Need suggestions to upgrade to better 9mm dies

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RAT807

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I have notice lately when resizing my brass, some pieces are still warped. I have tried to insert some loaded rounds in my Hornady concentricity gauge but 9mm is too short for that. Some of this bent brass is new, never been fired Winchester brass. I believe it's caused by the low budget dies I have may not be fully resizing the cases. With 9MM dies still hard to come by, what should I get to replace the low end Redding dies? I'm still loading on a single stage press. Loaded rounds will be used for local competitions / bragging rights only.
 
I have never heard the words Redding and low end said in the same breath.

I have 2 sets of 9mm dies, one is a 4 die set of Lee Carbide dies and the pother a set of RCBS carbide. Both do a good job and produce accurate ammo.

I have a feeling it's not the dies and something else is going wrong here.
 
These are $39 for 3 dies, not $150 for a 3 die set, so low end Redding dies. I did find a comment about the low end dies not fully resizing the cases and cases not fiting in a tight chamber. My Glock 34 is on the tight side as well.
 
These are $39 for 3 dies, not $150 for a 3 die set, so low end Redding dies.
Say What??

Where are you buying any kind of Redding dies for $39???

Redding doesn't have a low end die line to compete with Lee or some such??

rc
 
all my hand gun dies are Lee , 9mmX19 9mmX18 45acp 357mag 44mag 380auto , never had anything go wrong , I like Redding for rifle better , but I see no reason to switch from Lee for my dies in my LoadMaster 1000's of rounds and still going strong ,
 
Say What??

Where are you buying any kind of Redding dies for $39???

Redding doesn't have a low end die line to compete with Lee or some such??

rc
Actually RC, Redding does have at least 3 different sets of dies, one of them are only $39.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/397560/redding-3-die-set-9mm-luger

Then there are their Carbide dies sets @ $89.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/373406/redding-carbide-3-die-set-9mm-luger

And of course their competition dies that will run you well over $150.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/610299/redding-competition-pro-series-carbide-3-die-set-9mm-luger

Like you I didn't think Redding sold a basic set of dies until I checked the sites...
 
Just pulled the trigger on the Hornady Nitride dies. I hadn't seen them in stock in so long I'd given up on them.
 
RAT807 said:
when resizing my brass, some pieces are still warped ... Some of this bent brass is new, never been fired Winchester brass.

I believe it's caused by the low budget dies (Redding steel) I have may not be fully resizing the cases.
Were you lubing the cases for resizing? I thought cases needed to be lubed when resizing with steel resizing die?

ArchAngelCD said:
I hope they make you happy....
They should as they advertise no need for case lube to prevent case sticking - http://www.midwayusa.com/product/66...ade-new-dimension-nitride-3-die-set-9mm-luger
The Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension Nitride 3-Die Set ... The Sizer Die features Titanium Nitride sizing rings that eliminate case sticking and require no case lubrication.
 
RAT807 said:
I have notice lately when resizing my brass, some pieces are still warped
So you did not have this problem before?

Perhaps the inside of the resizing die got dirty/rusty? If that's the case, a good cleaning and oiling should resolve the issue.
 
I thought steel handgun resizing dies had gone the way of the dodo bird. Guess not.

Steel dies need case lubrication to resize

The combination of no lubricant and something keeping the case from fully entering the shell holder could get the case off center for resizing. The case will not necessarily center itself as it enters the die.

Pull the barrel out of your Glock, it is the best chamber gauge you can have for your Glock. See if the resized cases fit your chamber.

9x19 is a tapered case and at least with carbide dies, leaves a ring at the bottom of the cases. Kind of a Coke bottle look. The carbide ring has to resize the case mouth enough to hold the bullet which is a smaller diameter than the diameter of the case at the base. The ring is at the base of the die and does not extend the full length of the case.

I think steel 9x19 resizing dies are cut more to the shape of a 9x19 case, though.

Redding dies, even steel resizing dies, are not generally considered "low end". If a problem with the die can be identified, Redding will fix or replace it.
 
Being steel dies you must use lube and rust can be a problem. I would inspect them an see if that's the case. They can be cleaned up.

You will like the Hornady TiNi dies. The load force to resize with these is close to 1/2 of a std carbide set. And the drop down alignment sleave on the bullet seater allows you to get your fingers out of the way early. If your using a progressive the large radius on the sizing ring makes for easy alignment.
 
The load force to resize with these is close to 1/2 of a std carbide set.
I keep reading this, so they must have figured out how to do the Nitride thing. I had an early one and the coating wore off in short order. I know another reloader who had the same experience. Guess they figured it out.

Maybe I need to buy a new Hornady 9MM sizer and check it out. Curiosity you know. :)

I have a Lee and Redding 9MM carbide sizers. The Lee has a slight taper to the carbide ring (Old sizer), and does a better job. No ridge near the bottom.
 
I have loaded over 30k 9mm with my set and no indication of wear. I was surprised at how much less force it took with the TINi I was using Lee at the time. I ended up ordering new dies to replace my older carbide ones for use on the AP. I sold off the extra carbide sets. On a SS press you do not notice it that much but on a AP the lighter load and smoothness shines.
 
I've stayed away from the TiN dies as well due to the earlier reports. May have to try one out myself...if I can find one.

How well would they hold up if you were to expand/flare and then run back thru the sizer? I mostly load larger diameter cast bullets using custom m-die expanders to match. Not that this is the norm, but 9mm brass can be tough and I find I often have to experiment quite a bit to find just the right size expander plug for a given head stamp. Bullets may be up to .360, depending on intended barrel.
 
I do use case lube. How I found the warped cases, I had my barrel out doing the plunk test as I seated the bullets. At this time I was not sorting bullets by bearing surface length so my seating depth was fluctuating. I found by rotating the loaded round on the ones that did not plunk, I would find one spot where the round would drop in and out. Rolling these rounds on the bench and you could see the round wobble as it was not straight. This was then traced back to the brass being bent, as in some were brand new, others fired with hot loads and maybe in the .746-.750 length range. After numerous times trying different things, my Redding resizer die would not straighten all of the warped cases. So these were culled, and the bag is getting pretty full the more I reload.

I would inspect them an see if that's the case. They can be cleaned up.

I clean the die after 100 rounds or so. Brass is cleaned before entering the die, inside and out.
 
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I just got a brand new set of RCBS 9mm dies (carbide) last week and I have nothing but good to say about them. Awesome, precision, well made, great finish. Perfect.

That said, on the TiN coated dies I have a CH4D set for .32 ACP that is TiN coated and have done maybe 1000 rounds and have nothing but good to say about it as well.

VooDoo
 
It's not a quality issue with the brand, you just got a bad die, it happens with all manufacturer's once in a while. Send it back and I'm sure they'll make good on it.

GS
 
Thanks for the info everyone. I should get the Hornady dies in on Tuesday and I'm looking foward to using them. I have Redding dies for my .280 and normally have runout in the .001-.002 and max at .003 range with Remington brass thats probably 15 years old. The new Norma brass is even better!

I'll call Redding and ask about the issues with the die and see what happens. From several things I've seen, it looks like the Redding die does not resize the brass completely even though it is stamped FL on the die. It doesn't touch the base or head area IMHO
 
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