What are your favorite 9mm dies?

[kgpcr]

Time for a new set of dies. What are you using? I will be using them on my Hornady progressive. What should I buy? Thanks for your reply!

 

[Decker]

I also have the Hornady L&L, and I sprung for the high dollar competition dies (#58172) because I really like the convenient and fast seating depth adjustment.
I'll never have to buy another set of 9mm dies so I think it was cheap in the long run.

 

[noylj]

1) Hornady and Lee size the furthest down the case. Hornady and Redding are the easiest to size.
2) The Hornady PTXs, the Lee PTE, and the Dillon "powder funnels" all work great with their powder measures and eliminate the need for an additional expander die.
3) The Hornady seating die has a sliding sleeve that helps to keep the bullet aligned during seating. Beyond that, the seating die is just a holder for the seating stem, which for most people does not fit any of their bullets very well. If the seating stem contacts the bullet meplat or rocks back and forth, it can't help align the bullet and may even encourage the bullet to seat crooked. Lee can make a custom seating stem inexpensively and the others will also make custom seating stems. RCBS even has a bunch of "custom" seating stems for Speer bullets.
I like the Lee seater for the ease of getting custom seating stems and I like to manually use their "bullet feeder" manually, as my fine muscle control is shot with age.
4) I consider the Lee Taper Crimp die as good as any and find the Lee pistol FCD to be problematic with my lead bullets.
For roll crimps, just buy a Redding Profile Crimp die and be done with it.

 

[mtgianni]

I usually go with big Green but Lee lets me replace the 9mm expander with one for a 38 S&W which eliminates the bulge the cast bullet leaves when it is seated.

 

[Bosquebass]

I use Lee dies for 9mm and have been well satisfied.
Be aware that even though the sizing die is carbide it is still recommended by Lee to use some lube on the cases due to the fact that they are tapered.

 

[eb07]

Lee because I use turrets and single stages and I like the pour through expander

 

[apollo99]

I voted other, I have a Dillon XL650, some of the other brand dies are too short, so I've been buying Dillon brand dies. Even though they are a little more expensive, they do work well with my press. There is one issue though, you don't get an expander die, nor a shell holder, but those items come with the caliber conversion.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I own 2 or 3 9mm die sets. I bough spares to have one set for the progressive and have another for single stage /turret.. and the third I got used cheap for parts. I use the taper crimp die on some different rifle rounds. For on the progressive I use an old Hornady 380 taper crimp die. If I were starting over, it would be Dillon dies. Maintenance is so much easier!

Ivan

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I used Lee dies for a long time but the Titanium Nitride ring in the Hornady handgun sizing dies make resizing cases like the 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP extremely smooth. I now use a Hornady sizing die and Lee seating and crimping dies.

 

[Spokes]

I have used Lyman 9mm dies for years, they did a nice job... I then purchased a Dillon set of 9mm dies to use in my 550....Have been well satisfied with them also..

 

[Rule3]

It doen't matter

Whatever you like and what you want to spend

Kinda like the best powder or what truck. Ford or Chevy

Of course the best answer is always:

Other, Dillon

 

[Spokes]

I use a lot of miss matched parts in my die sets. They work very well.

 

[glowe]

Love carbide dies for pistol reloading, since no lube is required. Lee is by far the cheapest out there and they work very well.

 

[gwpercle]

I had to click other....no CH4D ?

 

[Twoboxer]

Lee set, with the FCD to separate seating from "crimp" or "bell closing". Easy to set up and works very well on the 5-hole Hornady LnL AP.

 

[2ndtimer]

I also had to click "other". Dillon dies are my choice for 9mm, of course they work well with my RL-550 press. I have used RCBS, Lee, Hornady, Lyman and Redding. RCBS would be my second choice. Carbide sizing die, it goes without saying.

 

[apollo99]

4barrel I have that issue with some of the dies on the XL650 tool head, I just screw down the die and get the proper adjustment, and then I put the nut in from the bottom under the tool head, works just fine. Usually gives me the length I need.

 

[hdwhit]

I bought a set of Lee dies for 9mm. The sizer and seater were fine. I found the expander very difficult to work with. The difference between a case mouth expanded to look like a blunderbus and one that the bullet would crush was about 1/16 of a turn.

I replaced them with a set of RCBS dies and have been completely satisfied with them.

This is not to say that every other die from a different manufacturer has been bad, some have been fine, but I have never been disappointed with a die from RCBS.

 

[LostintheOzone]

My good friend who recently passed away gave me a set. I don't know what they are, maybe Hornady. Those are my favorites. Every time I use them I think of him. Many pleasant memories.

 

[dave201]

I voted other, I have a Dillon XL650, some of the other brand dies are too short, so I've been buying Dillon brand dies. Even though they are a little more expensive, they do work well with my press. There is one issue though, you don't get an expander die, nor a shell holder, but those items come with the caliber conversion.

Dillon Used them for years
Love the no BS warranty
Had a bullet puller break
They sent me 2 in return plus extra shell holders