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  • rp-

    TGT Addict
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    14   0   0
    Apr 11, 2010
    3,250
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    Never heard of "Good" dies before. But Lee are quality dies same as the rest. Read their guarantee.

    Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
    Hurley's Gold
     

    Deavis

    Active Member
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    1   0   0
    Oct 20, 2011
    827
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    Austin
    Never heard of "Good" dies before. But Lee are quality dies same as the rest. Read their guarantee.

    Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

    In all fairness, they are not all the same. I would never put Lee dies in the same category as Redding Pro Competition dies. It isnt even close but the price delta is significant and that's like comparing a bade model Honda and a loaded BMW. Even "good" dies can be different, the tungsten carbide ring on a Redding is so slick compared to a standard carbide ring or even a TiC coated Hornady carbide ring.

    That being said, my processors use Lee dies and I get a million rounds before they show even a couple thousandths wear. Base model quality is Lee's game. My one beef with Lee is that a lot of guys use their FCD pistol dies as crutch to cover up poor practices prior to seating and crimp.
     

    rp-

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Apr 11, 2010
    3,250
    96
    converse
    In all fairness, they are not all the same. I would never put Lee dies in the same category as Redding Pro Competition dies. It isnt even close but the price delta is significant and that's like comparing a bade model Honda and a loaded BMW. Even "good" dies can be different, the tungsten carbide ring on a Redding is so slick compared to a standard carbide ring or even a TiC coated Hornady carbide ring.

    That being said, my processors use Lee dies and I get a million rounds before they show even a couple thousandths wear. Base model quality is Lee's game. My one beef with Lee is that a lot of guys use their FCD pistol dies as crutch to cover up poor practices prior to seating and crimp.

    Well, your right... I'm nowhere near fancy enough to need competition or gold medal dies yet but there may be a day that I need them. I meant more between base model. I've used them all and they all work the same for me. I prefer the Lee pistol dies because of the powder through expander on the pro1000 but that's just preference. I did like the Hornady dies with the floating seating stem but I don't use them anymore because of the Lee powder dies.

    As for the Lee factory crimp, I think I know what you mean. I see lots of people in the Facebook groups that throw that out for everything. It's kind of annoying when a guy has a ripped open case and they're telling him to "run it through a FCD and it'll be fine."

    Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
     

    TheMailMan

    TGT Addict
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    4   0   0
    Dec 3, 2015
    3,428
    96
    North of Kaufman
    I like the guys who run their lead bullet pistol loads through a carbide FCD the complain about the leading.

    When you try and explain the problem they always fall back to they can't get their rounds to chamber if they don't use the crutch. Instead of solving the problem they just put a band aid on it.
     

    unicom

    Well-Known
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    0   0   0
    May 19, 2016
    1,265
    96
    Thanks again for the recommendation on the lee reloading manual. I’m almost done with chapter 2 and am learning a lot


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    rotor

    TGT Addict
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    0   0   0
    Nov 1, 2015
    4,239
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    Texas
    I have been reloading for about 10 years and am not an "expert" but there are some things we all should do and number one is wear eye protection when reloading. Obviously, don't smoke. Ear protection yes-maybe, I don't. If you use corn cob media or walnut to clean your brass I do it outside as there is lead that can get aerosol borne. Wash your hands after reloading, don't vacuum spilled powder, don't let people interrupt you when reloading. I have 4 different reloading books, they all have different values for the same bullet, use safety when you decide which to use. You won't believe how different the numbers are. Win 231 and HP 38 are the same powder but you will see different numbers even for the same bullet in the same load. I personally use a case gauge for everything I load. Case gauges help you set your dies. In pistol they are essentially ammo testers as well but not so for rifle. There are ammo checkers out there for many rifle calibers as well. Some people think the barrel test is enough. This is a great hobby and for rifle will save you money. You will get tried of single stage loading after awhile and then comes the possible big money. I use a single stage like yours and a Lee turret. Meets all of my needs. I don't shoot enough for a progressive press. As far as primers, for rifle and pistol I think you can choose the brand you want, I personally use CCI and Winchester. I do occasional shotgun reloading and here you must use the primer brand specified in the load data.
     

    unicom

    Well-Known
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    0   0   0
    May 19, 2016
    1,265
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    I don’t shoot enough to really warrant hand loading. But I have always wanted try it. It may be my thing or like guitars just something else to collect dust and rarely use.


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    TheMailMan

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Dec 3, 2015
    3,428
    96
    North of Kaufman
    I have been reloading for about 10 years and am not an "expert" but there are some things we all should do and number one is wear eye protection when reloading. Obviously, don't smoke. Ear protection yes-maybe, I don't. If you use corn cob media or walnut to clean your brass I do it outside as there is lead that can get aerosol borne. Wash your hands after reloading, don't vacuum spilled powder, don't let people interrupt you when reloading. I have 4 different reloading books, they all have different values for the same bullet, use safety when you decide which to use. You won't believe how different the numbers are. Win 231 and HP 38 are the same powder but you will see different numbers even for the same bullet in the same load. I personally use a case gauge for everything I load. Case gauges help you set your dies. In pistol they are essentially ammo testers as well but not so for rifle. There are ammo checkers out there for many rifle calibers as well. Some people think the barrel test is enough. This is a great hobby and for rifle will save you money. You will get tried of single stage loading after awhile and then comes the possible big money. I use a single stage like yours and a Lee turret. Meets all of my needs. I don't shoot enough for a progressive press. As far as primers, for rifle and pistol I think you can choose the brand you want, I personally use CCI and Winchester. I do occasional shotgun reloading and here you must use the primer brand specified in the load data.

    Paragraphs are free. Please feel free to use as many as you want.

    Also while people now consider W231 and HP 38 to be the same powders this wasn't always the case. Yes I have proof of that. RCBS Cast Bullet manual #1.
     
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