.38/.357 Die Question

[Randall]

If you have a heavy recoiling setup like a lightweight .357,a good roll crimp helps but you also need a proper case grip on the bullet,thats where the lyman dies shine in that area. The case has to sized small enough to grip the bullet but not so much to deform a cast bullet.The stepped mandrel in the bell die provides the proper tension,if the bullets try to pull out the mandrel may be chucked in a drill and reduced with emery cloth a 0.001 or so to increase tension. Lee and RCBS do not do this unless they have changed their dies recently.

 

[Randall]

also for a good crimp get the Redding Profile crimp die.

 

[Randall]

A roll crimp helps prevent bullets coming out of the case,a taper crimp helps keep a bullet from being pushed into the case.

 

[Roadking Larry]

A proper roll crimp in a cannelure or crimp groove will also prevent setback. The rounds I shoot in my tube magazine Marlin 1894C is proof of that.
I bought my Lee .38/.357 dies in 1987. I've loaded well over ten thousand+ rounds with them and have never had a problem. I have several loads that with my Marlin I can can put 5 round through 1 ragged hole at 50 yards. Good enough for me.
I also have a set of RCBS .38/357 dies that I picked up in a trade, I do not like the decapping action with those dies, for what ever reason it will not always clear the primer from the case no matter what I do.

 

[338Shooter]

A proper roll crimp in a cannelure or crimp groove will also prevent setback. The rounds I shoot in my tube magazine Marlin 1894C is proof of that.
I bought my Lee .38/.357 dies in 1987. I've loaded well over ten thousand+ rounds with them and have never had a problem. I have several loads that with my Marlin I can can put 5 round through 1 ragged hole at 50 yards. Good enough for me.
I also have a set of RCBS .38/357 dies that I picked up in a trade, I do not like the decapping action with those dies, for what ever reason it will not always clear the primer from the case no matter what I do.

You know Larry, I've noticed that on my 9mm dies. The stinking thing that holds the decapping pin on the rod comes loose and lets the pin free float enough to fail to push the primer out all the way. I have to make sure it is tight every 25 pieces of brass or so. Really frustrating. I may get a set of the Lees instead of RCBS.

 

[Randall]

I haven't been extremely happy with the quality of anything that I have that is Lyman. I usually look at them after the others.

If you don't mind me asking,what problems have you had with Lyman dies?Or is it some of their other products?
I like rcbs or lee for rifle loading.

 

[338Shooter]

No real problems. Their stuff just feels lower quality than the others. I do love my DPS 3 though.

 

[NikatKimber]

I've been loading .38 on Lee dies so far, and no complaints. Mine are not carbide, so I have to lube them. Don't like it, but since I didn't have to pay for them I'm not complaining.

 

[Randall]

I am currently using Lee dies to load .357, I will replace them with Lyman dies.I ran across a deal for a J frame .357 a while back and am using cast reloads. The dies have worked fine for loading bigger heavier frame guns in the past. Now it looks like the heavier loads are trying to pull the bullet from the case on recoil in the J frame.So I am going to Lyman dies for better control. I had a set of Lee dies for .44 mag that did the same thing and replaced them with Lyman. I had a set of rcbs .45 auto dies that would not size the case enough to hold the bullet and would get setback so they went too and I now have Lymans. I have had good results with Lee and RCBS rifle dies tho.

 

[hd_rider13]

I've been loading with Lee dies in everything but my 9mm, which I load with a set of horadies that were given to me.

I've loaded about 7000 rounds of .38 and .357 (with Le .38sp dies) with J&K's 158g SWCs and some 125g JHPs.

I've loaded REAL hot loads and some REAL puff ball loads.

I've got a load I've worked up that turns my 686 into a tack driver at 25 yards.

I've never had a single issue out of any of my Lee products, or the rounds i load with them. 97% of the equipment I use is Lee.

I've got all of about 350 dollars invested in my reloading equipment, and I reload 5 different calibers and can run about 150-200 rounds an hour of any of my pistol rounds.

One day I will grow up and get a Dillon 550, but maybe not......I only shoot 200 rounds a week, so it really doesn't make sense.

Just my .02