Used die sets

talkglock · July 9, 2015, 12:34 AM

Any thing wrong with purchasing used die sets? I'm toying with the idea of getting in to reloading pistol rounds.

I don't plan on any precision shooting, simple range ammo in 9, 45 and later maybe 40 and 380.

Any reason not to get sets off ebay or some of the other online sites?

What should I look for when buying used dies should I decide to go that route?
Do dies wear out?

Thank you for your thoughts

Mark

TimW77 · July 9, 2015, 12:51 AM

"Any thing wrong with purchasing used die sets... Any reason not to get sets off ebay or some of the other online sites?"

I've look for reloading equipment on ebay many time...

Almost everything was far too expensive by the time you added in the shipping...

If fact, most of the items I was looking cost more used than new once S&H was added!

"What should I look for when buying used dies should I decide to go that route?"

The main thing I look for is corrosion. Very light surface rust might be ok but any on internal surfaces is not good.

"Do dies wear out?"

After several lifetimes of hard use!

T.

Nathan · July 9, 2015, 01:09 AM

I have had good luck buying and selling used reloading equipment on eBay. Be aware of older incompatible die sets, but generally all have been fine.

hdbiker · July 9, 2015, 09:10 AM

If the sizer isn't scratched,decamping pins and shafts are straight,no rust, they should be fine.1/2 price of new should be fair. hdbiker

snuffy · July 9, 2015, 09:25 AM

Just how would you be able to examine used dies on fleebay? You CAN'T

I bought a used 450 Lyman lead bullet sizer from ebay. Advertised as ready to go right out of the box. Yeah sure it was! Full of some sort of black wax, the piston seals were non-functional, and the pressure screw was stripped. I paid good money for it IF it were actually ready to roll. I had to spend another 30 bucks for parts to get it useable. End game was it now works great, and I paid all told 20% less than a new one.

People lie! Almost everybody gives glowing reports of condition when selling where the buyer cannot examine in person. I will never buy dies or other reloading things from ebay again.

Shootest · July 9, 2015, 09:42 AM

Lee makes good dies that will work great and they don’t cost much. Why bother with used when they might be damaged in some way. A scratched sizer die is useless, why risk it?

wild willy · July 9, 2015, 10:07 AM

In the past I bought quite a few used dies off E-bay never got burnt.Seldom buy anything there now prices are nuts starting bid more than new costs.Not just dies everything on E-bay.Some bargains but nothing like it used to be.

reddog81 · July 9, 2015, 10:29 AM

Lately I've been been buying used RCBS dies off ebay to supplement or replace the LEE dies that I bought new. When you can buy almost new RCBS dies for the same price as LEE i would go that route every time.

All the dies I've bought have worked fine. I go after items that look like they only have light use.

g.willikers · July 9, 2015, 10:49 AM

My experience is that for pistols, Lee dies are plenty good enough.
For most use there's really no reason to spend more.
I have others but there doesn't seem to be any measurable difference for most pistol use between Lee and the others.
For precision shooting, maybe, but otherwise not.

skizzums · July 9, 2015, 11:14 AM

lee makes great pistol die sets for around 30$. if iwas going for presicion rifle ammo i would consider a better name, but all my pistol dies and rifle dies are Lee and i am totally satisfied. i couldn't imagine that another brand would make me a better 9mm bulet, maybe a better .223

mikld · July 9, 2015, 11:19 AM

I used to buy used dies, some from ebay. The last two sets, RCBS pistol dies, I bought from ebay were ruined by a ham fisted gorilla.

The lock rings were tightened down so tight on the press that the die body threads were distorted and the lock ring would not freely screw the length of the die. I had to use a thread file because a thread chaser wouldn't run/clean up the threads. On one set the lock nut corners were rounded off by pliers or vice-grips. All the set screws were tightened too tight, some with the hex socket rounded off and a couple crushed the die body threads underneath so much the lock ring had to be turned with a wrench. I ran a tap through all set screw threads and tossed all the set screws. (I shoulda sent them back, but being a life long machinist/mechanic, I had to fix 'em.) There are way too many fellers out there that don't know how to use hand tools or understand how a lock ring or set screw works to buy a die set sight unseen.

I have purchased used dies, but I held them in my hand first and made sure the previous owner wasn't a "Primitive Pete", that ruined every nut he turned...

For a new to me caliber that I wanna get to reloading in a hurry, I'll just buy a Lee die set...

Dufus · July 9, 2015, 11:23 AM

I needed a 222 Rem seater die. Got one brand new from Flea Bay for 10 bucks. It was a life saver since my die set was incomplete without it.

