Are reloading dies universal from brand to brand?

bbbigbossbb · August 31, 2009, 06:31 PM

What I mean is can I use RCBS dies in a Lee Press? I've heard the Lee presses are good, but their dies aren't that great because of some rubber gasket or something, plus everyone I know likes the RCBS or the Dillon. So can I use a different brand die in a Lee Press?

Also, can a .44 Magnum chambered gun fire .45 ACP?

CrustyFN · August 31, 2009, 06:53 PM

Yes you can. The only modern press I know of that takes special dies is the Dillon square deal. As far as dies Lee dies are good dies but if you were going to use them in a single stage press then I would use a different brand lock ring that has a set screw so you won't lose the adjustment when you change dies. I know quite a few people that use Lee dies on their Dillon presses. The other brand dies are also good.

Rusty

Sevens · August 31, 2009, 06:59 PM

HECK NO! A .44 Magnum chambered handgun cannot fire a .45 Auto round. The .44 uses a .429" projectile and the .45 Auto uses a .452" projectile. And that's just the most basic reason it won't work, there are others.

Almost all standard reloading dies fit in most all presses. Two that I can think of offhand that do NOT are the Lyman tong tool dies and the dies that Dillon ships with their Square Deal B reloading machine. (their 550 and 650 and 1050 dies are standard)

If you are just getting started, I would recommend that you buy one set of dies from RCBS, then, just for kicks, buy your next caliber from Lee. And see if what you heard is actually true.

(I have Lee dies in 12 calibers that I load for...)

Farmland · August 31, 2009, 07:19 PM

For the most part dies are all interchangeable. However you should note some difference if you would want to use Dillon dies on a single stage press. They will not ship with an expanding die. The Dillon system uses the powder funnel to expand the case for the bullet. So you would need an expander die for reloading cases that would need the case expanded.

However in general terms the dies can be used in any press other than the ones mentioned. There may be some older presses that may not match up but I will leave that to other to cover if that is that case.

CrustyFN · August 31, 2009, 09:16 PM

Thanks Sevens. I missed the part about the 44 mag and 45 acp ( reading too fast ) and was answering the die question.

rn22723 · August 31, 2009, 09:33 PM

Lyman still makes 310 Dies, and they are not compatible withe presses, and Redding Pro Series are like Dillon dies....they swap a crimp die for the expander die.

Jim243 · September 1, 2009, 12:07 AM

Have 12 sets of Lee dies and 3 sets of RCBS (they are the ones that are a pain) Have no problems with the gaskets (o'Rings) on the Lee dies.

And anyone that tells you they can lock their dies in and not make a change don't know what they are talking about. They must never use different brass, heads (bullets) or powder.

Get real, load a dummy round and reset your seating die in 5 seconds if using the same bullet.

For me it's half the fun of reloading to set everything up and insure my setup is exactly what I want it to be. I suppose you could set up a press for each bullet you buy, but I don't have than much room on my work bench. Or want that many sets of dies.

Have fun and stay safe.
Jim

CrustyFN · September 1, 2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

And anyone that tells you they can lock their dies in and not make a change don't know what they are talking about. They must never use different brass, heads (bullets) or powder.

I don't know, just repeating what I hear all other single stage reloaders say they don't like. I don't load single stage. I use Lee dies with the Lee locknuts, no problems.

Quote:

They must never use different brass, heads (bullets) or powder.

I must be doing that wrong also. I have never had to screw a die in or out because I changed powders , brass or bullet type. I use the stem in the top of the die to adjust the seating depth instead. My changes for powder are done in the measure not the die. My sizing die touches the shell holder and all the brass sizes as far down as possible no matter what brand. So yes my dies are locked down and don't change.

Sevens · September 1, 2009, 09:51 PM

The "Lee die lock ring caper" is 90% myth that's spread through forums and 10% reality for the folks who can't figure out how to use them.

Put an index line on the top of the press... put an index line on the die body, line the two up and it's set, exactly as it's always set, every single time. Dead solid perfect, never ever out of adjustment. The rubber ring just lets you snug the die tightly in to it's perfectly indexed spot.

For some reason, most people can't seem to figure this out. When you have a lock ring that is stuck in it's same spot by a set screw, the only thing that is set perfectly is the lock ring to the die. If you can screw the die in with the same strength each time then it's probably back in the same setting you had it. If you screwed it in a little light or a little heavy, then it's a little out of adjustment from the last time you screwed it in.

