Reloading Dies ?

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Well it seems my younger brother has claimed my .44 mag dies so I'm in the market for a new set.

All my dies are RCBS with the exception of a few LEE factory crimp dies. I have a buddy who swears by Hornady dies, does anyone here use them? Should I just stick with RCBS?
 
I'm satisfied with my Lee three-piece rifle set.


I'm always a bit baffled by the idea of using expensive dies - on a progressive that gives only "good enough" results (as a progressive, by nature, will never be as accurate as a single stage with all the details checked out).

Of course, YMMV.
 
I really have nothing negative to say about LEE dies in terms quality, their customer service is what turned me away.

I broke a decapping pin once in a LEE and they wanted me to jump through all kinds of hoops and pay for a new one since they only have a 2 year warranty. I have broken a pin in 2 different RCBS dies and not only did they send me a new one free of charge, they sent 3, plus they have a lifetime warranty.
 
Of all the calibers that I reload for all of them are Lees except one set of RCBS and one set of Redding.

Of the thousands of rounds I load yearly, never a problem with any of them.

I really like the Factory crimp dies for pistols. Works great in the 4 dies turret setup I use.

The best single stage press I've seen (and now have two on the bench) is the Lee Classic Cast. Much better than my RCBS Rock chuckers that I did have.

Take care, Bill
 
Just about all my dies are Lee except for a few used ones I picked up at gun showes. My experience with Lee's customer service has been great. I had one of their low ball "C" presses break once when sizing 30/06 brass "probably forget to lube that particular case" and sent the main body of the press to them. It was very obvious the press was over 2 years oldbut 3/4 days later here is a new body in the mail no charge no questions asked.

Don't know just how a company can beat that service.
 
It is hard to go wrong with the RCBS warranty. I have a friend that messed up a .308 Winchester die a couple times because he accidently tried to deprime berdan primed cases. Each time RCBS happily sent him a new die.

Most my dies are RCBS with three exceptions. I have a Lee in .45 Auto Rim, a Hornady in .405 Winchester and a Lyman in 45-90. The Lyman is a very good value. Everyday price for a die that would be special order from RCBS and $$$ to buy. The Lee appears to cheaper in materials compared to the other dies, but is adequate for the task.
 
All of my reloading stuff is Lee. It's hard to badmouth a good thing, although some do. I think it's snob appeal, if it costs more it must be better.
 
I have Hornady dies for my .44 mag and love them. Instead of carbide like RCBS uses, the Hornady dies use titanium nitrate. As far as I can tell, they work just as well. Not to long ago, if you purchase a set of Hornady dies, you got a free box of Hornady bullets of your choice. I don't know if that promotion is still going on, but might be worth looking into with the price of reloading components lately.
 
Like I said before I never had anything against LEE products, just the customer service.

I wonder why they made such a big deal about a decapping pin but sent jcwit a new press body no questions
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After all the glowing reviews and some online research I think I will give LEE another go, besides I can get the deluxe 4 die kit for less than the RCBS 3 die kit and I would have bought the LEE factory crimp die anyway.

I am going to keep my 2 old Rock Chuckers though Bill
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Thanks for all the input guy's!
 
All my stuff is Lee, and I get great service from the dealer I buy the stuff from here. Never had to deal with Lee directly as the dealer stocks all parts. I've also never had anything break other then a decapping pin once.
 
I wonder why they made such a big deal about a decapping pin but sent jcwit a new press body no questions
Have wondered the same thing myself. Maybe it was because I just sent in the broken part with a short note and return address. I did express the fact that it might have been my fault, who known? I did not call ahead tho, just mailed it in.
 
When I first started reloading I didn't lube the case right and got it jammed big time into an RCBS die. My shooting/reloading buddy who loads match grade ammo couldn't free it. I sent it to RCBS and they replaced the die free of charge. I bought this die used on Ebay. RCBS is a great company to do business with.
 
I have a soft spot in my heart for Lee stuff, although I only own a few things they they manufacture; a hand priming tool, shell holders for same, measuring dipper set and a Lee Loader.

The Lee Loader is what got me into reloading. This and a plastic mallet.
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When we had our business going all there was for the popular rounds was Dillion dies and equipment. Couldn't complain ablout the RCBS and Hornady stuff either.
 
Well I got lucky today, I decided to hit a couple pawn shops before I went to the gun shop. I had decided on the 4 die LEE set if I had to buy a new set.

The first one I went to had a 3 die set of RCBS carbide dies with a LEE factory crimp die AND it even had the shell holder, (which I didn't really need since I have a couple floating around here) all for $25 cash out the door!
 
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