BUT, the other posters are correct in that you can get screwed if not careful. Research the seller to insure they are credible before you buy.

The guy I bought from was a gun shop owner and selling from his shop.

**44 AMP** · July 9, 2015, 11:43 AM

Dies don't wear out (brass is softer than steel) but they can be damaged or ruined by neglect or abuse.

Buying anything used, sight unseen is ALWAYS a risk.

Dies in the most common calibers are also the most common ones to be screwed up. Ham fisted idiots who damage dies are more likely to be users of the more common calibers. In the less common calibers, and things on the custom die list, its much more likely the previous owner was someone who cared for his equipment properly.

Buying used 9mm dies sight unseen, that wind up costing about the same as new when shipping is figured in, is a waste of your money, due to the potential risk. Spend a few bucks more, get new.

That way, if there is anything wrong, there is no question of warranty support.

Now, if you have a real oddball, one that was on the custom die list 30 years ago, and they stopped making custom dies 10 years ago, and the only "new" ones are those still left on the shelf from those days, and they want $200+ for the sizer die ALONE, used, E-bay/Gunbroker, what have you is the only way to go.

(yes, I have something like that, and did eventually get a full die set off the internet, and despite the auction bidding forcing me to pay more than twice the starting bid, the couple hundred dollars I did spend was a bargain)

talkglock · July 9, 2015, 11:54 AM

I agree with all your posts so far.

I've had good luck with Ebay in the past, but wanted to check with folks on dies since it's a subject I know basically nothing about.

I agree prices are usually close to new items on a lot of sites that sell things and you really have to do your homework before jumping onto something.

I"ll probably just go with new, unless something good comes along, I have a PM to another member here on TFL in response to something he sent me. Will have to see what happens with that.

Thank you again for all thoughts and suggestions.

Mark

T. O'Heir · July 9, 2015, 12:23 PM

The reason not to get sets off E-Bay is the money they give to the people who want to take your firearms away from you. Buying or selling there funds the likes of the Brady Bunch.
If you buy used kit, nothing wrong with it, takes a lot of abuse to damage it, buy RCBS. Their warrantee covers the kit, forever, regardless of who bought it new.

Gunplummer · July 9, 2015, 12:24 PM

I bought new sets on Amazon. If you watch sometimes you can get free shipping. I recently ordered a set and some lube, both shipped free. Hard to beat that with used on the net if you eat the shipping.

talkglock · July 9, 2015, 12:57 PM

hmm I'll see what's up on Amazon, get other stuff from them lol why not dies.

skizzums · July 9, 2015, 01:46 PM

i don't know if your looking to buy a specific brand of dies. but for lee i usually use this website to get a baseline price
https://fsreloading.com/lee-precisio...ger-90509.html

but it's the shipping costs that bug me, so i'll usually shop around for awhile til i find what works out best, some times amazon beats out any online retailer, sometimes it doesn't. if you buy lee, decide if you want a 3-die or a 4-die set, i go for 3-die unless loading for 357/38 or other straight revolver cartridges that are sensitive to case lengths. 9mm/40/45 i don't feel the 4th die is very helpful, but others may, especially if using a prgressive press

Nathan · July 9, 2015, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snuffy

Just how would you be able to examine used dies on fleebay? You CAN'T

I bought a used 450 Lyman lead bullet sizer from ebay. Advertised as ready to go right out of the box. Yeah sure it was! Full of some sort of black wax, the piston seals were non-functional, and the pressure screw was stripped. I paid good money for it IF it were actually ready to roll. I had to spend another 30 bucks for parts to get it useable. End game was it now works great, and I paid all told 20% less than a new one.

People lie! Almost everybody gives glowing reports of condition when selling where the buyer cannot examine in person. I will never buy dies or other reloading things from ebay again.

You do know eBay has what most sellers would term extreme buyer protection right? eBay will get you your money back...well, unless you just don't want your money back. I would say that the days of half price dies are gone though.

I generally expect to pay 80%.

Facebook groups have better deals now.

Doyle · July 9, 2015, 03:25 PM

If you are looking for dies without paying shipping, you have at least 2 good options. First is Amazon where shipping is free with Prime membership. We use Prime a lot, so it is worth it for our family.

If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can get free shipping on RCBS stuff at Walmart.com when you have it shipped to the store for pickup. Prices there seem pretty decent too. I was surprised when I found out how much reloading stuff they carry.

lee n. field · July 9, 2015, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Any thing wrong with purchasing used die sets? I'm toying with the idea of getting in to reloading pistol rounds.

