Anyone used a lockout die yet?

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22lr

22lr

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So this looks like a very promising concept. Sure it wont catch a very small difference but it looks like it would be just the ticket in eliminating almost all double charges/over charges or bad squibs. Id be interested in trying one out, would be a great safety check for those who are worried about making mistakes. So what do the more experienced reloaders think about this?

http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/536792/rcbs-lock-out-die
 
I use a Lockout Die for each of my pistol calibers that I load for. My dies will basically lock press if powder thrown is plus or minus 2 grains of desired setting.
 
Yes, the RCBS lock out die looks like a good safety feature. It does let you focus on other things and you do not have to rmeember to look at the die every cycle.

I have a Hornady powder cop die that I must look at each cycle.

A word of caution, develop a procedure in your reloading where you do not by-pass the powder check die.

For instance, I have an auto-indexing press and if I remove a case from the press for any reason, I do not replace it. I let the empty location on the shell holder continue through. The removed case gets fed back in at the beginning of the process.

That way, i never by-pass the powder check die, whether by design or by mistake. Lets the die do its job.
 
The lockout die is the real deal. Worth every cent of the $45 or so it costs.

Only real downside is it consumes a station on your press.
 
How long has this been out? I swear I saw the add on theoutdoorchannel today for the first time. Looked like an ingenious idea, I definitely need to buy a new progressive press now.
 
These and similar dies have been out for many years.

My opinion is save your money and just pay attention to what you are doing.
 
There are a couple of brands of "powder cop" or "powder check" dies (Hornady and RCBS make them) but only one RCBS Lockout Die.

I chose a five station press with the intention to use a station for this die.

Because my Hornady powder measure is case activated, I wondered if the Lockout Die was really necessary. The first time it "worked" it was because I had mistakenly included a .357 Magnum case in my batch of .38 Special loads. Since then it has "activated" a couple of times when something went amiss. Much better catch it in the press than in the gun.

I'm sold.
 
Well dang I guess I just have never seen em before, here I thought this was something brand new on the market. I guess you can learn something new everyday.
 
These and similar dies have been out for many years.

My opinion is save your money and just pay attention to what you are doing.
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Yep. Seat belts have been around forever, too. I say just drive careful, and you won't need to worry.

Eyeballing the powder in each case is a good practice, but one can become complacent, and miss an over/under-charge.

Powder check/powder cop dies are slightly better, but still require the operator pay 100% attention 100% of the time. Again, an incorrect charge can be missed.

Dillon's powder check is better still, offering an audible tone that would be very difficult to ignore.

My opinion is the RCBS lock-out die is best, as the operation CAN NOT continue with a (sufficiently) incorrect powder charge.

True - if you never screw up, you'll never need it. But - my vehicles have seatbelts, my house has fire extinguishers, and my presses have lock-out dies. Because I'm not perfect... and I freely admit it.
 
If one becomes complacent, they shouldn't be reloading.

I've reloaded millions of rounds on my Dillons by hand without the aid of a powder check die and never ever had a problem with my ammunition.

If you like crutches rather than paying attention, by all means waste your money on a powder check die.
 
I will not load on a progressive press without a lock-out die, I started with the 5 position RCBS Piggy Back, then went to the Dillon 550 B, Dillon suggested using their dies, that arrangement did not work for me when seating on one position and crimping on another, so they said I could use my RCBS dies, or Lyman, or Hornady, Etc.. Fast forward: I am at the range with another reloader, between us is a shooter/reloader? doing everything he can to pull the trigger, pull the hammer back, do anything, not possible, his cylinder is locked up on his 357 Model 66 S&W, this does not escape our attention so we stop everything and get involved.

The man in the middle used a Dillon 550 B to load his ammo, one case did not get powder, it got a primer and bullet. When chambered and fired the primer pushed the bullet into the forcing cone but not far enough to clear the cylinder. Anyhow we drove the bullet back into the cylinder then removed the case and bullet, to our surprise he started to load-um up again, we stopped that to, one case did not get powder, we do not know if the next case got double charged, we offered him ammo, we offered to help him with his reloading, we offered to loan him equipment including scales, we offered to stop shooting, leave and return with a scale, brand of his choice, he packed up and left. I will not load on a progressive press without a lock out die for pistol or a powder die for rifle/bottle neck cases.

And I still go to the range with wood drivers/dowels and a hammer, JIC, just incase I need to drive a bullet back into the cylinder, or I find someone struggling to pull the trigger, or hammer.

F. Guffey
 
If one becomes complacent, they shouldn't be reloading.

I've reloaded millions of rounds on my Dillons by hand without the aid of a powder check die and never ever had a problem with my ammunition.

If you like crutches rather than paying attention, by all means waste your money on a powder check die.
Click to expand...

Wow. Ain't you awesome. [ not a question ]
 
I started using a RCBS Lockout Die several months ago when I bought my Dillon 650 progressive press. So far I haven't had a poblem with a over/under charge; but experimented with an empty case doing just that and it works perfectly with my press. I bought it used online for 25.00 and it was more than 1/2 the price of Dillon's Fail Safe Die. I'm frugal. :)
 
Yes, it replaced the Hornady Powder Cop die I was using in my LNL. I use it for 45ACP and 9mm, as these I reload in quantity.
 
I used to scoff at the idea until I had a squib one day. Now I use one, and I think they're brilliant.

Part of my scoffing was my contention that I look in every case. I even had a light on my press just for that. Still had a squib somehow.

I will say that the only one that makes sense is the proper RCBS Lockout Die. The ones that just poke up when they hit powder, like the Hornady Powder Cop and the RCBS equivalent, are no different from just looking into the case.
 
If you wonder about accuracy, I tested mine with 45 ACP and determined it tends to trips when charges deviate more than .3 gr. And .3 isn't nearly enough to take my rounds out of safe tolerance. It most commonly goes off whan some sort of hangup has prevented the auto prime from functioning and the charge leaks out of the primer hole.
 
If one becomes complacent, they shouldn't be reloading.
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If one becomes complacent, one is human. It's a foolish man who believes himself to be above mistakes. Airbags, insurance, seatbelts, anti-lock brakes, drop-safe handgun design, the doorstops in your house, and crash barriers at the race track all agree with me on this one.
 
If one becomes complacent, one is human. It's a foolish man who believes himself to be above mistakes. Airbags, insurance, seatbelts, anti-lock brakes, drop-safe handgun design, the doorstops in your house, and crash barriers at the race track all agree with me on this one.
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There is no room for error when engineering a small explosion two feet from your face.
 
There is no room for error when engineering a small explosion two feet from your face.
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Almost sounds like a mechanism that compensates for human error is a good idea. NO room for error? And I was so excited about using that "random" setting on my powder scale...
 
Airbags, insurance, seatbelts, anti-lock brakes, drop-safe handgun design, the doorstops in your house, and crash barriers at the race track all agree with me on this one.
Click to expand...

That explains why so many people drive like idiots and have casual attitudes about handling firearms.
 
That explains why so many people drive like idiots and have casual attitudes about handling firearms.
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Also explains how otherwise careful drivers and shooters manage to survive the one mistake they make on the road/range that may have otherwise ended them.
 
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