Faulkner
Member
Conversely, Dillion's customer service has an excellent reputation and it has been my experiance that they deserve that reputation.
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- Thread starter ploz357
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Unless I missed it somewhere, I haven't read anything abt using carbide resizing dies. I started reloading 40+ years ago and soon discovered that while they're not cheap they do they save alot of time when reloading handgun ammo.
Aren't most new pistol die's carbide or treated now days? It's almost a given if your looking at anything close to new/used.
jal910s
Member
I recently had a problem with my primer seating equipment, I e-mailed Lyman and told them I must not have tightened the set screw completly and it popped apart and I lost the spring and would need a replacement if they could give me a price.
Int there e-mail section they ask for name and address and such.
to my suprise, I found the spring the next day.
Even detter, the day after that, I recieved a whole new primer arm in the mail with a note apologizing for any problems i may have had and an invoice that stated I owed $0.00.
I am very happy with thier service so far. But, keep in mind that I have only been into this for about a month now.
Int there e-mail section they ask for name and address and such.
to my suprise, I found the spring the next day.
Even detter, the day after that, I recieved a whole new primer arm in the mail with a note apologizing for any problems i may have had and an invoice that stated I owed $0.00.
I am very happy with thier service so far. But, keep in mind that I have only been into this for about a month now.
whelenshooter
Member
It sounds like Lyman is a heck of a lot better than they were 25 years ago. Most companies have finally figured out what a bad reputation can do to a company. If I look at myself from a distance, I'd say, "That person is holding a grudge for a heck of a long time." But I gave them many chances back then, and their bad service at that time has effected my buying and my recommendations to others for TWENTY FIVE YEARS! Because of your good experience with them, your purchasing choices will probably be different than what mine have been.
Back to the original thread...
I do usually purchase carbide dies for straight walled cases because they save a lot of work (lubricating the cases, and the even worse task of removing the lube). In my opinion, Dillon carbide pistol dies are the best on the market! They are set up so you can clean them without effecting your die adjustments. In addition, the die openings on Dillon dies are slightly tapered, which allows the cases to align themselves as they are going into the die. Dillon carbide sizer dies have a wider piece of carbide than most other carbide dies, and they seem to size the cases better without marring your cases. (I had one set of dies by another company that kept scraping brass from my .45 acp cases when I sized them.) Dillon dies always come with a separate crimp die, and you always get a better product if you seat the bullets in one process, then crimp them later in a separate process. If you are going to use Dillon pistol dies in a single stage press, however, you need to tell Dillon when you purchase your dies. In a Dillon progressive press the cases are belled at the station where the powder is dropped, and the belling arrangement comes with the caliber conversion set that contains the shell plate (which you won't buy, if you are going to use the dies in a single stage press). Thus Dillon die sets don't come with a belling die. If you tell them you are going to use their dies in a single stage press they will sell you a special die that will allow you to bell the case. Because their dies are so much better, they are also more expensive. I usually prefer to pay the money, however, and buy Dillon pistol dies.
Non-carbide dies are still available, and they do have a place in the reloading scheme. I soon discovered that 9mm brass fired in a Glock almost always has a slight bulge near the base of the case because a Glock's chamber is not fully supported. If I sized the cases in a carbide die, they would not go into the chamber of my Browning High-Power. They wouldn't always even go back into my Glock! Because you can't set a carbide sizing die up so that it touches the shellholder (if you do you may crack the brittle carbide sizing ring) you can't size the bulge completely out of the case. I found I could size out the bulge in a 9mm case by using a standard RCBS sizing die adjusted to touch the shell holder. Of course I have to lube the cases, and I have to size them in a single stage press, but it allows me to use the ammunition in any of my 9mms.
One thing I have noticed is that Glock 45s don't seem to bulge the cases like the 9mms do. I believe the reason Glock 45s don't bulge the cases is because the .45 ACP cartridge has a lower working pressure than the 9mm. I haven't had the problem with cases fired in my Glock 40 S&W either, but I have recently noticed tools on the market to remove the bulge on 40 S&W cases, so the reason I haven't had the problem may be dumb luck in the dimensions of the chamber on my particular Glock 40 S&W. It is something to watch for, however, if you are reloading for the 40 S&W cartridge fired in a chamber that isn't fully supported.
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People who use Lee equipment have a neatness fetish. I have a Dillon 450 and 550. What bench top? There ain't no bench top -- just stuff.
Lee Classic Turret all the way!
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