Nothing wrong, as long as they're in good shape, and use the standard threads.

Clark · July 10, 2015, 01:16 AM

I have bought a couple hundred used dies off Ebay.

What is surprising is how old the date codes are on RCBS dies.

People have been reloading for a long time.

FrankenMauser · July 10, 2015, 06:23 AM

I generally try to buy new, but I have picked up a few sets of used dies, over the years.

If I have a chance to inspect them, then there's very little risk.

If I don't have a chance to inspect them, then the price has to be low enough for the risk to be worthwhile. (Which it never is, in my opinion, on auction sites.)

About 5 years ago, I bought two sets of .223 Remington dies from a local guy that kept getting cases stuck so hard in the sizing die that he couldn't get anything to pull (or push) them back out. Before committing to the deal, I already knew that he had taken a torch to one of the dies, in an attempt to "solder" the stuck case to another piece of brass (to pull it out with pliers

). In doing so, he just filled the die up with solder and semi-permanently fixed the case and expander in place.

But, had it been a sight-unseen purchase, I would have been EXTREMELY mad if a die advertised as having a stuck case turned out to be a die with a case soldered in place. ...Even at $15 total for both sets of dies.

(I got one case out with barely any effort. The one full of solder got sent to RCBS with the $7 'stuck case' fee and a note explaining exactly what had been done. They kept the check, but sent me a new die and extra storage box.

)

There's always some risk with used dies. Even if you can inspect them before buying, you may later discover that the .270 Winchester sizing die actually has a .25 caliber expander in it. Or, the dies might look great, but end up scratching your brass.
You never know.

But, if the price is right, it's a risk that I'm willing to take. ...Except with Lee dies. Their warranty is crap, and most of their dies are bad when they leave the factory.

(The usual suspects will now jump all over that and call me a snob, but that opinion is based on experience with Lee dies - not an unfounded desire to pay more for a tool, as the "anti-snob" crowd loves to accuse.)

Rottweiler · July 10, 2015, 07:00 AM

Asking if there is anything wrong with purchasing used die sets is like asking iv there is anything wrong with buying a used car. You take your chances.

Dies are much simpler than automobiles and much less likely to have issues.

ALSO, you will get better product support from any die manufacturer than you will from any car manufacturer if you do have an issue with their product, new or used.

TimSr · July 10, 2015, 07:03 AM

I've bought several sets of used dies at gun shows over the years. If the price was too tempting, and it was a more popular caliber that I "might need" or that a friend shot, I would buy.

July 9, 2015, 12:34 AM	#1
talkglock Member Join Date: May 11, 2012 Posts: 19	Used die sets Any thing wrong with purchasing used die sets? I'm toying with the idea of getting in to reloading pistol rounds. I don't plan on any precision shooting, simple range ammo in 9, 45 and later maybe 40 and 380. Any reason not to get sets off ebay or some of the other online sites? What should I look for when buying used dies should I decide to go that route? Do dies wear out? Thank you for your thoughts Mark

July 9, 2015, 12:51 AM	#2
TimW77 Senior Member Join Date: September 21, 2008 Posts: 485	Used die sets "Any thing wrong with purchasing used die sets... Any reason not to get sets off ebay or some of the other online sites?" I've look for reloading equipment on ebay many time... Almost everything was far too expensive by the time you added in the shipping... If fact, most of the items I was looking cost more used than new once S&H was added! "What should I look for when buying used dies should I decide to go that route?" The main thing I look for is corrosion. Very light surface rust might be ok but any on internal surfaces is not good. "Do dies wear out?" After several lifetimes of hard use! T.

July 9, 2015, 09:10 AM	#4
hdbiker Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2012 Posts: 297	used reloading dies If the sizer isn't scratched,decamping pins and shafts are straight,no rust, they should be fine.1/2 price of new should be fair. hdbiker

July 9, 2015, 09:25 AM	#5
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Just how would you be able to examine used dies on fleebay? You CAN'T I bought a used 450 Lyman lead bullet sizer from ebay. Advertised as ready to go right out of the box. Yeah sure it was! Full of some sort of black wax, the piston seals were non-functional, and the pressure screw was stripped. I paid good money for it IF it were actually ready to roll. I had to spend another 30 bucks for parts to get it useable. End game was it now works great, and I paid all told 20% less than a new one. People lie! Almost everybody gives glowing reports of condition when selling where the buyer cannot examine in person. I will never buy dies or other reloading things from ebay again. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

July 9, 2015, 09:42 AM	#6
Shootest Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2011 Location: Just outside Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 722	Lee makes good dies that will work great and they don’t cost much. Why bother with used when they might be damaged in some way. A scratched sizer die is useless, why risk it? __________________ The private ownership of firearms is an American Heritage. Anyone who disputes that is Anti-American and unpatriotic. NRA Life Member

July 9, 2015, 01:09 AM	#3
Nathan Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 6,331	I have had good luck buying and selling used reloading equipment on eBay. Be aware of older incompatible die sets, but generally all have been fine.

