I always enjoy it when people compare the less expensive equipment, to that which cost three times as much. Now I would like to see the ammo loaded on your progressive press compared to that loaded on a Forster CoAx. Do you understand how to adjust a sizing die, to full length size? You adjust the pin so it knocks the primer out. After that, unless it gets pushed up in the die, you won't need to touch it again. I don't understand why you keep fiddling with the decapper/expander. As far as seating goes, mark the top of seating adjustment with six evenly spaced witness marks. Divide one inch by the number of threads per inch, and you can dial the seating depth, right in.
A couple of nice things about the dillon resize/decap die: 1. It has a built in stuck case remover 2. The neck expander button is carbide, even in their steel resizing dies. 3. The spring loaded decapping stem pops the primers off, reducing the number of times decapped primers find their way back into the primer pocket.
Redding and Dillon have the best expander ball configurations going. Where the Dillon really shines is that you can pull the retaining pin and remove the expander to remove a stuck case or clean the die very quickly and without disturbing your die settings. Very nice.
Ya know Lee says they have the best dies in the business. Lee Ultimate precision Carbide dies do not require lube and run about $45.00 on eBay. Lee states you get a factory crimp and can extend the life of the casing until it just fails to pass visual inspection. I have not used the Lee ultimate Carbide Dies yet, but I am looking forward to it. Reloading .223/556, 9mm, .45, 38 special, 30-30, 30-06 on Lee's 5 turret Progressive press. Great video.
Biff Bifford There are a few things Dillon does that I like better. Although I've never been disappointed with the Lee dies and still use them for several calibers that I reload.
Biff Bifford What you said was partially true. If you use the "Ultimate Rifle 4-Die Set", the Collet Neck sizing die is used on your fire formed brass giving you best possible accuracy. No case lube required and cases last almost forever. But if you use a full length-resizing die to return brass to factory new dimensions, perfect for reloading brass fired in other guns, you will need to use lube. That is true with any die set reloading a bottle necked case,
Lee sells carbide dies that still cost less then the dillon dies. The lee deprimer is not adjusted down farther by turning the collet in more you loosen the collet the adjust the deprimer pin down then tighten the collet back up. For the bullet seating die you need to read the instructions they tell you the increments for each turn. If you are going to compare at least read the instructions to the dies before you start to try to educate people on them.
Never ever had any issues with Lee decapping dies or full length sizing dies. Never had any movement from their lock rings. My dies never move! Just amazed at the issues you have had.
Hugh Johnston My Lee dies don't move either. I think people tighten them with their fingers and don't get a proper crush on the o ring. I keep a short open end wrench for that.
I use the RCBS 223 dies with the carbide expander ball. I am happy with that setup. I use the dame in my 30-06 setup. I use a Sharpie on all my dies to make reference marks to return to a set point. No need to look at threads. One mark on the top adjustment (knob or die body, whichever you turn to adjust) and a reference mark on the lock ring and press where the 2 line up. Than you can actually see how much of a turn is how many thousands of an inch. On Dillon pistol seating dies, the top of the die is a hex head like a bolt. So turning from one flat to the next point is 5 thousands of an inch. So one turn is 60 thousands of an inch...+/- .005".
+clloydhi Thank you. That last sentence should have been obvious to me, but until you wrote it, it did not occur to me that I could simply count turns compared to pitch and get a decent approximation of how far the die (this would apply to any die) actually moves.
It seems that the Lee Decap die should let a berdan primed piece of brass push the decap rod straight up before it had enough pressure to break the pin. The dillon, like most other manufacturers seem to put their decapping rod on full lockdown, no room to move up, and invite breakage. Plus the complaint about the seating die, not being able to see so many threads while you adjust it seems pretty weak. You should be able to feel the knob move, you know it is adjusting. The Lee Factory crimp die is top notch and the first choice if your bullet has a cannelure.
I actually did break the pin on my Dillon while it was in the 650. There was something inside the shell (I think a spent primer). It broke very easily. Maybe that is why it came an extra pin. I had a similar problem with the Lee die and while it bend the pin, it didn't break it. I wa able to bend it back in place.
