Are Lee, RCBS, Hornaday dies interchangeable

[MoreIsLess]

I have a Lee Classic Turret press and all Lee dies (9mm and 45 ACP). I now need to purchase a .38spl die set. My local Bass Pro Shop does not sell Lee dies, only RCBS and Hornaday (and possibly other brands). Will RCBS or Hornaday work OK in my Lee press or is there an advantage to sticking with Lee. I realize I can get the Lee dies from an online vendor like Midway but I have a gift card for Bass Pro, plus I don't have to wait for it to be shipped.

 

[accrhodes]

They will work just fine. I really like the RCBS carbide dies for pistol calibers.

Best of luck.

 

[jcwit]

Have at it, no problem.

 

[kingmt]

I like the Lee better & RCBS won't work with a powder measure but the will fit the press. At only 2 - 3 times the price why wait?

 

[cfullgraf]

My local Bass Pro Shop does not sell Lee dies, only RCBS and Hornaday (and possibly other brands). Will RCBS or Hornaday work OK in my Lee press or is there an advantage to sticking with Lee. .

Virtually all reloading dies made today are made with a 7/8" dia x 14 threads per inch threads. So, just about any reloading die will screw into just about any press.

Some of the die locking nuts may not work with another brand of press due to the diameter of the nut and the spacing of the die holes in the press. This is not an issue with a single stage press.

Exceptions to this "rule" are 50 BMG dies, some shot shell dies and Dillon SDB dies. The former are too big and the latter are special designs to fit the small Dillon SDB press.

There may be other, non-standard dies made today, but i do not know about them.

There are older dies that are not the standard 7/8-14 threads. Also, some older, standard dies are too short to work with modern progressive presses. You would only run into these when buying used equipment.

 

[Hondo 60]

I have 1 set of Redding, 1 set of RCBS & all the rest are Lee.
They all fit in my presses.

The only press that I know of with proprietary dies is the Dillon Square Deal B.
Even all the other Dillon presses use 7/8 - 14.

 

[Blue68f100]

Hornady has a drop down alignment tube to align the bullet during the seating operation, on pistol dies. Gets your fingers clear of the press sooner. I have found that I prefer Hornady over LEE and RCBS. I have several sets which over lap. With Hornady's TiNi coating on the Sizing Die requiring the least about of force.

 

[greyling22]

Lee's auto disk is a really great powder drop for the turret press and 38spl. I don't know if it will work with a hornady die. But physically, non lee dies will fit in the turret, and the shell holder will fit in the ram. (unless you got one of the few that slipped out around thanksgiving with bad shell holder inserts. if so, the shell holders won't fit because the insert was machined too small. Lee will send you a new insert at no charge if so. Ask me how I know

 

[snuffy]

MiL, since you have the lee classic turret, you will find that the lock rings on Hornady dies will not work on/in the turret. The die holes are too close together to allow the larger diameter lock rings to clear. I know this for a fact with the Hornady rings, it's been 30 years since I bought any RCBS dies, so I don't know if their lock rings are smaller than Hornady.

You could give lee a call, have them send you some of their rings. Now, some are gonna scream "THEY'RE JUNK! The lee rings work just as they're supposed to, they are designed to be used in a turret, set and left alone.

 

[Mike 27]

I think I have just about every brand of die and they are all interchangeable. I have a Lee single stage and a Hornady LNL.

 

[Jeff H]

As already pointed out, you won't be able to use the autodisk without the appropriate Lee die. Without that function, the Classic Turret is just a fancy single stage. Personally, I'd wait on shipping to get the right dies and save the gift card for other reloading supplies that you're bound to need.