Dies - Lee vs RCBS

jawsman said:
Why can't we get through a week without one of these types of threads? "Lee vs. RCBS", RCBS vs. Redding" "Dillon is the best", "LEE & RCBS is junk!"

I mean there is ton's of threads already. Does anyone know how to use the search function?

Yes Lee is cheap, so is RCBS if you compare it to Redding dies!

All have merits and issue's. Read what has already been written several time before and make your decision. I for one have a mix of Red, Green, & Dillon blue, and they all work and do what I need them to do.

Can we please move on on these types of threads............
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.....but, but...bashing Lee is so much fun! It is just as much fun as bashing NoSale Sports.
 
Having used both I would buy either again. :)

I do like the 3 die set from Lee a little better to be totally honest. I have not (yet) tried any of the other brands of dies.
 
senior said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Idcurrie View Post
I reload 300wm with lee deluxe die set. Absolutely no issues. VERY smooth. Either you're doing it wrong (tm) or you have a defective die.



Without trying to start a war... Just the fact that your ramming a piece of brass into a FL Die with "Herculean effort" :eek: shows a lack of either reloading skills or understanding to me! You should have deducted by then either a defective die or something wrong in your procedure.
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Actually, by that point I was still thinking it was range pickup brass being harder / more brittle and that 300WM would simply need more effort to size / deprime than my other / smaller cartridges. Maybe this was because of inexperience. I certainly wasn't expecting the rim to rip off on the 4th case of my last batch. But seriously, how much can you screw up at this point? Lube and pull. If it was operator error, then why is the RCBS die so much smoother? Smoother in fact than any other of my smaller rifle Lee dies?

I was simply remarking on an observation. Thanks for homing in on obvious operator malfunctions. :D
 
Idcurrie said:
So...you didn't answer my question.

Lube on the inside of the case mouth?
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Yes. But as I mentioned in my OP, too much lube and I'd have the pin pop off and I'd need to clean off the accumulation on the pin. Otherwise it would pop off right away on the next case. Maybe if the overflow hole wasn't located where the bushing was going to cover it this wouldn't have been such a PITA.
 
Ive used alot of rcbs dies with pretty good success but they really aren't even close to as good as redding. and the only lee product ill even use is there factory crimp dies although i have heard good things about there collet dies and might give it a try for 223.
 
ive deprimed about 500 cases with my rcbs dies and they still work flawlessly like the first time i used them. no adjustment or anything. i know 500 is a low number when guys have done this in the 10s of thousands on here. but if your lee needed that much adjusting thats gotta say something
 
Magnum_Tom said:
Yes. But as I mentioned in my OP, too much lube and I'd have the pin pop off and I'd need to clean off the accumulation on the pin. Otherwise it would pop off right away on the next case. Maybe if the overflow hole wasn't located where the bushing was going to cover it this wouldn't have been such a PITA.
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Well now I'm confused.
You say too much lube on the inside of the case neck causes the "pin"? to pop off :confused:
If you have that much lube in the case neck it would get transfered onto the lower part of the expander button.
 
senior said:
Well now I'm confused.
You say too much lube on the inside of the case neck causes the "pin"? to pop off :confused:
If you have that much lube in the case neck it would get transfered onto the lower part of the expander button.
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While trying out different amounts of lube to see if I could get the Lee die to work better, this was an observation. Lube would accumulate on the top of the expander button and then the pin would pop. If I simply put the pin back on, it would pop again right away. If I cleaned off the accumulation, it would be fine for maybe another 10 cases before it would pop off again. I'm not sure, but this may be because the pressure / overflow hole was covered by the bushing and the lube accumulation would create a seal causing high pressure in the case. I've read that some guys have drilled another hole, higher up on the die, to correct this.

I tried various amounts of lube and I tried watering down the lube as per Lee's suggestion. Nothing I tried ever made it smooth or prevented the pin from popping.
 
greywolf said:
I have and use lee and rcbs, only problem i have with lee, is if your decapping pin breaks, the die is hooped, with rcbs you can replace the pin, with lee you can't. It is pressed in and i've never been able to remove a broken pin yet.
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A new pin and inside neck expander is available from LEE for aprox $3
 
My experience is that I like the design of Lee (red box) dies but apreciate the finish of the inside on RCBS.....if Lee made premium dies that were as smooth as RCBS they would be the cats pajamas.
I remedied this Lee rough die isue with 0000 steel wool, polishing compound on a case. Now this was on a 7.62x54R die set and my oversize military chamber didn't mind the .0002" change in the die. I've yet to see what the Lee premium dies look like inside.....now my buddy just bought an RCBS set and they are a superior set and apparently cost differentiation is very little NOW...5 years ago the RCBS die prices were substantially more.

As a side note I like the universal micrometer bullet seater insert that Hornady makes.
 
I was taught to be careful of lube inside a case neck. I use powdered graphite on a inside case neck brush, and i don`t put much on the brush either, maybe dip it in the graphite jar every 4-5 cases give it a little rap on the jar mouth on the way out to get rid of excess powder. I tried the spay lube but ran into problems with that so went back to a lube pad and neck brush. Lots of experince here on reloading but a lot of guessing and assuming about the problem the op has cause you aren`t doing the work yourself.
 
Regardless of what dies you choose to use I would try a lube like Imperial Sizing Die wax from Redding.
 
I have polished the inside of several makes of FL dies, including Lee. Bore mop on a drill, using Flitz. I guess it could also be done by brazing a rod onto a sized case, chucked into a drill and using compound.

Made a difference in thin walled cases like 22 Hornet in the Lee FL die, not about force, but prevented the occasional buckled the case that previously occurred.
 
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