***** Lee gets a bad rap from a lot of people, but they seem to be one of the more innovative companies, most are just copying from the Lyman model of reloading and dies that date to the turn of the century.
BuckOrtega I agree. I've been using Lee dies exclusively for .45 ACP and zero problems after 5,000+ rounds. I bought both of these sets so I could use 1 set in my progressive press and another in my hand press. Thanks for watching.
The thread count on the adjustment knob look the same for Dillon and Lee, the part about not having the thread all the way on Lee and somehow that helps you determine the seating depth doesn't make any sense. You cannot tell the seating depth just by looking at the threaded stem. What you need regardless of which die you setup is a dummy cartridge or a live round made previously that you can use to setup the die. What I found and it helps with my Lee die is to make witness marks on the seating knob and body and you can at least count how many revolutions you make and with quick math you can figure out if each revolution takes .060" (don't quote me on this number) so a quarter turn would be .015", etc. Helps me when I have to make adjustments.
at about 3 minutes into the video, you had mentioned that you are using the top nut to adjust the primer decapping pin. this is not an adjuster. it simply is a collet type adjustment on the friction the pin is held in place. it will invariably lower the pin when you tighten it, but is not its true function. loosen and drop the pin in the collet and retighten will give you a little adjustment, but a tight primer will press it back up.
right on the money steve,........also the bullet seating adjustment comparison is a little bit of nonsense because turning the adjustment on the Lee die ,YOU CAN determine how much adjustment is being done,.....I own rcbs,hornady,ch die sets as well as my Lee,while I like them all ,my Lee die sets are what I have the most of ,they load quality ammo just like my other sets/brands and the best thing is if something happens to one of the Lee dies ,Lee will replace it,.......my local gun shop owners dad had loaded commercial ammo for many years and guess what dies he used?(Lee)
The minor nit-picking between these two sets are painfully obvious......but hey, that's what needs to be done to justify spending several times as much for the Dillon set. Not to mention the Lee carbide set lessens this minuscule difference even more. Personally, I would rather buy the high quality / modestly priced Lee carbide set for 1/3 the price of the Dillon and spend the savings on another 1000 round box of bullets.
Please show me carbine RIFLE dies from Lee. Thank you. I'm using Lee ones for 9 mm on Dillon XL650 and those works quite well, but no carbide for rifles are available from Lee. Moreover, I really hate those lock rings on Lee dies. For pistol and stable set up it's tolerable, but not for a rifle where even small tollerance matters.
You can break those decapping pins off. I got about 8K rounds through my die before it broke. I wasnt doing anything different the time it broke, but it snapped and I had to call dillon. they were backordered so I had to wait a few weeks to get it, so I went ahead and ordered 3 so when it happens in the future it wont stop the show.
Just to comment on all the threads below, I own at least one die set from every major mfr on the continent (Hornady, Lee, Lyman, Pacific, RCBS, Redding), loading from .223 Rem/5.56 NATO up to 50 BMG. There is a big difference in all the carbides used and indeed in the die manufacturers themselves. The Redding carbide are by far the smoothest I own, and I use them for 9, 45 ACP, 44, 45 Colt, 38Spl, 357 Mag/Max. Lee dies have a fixed deprime pin, that is true, but they also use a collet to adjust the depth setting of the deprime pin/resize button, for those cases doing that with the same die. This tends to push that whole rod up. All the other die mfrs have a screw-adjustment for this depth. It is possible to break a pin (only have 3 broken pins in 15 years, with about a hundred thousand rounds loaded), but only when you have some Berdan primed cases moving through the line. I am not trying to rain on anyone's parade, or insult anyone, but the reason the carbide rifle dies are so expensive is because the only material harder than any of the carbides is diamond. And that much carbide is very expensive to obtain, produce, machine, polish, finish, and insert with the precision needed for case resizing. A metallurgist could spend a week describing the various processes by which this will occur. There is a definite difference between the less expensive dies and those that cost twice as much. Starting with the jam nut or lock ring. The Lee provide an aluminum nut with an o-ring. It is impossible to get consistent lengths with that setup, unless you turn the whole setup so the o-ring is away from the press face. This gives a metal-to-metal contact. Even then, turning the dies in to get them tight to the press will turn them. You can also replace them with a lock ring from another mfr. Turning to the benchrest crowd, known for precision shooting, even before there were micrometer-adjustable seating dies, there was one die mfr used for most of the top finishers. It is true that some of the less expensive products will work almost as well, but when you are making a lot of ammo, or rely on them for food or life, get the best you can. This applies to scopes as well. Keep your powder dry!