As for adjusting a die or never adjusting a die -- I do it sometimes. An easy example is the amount of case mouth flare I'll use in a given caliber. If I'm doing cast lead, I tend to use a decent flare. If I'm doing jacketed, I'll use a little less. Full wadcutter in .38 Special and I'm probably using more flare.

Another time you'd obviously adjust a die is when you are switching from .38 to .357, or other multi-calibers that are served by one die set.

kwells6 · September 1, 2009, 09:57 PM

NO!!! Lee dies on a 223 will not HALO the bullet when seating, but RCBS will...

LHB1 · September 1, 2009, 10:05 PM

Me too, Crusty. Gadzooks, have I been doing it wrong by locking the RCBS die adjustments for all these years? Good thing my guns don't know the ammo is loaded wrong. They just keep on shooting, and shooting, and shooting, ...

Sevens · September 1, 2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Me too, Crusty. Gadzooks, have I been doing it wrong by locking the RCBS die adjustments for all these years? Good thing my guns don't know the ammo is loaded wrong. They just keep on shooting, and shooting, and shooting, ...

If someone snuck in to your place and went to your bench and swiped every last one of your RCBS dies and left the exact same caliber dies made by Lee in their place... could you still make ammo that kept on shooting, shooting and shooting? Or would the lack of a set screw have you completely confounded and making a bunch of useless, worthless, unshootable ammo?

LHB1 · September 1, 2009, 10:43 PM

Quote: "Have 12 sets of Lee dies and 3 sets of RCBS (they are the ones that are a pain) Have no problems with the gaskets (o'Rings) on the Lee dies."

Sevens,
The poster referred to both Lee AND RCBS die sets in his post and my post addressed ONLY RCBS dies. To answer your question, I would immediately discard the Lee stuff and replace them with RCBS or Redding dies.

kwells6 · September 1, 2009, 11:07 PM

Lee, RCBS, Redding... all personal preferance...

IMHO, go with Lee, they're CHEAPER and JUST AS GOOD! dispite what others may say...

Wuchak · September 1, 2009, 11:11 PM

Lee's carbide dies for handgun calibers are fantastic. Lots of people with high-dollar presses use Lee dies in them. I think the prevailing opinion is that Lee's dies are better than their presses (which are very good). When I got into reloading I bought all Lee equipment because it was the most inexpensive way to get started and seemed to be well liked. I figured that once I was doing it for a while, if I stuck with it, I could upgrade. It's been 6 years now and I've never felt the need to upgrade. Not saying that the high dollar stuff isn't good, just saying that it's very easy to get consistent rounds loaded with my Lee stuff. I cannot imagine any other stuff doing enough better to justify the obscene prices.

gtullar · September 1, 2009, 11:50 PM

Any opinion on Forster dies? Thinking about a set for .308

Jim243 · September 3, 2009, 06:58 PM

gtullar

How much are the forster dies??

alfack · September 3, 2009, 07:14 PM

I like the Redding dies, especially the competition seaters, and use them on my Dillon. I like the way they have that knurled lock ring, so you don't have to use a giant wrench to tighten them down.

SnakeCharmer · September 4, 2009, 01:48 PM

I personally like Lee dies the best. Now I only load pistol calibers so I cant speak for rifle stuff. I had some RCBS dies before and didn't care for them. Mainly I dont like that you can not charge the case on the expander die. Might be personal preference but the powder through dies work best with my work flow. I have heard people complain about the o-ring on the Lee locknut but it is a non-issue for me. I have a three hole turret press with several turrets and just leave the dies in the turrets. I do things a little different than most because I use a single stage press to resize and decap, hand prime and then expand/charge, seat and crimp on the turret press. I do have to change out the decaping die when changing calibers but it takes all of 10 seconds to set up the die and lock it down so even if I did all my loading on the single stage, it would not be a big problem for me. I mean if your fine with the slow pace of loading on a single stage press, I cant see why a few extra seconds to set the die up would even be worth complaining about. If it is, get the locking rings for all your dies and you are still $ ahead. I would not hesitate to recommend Lee dies. RCBS makes great stuff but I just dont like their dies. Also keep in mind that the Lee die sets come with the shell holder while the RCBS and possibly others do not.

gtullar · September 4, 2009, 09:13 PM

The Forster Ultra Comp Dies are around $89. I ordered a set from Precision Reloading along with the Forster Co-Ax Single Stage Press. I chose these two because of the dual floating guide rods on the press and the elevated expander button that allows better alignment of case and neck, and non-crimping seating die allows the bullet and case to be held in perfect alignment during seating. Big investment but will reload with them for life. Buy right and buy once.

