ejpaul1

I always use lee and had to pick up some dies for my new 7mm WSM. Sportsmens doesnt carry lee so I got RCBS. Man, they come with less and cost more. Is there any advantage of using one over the other?

James B

It Depends on what you are after. Most will tell you tha RCBS and the other more costy dies are better than Lee. I have about 40 sets of dies of almost all the brand names. Lee dies load as good of ammo as I would ever need as a hunter and in truth, I can't see any benifit of paying more for dies that don't provide a shell holder and data. I like the floating bullet seater in the Hornady dies but when shopping for new dies, I usually see if they have Lee first. Then Hornady. They love to say that you get what you pay for which is not always true but usually makes sense. However I choose to get the most I can out of what I pay for. Be it Optics, rifles or reloading stuff, I despise paying more than I have to to get the job done right. I have found that the very top names and most expensive equipment are not as good a dollar value as stepping down a few notches and not paying mostly for a famous name or a keep up with the jones type product.

Do what you are doing. Do a little research, ask some questions and maybe save some money. Of course this is JMO.

Briman

I just bought my 8th set of lee dies (RGB dies in .223). I did this after a side by side comparison with RCBS and Redding:

Lee RCBS Redding
FL sizing die x x x
Seating die x x x
shell holder
instructions x x x
price $11 $26 $29

Its a no-brainer.

I usually buy the collet die set as I love the collet neck sizer, but since I'm reloading for a semiauto, I'm not going to use it anyhow.

I might consider a set of Redding dies for 7.5x55 swiss. I own a pair of RCBS dies for that cartridge, but the dies are spec'd wrong for the rifles I'm reloading for. The dies are spec'd for the schmidt rubin 1911 rifle which has a slightly narower chamber than the K-31 rifle. The RCBS dies overwork my brass, while Redding has a set of dies spec'd appropriately for K-31 chambers. I'm a little annoyed that Lee and RCBS don't cut a die correctly for the k-31, and also don't specify that the dies ar emeant for 1911 chambers.

statjunk

Briman,

I wonder what your refering to with the Lee dies not being spec'd correctly. I've loaded up over 200 rounds of ammo for my K31 using the Lee FL dies and have never had a problem. Actually my accuracy has been extremely impressive. I have a buddy that also has a k31 and he has shot my ammo and has seen even better accuracy (I keep telling myselfthat he has a better gun - but I won't go there).

I use 284 Win Brass if that makes any difference. I also use 150gr Yugo FMJ's.

Tom

Briman

I could very well be wrong about the Lee dies in 7.5x55, maybe I'll buy a set of those instead of the Reddings. The RCBS dies for sure are not spec'd for the K-31. You pretty much need to set the FL die right to the shell holder or else the case gets squeazed andit pushes the shoulder forward making it unchamberable (is that really a word?).

handloader1

The only set of Lee Dies I own broke the first time I used them. The spindal slipped through the lock ring. I tried to tighten up the lock ring, and the threads in the die body stripped. I have no use for them. Good luck.

James B

You must have got the only bad set of Lee dies. I have had 30 or more sets of them over the years and never have been able to hurt one yet.

handloader1

I have friends who have had problems with them also. Good luck.

bigcountry

Wow, why does this sound so fimular with you.

I for one, have about 4 sets of lee dies, and also have about 10 sets of RCBS dies, and a few Redding. I have had trouble with the lees. I love the collet dies. But each set I get, I have to polish the mandrel and inside. Also for some reason, lee dies rust very easily. I also have found runout issues using some of thier shell holders and bullet seaters. I am rather picky on my ammo however. I require runout to be less than .003". I also am not a big fan of locking ring. I have suspicion that the rubber ring is the reason I see runout on occasion. For the price they are great. But this is my favorite hobby. Why go so cheap. Its my passion.

If you want to see some fine quality dies, look inot the redding competition. Can't say the are worth the money, but man, they are nice.

James B

I am sorry that I havn't had any trouble with Lee dies. I have some redding dies as well. I just set the lock rings to barely touch the top of the press and alway screw them in and out with just the nut. I have not seen any problem with the ammo they load that I can trace to the dies themselves. Every new batch of loads goes to the range for a test before it goes hunting. I don't ever check the runout unless the ammo does not group the way I want it. I require one inch three shot groups for hunting ammo.

I am a firm believer that things that meet my standardsare good enough. And yes, I believe a guy can have enough power. Just not enough guns.