just my 2 cents, but I have a Lee carbide .223 die set and I paid less than $45.00 for them. The whole die is not carbide (lee or Dillon or whatever manufacturer), only the sizing ring is carbide (as an insert). They are extremely tough, and won't wear out. In the case of Lee versus Dillon, I'm not convinced that Dillon is better. I've loaded many thousands of rounds on Lee dies and never had a problem.
the carbide dies no matter who made them will wear out! usually around 60,000 to 70,000 you will notice your tighter match grade chambers wont run as well, you start to get some that the bolt wont close completely (on your auto loaders) and around 70,000 to 80,000 all guns will have trouble with the ammo from. these worn out dies!! I have found carbide is great for all your straight wall casings but for the bottle neck type if you go with the standard steel dies you can get two sets for the price of one carbide and they will last about 45,000 to 50,000+ rounds before its time to pitch them and break out a new set. I am on my 5th set of 223 dies 2 were carbide and I will soon be using my 6th set . just some food for thought.
I thought about investing in the carbide dies so I did not have to lube cases but now that I know you still have to I doubt I will. I will stick with the RCBS AR dies.
So are you saying the Dillon dies are 150 dollars? My research says they are 63 and the Lee are 58. I have all Lee dies and they function flawlessly...Paying more doesn't always make something better, just means you're paying more.
The steel Dillon steel dies might $63, the Carbide ones are $150. I haven't see the value in the $150 yet. I may 10-15 years down the road as the carbide ones should last longer. I agree though, I haven't noticed a huge difference over the Lee dies if at all. I'm using the Lee ones in my hand press and the Dillon in my progressive. Thanks for watching.
The Dillon sizing die has a stuck case remover built in.... The Lee Collet crimp die is more forgiving on case length. I use Dillon dies with a Lee crimper..
big difference in the dillon dies shown here vs lee dies, dillon dies have extreme amount of chamfer at the mouth of the die. This is slop for ease of case entering the dies on a progressive press. Dillon "precision" not so precise but designed for ease of use and speed.
I polish the interior surface of my dies with medium felt bobs (Grainger) and 3M Trizact compound. I also make my own case lube using 99% isopropyl alcohol and pure Australian liquid lanolin - personally I mix it around 12:1.
I doubt anyone can wear out a set of carbide dies with personal use, that includes loading 50,000 rounds, as if the cost associated with that many rounds meant you couldn't afford another set of dies...but I also would apply that standard to the Lee dies, where quality is concerned, my Lee dies have loaded thousands, and I've never had an issue. Everyone wants "their" brand of dies to be the best. I don't think Dillon dies are bad, but is there any proof that they load better ammunition than Lee dies?
yeah I know! I saw a dillon 50 cal full length resizing die that was carbide and it was 800 dollars!!! Just because of being the only one of its kind (being carbide)... crazy stuff. So firearm tutorials can you say when compared to other brands in particular RCBS and Redding that these dies seems to perform better? I know they are definitely made for the progressive press more than others but I had a guy earlier today tell me that he has yet to find a better resizing die for pistol but he hadn't tried Redding. what would you say to this?
I haven't used the Redding dies either. I considered getting them in 300 blkout but they are expensive. Especially the ones with the micro adjustment for seating depth. I ended up just getting the Lee dies for 300 blkout.
I have found them to be expensive as well but I suppose for really accurate ammo where you are going for certain neck tensions and only pushing the shoulder back a few thousand it would be worth it. From what I have read the one Redding die if you were to get one would be the micro adjustment seating die. It apparently is one of the best. I wonder how it compares to wiilson hand dies and forster bench seating die though?
