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So many dies, so little time!

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    Curious if there are really any differences between all these carbide dies.

    I think I am now settled on doing conversions for my XL650 with 9mm (CCW), 44 mag (for fun), .223 (home defense) and 30-06 (hunting).

    I see a lot of different 9mm ones. I'd like to stick with Dillon as their customer service has been awesome. But I see RCBS has a lock on their lock ring as they can become loose. Wondering if RCBS might be better to go with?

    I also see Dillon's .223 and 30-06 are way more expensive than others. Any idea what is so different about them when their pistol dies are competitively priced to others?

    i've also heard of mixing and matching. Like some people like the seating dies from Redding more, and use Lyman for crimping, etc.

    Curious what others do to make a perfect blend.
     

    RustedBolt

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    I have not used Lyman dies, but the Lee factory crimp die (carbide) is what I use for pistol calibers. For 223 if reloading for semi-auto, I recommend working the RCBS small base resizing die into the your mix. I have never had an issue mixing brands.

    For the locking ring, I like the Hornady (I think they call them Sure-Lock) and they sell them in 6-packs. I use them on many applications. They don't mess up your threads. I've not had them move while reloading.
     

    Fanner50

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    I mix and match also. I also like the Lee carbide factory crimp die and the Hornady lock rings as mentioned above. I order the six packs also. Lee, Redding, and RCBS are my three favorite brands. For pistol I really like the Lee four die carbide set. I really like the separate seating and crimping die of the Lee set. I do like the Redding micrometer seating die. That one die cost more than the whole Lee set does, lol.
     

    SAWMAN

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    I have several brands of dies and about 15 other brands of reloading equipment.
    The only dies that I not reccomend is the Lee brand. --- SAWMAN
     
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    I like the Hornady Sure-LOC rings. Those seem to be perfect.

    Two of you specifically mentioned the Lee factory crimp dies. Any particular reason you like those over others? Reason I ask is Lee seems to be generally panned, even though I hear their customer service is quite good. Wondering what they do that makes them the choice over other well regarded brands like Dillon or Redding.
     

    RustedBolt

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    My experience is limited to pistol/handgun calibers only and only for crimping. I found the Reddings were dependent on case length for the cases that headspaced on the rim. I could not replicate good quality factory loads with handloads for accuracy without making sure I either sorted or trimmed my brasses (they all fired fine). I was hunting with 686 back then, so I was probably a little anal about the accuracy. A friend of mine suggested the Lee crimp dies. I tried them and have had good luck. They produced good crimps and good accuracy. I added to my 45ACP, 10mm (I have hunted with 10mm as well) and 9mm setups with the same results.

    Your experience may differ dependent on your set up.

    I have not used Lee dies for any other purpose and have not used them for any rifle calibers... not sure if they offer crimp dies for rifle.

    I have heard about Lee being panned and because you mentioned it, I took a quick peek at Midway (not my favorite retailer) and the reviews for the Factory Crimp dies is 4.8 out of 5 with 1K+ reviews.

    I have not used Dillon.

    RB
     

    Duckyou

    I don’t give a Weiner shit!
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    Dies are like bed hopping in a whore house, the one your using doesn't care where you been before. :p

    Last time I was there the girls sure got jealous of each other. But that may just be over me.
     

    Fanner50

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    The Lee Factory Carbide Crimp Die has a carbide sizer in it, so the cartridge gets sized one last time as it's being crimped. It's supposed to make it feed easier. I have personally never had a problem with Lee dies. The die that I Really don't like is the RCBS combination seat and crimp die. I never could seem to get that stupid die adjusted right. Using a Redding micrometer seating die and then the Lee carbide crimp die works really well for me. As always, YMMV (your milage may vary).
     
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