Your Favorite Dies/Brands for 45/9MM/380/32 Auto

[RicinYakima]

Note: Stated 45 ACP/AR profile crimp is for AR only.

 

[fiver]

Jon:
you know there are two different pin sizes for the RCBS dies.
if you have small headed pins in large headed de-priming punches they wobble around and you bottom out the ball before getting things all the way tight.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I use a taper crimp for auto casings that headspace on the case mouth, so no Redding Profile crimp for 45 ACP. And I see Ric's inclusion of Redding's own restriction for their Profile crimp die for 45 Auto Rim only (makes sense).

I've used Redding Profile crimp dies for straight walled revolver cartridges for decades and never had a minute's worth of trouble. In fact, it is my favorite revolver cartridge crimp die.

 

[Slughammer]

What have you found works best for you?

I use an absolute hodgepodge of dies for loading handgun cartridges. Then modify or make what I need to get the perfect flare, seat and crimp.

I've used Redding Profile crimp dies for straight walled revolver cartridges for decades and never had a minute's worth of trouble. In fact, it is my favorite revolver cartridge crimp die.

My favorite revolver crimp die is a 9mm size die for taper "crimping" 38spl. I was loading the 92gr Lyman 358242 and having bullet tension issues because of roll crimp variations due to case length. I switched to a very light taper crimp using a 9mm size die and case tension on the bullet got much better. I did that 25 years ago and haven't used a roll crimp on 38spl since then.

 

[Reloader762]

Most if not all my pistol dies were bought back in the late 70s when I got into reloading. They consist of either Lyman or RCBS it was what the LGS I bought the majority of my equipment from mainly sold. In recent years I've bought new Lyman, RCBS or Lee and if you look an any of my turret heads you will find a mishmash of various die brands mixed in the for the same caliber. You may even find some brand of die parts inside other brands of dies, I just use what makes things work like I need it to.

 

[JonB]

Jon:
you know there are two different pin sizes for the RCBS dies.
if you have small headed pins in large headed de-priming punches they wobble around and you bottom out the ball before getting things all the way tight.

Oh yeah, I found that out when I called RCBS for some pins. They send me both.

 

[RicinYakima]

I do have one favorite Lee die: a 38 Super carbide sizing die. It is perfect for sizing 38 S&W and 38 Special with .360" bullets. Never seen another carbide die with that big of ring.

 

[Ian]

Note: Stated 45 ACP/AR profile crimp is for AR only.
View attachment 39640

Not the seater, Ric, the dedicated taper crimp die Redding makes for bottom feeders. The taper is far too long for adequate mouth crimp without swaging the whole bullet down undersized.

I loaded IDPA ammo for years crimping in a separate step with an RCBS .45 AR roll crimp die, worked great and if the magazine lips and extractor were tuned I never had a jam. I determined one time that a .45 ACP would still headspace on the case mouth even if it was crimped to .458" which is impossible to do with any crimp die there is for that cartridge.

 

[burbank.jung]

RCBS mostly. My competition dies are Forster. I'm phasing out the RCBS Competition dies because I think Forster is better. I own two LEE dies only so I can compare it the Forster and RCBS dies. Has anyone used their final accuracy load, assembled them in different dies and found a difference?

 

[RBHarter]

Yep but only for 222 , 45 Colts, 45 ACP , 6.8 SPCII , 223 , and 06' .
222 Lee , RCBS
45 Colts RCBS , Lyman both steel and carbide .
45 ACP Lee , Lyman , RCBS carbide.
6.8 Lee , RCBS
223 Lee , RCBS
06 RCBS,Herters
264 WM RCBS, Forster/Bonanza .
45-70 RCBS , Redding , Lee expander and FCD .
25-06 RCBS, Pacific
275 Rigby Lyman , RCBS
This list is becoming a money pit ......

I found that accurate die set up particularly sizing and seating with the selected components was far more important than the brand . I will qualify that with I've never purchased anything but a Lee die where I knew it would be altered for example my 7x6.8 SPC from 6.8 SPC . The Lee 45 ACP, 222,6.8 , & 223 were immediate need or happened to be in the bucket of stuff for $50 and generally replaced with the others .

 

[Winelover]

RCBS dies, mostly. All are pre-2000! No issues with their standard carbide pistol dies in 9mm, 38/357, 44SPL/44Mag, or 45 LC. Liked them so much that I even purchased extra complete sets of their carbide Cowboy dies for 38/357 & 44 Russian,44 Special which are dedicated to neck-sizing for my carbines. Plus, you can never have enough seating dies. I like to set and forget, for certain bullets. I did purchase a Redding extra seating die in 9mm. Had to contact Redding for a different seating stem. The one that came with it was too short to seat bullets when setting for not crimping...........I like to seat bullets and crimp in separate steps.

For rifle, it's RCBS X-dies. Initial trimming, only once, for the life of the case. With cast bullets, that can be up to 20 reloadings.............even with 338W. I dislike trimming cases. Recently, purchased a Forester micrometer seater for 30 calibers. Haven't used it enough to make a like/dislike decision.

 

[Ian]

RCBS mostly. My competition dies are Forster. I'm phasing out the RCBS Competition dies because I think Forster is better. I own two LEE dies only so I can compare it the Forster and RCBS dies. Has anyone used their final accuracy load, assembled them in different dies and found a difference?

RCBS Gold Medal Match full-length sizing dies with interchangeable neck bushings and Forster Benchrest in-line seating dies are the best combination I have found for off-the-shelf bottleneck cartridge dies. If you need a crimp, use the Lee FCD. For bellmouthing and a light expansion fir uniformity, the RCBS universal expander die body with the correct size spud for your bullet is the way to go and can be improved with a case guide insert pressed into the bottom of the die. This is proven by targets and concentricity checks.

 

[burbank.jung]

Oops, I forgot about the title. The OP is asking about pistol dies. Decades ago i purchased and gifted a Redding competition handgun seating die and never used it. Does anyone have experience with such a die and did your groups improve compared to a standard seating die? Curious.

 

[fiver]

nope.
it won't take the slop out of your press, or make your bullets not have a variance.
maybe for a rifle bullet that's been trimmed and Juenke'd i'd get all worked up about something like that.

 

[dale2242]

For your run -of- the- mill average every day dies, RCBS is always my first choice.