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Dies

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Ok, getting closer to me purchasing the press. What die should I grab? I keep hearing that not all are made correctly and since something like this I should just start out right the first time.

I'm going with a Rock Chucker for now if that makes a difference.
 
I have used RCBS dies exclusively for a lot of years and never had any problems.

For straight wall pistol calibers or .30 USM1 Carbine, be sure to spend the extra dollars for carbide dies.

When loading lead bullets, be sure to take the seating die apart and clean out the accumulated lube and gook every once in a while.

For each caliber you load with different bullets, it isn't a bad idea to make a dummy round (bullet seated to proper OAL, with crimp if appropriate, in an unprimed and uncharged case). This simplifies adjusting the seater plug when changing bullets (or plugs).

In addition to "standard" calibers, RCBS makes dies for a long list of wildcats and obsolete cartridge, as well as case forming dies. Some of these have to be ordered from Huntington's. (Fred Huntington was the founder of RCBS until it was sold some years ago.)

I'd urge you also to acquire an RCBS stuck case kit. It is inevitable that one of these days you'll ram an unlubed or inadequately lubed case into a sizer; having this kit on the shelf means that your downtime will be measured in minutes rather than days.

If you are going to reload military brass with crimped primers, get an RCBS primer pocket swaging kit. This is not only much easier to use than reamer-type products, it also makes for more uniform pockets.
 
I have never run into any problems with me RCBS dies. However, I was very happy with a set of Lee Collet dies I picked up for use with my 308 bolt gun. They produce outstanding rounds. [shock]
 
RKG said:
When loading lead bullets, be sure to take the seating die apart and clean out the accumulated lube and gook every once in a while.

This is why I buy Dillon Dies. The seating and crimping dies have a cotter pin that you can pull and the insides come falling out. Then you clean them and pop them back in and replace the cotter pin.

You never have to adjust the seating ever after you get them to your required OAL and propper crimp.

Dillon Seating Dies

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Dillon Crimp Dies

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I have a few sets of Dillon dies and they are great but slightly pricey. I like the fact that the crimp is separate from the seater as I usually wind up buying a separate crimping die for the standard two die rifle sets and three die pistol sets from RCBS.

Either company will back up their products 100 percent.

[shock]
 
Crimping

Not any of the target loads. All the sierra's I use do not have a crimping grove in them. I do crimp slightly the 223 loads used for plinking. In those loads I have been using pulled 62 grain surplus rounds.

I also crimp my 30-06 rounds slightly. Again those bullets have a crimping grove. My first batch of 06 was crimped and I must have gotten carried away because the case started to deform. I backed way off and not I use a slight crimp. No signs of pressure in any of the laods.

I do crimp my pistol loads except for the light 38Spec. target loads.

I just picked up a Ruger MKIII. 22lr is nice. No reloading and shoot forever on a few bucks.... [shock]
 
I'll bet you the price of an ice cream cone that if you put a light roll crimp on the .38 target loads (on the order of 2.7 gr. Bullseye), their accuracy will improve noticeably.
 
I'll bet you the price of an ice cream cone that if you put a light roll crimp on the .38 target loads (on the order of 2.7 gr. Bullseye), their accuracy will improve noticeably.
 
I'll bet you the price of an ice cream cone that if you put a light roll crimp on the .38 target loads (on the order of 2.7 gr. Bullseye), their accuracy will improve noticeably.
 
I would recommend crimping flat points in .30-30 for Model 94s. Doesn't need much, but there's a fair amount of force applied to the front of the bullet, and if one is deep seated and you don't realize it, you could have pressure problems (particularly if you're using something more modern than 3031).
 
I would recommend crimping flat points in .30-30 for Model 94s. Doesn't need much, but there's a fair amount of force applied to the front of the bullet, and if one is deep seated and you don't realize it, you could have pressure problems (particularly if you're using something more modern than 3031).
 
I would recommend crimping flat points in .30-30 for Model 94s. Doesn't need much, but there's a fair amount of force applied to the front of the bullet, and if one is deep seated and you don't realize it, you could have pressure problems (particularly if you're using something more modern than 3031).
 
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