dies for 223 rem

turkeybuzzard · January 29, 2012, 01:56 PM

I need a set of dies for my 223. I have always used rcbs and dillon dies. Are lee dies just as good, they sure are cheaper. I will be shooting a bolt action rem vs sf. I mostly shoot targets but every now and then a coyote. I neck size and full length when they get hard to chamber in my 22-250.

m&p45acp10+1 · January 29, 2012, 02:03 PM

For a bolt action the Lee Deluxe die set weill do everything you need for .223 Rem. My RCBS dies have been used twice in over a year. They still sit in my cabinet. The Lee dies do everything I need. The Collet die is worht its weight in gold. No case prep required other than the standard measuring for length, and a paper clip test for seperation. No cleaning or lubing required saves me time to do other things. Like loading for my hand gun rounds.

Note I bought the RCBS dies due to the fact that I did not have the Lee dies available at the time. I used the RCBS Small Base Die set twice for the week I was waiting on the Lee dies.

PA-Joe · January 29, 2012, 05:02 PM

You can get a Hornady and they send you 100 bullets. That is a 15.00 savings.

homesick · January 29, 2012, 05:28 PM

I have a set of Lee Deluxe dies I bought new at our gun range swap meet for $10.00, I have a set of RCBS dies I bought in 1974 which are very well used and retired. I bought the lee dies a couple years ago and have found them to be excellent easy to adjust smooth as silk. IMO you can't go wrong with them.

chris in va · January 29, 2012, 07:25 PM

No problems with my 223 dies. Thousands reloaded.

mrawesome22 · January 29, 2012, 07:57 PM

I own a Lee collet die.

It wears a Hornady ring. Lee rings are a bad joke imo.

turkeybuzzard · January 29, 2012, 08:41 PM

Thanks to all, guess I will have to try me a set of the lee deluxe dies.

10-96 · January 30, 2012, 12:47 AM

I have several Lee die sets, and for the most part they've been great. My only two gripes are the rubber ring on the bottom of the lock ring. I have no idea how far I'm s'posed to squoosh that thing down. For that, I always end up buying a set of RCBS or Hornady lockrings so they'll bottom out metal to metal. I'm probably the only guy in the world who worries over such an issue.

The other problem is the Lee .223 dies set I started out with leaves my shoulder set too long. Since it's the set I started out with- I thought the fault was mine and I just sucked at reloading. So I suffered with quite difficult to chamber (close bolt) rounds for several years. On a whim and rich feeling day, I ordered a set of RCBS's and lo and behold my length woes were cured. Bear in mind- Lee makes some great dies and I honestly think the chance of you getting a bum set like mine are very very remote.

larzb93 · January 30, 2012, 08:42 AM

my gunsmith recommended the redding 223 dies and i have had ZERO issues so far.

Jim243 · January 30, 2012, 11:40 AM

The Lee dies will work fine for a bolt action rifle. The Deluxe die set has the Collet die included with it.

Jim

oldreloader · January 30, 2012, 11:14 PM

The Lee Deluxe set was what I bought and I have been satisfied with it

Sport45 · January 31, 2012, 09:15 AM

Quote:

You can get a Hornady and they send you 100 bullets. That is a 15.00 savings.

Yeah, but the .224 bullets are only worth about $10 and they charge $7 to ship the free bullets to you. So, for .224 bullets its only a $3 savings. It might be a bit more for some of the other bullets they offer in the deal, but not a whole lot..

I use a Lee set and don't have any complaints.

COSteve · January 31, 2012, 10:59 AM

For necked rifle calibers such as .223, I like a combo of Lee Pacemaker for their bullet seating and FCD die but then a Dillon resizing / decapping die. Dillon uses a carbide expander button on their steel resizing dies so that's better than the steel expanders in that I don't have to lube the inside of the case, but I like Lee's hand adjustable knurled knob on their bullet seater better than Dillon's wrench adjustable one. Best of all, the combination costs less than a full set of Dillon dies.

I don't use Lee's rubber o ring jam nuts but rather I buy packs of Dillon's 1" nuts so that I can use a 1" wrench on them.

For Pistol calibers, the Lee Deluxe Carbide 4 die sets are my favorite and they've given me great service for 10s and 10s of thousand of rounds with them.

LarryFlew · February 1, 2012, 09:42 AM

Like my Lees and that is all I have left at this time - sold the rest.

