Seating Dies vs. 550B

[FJC]

On my 550B, when set up for loading 9mm, I'm using a mix of dies. I have a Dillon resizing die, and Lee bullet seating and Factory Crimp dies.

I'm having some minor issues on the bullet seating stage. When I set a bullet on top of the belled case, the Lee die seems very unforgiving about how perfectly verticle the bullet is. If it's canted only slightly, or tips slightly as the press is operated, the edge of the die catches the bullet and flips it sideways, which then ruins the case mouth. Of course, that makes me have to stop, pull that round out of the 550b, dump the powder back in, toss the primed ruined brass, etc. I'm also not that thrilled with the seating adjustment on the Lee die, as it tends to move slightly over time (not a ton, but there's nothing locking the adjustment into place).

I'm thinking that there's a better die out there that is more designed for a progressive loader, in effect guiding the bullet more into place if it's slightly off verticle.

My first thought, of course, is a Dillon seating die, but I've heard that they are a real major pain to adjust the seating depth.

In .45 I use an RCBS die. I've been happy with that. However, this may not be as common an issue with .45ACP, as the bullet seems more stable on the brass since it has a wider base.

Any recommendations? Is the Dillon die the way to go? RCBS?

Thanks,

 

[halvey]

Get a Dillon die. They are designed to function in a progressive press.

My first thought, of course, is a Dillon seating die, but I've heard that they are a real major pain to adjust the seating depth.

Not true. My only sugestion would be to ditch the lock rings on the Dillon dies and get the ones from Hornady.

Dump the Lee die. You got a nice press, why mess it up trying to save a few bucks?

 

[FJC]

You got a nice press, why mess it up trying to save a few bucks?

Well I'm not trying to save a few bucks - I had the Lee dies from back in my single-stage press days. I'm more than willing to buy something better, that's the point of my posting.

 

[Norm Lee]

seating dies

The Dillon die works well and is more forgiving of the verticality (or lack thereof) of your bullet placement. But the gold standard seating die is Redding's. It's especially useful if you load several different bullets in a paricular caliber since it has a micrometer style setting which you can record for each application. It also is designed to help position the bullet before it's seated.

Cheers,

Norm

 

[KIMBER45TLE]

Dies

I was having issues using RCBS dies on the Dillon with the seating and crimp die all in one. I threw in the towel and got the Dillon dies and the issues went away. RCBS makes some wonderful stuff and for the single stage I kept them around, but on the Dillon I use the Dillon dies.

My question is: Doesn't Redding make the Dillon dies for them?

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

The Hornady seating dies work well for me.

Like the Redding competitions seater, the Hornady has a sliding alignment sleeve to align the bullet with the case mouth prior to seating, but the Hornady is a whole lot cheaper. The Hornady also takes an optional micrometer seating screw, and even with that, they're still cheaper than the Redding comp seater. The standard non-micrometer adjustment screw has a lock ring to firmly hold it in place.

Like the Dillon (and unlike the Redding) the Hornady can also be disassembled while still on the press, without messing with any settings, for cleaning. This is especially helpful with lubed lead bullets. Just pull the clip at the bottom of the die, and the alignment sleeve and seater plug (everything that touches the bullet) fall out the bottom.

Unlike the Dillon seater or the Redding comp seater, the Hornady can crimp too. I like the roll crimp my hornady die puts on 45 colt better than the Lee carbide FCD, but I trim my brass to uniform length occasionally too. If you don't want to crimp, the die can be adjusted to not crimp, just like the Lee and RCBS dies.

Hope this helps,

Andy

 

[loadedround]

:banghead: :banghead: My suggestion is to use the dies your press was designed to operate with, save yourelf time and effort. Dillon dies adjust the same way other dies do and have a positive lock on the seating die.

 

[Jim Watson]

Dillon's seater works smoothly but is as said, aggravating to adjust by screwing the whole die up and down.

I have an old CH Autochamp. Its seating die has a substantial taper at the mouth and will straighten up about any bullet that is setting in the mouth of the brass. Separately adjustable seating screw similar to Lyman.