I never buy carbide rifle dies. While they are more resistant to scratching, you still have to lubricate the cases. I buy steel and make sure my brass is really clean. As John Doh said, you can put the lock-nut on a Lee die under the tool head, as I did on my Dillon XL650. And as steve yost said, you misunderstand the decapping pin's collet retention function. Revisit the instructions that came with your dies.
I don’t think that you can compare a set of steel dies to a set of carbide dies. Completely different. I have LEE dies not only for the price but because there easy to use and with care will last just as long as a die set that’s 3x the price.
This isn't a valid comparison, the Dillon carbide rifle dies are intended for commercial reloaders, extremely high volume reloaders, reading Dillon's sales literature these aren't even recommended for the normal reloader. Lee doesn't even offer a carbide die set for rifle calibers at any price. All Dillon rifle dies come with a carbide expander button, something that isn't available in Lee dies at any price. Dillon dies are more expensive and they are worth it for reloading on a progressive reloader, they will last a lot longer, but for a single stage press the Lee's are fine, I buy Lee dies for the calibers I don't load in large quantities.
+Precision Carry You are talking about the PISTOL carbide dies, .223 carbide are now $163: www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/9/pid/24498/catid/4/Dillon_Carbide_Rifle_Dies__Individual___Three_Die_Sets_
You need to compare Apples to Apples - that is, the Dillon non-carbide die set ( 3 dies, $68) versus the Lee Set. www.dillonprecision.com/dillon-rifle-dies-three-die-sets_8_4_24494.html One of the great features of the Dillon dies is that you can simply remove the pin to remove the die internal to clean it whilst keeping the die body set up in your press. So, you can periodically clean your expander/decappper and maintain your die headspace setting. Very slick. Also, for bottleneck rifle brass, you will need to lube your brass no matter what the die material is made of (carbide or plain steel).
Used them all in my RL550 and after switching to the Dillon carbide for 223/5.56 and feeling the difference I have since switched all calibers to Dillon carbide. They just perform better in a Dillon presses since they were designed for Dillon presses. BTW ALL rifle dies carbide or not require lubing your brass, if you don't, eventually, you will be fighting stuck cases. Just bought a set at the Dillon store for my 45 LC and will be loading a few hundred rounds this weekend, bet it works perfectly as usual.
I know its probably hard to make a video for the public.I was on TV 4 nights a week racing horses. It draws a lot of criticism no matter what.Monday morning ArmChair Quarterbacks is what my Dad calls them.Alit of them mean well though and are trying to be helpful. You did pretty good though..Im new to reloading so I got something out of bv cry trřryf a.m.
comparing the most expensive dies to the cheapest really isn't a fair comparison. Compare the Dillon to the RCBS competition dies for the same or less and you'll see that the Dillon isn't worth the money. Some people are blue blinded.
You need to re-visit the respective product catalogs of Lee and Dillon, get the blue haze out of your bias, and get your facts straight. You have provided a great deal of incorrect info in this video.
+gklierut Be specific. Exactly which information was he incorrect on. I'd like to know because he demonstrated his opinions on this video and if they're mistaken then that would be good to know. On the other hand if you're simply projecting your own bias, that would also be good to know.
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Hint with the Lee deprimer die, put the lock nut on the bottom of the plate and not on top. It locks up fine.
I always enjoy it when people compare the less expensive equipment, to that which cost three times as much. Now I would like to see the ammo loaded on your progressive press compared to that loaded on a Forster CoAx.
Do you understand how to adjust a sizing die, to full length size? You adjust the pin so it knocks the primer out. After that, unless it gets pushed up in the die, you won't need to touch it again. I don't understand why you keep fiddling with the decapper/expander. As far as seating goes, mark the top of seating adjustment with six evenly spaced witness marks. Divide one inch by the number of threads per inch, and you can dial the seating depth, right in.
A couple of nice things about the dillon resize/decap die: 1. It has a built in stuck case remover 2. The neck expander button is carbide, even in their steel resizing dies. 3. The spring loaded decapping stem pops the primers off, reducing the number of times decapped primers find their way back into the primer pocket.
Redding and Dillon have the best expander ball configurations going. Where the Dillon really shines is that you can pull the retaining pin and remove the expander to remove a stuck case or clean the die very quickly and without disturbing your die settings. Very nice.
