 80's. I guess I've been lucky.

 

[DEG]

I use Lee, Hornady, RCBS and Redding dies. I prefer the Lee or Hornady for straight wall cases and RCBS or Redding for bottle neck.

 

[MrApathy]

I use lee dies myself they work great and get the job done though for seating I use Hornady seating die as it has a collet that centers the bullet which solves a prob with 9mm lee seating dies which leads to canted bullets.

lee sizing die and factory crimp die are great for the price cant beat them.

 

[125JHP]

I gotta' wonder how you managed to break a pin that "always slips".

This is my experience.
1) My lock rings work.
2) I've never broken a Lee decapping pin. I have broken several RCBS pins however.
3) My sizing stems don't slip unless I don't adjust the locking nut properly. I guess it's a fairly good design given the fact that Hornady has pretty much adopted the same system. 4) My RCBS, Pacific, Herters, Hornady,and JAX dies fit in my Lee boxes.

So far I've had no problems with any Lee dies, but I've only been using them since the mid 80's. I guess I've been lucky.

1. Granted when snugged down against the press they will pretty much stay in place but when they are not screwed in the press they can turn and loose any setting you may have wanted to keep. With a set screw lock ring they stay until you change them.

I have broken several 223 decappers and had to stop and wait for Lee to send a new one for $2 or $3. I also had to buy extras to have on hand for the next time it broke. They usually broke when a berdan primed case found its way into the die and the slip fit top had been overtightened to prevent slippage when decapping brass with undersized holes like S&B and Hirtenberg, which would often pull the whole one piece pin-stem out with it. IIRC I seem to recall having had pistol calibers push the stem up when some condition happened (that I can't remember details exactly what at the moment...).

These issues don't happen with RCBS.

As for the boxes, I didn't mean other brand of dies, I meant room for other accessories and parts that go with the loading system. The round containers don't stack well or hold much other than what comes in them. My RCBS boxes hold the dies and extra seating stems, case length die, sample bullets, shell holder and up to 2 additional dies. If I don't want to store dies in them then there are a lot of other things that will fit in the space.

 

[TheTinMan]

If I could have any combination of dies for a straight-walled pistol cartridge, it would be a Lyman M-Expander, sizing die from Hornady/Lyman/Redding (you pick), Hornady bullet seater and Redding crimp die.

IME the Lyman M-Expander with the 2-step stem does a better job of setting up the case mouth for lead bullets.

I have sizing dies from everyone except Lee and don't see a difference.

Hornady's seating dies are nice for two reasons. The floating sleeve and seating stem plus the choice of 2 seating stems. The flat seating stem is great for flat-nosed bullets. I've had problems with an RCBS seating stem leaving visible marks on lead bullets.

Redding's crimp dies have a nicely polished contact surface. The taper crimp die has a gradual angle that is more tolerant of case length variations IME. Their "Profile Crimp" die for cartridges needing a roll crimp is great. It's actually a combined taper crimp and roll crimp, again with a very gradual angle allowing for more variations in case length.

As far as cost vs. quality goes, "Yes" I think that Hornady, Lyman, RCBS and Redding dies are better than Lee dies. If you're talking about rifle dies, you could throw Forster in the quality group too. I put Hornady or Forster lock rings on all dies, but that thing that comes with Lee dies does not work for me. Based on a limited sample of 2 Lee dies, the others all seem to be better made with higher finish standards. The difference between the contact surface with the case mouth for Lee versus Redding taper crimp dies is night and day. The Redding is polished while the Lee is actually rough.

That said, there are 10s of thousands of very satisfied Lee customers out there.

 

[thndrchiken]

For pistol cartridges, I prefer the Lee's, for rifle It depends on who has what available, I have Lee's, RCBS and Redding, I prefer the Redding's though and have found myself buying them more often than not.

 

[TAROMAN]

I have mostly lee, RCBS and Redding. As I use a Classic Turret press, I keep each die set in its own turret. just pop 'em in and go.

I do throw away all the locking rings and replace them with the 1" Dillons. Locks tight and there's enough clearance if I do ever need to adjust something.

 

[gwpercle]

Rebs081
I know this off-topic but if you look around on the used reloading equipt. sites you can find some great deals on die sets and other gear. Last week I got a set of Bonanza 41 magnum dies for $ 17.50. nobody bid on them while the RCBS 41 mag. dies had several bidders and sold for over twice that. People tend to go for RCBS , Lyman and Redding brands but keep your eyes peeled for Bonanza, Bair, C-H ,Eagle, Herters, Hollywood, Lachmiller, Pacific ( Bair made them for Pacific ), and Texan brands . All of these companys made great products at a time when quality meant something. People unfamiliar with these brands overlook them and you can get a great deal while the others fight over the RCBS stuff.
And don't worry about used dies , most have not been used that much and only a commercial reloading operation could wear out a set of dies. The ones I've gotten seem to come from estate sales and by looking at the photos you can get a good idea of the shape they are in. Most sellers will let you return them if you aren't satisfied with condition. gary

 

[Smithhound]

I learned long ago that in buying a tool you want to use and keep for a long time spend the extra money. I've bought a few Lee dies over the years and have always been disapointed with them. I have a set of Lee dies in .25-20, I used them one time. The cases came out so scratched up they look like they'd been drug on the ground. I did find a use for the seating die tho'.
I buy and use only RCBS or Redding dies. I've never been disapointed with them and any minor issues have been resolved with one phone call.
Quality will never decrease and mediocrity will never increase. Buy for the long term when it comes to precision instruments.
RD