4 Die Set Worth It?

[Zeke Zelazko]

I've decided that my non carbide, 38 special die set is pretty much worn out (sizing die anyway) as some of the rounds don't fit in some of my guns. One gun I reload for is a slightly finicky Uberti 1866. Is it worth it to buy the Lee set with the factory crimp die? The 1866 runs perfect with factory loads, but reloads are problematic and it's not a case length issue - I believe it's either the resizing or the crimp that's the problem. I load both Trailboss for practice and Triple 7 for matches.

[DJ]

I suspect probably  not a worn out die, but an issue with seating and crimping in the same operation.  If you're at the range, find a couple of your reloads that are problematic and color them with a magic marker such as a Sharpie.  Insert them into the chamber and then withdraw them and see where the case is rubbing on the chamber.  If they won't chamber at all, see where the marker is rubbed off.

If the rubbed-off marker is a ring around the case immediately below the crimp, your problem is probably with the crimping process rather than the sizer.  Crimping in a separate operation would likely cure this without the need for a complete new die set.

--DJ

[Pettifogger]

+1.  Genereally you get better more predictable results if you seat and crimp separately.  The Lee factory crimp die is good insurance.  It resizes the loaded round so if anything is a little off the crimp die will usually iron out the problem.

[rickk]

Once you switch to a separate crimping die, you will never go back.

That is particularly true with lead bullets... no more shaved off rings of lead.

[Professor Marvel]

I too suffer form the " reload won't fit" upopn occasion 

Becuase I am a cheap barstich  frugal sort, I resorted to the following:

I keep a "tight" cyinder standing by the press as a go/nogo gauge.
Afterseating & crimping, I drop the completed round into the "gauge" -
if it passes it goes in the plastic cartridge box.
If it fails it is set aside.

At the end of that run of brass  I  replace the seat/crimp die with my .45 CP taper crimp die.
The taper crimp die is adjusted "out" so as to apply the minimum necessary.
I run them thru again, testing in in the gauge after each crimp.

It does mean another step, but we chepaskates have to "pay the price" somewhere.

I really ought to save up my satrbaucks money and buy some of the lee crimpers, after all, time is money....

yhs
prof marvel

[pony express]

Perfessor Frugal, I have a similar system for my .38 reloads. I have a couple of guns that have rather tight chambers, including the Colt DA that I use for much of my GAF shooting. So after loading a batch, I try them in that one, if they drop in, and then out, they go in the box. For the others, I use the sizing die, with decapping stem removed, to iron out just enough of the crimp to make it fit. I tried a 9mm taper crimp die, didn't work.

[Zeke Zelazko]

Excellent. Thank you - you have confirmed my thinking. ZZ

[Sagebrush Burns]

Many years ago I was having issues and began seating and crimping in separate steps.  After doing that for a long time I decided to experiment and I have found that I have no problem doing both in one operation.  I believe I was in too much of a hurry those years ago and made my own problem (self inflicted wounds always hurt the worst).  I have found that if I take the time to properly set up the die and work at "normal" speed instead of rushing I have no problem with straight wall (45 Colt) and bottle neck (30-30 Winchester) seating/crimping operations.

[Yakima Red]

The best die set I have ever used to date are Dillon's. Can't say anything against Lyman or RCBS. All my .38 special loads come out great.

[Abilene]

My dies are all Lee.  I was having some problems with shaving lead on some calibers (45LC 44Spcl) so bought the FCD for those as well as 45acp, and I use FCD for 32wcf and 44wcf (those are just collet crimpers and do not resize the round), but for .38/.357 and .45S&W I just use the seat/crimp die with no problems.  My older set of '51 Richards-Mason conversions have tighter chambers than my newer set, and I discovered that .38 brass marked WCC will not chamber in the older set.  As long as I weed out that brass, I have no problems.  I do like Professor Marvel and use one of the tight .38 cylinders as my go/no-go gauge while reloading.  If any of the rounds are too tight in that cylinder, I mark them and they get shot in the other set of coversions that chamber them all.