Ya know Lee says they have the best dies in the business. Lee Ultimate precision Carbide dies do not require lube and run about $45.00 on eBay. Lee states you get a factory crimp and can extend the life of the casing until it just fails to pass visual inspection. I have not used the Lee ultimate Carbide Dies yet, but I am looking forward to it. Reloading .223/556, 9mm, .45, 38 special, 30-30, 30-06 on Lee's 5 turret Progressive press. Great video.
Biff Bifford There are a few things Dillon does that I like better. Although I've never been disappointed with the Lee dies and still use them for several calibers that I reload.
Biff Bifford What you said was partially true. If you use the "Ultimate Rifle 4-Die Set", the Collet Neck sizing die is used on your fire formed brass giving you best possible accuracy. No case lube required and cases last almost forever. But if you use a full length-resizing die to return brass to factory new dimensions, perfect for reloading brass fired in other guns, you will need to use lube. That is true with any die set reloading a bottle necked case,
my Lee die,s have worked well for me for 30 year,s . I can,t see how it is possible to wear out carbide with a brass case.
I agree. The Lee dies are just fine for most people.
Lee sells carbide dies that still cost less then the dillon dies. The lee deprimer is not adjusted down farther by turning the collet in more you loosen the collet the adjust the deprimer pin down then tighten the collet back up. For the bullet seating die you need to read the instructions they tell you the increments for each turn. If you are going to compare at least read the instructions to the dies before you start to try to educate people on them.
Exactly. This video made me sick man. I own both Dillon and Lee, and while dillon is general of better quality, my lee stuff is still top notch.
Never ever had any issues with Lee decapping dies or full length sizing dies.
Never had any movement from their lock rings.
My dies never move!
Just amazed at the issues you have had.
Hugh Johnston My Lee dies don't move either. I think people tighten them with their fingers and don't get a proper crush on the o ring. I keep a short open end wrench for that.
I use the RCBS 223 dies with the carbide expander ball. I am happy with that setup. I use the dame in my 30-06 setup. I use a Sharpie on all my dies to make reference marks to return to a set point. No need to look at threads. One mark on the top adjustment (knob or die body, whichever you turn to adjust) and a reference mark on the lock ring and press where the 2 line up. Than you can actually see how much of a turn is how many thousands of an inch. On Dillon pistol seating dies, the top of the die is a hex head like a bolt. So turning from one flat to the next point is 5 thousands of an inch. So one turn is 60 thousands of an inch...+/- .005".
+clloydhi Thank you. That last sentence should have been obvious to me, but until you wrote it, it did not occur to me that I could simply count turns compared to pitch and get a decent approximation of how far the die (this would apply to any die) actually moves.
It seems that the Lee Decap die should let a berdan primed piece of brass push the decap rod straight up before it had enough pressure to break the pin. The dillon, like most other manufacturers seem to put their decapping rod on full lockdown, no room to move up, and invite breakage.
Plus the complaint about the seating die, not being able to see so many threads while you adjust it seems pretty weak. You should be able to feel the knob move, you know it is adjusting.
The Lee Factory crimp die is top notch and the first choice if your bullet has a cannelure.
I actually did break the pin on my Dillon while it was in the 650. There was something inside the shell (I think a spent primer). It broke very easily. Maybe that is why it came an extra pin. I had a similar problem with the Lee die and while it bend the pin, it didn't break it. I wa able to bend it back in place.
***** Lee gets a bad rap from a lot of people, but they seem to be one of the more innovative companies, most are just copying from the Lyman model of reloading and dies that date to the turn of the century.
BuckOrtega I agree. I've been using Lee dies exclusively for .45 ACP and zero problems after 5,000+ rounds. I bought both of these sets so I could use 1 set in my progressive press and another in my hand press. Thanks for watching.
right on buckortega!!
