Sizing Die

JB

JB

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Im looking at replacing the sizing die on my dillon 550 right now its a dillon die could any one tell me who makes the best dies
 
What caliber? I have used Lee, RCBS, and Hornady and to be honest I didn't have issues with any of them. I have no experience with pistol calibers.
 
I have used Lee Carbide dies for all my pistol calibres and have no issues with them at all. I have found their rifle cartridge dies to be somewhat spotty in quality compared to Redding, but the pistol dies have all been first class. That is over 9x18, 9x19, .45ACP, 10mm Auto and .44 Mag, so I have a decent sample to go on.


Mark
 
Lee carbide sizing dies tend to size less than some others. So much so that some thin-walled brands of brass won't properly hold the bullet with neck tension. And; no, it's false to rely on crimp to hold the bullet.
 
I load for a few .38/357 guns with dillon dies and they all size well to fit the chambers,
maybe your bullets are too big and buldging out the case - will empty sized cases drop into the cylinders easily??
I don't think you could wear out the dillon carbide sizing die as long as your brass is relatively clean - I would look else where for your issue.
 
JB said:
there not always resizing them some get a little hard to put into the cylinder
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There could be two issues here JB.

Pistol brass tends to fatten up just ahead of the extractor groove or rim with progressive firings. Most sizing dies can't resize the area just ahead of the extractor groove or rim due to the bevel needed in the die, and the clearance area where the shellplate holds the case.

There are uber spendy tools to rollsize rimless cases, but you're out of luck for .38 Special.

What you can do if you have a single stage press is file down the top of a shellplate to the minimum, and by doing so effectively raise the case up further in the same die.

You can try to find a die with less bevel or curve at the mouth. Lee and RCBS tend to be better in this regard. Hornady might be the best but I haven't bought a new die of thiers in 10 years.

You can also try using the Lee Factory Crimp die after the ammo is loaded. It has one of the smallest curves around. It also may deal with the second possible cause of your problem.

It's possible that the cause of your percieved sizing problem isn't the dies, but the bullet. .38 Specials are known for bulging a bit where the base of the bullet sits in the case. Some thicker brass will bulge enough to stick. The Lee Factory Crimp is a way to at least ensure these rounds chamber.
 
Once you've eliminated all other possibilities, call Dillon. If there is a problem with their die they will make it right.
 
Have you tried a re-sized piece of brass in a case gauge? If it is sized properly it should easily drop in / slide out of the gauge. If it does then your problem is not with the sizing die.
 
Boomer686 said:
Have you tried a re-sized piece of brass in a case gauge? If it is sized properly it should easily drop in / slide out of the gauge. If it does then your problem is not with the sizing die.
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yes i gauge them and some are a little tight some just stick out a little most go in and out of the gauge easy
 
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