January 29, 2012, 01:56 PM	#1
turkeybuzzard Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 78	dies for 223 rem I need a set of dies for my 223. I have always used rcbs and dillon dies. Are lee dies just as good, they sure are cheaper. I will be shooting a bolt action rem vs sf. I mostly shoot targets but every now and then a coyote. I neck size and full length when they get hard to chamber in my 22-250.

January 29, 2012, 02:03 PM	#2
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	For a bolt action the Lee Deluxe die set weill do everything you need for .223 Rem. My RCBS dies have been used twice in over a year. They still sit in my cabinet. The Lee dies do everything I need. The Collet die is worht its weight in gold. No case prep required other than the standard measuring for length, and a paper clip test for seperation. No cleaning or lubing required saves me time to do other things. Like loading for my hand gun rounds. Note I bought the RCBS dies due to the fact that I did not have the Lee dies available at the time. I used the RCBS Small Base Die set twice for the week I was waiting on the Lee dies. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

January 30, 2012, 12:47 AM	#8
10-96 Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Tx Panhandle Territory Posts: 4,159	I have several Lee die sets, and for the most part they've been great. My only two gripes are the rubber ring on the bottom of the lock ring. I have no idea how far I'm s'posed to squoosh that thing down. For that, I always end up buying a set of RCBS or Hornady lockrings so they'll bottom out metal to metal. I'm probably the only guy in the world who worries over such an issue. The other problem is the Lee .223 dies set I started out with leaves my shoulder set too long. Since it's the set I started out with- I thought the fault was mine and I just sucked at reloading. So I suffered with quite difficult to chamber (close bolt) rounds for several years. On a whim and rich feeling day, I ordered a set of RCBS's and lo and behold my length woes were cured. Bear in mind- Lee makes some great dies and I honestly think the chance of you getting a bum set like mine are very very remote. __________________ Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day) I suspect a thing or two... because I've seen a thing or two.

January 30, 2012, 11:40 AM	#10
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	The Lee dies will work fine for a bolt action rifle. The Deluxe die set has the Collet die included with it. Jim __________________ Si vis pacem, para bellum

January 29, 2012, 05:02 PM	#3
PA-Joe Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: NEPA Posts: 909	You can get a Hornady and they send you 100 bullets. That is a 15.00 savings.

January 29, 2012, 05:28 PM	#4
homesick Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2011 Location: Central Florida Posts: 378	I have a set of Lee Deluxe dies I bought new at our gun range swap meet for $10.00, I have a set of RCBS dies I bought in 1974 which are very well used and retired. I bought the lee dies a couple years ago and have found them to be excellent easy to adjust smooth as silk. IMO you can't go wrong with them.

January 29, 2012, 07:25 PM	#5
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	No problems with my 223 dies. Thousands reloaded.

January 29, 2012, 07:57 PM	#6
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	I own a Lee collet die. It wears a Hornady ring. Lee rings are a bad joke imo.

January 29, 2012, 08:41 PM	#7
turkeybuzzard Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 78	Thanks to all, guess I will have to try me a set of the lee deluxe dies.

January 30, 2012, 08:42 AM	#9
larzb93 Member Join Date: December 20, 2011 Location: North Western PA Posts: 53	my gunsmith recommended the redding 223 dies and i have had ZERO issues so far.

January 30, 2012, 11:14 PM	#11
oldreloader Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2009 Location: Magnolia, Arkansas Posts: 251	The Lee Deluxe set was what I bought and I have been satisfied with it

January 31, 2012, 10:59 AM	#13
COSteve Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2009 Posts: 1,344	For necked rifle calibers such as .223, I like a combo of Lee Pacemaker for their bullet seating and FCD die but then a Dillon resizing / decapping die. Dillon uses a carbide expander button on their steel resizing dies so that's better than the steel expanders in that I don't have to lube the inside of the case, but I like Lee's hand adjustable knurled knob on their bullet seater better than Dillon's wrench adjustable one. Best of all, the combination costs less than a full set of Dillon dies. I don't use Lee's rubber o ring jam nuts but rather I buy packs of Dillon's 1" nuts so that I can use a 1" wrench on them. For Pistol calibers, the Lee Deluxe Carbide 4 die sets are my favorite and they've given me great service for 10s and 10s of thousand of rounds with them.

February 1, 2012, 09:42 AM	#14
LarryFlew Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2009 Location: Minnesota CZ fan Posts: 902	Like my Lees and that is all I have left at this time - sold the rest.