9.3x62 dies, Lyman or RCBS?

Alex_Zues

Alex_Zues

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Sasquatchewan, the flat part
Hello, I normally buy Lee dies, since the price is right and they're redily available. But Lee doesn't make 9.3x62 mauser dies. Both RCBS and Lyman make 2 die sets for around the same price. Is there a quality difference I need to know about?

The Lyman dies say they're specifically for jacketed bullets. Does that mean solid copper bullets (it Barnes) won't do too well? Or is it more meant as a caution against non-jacketed lead? I assume the 2nd, but in reloading it pays to be sure.

I'm currently leaning towards RCBS since I've heard more about the brand in general, but that doesn't mean Lyman isn't good. I just haven't had any experiences.

Anyone care to share some information?

Cheers, Al
 
Hmmm. After doing some reading, I see that people have been having issues with their RCBS dies. Can't seem to find anything, good or bad, about lyman's. Everything about Redding comes out good. Now to find a dealer...
 
Alex_Zues said:
Hmmm. After doing some reading, I see that people have been having issues with their RCBS dies.
Click to expand...
Really? :rolleyes: ...... RCBS is top notch product with the best customer service out there. They stand behind their stuff, so negative feedback is few and far between. You won't be disapointed with their dies.

I use ALL brands of loading tools, so please refrain on the "RCBS only" or "brand snob" remark.

.
 
I use both the Lyman and RCBS in 9.3X62. Never got a single issue.
I also have many other dies from different companies, Redding, Lee, Lyman, RCBS, Hornady, CH4D. Got only one issue with a magnum RCBS die which got a sharp edge and shaved a thin layer of brass while reforming; they replaced it, no questions asked.
While I can't say they're better than my Reddings, most of my dies are either RCBS or Lyman.
I have a slight preference for the Lyman because of the top adjusting screws are easier to handle (they are knurlded knobs vs bare threaded rods for RCBS), but all in all, they do the same job, so if the price is the same, I'd opt for Lyman.
 
What I encountered a bit online was that people said thier RCBS seater dies were giving them issues. A lot of talk about the base diameter being for 30-06 and not really 9.3x62. Don't know if it's true, but there was more than one online forum discussing it so I wanted to be sure.

Baribal, you're saying the Lyman's haven't caused any issues? Have you made 9.3x62 brass using 30-06 or 35 whelen brass with them? If they work for that, it'll save me the trouble of shipping in 9.3x62 brass.

Cheers, Al
 
The only issue that I have with RCBS dies is that their lock ring design is the sh*ts. I have routinely had the brass jam screw strip out. I like the dies but the first thing that I do when I buy them is to purchase Hornady Lock Rings for them. Hornady uses a split-ring where the screw squeezes the opening of the die together and locks up solidly. In fact, I replaced the lock rings on my Forster dies with Hornady ones to make life easier.

I believe that I ordered the lock rings from Sinclair International. They're cheap and worth it to avoid the headache.
 
Alex_Zues said:
What I encountered a bit online was that people said thier RCBS seater dies were giving them issues. A lot of talk about the base diameter being for 30-06 and not really 9.3x62. Don't know if it's true, but there was more than one online forum discussing it so I wanted to be sure.

Baribal, you're saying the Lyman's haven't caused any issues? Have you made 9.3x62 brass using 30-06 or 35 whelen brass with them? If they work for that, it'll save me the trouble of shipping in 9.3x62 brass.

Cheers, Al
Click to expand...

I recently used a borrowed .30-.40 expanding die to make 9.3x62 brass out of 30-06. I also necked a few up in the 9.3 die directly from .30 to see if it woudl work (which it did). The only issue with that was that the shoulder ends up in the wrong spot. The expansion to .40 allows you to use the FL sizing die to accurately set the shoulder. Not a huge issue if you're shooting a Mauser action, but if you had a push feed action with the shoulder too far back you could be in a bit of a pickle with excessive headspace.

