[Bountyhunter]

Will all Lee brand dies fit all Lee brand presses? Will other die brands fit Lee presses?

 

[deputy125]

yes sir they will innerchange. lee dies can go in a rcbs press and so on.
There are an industy standard of what is called 7/8" x 14 and that is the common thread/size that lee, hornady, redding, rcbs, etc all use so the dies will innerchange with other presses designed for that size of dies. Probably 98% of the reloading dies out there are this format/size.

There are some non-standard dies out there such as some old dies for the lyman tong tool and dillion "square deal B" dies for the square deal press only.

If you are going with the lee turret kit and are going to use the lee disc powder measure supplied with the kit, i would stay with the lee dies as they have a "powder thru" feature in loading powder into the case thru the die itself----not a feature that everyody offers. Of course you can alway just charge the case as an additional step if you want to use something else. I use lee dies but i also have rcbs dies that i also use as i look for bargins from time to time,

 

[Bountyhunter]

That's what I was doing. Looking for bargains. I was just wondering in case I come across a good deal on eBay. I can get a set of .44 magnum Lee dies for $25 brand new anyway. I guess that's not to bad.

 

[Snuffy]

Midway has them new for $21.99

 

[Bountyhunter]

Damn. I guess I'll look around some. Thanks, Snuffy.

 

[deputy125]

for pistol dies, i suggest you also stay with carbide dies. That will eliminate having to lube the cases. lots of bargins out there in old steel dies but they require lubing the pistol case

 

[Bountyhunter]

quote:Originally posted by deputy125

for pistol dies, i suggest you also stay with carbide dies. That will eliminate having to lube the cases. lots of bargins out there in old steel dies but they require lubing the pistol case

I was going to ask about that. I thought that was the case from some things I'd read. Thanks.

 

[Chance]

The gentleman at Lee today told me to get the .38 cal die set for 38/357. Can do both with the 38 dies but cannot do the .38s with the 357 set.

He also highly recomended the carbide 4 die sets which includes the factory crimp.

 

[Calvin Wiles]

I always get the carbide dies with the factory crimp when available. In a heavy recoil gun the bullet will sometime move if they aren't crimped.

 

[Bountyhunter]

quote:
He also highly recomended the carbide 4 die sets which includes the factory crimp.

That's the route I'm going. interesting about the .38 dies. I'll remember that.

 

[Snuffy]

quote:Originally posted by Bountyhunter

Damn. I guess I'll look around some. Thanks, Snuffy.

Those Lee's are carbide dies, and the factory crip is the way to go. 38 sp. dies wil do 357 also and 44sp will do 44 mag. Just adjust for the height differance. I use a couple of washes that I have mic. for the height diferance. Lee dies always come with the right shell holder as well. All dies are 7/8 and have 1 in 14 thread so they will fit in any press made- Lyman RCBS Dillon Lee. Midway usually has a big sale at the first of the year and also at the end of the physical year as well. Carbide for pistol is the way to go for sure.

 

[TOF]

I use the Lee Carbide sets also. When I started loading 9MM, which has a slight taper to it, I found that a little lube made it much easier to size, even though it isn't required with carbide dies. As a result I tried and liked Hornady One Shot spray type case lube. I now use it for all cases. One $5 can has lubed 7,000 .40 & 9MM cases and still has some in it. I simply lay out a strip of paper towell on my bench then pour 400 or so cases on it. Push them all on their side then give the batch a quick spray. You don't have to cover all sides, a little dab will do it. Press arm forces are significantly reduced which my arthritic joints certainly apreciate.