Through the decades I’ve used dies from Lee, Lyman, RCBS, Pacific(bought out by Hornady), and Hornady. All worked well. As a cast bullet hound, I noticed years ago that the Lyman M expander die is essential for loading lead bullets. Not using this type die frequently would cause the case to size down the bullet during seating, and leading was the result. Since my dies are older, other brands may have copied the Lyman M die without my knowledge. Curious about Redding Dies, I ordered a.38/.357 set from Natchez Shooters Supply for $40. The steel size die(requires lube)allows this set to be priced this low. Many folks don’t like Lee dies, and some dislike the Lyman brand. What are your thoughts?
no experience with anything cast boolit, but I will say that since first using a Redding Die I have been very impressed and since then have purchased Redding Dies almost exclusively (not counting specialty dies from Whidden and Wilson)
that doesn’t mean dies from the other manufacturers are bad per se, just that I find that the Redding Dies I have offer me more control and better results for precision rifle ammo.
I own a wide variation of dies Pacific, Hornady, RCBS, Lee, Lyman and Dillon die sets and when loading just a few I use my Pacific press.
But for pistol or my AR rounds.
I prefer to use Dillon dies when loading on my Hornady LNL AP, the bottom of the bullet seating die and crimp die has a larger bevel and I have less stoppages.
I use Hornady dies for rifle and Lee Dies for pistol. I think it comes down to personal preference really as most all of the brands make decent dies.
I too run Redding for Most 308/300WM. However the Lee Neck Collet die is awesome for giving straight necks.
Redding - RCBS - Hornady, for serious stuff I use Redding.
Double tap
Most of the difference between entry level dies is in the features and not the actual resizing, seating or crimping. How easy and precise they are to adjust and if they have a locking feature to hold it are two big things that set apart different brands.
I shoot nothing but lead bullets for pistol and use Lee dies. Are you talking about reloading lead for pistol or rifle? The only die I’ve ever had that would size down a lead bullet is the Lee FCD, which I barely used to begin with.
I have a mix of RCBS, Lee and Forster.
The Forster are my favorite, especially the seating dies. They have produced extremely consistent ammo for me. I only have one set from them due to the cost.
I like the Lee dies. They are a bit cheaper and I have had great results with them.
My RCBS dies were all hand-me-downs from my dad. They work fine but seem to rust easier than other brands and their design doesn’t seem very “refined” for a lack of better words.
Based on my past experiences any new rifle dies I buy will be Forster and pistol dies will be Lee.
I use Lee dies where I can because I’m a cheap bastard and they produce consistent enough ammo for my purposes…
NWcity,…,about unwanted sizing down of lead bullets. In straight wall cases, when a lead bullet is seated, case tension can reduce bullet size. This occurs occurs in those instances when the expander plug bells the case mouth but does not slightly increase case diameter below the belled case mouth. Lyman M expander dies fix the problem by using a two dimensional plug. The top part bells the mouth and the bottom part increases case diameter below the bell. Most die makers assume that the reloader might use lead and jacketed bullets. .38/.357 lead bullets commonly have a .358(or greater)diameter, and these same jacketed bullets have a .357 diameter. My opinion is that die makers design the dies to give sufficient bullet pull for jacketed bullets and don’t worry much about the lead bullet shooter. An exception is RCBS Cowboy dies made for lead bullet shooters. Another is CH/4D dies which are also set up for lead bullets.
Some guys don’t realize that undersize cast bullets cause extensive barrel leading and assume that barrel leading and cast bullets go together. Not So! Size dies that aggressively reduce case diameter used in conjunction with a regular expander plug create a big problem for the cast bullet shooter. Lyman M dies expand cases below the mouth to prevent reducing bullet diameter during the seating stage .