Which dies to get?

[Texas42]

I'm new to reloading and I am not sure which brand of dies is the best for the money.

I am gettting (eventually) a Lyman turret press. Oh, I plan to load pistols now and rifles later.

 

[jasont]

Best for the money would be Lee. I have a few Redding and RCBS dies for special things but the majority of what I reload with is Lee.

 

[TSU45]

I'm new to reloading and I am not sure which brand of dies is the best for the money.

I am gettting (eventually) a Lyman turret press. Oh, I plan to load pistols now and rifles later.

Any dies you get will be just fine. I think Lee makes the best FOR THE MONEY. Spring for the carbides if you can, they are worth it if your reloading a bunch of pistol. With all my reloading equipment, I usually buy the best deal I can find. I have Lee, RCBS, and Forster dies.

 

[Millerwb]

I use Lee Dies. Best bang for the buck!

 

[wshbrngr]

Well, I have a Hornady press and use Hornady dies. (They just feel right).

Plus I got 100 bullets with each die set (for $6.95)

I do use the Lee universal decapping die and a couple of Lee FCD and they work well. (and I like the price).

 

[Leper]

I like the Dillon dies.

 

[robocop10mm]

I use RCBS, Lyman, Lee, and Dillon dies. For pistol loading get what ever you want as along as it is carbide. Don't waste your time and money on non-carbide pistol dies. For rifle, It depends on what your end product expectation is. For everyday and basic hunting ammo, any of the above will do just fine.

If you realistically want to take bambi head shots at 400 or gophers at 250, look into the more expensive (premium) neck sizing, collet sizing, micrometer seating dies sets.

 

[Old Man of the Mountain]

I use Lee Dies. Best bang for the buck!

+ 1

No doubt about it!

 

[ta6ppc]

match grade stuff redding bushing dies
reg. stuff hornady these have a really nice seating die that holds your bullet on the up stroke

 

[87'vette]

Dies

LEE! I reload for .40 and 10mm, never had any issues with lee. Great value to boot!

 

[phatcyclist]

I have RCBS, Lee and even some old Herters dies. I can't say anything bad about any of them.

 

[texgs]

+1 for Lee dies. I have used Lee,RCBS and Hornady. I always go back to using the Lee dies.

 

[Texshooter]

I like RCBS and Lee. I've used Hornady seating dies for 9mm, .44, and .45 Colt and I would get widely varying OAL.

Tex

 

[GlockGuy]

Lee dies is the best way to go.

 

[lonewolf23c]

Why carbide dies? If you take care of your equipment won't regular dies last just as long? I haven't bought dies yet so I'm just wondering why spend the extra $$$ on carbide? Brass is a light weight metal, and unless the dies are brass too, then I don't see why there would be an issue. Or is a matter of preference?

 

[Charley]

Why carbide dies? If you take care of your equipment won't regular dies last just as long? I haven't bought dies yet so I'm just wondering why spend the extra $$$ on carbide? Brass is a light weight metal, and unless the dies are brass too, then I don't see why there would be an issue. Or is a matter of preference?

Carbide dies don't require as much lube* as steel dies, well worth the extra money. This is for straight walled handgun cases only. Carbide bottleneck rifle dies are for wear resistance, and unless you load commercially, I doubt you would ever see a return on investment.


* Yep, you should lube your cases when sizing in carbide, most die manufactureres tell you to lightly lube every 5th case or so. Nobody does it, for the most part!

 

[jakethebrake99]

I am new to reloading and would appreciate any help I can get. I want to reload 9mm, and 45 autos. What do I need to get this done, and where to purchase from. Thanks.

 

[lonewolf23c]

Carbide dies don't require as much lube* as steel dies, well worth the extra money. This is for straight walled handgun cases only. Carbide bottleneck rifle dies are for wear resistance, and unless you load commercially, I doubt you would ever see a return on investment.


* Yep, you should lube your cases when sizing in carbide, most die manufactureres tell you to lightly lube every 5th case or so. Nobody does it, for the most part!

Thanks for the information. I'll look for carbide dies then.

Bill

 

[redintex]

+1 for the carbide dies. I prefer Dillon or Redding - mostly Dillon. They are a bit more expensive, but well worth it in my opinion.

redintex

 

[Old Man of the Mountain]

Lubing cases will reduce wear on the die, but the main reason that folks lube their cases is to prevent having the case get stuck in a die.

What I found from my personal experience, is that a case will not get stuck unless the brass is very hard from being work hardened.

After the last couple of cases that I got stuck in a die, I finally started doing what I had been taught to do, which was called "annealing", but after I researched that a bit I found out that what I was taught is not actually annealing, but rather tempering, but it works perfect for brass cases, and it extends their life as well.

This is not the best video in the world, but this is how I soften up the brass on my rifle cases.

YouTube - How I Anneal Brass