The thread count on the adjustment knob look the same for Dillon and Lee, the part about not having the thread all the way on Lee and somehow that helps you determine the seating depth doesn't make any sense. You cannot tell the seating depth just by looking at the threaded stem. What you need regardless of which die you setup is a dummy cartridge or a live round made previously that you can use to setup the die. What I found and it helps with my Lee die is to make witness marks on the seating knob and body and you can at least count how many revolutions you make and with quick math you can figure out if each revolution takes .060" (don't quote me on this number) so a quarter turn would be .015", etc. Helps me when I have to make adjustments.
at about 3 minutes into the video, you had mentioned that you are using the top nut to adjust the primer decapping pin. this is not an adjuster. it simply is a collet type adjustment on the friction the pin is held in place. it will invariably lower the pin when you tighten it, but is not its true function. loosen and drop the pin in the collet and retighten will give you a little adjustment, but a tight primer will press it back up.
right on the money steve,........also the bullet seating adjustment comparison is a little bit of nonsense because turning the adjustment on the Lee die ,YOU CAN determine how much adjustment is being done,.....I own rcbs,hornady,ch die sets as well as my Lee,while I like them all ,my Lee die sets are what I have the most of ,they load quality ammo just like my other sets/brands and the best thing is if something happens to one of the Lee dies ,Lee will replace it,.......my local gun shop owners dad had loaded commercial ammo for many years and guess what dies he used?(Lee)
The minor nit-picking between these two sets are painfully obvious......but hey, that's what needs to be done to justify spending several times as much for the Dillon set. Not to mention the Lee carbide set lessens this minuscule difference even more. Personally, I would rather buy the high quality / modestly priced Lee carbide set for 1/3 the price of the Dillon and spend the savings on another 1000 round box of bullets.
Please show me carbine RIFLE dies from Lee. Thank you.
I'm using Lee ones for 9 mm on Dillon XL650 and those works quite well, but no carbide for rifles are available from Lee. Moreover, I really hate those lock rings on Lee dies. For pistol and stable set up it's tolerable, but not for a rifle where even small tollerance matters.
Lee docent make a rifle carbide die if they did they would cost the same as dillon
You can break those decapping pins off. I got about 8K rounds through my die before it broke. I wasnt doing anything different the time it broke, but it snapped and I had to call dillon. they were backordered so I had to wait a few weeks to get it, so I went ahead and ordered 3 so when it happens in the future it wont stop the show.
Just to comment on all the threads below, I own at least one die set from every major mfr on the continent (Hornady, Lee, Lyman, Pacific, RCBS, Redding), loading from .223 Rem/5.56 NATO up to 50 BMG. There is a big difference in all the carbides used and indeed in the die manufacturers themselves. The Redding carbide are by far the smoothest I own, and I use them for 9, 45 ACP, 44, 45 Colt, 38Spl, 357 Mag/Max. Lee dies have a fixed deprime pin, that is true, but they also use a collet to adjust the depth setting of the deprime pin/resize button, for those cases doing that with the same die. This tends to push that whole rod up. All the other die mfrs have a screw-adjustment for this depth. It is possible to break a pin (only have 3 broken pins in 15 years, with about a hundred thousand rounds loaded), but only when you have some Berdan primed cases moving through the line.
I am not trying to rain on anyone's parade, or insult anyone, but the reason the carbide rifle dies are so expensive is because the only material harder than any of the carbides is diamond. And that much carbide is very expensive to obtain, produce, machine, polish, finish, and insert with the precision needed for case resizing. A metallurgist could spend a week describing the various processes by which this will occur.
There is a definite difference between the less expensive dies and those that cost twice as much. Starting with the jam nut or lock ring. The Lee provide an aluminum nut with an o-ring. It is impossible to get consistent lengths with that setup, unless you turn the whole setup so the o-ring is away from the press face. This gives a metal-to-metal contact. Even then, turning the dies in to get them tight to the press will turn them. You can also replace them with a lock ring from another mfr.
Turning to the benchrest crowd, known for precision shooting, even before there were micrometer-adjustable seating dies, there was one die mfr used for most of the top finishers.
It is true that some of the less expensive products will work almost as well, but when you are making a lot of ammo, or rely on them for food or life, get the best you can. This applies to scopes as well.
Keep your powder dry!
Thanks for sharing Dale.
