Lee loader dies question?

[FullCry]

Considering the Lee carbide die sets...three and four set does the fourth die made to add the factory crimp really help the load or is this just preference. Chime in and give me some good responses. Thanks gents, FullCry

[gregjc9]

As a new reloader, I did a lot of reseach and thought the FCD in the Lee 4 die kit would be well worth it. There have been a lot of conflicting viewpoints on the merits of the FCD, a search here should turn up a lot of good reading. I suppose the longer you reload and the more knowledgable you become, the less important an FCD becomes. But for me, at this stage in my reloading, it affords me some added peace of mind.

[Sevens]

There's no argument that the Lee FCD does something that no other die does-- it post-sizes a loaded round. And you'll find plenty of folks who feel like they get great performance from it and I would guess that most of those folks are using it in .45 and other semi-auto chamberings.

But there's also a loyal faction of us out here who have been loading quality ammo for years and years without having one and some of us wonder out loud what must have been going wrong with your ammo that you need or benefit from a loaded rounded sizing die.*

I've also seen the argument that post sizing loaded rounds is never going to be a good idea because the die squeezes down brass (which is springy and rebounds) and also sizes down a bullet (which is NOT springy and will NOT rebound) and what you may end up with is lost case mouth tension... which is pretty much critical when building semi-auto ammo.

For the extra money, it's not a whole lot to simply buy the four die set. But I'd suggest you try to build your ammo without using it.

*Just for the record (and because it IS relevant), I'm a big BIG proponent of many Lee tools and I use their dies almost exclusively. I load some 7 different handgun calibers and still don't own a carbide FCD, nor have I ever used one. So it's not brand bashing, I just haven't felt the need for the FCD.

[scouty]

FullCry, I've got a set of 9mm and a set of .38 spl, 4 die sets. I've only been reloading for a few months. I've got no complaints, I really enjoy the equipment I've gotten from Lee. Good quality, easy to use and the Lee website has some good videos on set-up. Good luck have fun and stay safe.

[Jkwas]

I think it's nice to have the FCD when starting out, but once you figure out what you're doing it becomes less important, expecially if you're using a simple roll crimp for example. It is nice to have though.

[spacecoast]

I've been using the FCD for .380, 9mm and .45, with a hand press, and once in a while (10%?) I find that in addition to crimping it feels as if the FCD is doing a little squeezing on the case itself on the way down to the crimp. Whether or not those rounds would have fed normally were they not squeezed is something I'll never know. It seems like a quick and easy way to minimize problems. There's nothing more annoying than failures to feed/eject !

[Kawabuggy]

You guys are also over-looking another facet of what the LFCD is good for. Some slow burning powders require a higher start pressure to properly ignite and burn. Having the crimp in place actually helps to build that pressure before the bullet is released.

Further, there is an independent test that has been performed, and the results posted, that PROVE that crimping rounds (in some rifles, and in some calibers) improves accuracy.

I say if you are not sure whether this can be beneficial to you, maybe you should try loading 10 identical rounds, crimp 5, leave 5 un-crimped, and then take them to the range and do a personal comparison. Maybe you'll see what I have seen-better accuracy. I do presently crimp for all of my rifle rounds, and some of my pistol rounds.

I load for my .45ACP (1911), and had never had a problem NOT CRIMPING until I started loading some Nosler 185 grain semi-jacketed hollow points, with a fairly hot load. The gun immediately started jamming as a result of the bullets moving forward in the magazine, and then as a result of the now longer bullets, were hanging up in the magazine. Once I started crimping those rounds, the problem went away immediately.

Crimping does have a place in reloading. It's up to you to decide where & when to apply the technology.

[FullCry]

Thanks for taking all the time to give me input gents. I think I'll get the four die set as most say and try it out for sure. FullCry

[jimbob86]

I bought my first Factory Crimp Die for my .270....... it reduced the SD and tightened up up the groups of my handloads..... I liked that.


Recently, I started loading for 9mm. I was having a problem with a few bullets not seating squarely with the case, causing a slight bulge on one side. Someone recomended the Factory Crimp Die as a fix for this. It worked.

[Don P]

I factory crimp all my reloads, 38spl/357mag,9mm,40S&W, 45acp

[wncchester]

Lee's crimp die with it's 'post crimping' size ring does nothing IF everything is good, zero effect on anything.

So, anyone who never gets a thick walled case or incorrect diameter bullets and never bulges a case when crimping a case that's a bit long will do no better with a Lee FCD than any other crimper. But, if/when any one of those shows up, only the FCD will insure the round will still chamber.

[ka041a]

When I use a bullet that has no cannelure in 45colt cartridges, the Factory Crimp Die allows me to put a crimp on the cartidge which I would otherwise have to use a taper crimp and I'm not sure if that would serve the purpose in a revolver. Also, the FCD puts avery nice looking, light crimp on any cartridge.

[NCMountain]

I agree that the FCD gives the finished product not only a nice appearance but gives me piece of mind that the bullet is crimped to allow proper pressure as well to build before release.

I personally have no experience with other dies by other makers. But to this point, I don't need to have any because my Lee carbide dies work like a champ and I believe that says alot.