travail loading 357 Sig!

[Ivan the Butcher]

About 18 or 19 years ago I got a great deal on a Sig in 357 Sig. I ordered in 1000 once fired brass & a set of Lee steel dies. I let it sit. At the state wide shut down last March, I ordered in 1000 124 Berry's FP thick plated and they took a month to get here. So last night I started to set the dies up on the Dillon 550b. The Lee dies are so short that only a half thread will catch in a lock nut, but even then the Lee nuts won't work.

Then I started for fine adjustments, The decapping stem is fussed into too short of position, the permanent decapping pin is too short to clear the primer pocket, and there is some reason the case won't even enter the seating die! (it is a little late to be returning them!)

At this point, I will be ordering a group (as opposed to a set) of Dillon Carbide dies. It will be $15-20 less to order loose dies than the set. Now all I will need to do is wait out the backorder!

I inherited 5 sets of much older Lee dies from a friend that went on to the shooting range in the sky, and they were not a whole lot worse the old Lyman "All American" series or Herter's dies from the 60's. But these Circa 2003 Lee dies are pure junk! There are some Lee Products I like, just not their die sets!

Ivan

 

[M29since14]

I think more than one manufacturer has had difficulty getting things right with .357 SIG dies. I’ve heard and read numerous complaints and actually seen one set of RCBS dies that were apparently reamed/polished too deep and would not size a case that would “headspace” properly. Against my advice, I helped the owner by modifying the sizing die and he eventually was satisfied with it. I would have just let RCBS handle the problem, but he was in a hurry.

Constant attention to headspace dimension and case length, just like a bottleneck rifle cartridge, seem to be the watchwords when handloading .357 SIG.

 

[fordson]

I use RCBS 40SW CARBIDE die in station 1 of my Dillon 650 and the LEE 357 Sig die (with the de-capping stem removed) in station 2. Have not had a problem or issue with my reloads.

 

[Geno44]

I have a Dillon 550 and an RCBS single stage press. When reloading .357 Sig I use a carbide .40 cal die and size the case with that in the RCBS single stage press. Then I run the .357 Sig die in station one of the 550 and go on as normal neck sizing only. My .357 Sig die set is Lee and made in 2007 I think. Also I turn the locking nut upside down to compensate for the short Lee die. This system seems to work well for me.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Decapped (like all my pistol caliber brass) in a dedicated decapping die (I use RCBS for pistol & the LEE for rifle calibers). Run through the Thumlers, then a 40 S&W sizing die. THEN through the 357 SIG sizing die, which happens to be part of the Hornady Custom set. Fine-setting this die the 1st time I reloaded 357 SIG took a while, but this step effectively sets the shoulder for all the rest.

Then trip #1 through the Wilson case gauge.

Expansion and bullet seating via Hornady, finished with LEE 's FCD (which is collet-style). Then trip #2 through the Wilsons for the (finally?) finished product.

May be a little OCD, but it works for me: 357 SIG is one of my favorites to reload and shoot. Wish someone just made an affordable carbine...?

Cheers!

P.S. All (99.9%) my 357 SIG brass was either new Starline or once-fired Speer that I reprocessed. I have yet to need to trim a case and have thrown out less than a helf-dozen orphans that somehow managed to show up one day...?

 

[Nevada Ed]

I feel your pain.

I hate it when you have to try to put something square, into a round hole.

"I was that close too.................. "

Well at least the new dies will be Carbide.

Have fun.