Job well done in comparing the two die sets!
just my 2 cents, but I have a Lee carbide .223 die set and I paid less than $45.00 for them. The whole die is not carbide (lee or Dillon or whatever manufacturer), only the sizing ring is carbide (as an insert). They are extremely tough, and won't wear out. In the case of Lee versus Dillon, I'm not convinced that Dillon is better. I've loaded many thousands of rounds on Lee dies and never had a problem.
the carbide dies no matter who made them will wear out! usually around 60,000 to 70,000 you will notice your tighter match grade chambers wont run as well, you start to get some that the bolt wont close completely (on your auto loaders) and around 70,000 to 80,000 all guns will have trouble with the ammo from. these worn out dies!!
I have found carbide is great for all your straight wall casings but for the bottle neck type if you go with the standard steel dies you can get two sets for the price of one carbide and they will last about 45,000 to 50,000+ rounds before its time to pitch them and break out a new set. I am on my 5th set of 223 dies 2 were carbide and I will soon be using my 6th set . just some food for thought.
I thought about investing in the carbide dies so I did not have to lube cases but now that I know you still have to I doubt I will. I will stick with the RCBS AR dies.
Glock2201 I don’t lube mine, works great
Dillon crimp die work in lee press??
So are you saying the Dillon dies are 150 dollars? My research says they are 63 and the Lee are 58. I have all Lee dies and they function flawlessly...Paying more doesn't always make something better, just means you're paying more.
The steel Dillon steel dies might $63, the Carbide ones are $150. I haven't see the value in the $150 yet. I may 10-15 years down the road as the carbide ones should last longer. I agree though, I haven't noticed a huge difference over the Lee dies if at all. I'm using the Lee ones in my hand press and the Dillon in my progressive. Thanks for watching.
+paininthe10 Dillon carbide pistol dies are about 65$. The .223 Remington are 163$, as of today.
doesn't Lee crimp dies do a rolled crimp? whereas to Dillon a taper crimp?
With the Lee dies in a DIllon press, you simply turn the retainer nuts upside down, and all is good.
I have also heard/been told to run the nuts from the bottom of the tool head to secure the die from the bottom. Thoughts?
Prolly ought to send some time running them before making a video on the differences.
Should learn to spell before degrading his video
The Dillon sizing die has a stuck case remover built in.... The Lee Collet crimp die is more forgiving on case length. I use Dillon dies with a Lee crimper..
Why use a Lee crimper over the Dillon. ?
apples to oranges.
big difference in the dillon dies shown here vs lee dies, dillon dies have extreme amount of chamfer at the mouth of the die. This is slop for ease of case entering the dies on a progressive press. Dillon "precision" not so precise but designed for ease of use and speed.
Never noticed that before. Thanks for sharing.
Lee makes carbide dies, so what are you saying?
gpruitt54 in 223? reading is fundamental....
Not in rifle calibers
I polish the interior surface of my dies with medium felt bobs (Grainger) and 3M Trizact compound. I also make my own case lube using 99% isopropyl alcohol and pure Australian liquid lanolin - personally I mix it around 12:1.
I doubt anyone can wear out a set of carbide dies with personal use, that includes loading 50,000 rounds, as if the cost associated with that many rounds meant you couldn't afford another set of dies...but I also would apply that standard to the Lee dies, where quality is concerned, my Lee dies have loaded thousands, and I've never had an issue. Everyone wants "their" brand of dies to be the best. I don't think Dillon dies are bad, but is there any proof that they load better ammunition than Lee dies?
Al t Not that I've seen. I still use both. Truth be told, I like the lee sizing die better.
yeah I know! I saw a dillon 50 cal full length resizing die that was carbide and it was 800 dollars!!! Just because of being the only one of its kind (being carbide)... crazy stuff. So firearm tutorials can you say when compared to other brands in particular RCBS and Redding that these dies seems to perform better? I know they are definitely made for the progressive press more than others but I had a guy earlier today tell me that he has yet to find a better resizing die for pistol but he hadn't tried Redding. what would you say to this?
I haven't used the Redding dies either. I considered getting them in 300 blkout but they are expensive. Especially the ones with the micro adjustment for seating depth. I ended up just getting the Lee dies for 300 blkout.
