best dies for 357 SIG?

[Halo]

I have a chance to get a good deal on a Glock 31, so I thought I'd go ahead and get some dies in 357 SIG so that I simply have to buy the pistol.

I hardly ever reload anything in a bottleneck case, and that has always been rifle calibers, so I was wondering if there's any one brand of dies that are better than the rest for this caliber. All my dies right now are RCBS and Lee, and I like them just fine. But I was sort of leaning in the direction of Hornady or Lyman just because I want some more variety over at the bench.

Is reloading for this caliber just like a bottleneck rifle cartridge, on a smaller scale? Do they have to be trimmed and lubed in the same manner?

 

[ReloaderFred]

Loading the 357 Sig isn't difficult. It's just like loading any other bottleneck cartridge. The only caveat is all the data and instructions will tell you the case headspaces on the case mouth. While this is true, there is also another datum point on the shoulder that has to be taken into consideration. Almost all problems I've seen with reloaded ammunition in this caliber has been in the area of the shoulder, which wasn't set back enough to allow the case to fully chamber. In my case, I found it necessary to mill off a few thousandths from the shellholder to get the brass into the die far enough to set the shoulder back.

I have Redding and Dillon dies for 357 Sig. The Dillon are carbide, but in my opinion they aren't worth the extra money. Dillon dies don't size down the wall of the case far enough and won't remove any swelling immediately above the case web, which will also cause problems, due to the increased pressures generated by this round.

The brass will need to be lubed prior to sizing, or you'll gall it. The neck is also very short, and you'll need all the neck tension you can get to keep the bullets from setting back during cycling. Using powders that completely fill the case help in this regard. I prefer Accurate Arms #9 for this reason, and it produces very good accuracy.

You'll also need to use either flat point or hollow point bullets. Round nose bullets won't work, due to the short neck. The shorter the ogive, the better the bullet will work.

Case mouths should also be chamfered to facilitate seating bullets. This only has to be done once and is well worth the time. A good crimp is also necessary to prevent bullet set back, along with good neck tension.

I've only had to trim a handfull of Federal nickel brass in roughly 15,000 rounds that I've loaded in 357 Sig. For some reason the Federals were too long after one firing, but that was the only time.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Halo]

Thanks for all the info, that does help. It looks like the Redding die set is around $50-60, and the Lee set is around $20-25. Do you think it'd be worthwhile to pay more for the Redding?

 

[308sc]

I have never had a problem with my Lee Carbide 4 die pistol set, Give them a try, I think you will be impressed.

 

[Idano]

Halo,

Go for the Lee Dies, that's what I bought because I wasn't sure how much I would load in 357 Sig. You will also need to mill down the shell holder like Fred said or mill down the resizing die like I did to set the shoulder set back properly. The 357 Sig is definitely an impressive cartridge, unfortunately I am shooting it in a H&K USP with a Fire Dragon barrel. I am very happy with the accuracy but if I load more then five rounds in the clip the cartridges nose dive before they reach the ramp. The conversion is fun to play with but definitely not a serious shooter for me, but some day I may pick up a gun factory chambered in in it.

 

[Halo]

I had to order some stuff from Widener's so I just ended up getting the RCBS dies from there. Now I need to build up a decent brass supply. Anyone know where the best deals on factory ammo are right now? I checked the usual suspects and found nothing less than about $20 per 50. Reloading for this caliber should satisfy not only my technical desire, but my inner cheapskate too!

 

[enstorm]

Avoid the lube by resizing in a 40 carbide die first, then hit the neck in a 357 sizing die.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

I have a lee die set for 7.62x25 (another bottleneck pistol cartridge), and while the sizer was ok, the seater was not, resulting in visibly tilted bullets. I now use a Hornady 30 lugar seating die and it works great for 7.62x25. The alignment sleeve helps align the bullet with the case mouth before seating. The lee seating plug has a lot of slop/float in the die body, which if the bullet is slightly off center, it will not help or perhaps push it further off.

However, I really like the collet-style Lee FCD for bottleneck pistol cartridges. It works great on 7.62x25, and I would expect similar performance for 357 sig.

Andy

 

[evan price]

A BIG +1 on resizing the .357 SIG i na .40 S&W carbide die first to resize the case without lube, then just use the .357 SIG die to size the neck with a little mica on it.

You won't need the FCD die at all with this caliber.

Just make sure you use bullets with a short enough nose that they can get a grip in the case and not stick out so much they hit the lands of the barrel. Most 9mm RN bullets are too long, you need a TC shape, or a good hollowpoint.

 

[nambu1]

I have RCBS, but the are steel dies and have to be lubed.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The only carbide 357 Sig dies I'm aware of are marketed by Dillon. I have a set, but they really aren't worth the money. I also have a set from Redding for 357 Sig.

I run all my cases through a Magma Size Master Jr. first, which sizes the case and rim to the same diameter by pushing it completely through a carbide die made especially for that purpose. Then I complete loading in either the Redding or Dillon dies, depending on the bullet I'm loading at the time.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Jayman]

I like the Lee dies better than the RCBS ones for .357sig. I have tried both, now the Lee dies are in my press, the RCBS ones got sold.