July 9, 2015, 10:07 AM	#7
wild willy Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Posts: 404	In the past I bought quite a few used dies off E-bay never got burnt.Seldom buy anything there now prices are nuts starting bid more than new costs.Not just dies everything on E-bay.Some bargains but nothing like it used to be.

July 9, 2015, 10:29 AM	#8
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	Lately I've been been buying used RCBS dies off ebay to supplement or replace the LEE dies that I bought new. When you can buy almost new RCBS dies for the same price as LEE i would go that route every time. All the dies I've bought have worked fine. I go after items that look like they only have light use.

July 9, 2015, 10:49 AM	#9
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	My experience is that for pistols, Lee dies are plenty good enough. For most use there's really no reason to spend more. I have others but there doesn't seem to be any measurable difference for most pistol use between Lee and the others. For precision shooting, maybe, but otherwise not. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

July 9, 2015, 11:14 AM	#10
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	lee makes great pistol die sets for around 30$. if iwas going for presicion rifle ammo i would consider a better name, but all my pistol dies and rifle dies are Lee and i am totally satisfied. i couldn't imagine that another brand would make me a better 9mm bulet, maybe a better .223 __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

July 9, 2015, 11:19 AM	#11
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	I used to buy used dies, some from ebay. The last two sets, RCBS pistol dies, I bought from ebay were ruined by a ham fisted gorilla. The lock rings were tightened down so tight on the press that the die body threads were distorted and the lock ring would not freely screw the length of the die. I had to use a thread file because a thread chaser wouldn't run/clean up the threads. On one set the lock nut corners were rounded off by pliers or vice-grips. All the set screws were tightened too tight, some with the hex socket rounded off and a couple crushed the die body threads underneath so much the lock ring had to be turned with a wrench. I ran a tap through all set screw threads and tossed all the set screws. (I shoulda sent them back, but being a life long machinist/mechanic, I had to fix 'em.) There are way too many fellers out there that don't know how to use hand tools or understand how a lock ring or set screw works to buy a die set sight unseen. I have purchased used dies, but I held them in my hand first and made sure the previous owner wasn't a "Primitive Pete", that ruined every nut he turned... For a new to me caliber that I wanna get to reloading in a hurry, I'll just buy a Lee die set... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

July 9, 2015, 11:23 AM	#12
Dufus Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2014 Posts: 1,965	I needed a 222 Rem seater die. Got one brand new from Flea Bay for 10 bucks. It was a life saver since my die set was incomplete without it. BUT, the other posters are correct in that you can get screwed if not careful. Research the seller to insure they are credible before you buy. The guy I bought from was a gun shop owner and selling from his shop.

July 9, 2015, 11:43 AM	#13
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,832	Dies don't wear out (brass is softer than steel) but they can be damaged or ruined by neglect or abuse. Buying anything used, sight unseen is ALWAYS a risk. Dies in the most common calibers are also the most common ones to be screwed up. Ham fisted idiots who damage dies are more likely to be users of the more common calibers. In the less common calibers, and things on the custom die list, its much more likely the previous owner was someone who cared for his equipment properly. Buying used 9mm dies sight unseen, that wind up costing about the same as new when shipping is figured in, is a waste of your money, due to the potential risk. Spend a few bucks more, get new. That way, if there is anything wrong, there is no question of warranty support. Now, if you have a real oddball, one that was on the custom die list 30 years ago, and they stopped making custom dies 10 years ago, and the only "new" ones are those still left on the shelf from those days, and they want $200+ for the sizer die ALONE, used, E-bay/Gunbroker, what have you is the only way to go. (yes, I have something like that, and did eventually get a full die set off the internet, and despite the auction bidding forcing me to pay more than twice the starting bid, the couple hundred dollars I did spend was a bargain) __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

July 9, 2015, 11:54 AM	#14
talkglock Member Join Date: May 11, 2012 Posts: 19	I agree with all your posts so far. I've had good luck with Ebay in the past, but wanted to check with folks on dies since it's a subject I know basically nothing about. I agree prices are usually close to new items on a lot of sites that sell things and you really have to do your homework before jumping onto something. I"ll probably just go with new, unless something good comes along, I have a PM to another member here on TFL in response to something he sent me. Will have to see what happens with that. Thank you again for all thoughts and suggestions. Mark