Thanks for the help guys,

August 31, 2009, 06:31 PM	#1
bbbigbossbb Member Join Date: August 19, 2009 Posts: 21	Are reloading dies universal from brand to brand? What I mean is can I use RCBS dies in a Lee Press? I've heard the Lee presses are good, but their dies aren't that great because of some rubber gasket or something, plus everyone I know likes the RCBS or the Dillon. So can I use a different brand die in a Lee Press? Also, can a .44 Magnum chambered gun fire .45 ACP?

August 31, 2009, 06:53 PM	#2
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	Yes you can. The only modern press I know of that takes special dies is the Dillon square deal. As far as dies Lee dies are good dies but if you were going to use them in a single stage press then I would use a different brand lock ring that has a set screw so you won't lose the adjustment when you change dies. I know quite a few people that use Lee dies on their Dillon presses. The other brand dies are also good. Rusty __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

August 31, 2009, 06:59 PM	#3
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	HECK NO! A .44 Magnum chambered handgun cannot fire a .45 Auto round. The .44 uses a .429" projectile and the .45 Auto uses a .452" projectile. And that's just the most basic reason it won't work, there are others. Almost all standard reloading dies fit in most all presses. Two that I can think of offhand that do NOT are the Lyman tong tool dies and the dies that Dillon ships with their Square Deal B reloading machine. (their 550 and 650 and 1050 dies are standard) If you are just getting started, I would recommend that you buy one set of dies from RCBS, then, just for kicks, buy your next caliber from Lee. And see if what you heard is actually true. (I have Lee dies in 12 calibers that I load for...) __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

August 31, 2009, 09:16 PM	#5
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	Thanks Sevens. I missed the part about the 44 mag and 45 acp ( reading too fast ) and was answering the die question. __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

September 1, 2009, 09:51 PM	#9
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	The "Lee die lock ring caper" is 90% myth that's spread through forums and 10% reality for the folks who can't figure out how to use them. Put an index line on the top of the press... put an index line on the die body, line the two up and it's set, exactly as it's always set, every single time. Dead solid perfect, never ever out of adjustment. The rubber ring just lets you snug the die tightly in to it's perfectly indexed spot. For some reason, most people can't seem to figure this out. When you have a lock ring that is stuck in it's same spot by a set screw, the only thing that is set perfectly is the lock ring to the die. If you can screw the die in with the same strength each time then it's probably back in the same setting you had it. If you screwed it in a little light or a little heavy, then it's a little out of adjustment from the last time you screwed it in. As for adjusting a die or never adjusting a die -- I do it sometimes. An easy example is the amount of case mouth flare I'll use in a given caliber. If I'm doing cast lead, I tend to use a decent flare. If I'm doing jacketed, I'll use a little less. Full wadcutter in .38 Special and I'm probably using more flare. Another time you'd obviously adjust a die is when you are switching from .38 to .357, or other multi-calibers that are served by one die set. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

August 31, 2009, 07:19 PM	#4
Farmland Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Posts: 869	For the most part dies are all interchangeable. However you should note some difference if you would want to use Dillon dies on a single stage press. They will not ship with an expanding die. The Dillon system uses the powder funnel to expand the case for the bullet. So you would need an expander die for reloading cases that would need the case expanded. However in general terms the dies can be used in any press other than the ones mentioned. There may be some older presses that may not match up but I will leave that to other to cover if that is that case.

August 31, 2009, 09:33 PM	#6
rn22723 Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2001 Location: Burbs of Minneapolis Posts: 676	Lyman still makes 310 Dies, and they are not compatible withe presses, and Redding Pro Series are like Dillon dies....they swap a crimp die for the expander die.

September 1, 2009, 12:07 AM	#7
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	Have 12 sets of Lee dies and 3 sets of RCBS (they are the ones that are a pain) Have no problems with the gaskets (o'Rings) on the Lee dies. And anyone that tells you they can lock their dies in and not make a change don't know what they are talking about. They must never use different brass, heads (bullets) or powder. Get real, load a dummy round and reset your seating die in 5 seconds if using the same bullet. For me it's half the fun of reloading to set everything up and insure my setup is exactly what I want it to be. I suppose you could set up a press for each bullet you buy, but I don't have than much room on my work bench. Or want that many sets of dies. Have fun and stay safe. Jim

September 1, 2009, 09:57 PM	#10
kwells6 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 437	NO!!! Lee dies on a 223 will not HALO the bullet when seating, but RCBS will... __________________ "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."