Know anybody with a lathe and a big countersink reamer? Or just buy the CH. Not as nicely finished as Redding or Dillon but the gimmick works.

 

[1911user]

My suggestion is to use the dies your press was designed to operate with, save yourelf time and effort. Dillon dies adjust the same way other dies do and have a positive lock on the seating die.

You must be referring to the old style dillon dies which were like all the others. The newer style (sometime in the 90's ??) adjust seating and crimping depth by turning the entire die body up or down and using a normal lock ring to hold the setting. It's a good system if you don't change settings very often.

 

[P0832177]

What ever happened to using the right tool for the right job! And, for use on progressive presses you want the right tools!

Sure you can mix and match dies. BTDT. But, simply put buy either the Dillon dies or the Redding Professional series dies meant for progressive operations.

I do not care what any one says, it stupid to try and crimp and seat in the same pass. It may work if you have uniformed case length, but it will not work well. It is two seperate distinct operations.

 

[BluesBear]

My suggestion is to use the dies your press was designed to operate with, save yourelf time and effort.

1 - As I recall Dillon was making presses long before they launched their own brand of dies?

2 - Dillon has always advertised their presses (550 and up) work with standard dies.

3 - For years Dillion has been recommending Redding dies for the calibers that Dillon doesn't produce.

4 - Since Hornady, RCBS and Lee all produce progressive presses their dies are also designed to be used in progressive presses. The Redding literature also shows how their dies are designed for use in progressive presses. In fact their Competition-Pro sets don't even include an expander die since that step usually happens in the powder drop stage.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

I do not care what any one says, it stupid to try and crimp and seat in the same pass. It may work if you have uniformed case length, but it will not work well. It is two seperate distinct operations.

I guess crimping and seating in one operation is just too dificult for some folks to figure out how to adjust the die properly. Advising against it allows Dillon to save money on customer support and seating-only dies while making more money selling unnecessary crimp-only dies.

Like I said, it works very well for me. Plus it allows you to use a powder check die in a 550 or save a step on a single stage press.

Andy

 

[BluesBear]

Don't sit there and try and tell those of us who have assembled more ammunition than you will ever fire that we are stupid.

There are several former and current commercial ammunition manufacturers on this forum.
As I've stated previously, I, personally, have assembled several million rounds of handgun ammunition commercially. By far, the vast majority of that ammunition was produced by seating and crimping at the same time.

Sure it takes a little longer to get the die set properly but it can be done.
And you can produce some great ammunition that way also.

These days I only load for myself but about half of what I load is seated and crimped at once.

I acknowledge that some of the round flat nose (Who came up with that stupid name? The same people who invented the term semi-boneless?) bullets so popular today are a pain in the behind to seat and crip together. The crimp shoulder attemps to seat the bullet too far.

But for the traditional shapes it works just fine.


We may not all agree on the best way to do it.
Everyone has their own technique.
But for one person to say it is stupid only highlights their own lack of intelligence.

 

[FJC]

Personally, I've done both the seat-and-crimp and the seat-then-crimp. Both produced fine ammo.

I currently crimp in a separate step, only because I really like the Lee Factory Crimp die; not so much because of the crimping, but because I how it makes sure that the entire round is sized properly.

 

[robertbank]

I load 9MM and have found the Dillon dies to be acceptable. I wasn't aware of the Redding set up until I hit this thread. Because I shoot two styles of bullet in 9MM and three in my .45acp I might have to look into the Redding seating die. Changing the Dillon seating die is not difficult just time consuming. Heck I am retired so what in god's name am I worried about!

Hi Blue Bear nice to see a post from you, pm sent.

Take Care

Bob

 

[loadedround]

1911 User: Who said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. After your comment about the Dillon seating die being changed, I went to the Dillon website to check and sure enough, Dillon did change the die and it no longer had an seating adjustment screw. It was adjusted by turning the barrel of the die. Went down to my reloading room and found that mine were of the old stlye with adjustment screws purchased more than several years ago(thank God for that). Therefore I stand corrected...new Dillon dies are more difficult to adjusr than regular dies.