July 9, 2015, 12:23 PM	#15
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	The reason not to get sets off E-Bay is the money they give to the people who want to take your firearms away from you. Buying or selling there funds the likes of the Brady Bunch. If you buy used kit, nothing wrong with it, takes a lot of abuse to damage it, buy RCBS. Their warrantee covers the kit, forever, regardless of who bought it new. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

July 9, 2015, 12:24 PM	#16
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I bought new sets on Amazon. If you watch sometimes you can get free shipping. I recently ordered a set and some lube, both shipped free. Hard to beat that with used on the net if you eat the shipping.

July 9, 2015, 12:57 PM	#17
talkglock Member Join Date: May 11, 2012 Posts: 19	hmm I'll see what's up on Amazon, get other stuff from them lol why not dies.

July 9, 2015, 01:46 PM	#18
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	i don't know if your looking to buy a specific brand of dies. but for lee i usually use this website to get a baseline price https://fsreloading.com/lee-precisio...ger-90509.html but it's the shipping costs that bug me, so i'll usually shop around for awhile til i find what works out best, some times amazon beats out any online retailer, sometimes it doesn't. if you buy lee, decide if you want a 3-die or a 4-die set, i go for 3-die unless loading for 357/38 or other straight revolver cartridges that are sensitive to case lengths. 9mm/40/45 i don't feel the 4th die is very helpful, but others may, especially if using a prgressive press __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

July 9, 2015, 03:25 PM	#20
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	If you are looking for dies without paying shipping, you have at least 2 good options. First is Amazon where shipping is free with Prime membership. We use Prime a lot, so it is worth it for our family. If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can get free shipping on RCBS stuff at Walmart.com when you have it shipped to the store for pickup. Prices there seem pretty decent too. I was surprised when I found out how much reloading stuff they carry.

July 10, 2015, 01:16 AM	#22
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I have bought a couple hundred used dies off Ebay. What is surprising is how old the date codes are on RCBS dies. People have been reloading for a long time. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

July 10, 2015, 06:23 AM	#23
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	I generally try to buy new, but I have picked up a few sets of used dies, over the years. If I have a chance to inspect them, then there's very little risk. If I don't have a chance to inspect them, then the price has to be low enough for the risk to be worthwhile. (Which it never is, in my opinion, on auction sites.) About 5 years ago, I bought two sets of .223 Remington dies from a local guy that kept getting cases stuck so hard in the sizing die that he couldn't get anything to pull (or push) them back out. Before committing to the deal, I already knew that he had taken a torch to one of the dies, in an attempt to "solder" the stuck case to another piece of brass (to pull it out with pliers ). In doing so, he just filled the die up with solder and semi-permanently fixed the case and expander in place. But, had it been a sight-unseen purchase, I would have been EXTREMELY mad if a die advertised as having a stuck case turned out to be a die with a case soldered in place. ...Even at $15 total for both sets of dies. (I got one case out with barely any effort. The one full of solder got sent to RCBS with the $7 'stuck case' fee and a note explaining exactly what had been done. They kept the check, but sent me a new die and extra storage box. ) There's always some risk with used dies. Even if you can inspect them before buying, you may later discover that the .270 Winchester sizing die actually has a .25 caliber expander in it. Or, the dies might look great, but end up scratching your brass. You never know. But, if the price is right, it's a risk that I'm willing to take. ...Except with Lee dies. Their warranty is crap, and most of their dies are bad when they leave the factory. (The usual suspects will now jump all over that and call me a snob, but that opinion is based on experience with Lee dies - not an unfounded desire to pay more for a tool, as the "anti-snob" crowd loves to accuse.) __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

July 10, 2015, 07:00 AM	#24
Rottweiler Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2001 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 391	Asking if there is anything wrong with purchasing used die sets is like asking iv there is anything wrong with buying a used car. You take your chances. Dies are much simpler than automobiles and much less likely to have issues. ALSO, you will get better product support from any die manufacturer than you will from any car manufacturer if you do have an issue with their product, new or used. __________________ Texas - envied by lesser states since 1845

July 10, 2015, 07:03 AM	#25
TimSr Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2013 Location: Rittman, Ohio Posts: 2,074	I've bought several sets of used dies at gun shows over the years. If the price was too tempting, and it was a more popular caliber that I "might need" or that a friend shot, I would buy.