RCBS Dies & Sticking Cases = Garbage!!!

The first thought on this thread was simply: they are small base dies that are not marked as such.

Flying_Finn said:
The RCBS seating die would not put any crimp on the neck of the brass. If you adjusted the die to where it would crimp it would crumple the neck as well. Before anyone says to cut the brass down it was all trimmed and miked to SAAMI specs.
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Ironically, I have Dillon, RCBS, LEE and Hornady dies: the one set of Hornady dies I have has the exact same problem as above. If I set the crimp, for an example only, up to 1.363 on a case of 1.363 I get no crimp at all. If I set the crimp, in the same example, from 1.364 to 1.366 on a case of 1.363 I start to see a crumple and cannot feed the case into the chamber; with a setting of 1.369 on the die the crumple is bad.

I have never had such a problem on the Dillon, RCBS or LEE dies ever, or any problems with them actually.
 
My 30 dollar lee 45acp dies work just was well as the 80 dollar redding 45 acp dies I have.. You can clearly feel a difference in quality. The reddings are great, definitely tighter than the lees and the expander is much easier to adjust and clean. Worth 2.5x the price? Depends what your looking for
 
I agree that the lee quality "feel" is lower.
Their lockrings suck, I remove the o rings and wrench tighten.

But, they do work and produce reliable ammo....

their factory crimp die is nice.
 
dead meat said:
Yup, another satisfied RCBS user, The only time a die of any make has failed me i have to look in the mirror to see what happened, except for a set of 30-06 Lee dies that won't size the neck enough to hold a bullet.
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Is this a collet neck die? Here's what I did, pull the decapping stem out, put it in the chuck of a drill and spin it with a loop of emery cloth on it to sand it down evenly. Doesnt take much to get the neck tension you need.
 
Is this a collet neck die? Here's what I did, pull the decapping stem out, put it in the chuck of a drill and spin it with a loop of emery cloth on it to sand it down evenly. Doesnt take much to get the neck tension you need.
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When I purchase a set of dies,I expect them to be useable as purchased,I don't expect to have to finish them myself.
 
Actually that's the 454 casull ... Or maybe 10mm ... I know I wouldn't want my m&p 9 for meth head defence
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A 240gr XTP at 2000fps out of my 454Casull, would stop just about anyone, regardless of the drugs that he is on. And I use RCBS dies to load both my 454Casull, and my 357mag.
 
My 350gn XTP at 1900+ out of my 500 S&W would stop everything including the elephant. I use my LEE dies to load my 500, went to Hornady dies for 357, wasn't impressed at higher price without FCD die so went back to LEE for 44 Mag.

The LEE O ring lockring sucks, fortunately with a Hornady LNL press adjust once, lock it in wrench tight to HRN collet, never have to touch it again.


Still waiting for someone to reiterate why LEE is garbage. Dies to me are work horses, don't need to look pretty, just function well.
 
stubblejumper said:
You must be referring to the elephant that you would need to pack a 500S&W. They should at least come with wheels.:p
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it does...
500sw_zps98dafaa4.jpg
 
skip1600 said:
My 30 dollar lee 45acp dies work just was well as the 80 dollar redding 45 acp dies I have.. You can clearly feel a difference in quality. The reddings are great, definitely tighter than the lees and the expander is much easier to adjust and clean. Worth 2.5x the price? Depends what your looking for
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i agree. i had RCBS dies, and i have the 4 die lee set now in 45, 3 die 357. You can "feel the difference" in the lee sets. Sure they still are working for me though, i do like how much easier it is to adjust the bullet length, crimp.
 
I use left over 2 stroke oil for case lube. I do not oil the necks, just the bodies of the cases with an oily rag, no problem with lee or robs dies. What is the big deal about a stuck case? A few simple tools take the case out and you are on your way again..
 
After many encounters with elephants and having shot one, I don't think a 350 gn 50 cal bullet at 1900 fps is adequate by any measure. A little too much hype and a little too little experience, IMHO.
 
I have a variety of dies from a good number of manufacturers. For the casual reloader, Ie: not anal about stuff, the only real difference is the price. All make rounds that are just fine. I suspect the issue for the OP was that particular die set. If the interior finish on a die is not perfect, hell and damnation will ensue with every loading session.
 
3macs1 said:
You should give them a call since they don't know that.

From: rcbs tech [mailto:rcbs.tech@ATK.COM]
Subject: RE: Where are your presses, dies, and other products made

All products with the exception of electronic items are made in our factory in (Oroville, California).

Thank you,

S. Ennes
Technical Service Manager
ATK/RCBS Operation




Yes they must be junk . That is why they keep selling millions of them since the 40's and give a life time warranty on them. Real trash.
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Wow, sorry if i offended you because i didn't like my RCBS dies. Redding is better for the money.
 
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