I have found them to be expensive as well but I suppose for really accurate ammo where you are going for certain neck tensions and only pushing the shoulder back a few thousand it would be worth it. From what I have read the one Redding die if you were to get one would be the micro adjustment seating die. It apparently
is one of the best. I wonder how it compares to wiilson hand dies and forster bench seating die though?
i love my .45acp dillon dies. no rust and lubrication is not needed, although I still use it lol. FWIW mine were 63 bucks.
I never buy carbide rifle dies. While they are more resistant to scratching, you still have to lubricate the cases. I buy steel and make sure my brass is really clean. As John Doh said, you can put the lock-nut on a Lee die under the tool head, as I did on my Dillon XL650.
And as steve yost said, you misunderstand the decapping pin's collet retention function. Revisit the instructions that came with your dies.
I don’t think that you can compare a set of steel dies to a set of carbide dies. Completely different. I have LEE dies not only for the price but because there easy to use and with care will last just as long as a die set that’s 3x the price.
This video is pretty old now but I've used to lee dies almost exclusively for the past 5+ years. Thanks for watching
The great thing about carbide dies is that you can use less case lube.
This isn't a valid comparison, the Dillon carbide rifle dies are intended for commercial reloaders, extremely high volume reloaders, reading Dillon's sales literature these aren't even recommended for the normal reloader. Lee doesn't even offer a carbide die set for rifle calibers at any price. All Dillon rifle dies come with a carbide expander button, something that isn't available in Lee dies at any price. Dillon dies are more expensive and they are worth it for reloading on a progressive reloader, they will last a lot longer, but for a single stage press the Lee's are fine, I buy Lee dies for the calibers I don't load in large quantities.
Strange, I own several Lee carbide rifle die sets.
even stranger is,Lee does NOT list ANY carbide riffle dies for sale,LOL
All my Lee dies are carbide dies.
your Lee riffle dies sure aren't,Lee does NOT list a carbide riffle dies for sale,
Dude Dillon Carbide three die set are 68.00 dollars not over a hundred as you stated.
+Precision Carry You are talking about the PISTOL carbide dies, .223 carbide are now $163:
www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/9/pid/24498/catid/4/Dillon_Carbide_Rifle_Dies__Individual___Three_Die_Sets_
+FirearmTutorials .com Concur. I also went to check that out because I was only familiar with the pistol prices. Sure enough.
The dillon dies are changed
You need to compare Apples to Apples - that is, the Dillon non-carbide die set ( 3 dies, $68) versus the Lee Set.
www.dillonprecision.com/dillon-rifle-dies-three-die-sets_8_4_24494.html
One of the great features of the Dillon dies is that you can simply remove the pin to remove the die internal to clean it whilst keeping the die body set up in your press. So, you can periodically clean your expander/decappper and maintain your die headspace setting. Very slick. Also, for bottleneck rifle brass, you will need to lube your brass no matter what the die material is made of (carbide or plain steel).
Used them all in my RL550 and after switching to the Dillon carbide for 223/5.56 and feeling the difference I have since switched all calibers to Dillon carbide. They just perform better in a Dillon presses since they were designed for Dillon presses. BTW ALL rifle dies carbide or not require lubing your brass, if you don't, eventually, you will be fighting stuck cases. Just bought a set at the Dillon store for my 45 LC and will be loading a few hundred rounds this weekend, bet it works perfectly as usual.
I know its probably hard to make a video for the public.I was on TV 4 nights a week racing horses. It draws a lot of criticism no matter what.Monday morning ArmChair Quarterbacks is what my Dad calls them.Alit of them mean well though and are trying to be helpful.
You did pretty good though..Im new to reloading so I got something out of bv cry trřryf a.m.
comparing the most expensive dies to the cheapest really isn't a fair comparison. Compare the Dillon to the RCBS competition dies for the same or less and you'll see that the Dillon isn't worth the money. Some people are blue blinded.
Always lube rifle cases
You need to re-visit the respective product catalogs of Lee and Dillon, get the blue haze out of your bias, and get your facts straight. You have provided a great deal of incorrect info in this video.
+gklierut Be specific. Exactly which information was he incorrect on. I'd like to know because he demonstrated his opinions on this video and if they're mistaken then that would be good to know. On the other hand if you're simply projecting your own bias, that would also be good to know.
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