But...you can get Lapua 9.3x62 brass which is the best stuff around an dthere is so much commercial brass from other guys (Remington, Hornady, Prvi etc) that there is almost no reason to form brass unless you've got a huge supply of once fired '06 brass.
 
Not really, I only use European made brass for my X62s. Never got a seating issue with both brands, and I load MANY different bullets.

I don't make X62 cases from '06, as I much prefer having the correct thing to start. These days I use Norma, Lapua and PPU (Prvi Partizan made for Graf) brass. PPU/Graf brass is not expensive at all, so for me there's no reason to don't use them. And that's pretty good stuff for the money, too.
 
Might seem like a silly question, but when you say Graf Brass, do you mean the outfit Graf and Sons in the US? Are you actually buying the stuff across the border, or do you just mean the Privi stuff that you can buy hear in Canada?
 
Yes and No. Most of the imported PPU 9.3x62 brass these days come from Graf & Sons. They won't ship to an individual in Canada, unless they very recently changed their conditions.
 
BigUglyMan said:
The only issue that I have with RCBS dies is that their lock ring design is the sh*ts. I have routinely had the brass jam screw strip out.
Click to expand...

OMG, yes!

WTF are they thinking at RCBS, having this idiotic lock ring setup on otherwise excellent dies. :mad:

Apart from the lock ring thing, my RCBS dies (including 9.3x62) work just fine. And I'm another fellow with dies from about five different manufacturers.
 
RCBS Decapping & sizing die

Had problems with the RCBS decaping die. The depriming pin sticks to the primer. After a couple of searches, noted that RCBS recommends a special pin assembly, which includes a spring, to be be used on progressive presses. The fellows at local outfitting store, asked what press I was using, before I purchased the dies, but they didn't recommend any special assembly with he RCBS dies.
 
Northman999 said:
OMG, yes!

WTF are they thinking at RCBS, having this idiotic lock ring setup on otherwise excellent dies. :mad:

Apart from the lock ring thing, my RCBS dies (including 9.3x62) work just fine. And I'm another fellow with dies from about five different manufacturers.
Click to expand...

RCBS isn't always great at everything. I have a new RCBS bullet mold that's screwed up from the factory but they won't do anything about it unless i mail it to them in the US. They might have great customer service in the US, but not for Canada. LEE backs the products they sell in Canada better than RCBS does.
 
What is the problem with mailing the mold back to them in the US? They have never charged me a penny for anything that I had replaced, even after it had been used for loading 40 or 50,000 times!

Just sent it back, and they replaced it. They even paid the shipping.

Ted
 
BigUglyMan said:
The only issue that I have with RCBS dies is that their lock ring design is the sh*ts. I have routinely had the brass jam screw strip out. I like the dies but the first thing that I do when I buy them is to purchase Hornady Lock Rings for them. Hornady uses a split-ring where the screw squeezes the opening of the die together and locks up solidly. In fact, I replaced the lock rings on my Forster dies with Hornady ones to make life easier.
Click to expand...

:agree: IMHO the best regular dies now on the market are Hornady and Redding. I would much prefer Lyman dies over the RCBS. Also I don't like the weak and usualy off center 1/4"x28tpi decaping stem on them. Bonanza dies have even weaker stems of only #10x32tpi. My personal favorites are OLDER dies from Pacific, Herters, CH and Lachmiller.
 
Why not? said:
What is the problem with mailing the mold back to them in the US? They have never charged me a penny for anything that I had replaced, even after it had been used for loading 40 or 50,000 times!

Just sent it back, and they replaced it. They even paid the shipping.

Ted
Click to expand...

Who said I didn't send it back to them?

The point is I shouldn't have to pay $20 to ship their junk back to them so they can replace it. The pictures i sent them clearly showed a manufacturing fault on a brand new mould.

LEE will replace a broken tool based on pictures you email them. RCBS won't. And that is the basis of my remark that LEE customer service is better than RCBS in Canada. :)
 
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