September 1, 2009, 10:05 PM	#11
LHB1 Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,545	Me too, Crusty. Gadzooks, have I been doing it wrong by locking the RCBS die adjustments for all these years? Good thing my guns don't know the ammo is loaded wrong. They just keep on shooting, and shooting, and shooting, ... __________________ Good shooting and be safe. LB

September 1, 2009, 10:43 PM	#13
LHB1 Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,545	Quote: "Have 12 sets of Lee dies and 3 sets of RCBS (they are the ones that are a pain) Have no problems with the gaskets (o'Rings) on the Lee dies." Sevens, The poster referred to both Lee AND RCBS die sets in his post and my post addressed ONLY RCBS dies. To answer your question, I would immediately discard the Lee stuff and replace them with RCBS or Redding dies. __________________ Good shooting and be safe. LB

September 1, 2009, 11:07 PM	#14
kwells6 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 437	Lee, RCBS, Redding... all personal preferance... IMHO, go with Lee, they're CHEAPER and JUST AS GOOD! dispite what others may say... __________________ "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."

September 1, 2009, 11:11 PM	#15
Wuchak Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2007 Location: Shawnee, KS Posts: 1,093	Lee's carbide dies for handgun calibers are fantastic. Lots of people with high-dollar presses use Lee dies in them. I think the prevailing opinion is that Lee's dies are better than their presses (which are very good). When I got into reloading I bought all Lee equipment because it was the most inexpensive way to get started and seemed to be well liked. I figured that once I was doing it for a while, if I stuck with it, I could upgrade. It's been 6 years now and I've never felt the need to upgrade. Not saying that the high dollar stuff isn't good, just saying that it's very easy to get consistent rounds loaded with my Lee stuff. I cannot imagine any other stuff doing enough better to justify the obscene prices.

September 1, 2009, 11:50 PM	#16
gtullar Member Join Date: July 25, 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 22	To Die or Not To Die Any opinion on Forster dies? Thinking about a set for .308

September 3, 2009, 06:58 PM	#17
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	gtullar How much are the forster dies??

September 3, 2009, 07:14 PM	#18
alfack Senior Member Join Date: March 4, 2009 Location: Marysville, Washington Posts: 195	I like the Redding dies, especially the competition seaters, and use them on my Dillon. I like the way they have that knurled lock ring, so you don't have to use a giant wrench to tighten them down.

September 4, 2009, 01:48 PM	#19
SnakeCharmer Junior Member Join Date: July 21, 2009 Location: Kansas City, KS Posts: 13	I personally like Lee dies the best. Now I only load pistol calibers so I cant speak for rifle stuff. I had some RCBS dies before and didn't care for them. Mainly I dont like that you can not charge the case on the expander die. Might be personal preference but the powder through dies work best with my work flow. I have heard people complain about the o-ring on the Lee locknut but it is a non-issue for me. I have a three hole turret press with several turrets and just leave the dies in the turrets. I do things a little different than most because I use a single stage press to resize and decap, hand prime and then expand/charge, seat and crimp on the turret press. I do have to change out the decaping die when changing calibers but it takes all of 10 seconds to set up the die and lock it down so even if I did all my loading on the single stage, it would not be a big problem for me. I mean if your fine with the slow pace of loading on a single stage press, I cant see why a few extra seconds to set the die up would even be worth complaining about. If it is, get the locking rings for all your dies and you are still $ ahead. I would not hesitate to recommend Lee dies. RCBS makes great stuff but I just dont like their dies. Also keep in mind that the Lee die sets come with the shell holder while the RCBS and possibly others do not.

September 4, 2009, 09:13 PM	#20
gtullar Member Join Date: July 25, 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 22	How much are the forster dies?? The Forster Ultra Comp Dies are around $89. I ordered a set from Precision Reloading along with the Forster Co-Ax Single Stage Press. I chose these two because of the dual floating guide rods on the press and the elevated expander button that allows better alignment of case and neck, and non-crimping seating die allows the bullet and case to be held in perfect alignment during seating. Big investment but will reload with them for life. Buy right and buy once. Thanks for the help guys,