The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Do you use a separate factory crimp die with the Dillon 550B?

Misssissippi Dave · October 26, 2012, 09:12 AM

I only use one set of RCBS dies in my 550b. I am seating and crimping at the same time. I do prefer to have this done in separate operations.

Either Saturday or Monday I should have a Dillon set of dies delivered. I will still use the RCBS dies for .357 mag. The Dillon dies will be for .38 special. I will be loading both lswc and JHP bullets in .38 Special so I want to be able to set the bullet depth and only have to play with one die setting to adjust the crimp until I find what works best. On the RCBS die, when you change the crimp you have to go back and also change the seating depth. It works well enough once it is set right but it is a pain to get to that point. I also like to have the bullet fully seated before any crimp is placed. If I want to add a little more crimp it is simple to just adjust the crimp die a little and not change anything else. Dillon dies are Stainless steel so they tend to not rust. Rust is a problem here in the south. Having the .38 special and .357 mag on separate mounts should make switching from one to the other much easier too. I'm not a fan of the Lee FCD. I find a normal roll crimp or normal taper crimp works just fine for everything I have loaded to date. I am considering getting another roll crimp die to go with the RCBS set later on. I only load jacketed bullets for the mags. Then I would still have a separate step for the crimp just like the Dillon setup. I don't load nearly as many magnums as I do specials so it can wait for a while longer.

October 26, 2012, 09:12 AM	#5
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,411	I only use one set of RCBS dies in my 550b. I am seating and crimping at the same time. I do prefer to have this done in separate operations. Either Saturday or Monday I should have a Dillon set of dies delivered. I will still use the RCBS dies for .357 mag. The Dillon dies will be for .38 special. I will be loading both lswc and JHP bullets in .38 Special so I want to be able to set the bullet depth and only have to play with one die setting to adjust the crimp until I find what works best. On the RCBS die, when you change the crimp you have to go back and also change the seating depth. It works well enough once it is set right but it is a pain to get to that point. I also like to have the bullet fully seated before any crimp is placed. If I want to add a little more crimp it is simple to just adjust the crimp die a little and not change anything else. Dillon dies are Stainless steel so they tend to not rust. Rust is a problem here in the south. Having the .38 special and .357 mag on separate mounts should make switching from one to the other much easier too. I'm not a fan of the Lee FCD. I find a normal roll crimp or normal taper crimp works just fine for everything I have loaded to date. I am considering getting another roll crimp die to go with the RCBS set later on. I only load jacketed bullets for the mags. Then I would still have a separate step for the crimp just like the Dillon setup. I don't load nearly as many magnums as I do specials so it can wait for a while longer.