9 mm dies

[WDN41]

9mm Lee dies now available on EBAY from Northwoods sports

As of 10:15 AM Today Wednesday, 5 available @ 46.99 and $6 shipping

Go get some... Got mine

[jetman624]

I just got some carbide Dillon dies for 9mm. Are the Lee's carbide? The Dillon's were only $20 more than the Lee's...

[C3nt3rMa55]

Got mine!


Thanks!

[noylj]

Yes, Lee are carbide.
Yes, Lee makes quite good dies.

[Divernhunter]

Yes, lee uses crappy non-locking lock rings

So buy some real locking rings that you will not have to readjust all the time when you buy any lee dies.

Yes, sometimes the seperate crimping die is nice with some pistol brass but not needed for rifle ammo.

[noylj]

The Lock-Ring War...

Yes, Lee makes non-locking lock rings just like Dillon.
Since I have never had a Dillon or Lee lock ring come loose, they seem to lock up well enough.
I never cared for locking lock rings except on my Forster Co-Ax press.
Every one has the preferences, but that doesn't mean that one is better than the other.

[balmo]

Got the 2nd to the last one!

I was wondering if the 4th die, the factory crimp, that is missing in this set is needed to reload 9mm?

[C3nt3rMa55]

Not needed, seating die will crimp

[bzzz]

Got the 2nd to the last one!

I was wondering if the 4th die, the factory crimp, that is missing in this set is needed to reload 9mm?

http://forum.pafoa.org/ammunition-reloading-25/97525-crimping-your-9mm.html

Online, folks seem to be 50% for and 50% against the Lee Factory Crimp Die (FCD), sometimes reading the threads on FCD is like 9mm vs. .45ACP discussions.

In addition to crimping the case, the FCD also post-sizes the cartridge to make it fit better in the chamber. FCD seems to be recommended alot when reloading brass fired from a Glock. Supposedly the FCD gets rid of the bulge.

Other say the FCD might crimp too much and the post-sizing is unnecessary because the sizing should have been taken care of with the first die, the decapper/full-length sizer.

From my experience, I don't use the FCD with the .357 rounds, the Dillon .357 crimping die from their 3-die set takes care of the crimping fine.

I do use the FCD when reloading 9mm. Some (like 1 out of 20) 9mm rounds using the Dillon crimp would not chamber easily in my Glock barrel. I set those reloads aside and then run them through a FCD. All the rounds chambered fine after the FCD.

I wouldn't mind testing out the "Glock Bulge", maybe rent a non-Glock 9mm and fire brand new factory ammo and reload that once-fired brass and see if it chambers fine w/o using a FCD.

Happy Reloading!

[C3nt3rMa55]

http://forum.pafoa.org/ammunition-re...-your-9mm.html
Online, folks seem to be 50% for and 50% against the Lee Factory Crimp Die (FCD), sometimes reading the threads on FCD is like 9mm vs. .45ACP discussions.

In addition to crimping the case, the FCD also post-sizes the cartridge to make it fit better in the chamber. FCD seems to be recommended alot when reloading brass fired from a Glock. Supposedly the FCD gets rid of the bulge.

Other say the FCD might crimp too much and the post-sizing is unnecessary because the sizing should have been taken care of with the first die, the decapper/full-length sizer.

From my experience, I don't use the FCD with the .357 rounds, the Dillon .357 crimping die from their 3-die set takes care of the crimping fine.

I do use the FCD when reloading 9mm. Some (like 1 out of 20) 9mm rounds using the Dillon crimp would not chamber easily in my Glock barrel. I set those reloads aside and then run them through a FCD. All the rounds chambered fine after the FCD.

I wouldn't mind testing out the "Glock Bulge", maybe rent a non-Glock 9mm and fire brand new factory ammo and reload that once-fired brass and see if it chambers fine w/o using a FCD.

Happy Reloading!

Are you referring to the lee fcd removing the buldge? You would need to buy the lee buldge buster then take apart your fcd and install the buldge buster sleeve inside your fcd

I've used it on .40 from my Glock 22 and it works really well.

['ol shooter]

Didn't see any buy it now die sets on E-Bay when I looked, so ended up buying a Lyman 4 die set direct from them. More $$, but nice dies. I like Lee's too, and their locking nuts work pretty good for me with the o-ring they have in them. I use Hornady quick change bushings on all my dies, saves a ton of time when you load a lot of calibers. I own RCBS, Lyman, Lee, and Hornady, and they are all pretty good stuff, IMHO. Regards.

[Divernhunter]

Noylj----I have at least 5 sets of Dillon dies and all have LOCKING rings. You use a wrench to tighten them like a jam nut. This works well on the Dillon presses since the NORMAL procedure is to lock them into a toolhead and change out complete toolheads.

The lee use a sort of threaded thing with a o-ring to keep tension. They are no good(just as Dillon would be) on a single stage press where you will be screwing in and out dies many times. The reall locking rings can be set once and will not move at all. Not so with lee. The dillon dies are designed for their toolheads so that is a moot point.

MY reference has to do with using lee dies on a single stage press. I have dies (RCBS/Hornady/Redding/Lyman) with locking rings which were set many years ago and have not had to be readjusted at all. IF I were to use them on a different press I would have to readjust them. That is why I write inside each box which press is used for each different die in the box.

So YES on a single stage or any press that you screw in and out the dies the lee rings are crap. I have been doing this way too long to be told different. It is fact, not a war.

[noylj]

Divernhunter
I have been reloading for just a little over 40 years.
To me, there are two types of lock rings:
those with a bolt to lock them against the die and those that are just nuts.
Dillon and Lee are just nuts. If you don't like the o-ring (which holds the die in its position just fine), then you REMOVE the o-ring and use it just like the Dillon. Of course, no "just a nut" lock ring without a cross bolt or o-ring will hold position when removed from the press.
On a single-stage press, or any other press, the Lee lock ring with o-ring allows one to install and remove the lock ring/die with finger pressure. All others require an allen wrench or other wrench.
What EXACTLY is your complaint? That the o-ring does not hold the die in position? That the o-ring is, in your opinion, not as exact in holding the die in position? What?
The only sensible complaint against the Lee is that, once the die is off the press, that only the o-ring tension to the die holds the die/lock ring position. That is it.
Now, I remove the die and o-ring/lock ring as a unit and it holds position. I install the die the o-ring/lock ring as a unit and it holds position.
However, I also "enjoy" readjusting dies hoping the "improve" the setting.
One reason I never saw any great advantage to the locking lock-rings is that I always align and tighten the die with a case in it. When you tighten and lock and lock ring this way, you have to loosen the cross bolt to get the die out (or use a wrench to remove the die with the press/die threads under compression load from the tightening). I never like setting the die, screwing the die down, and then lowering the ram and raising the die and lock rings (while trying to hold the die/lock ring position) and then tightening the lock ring. This just seemed to lose the "perfect" alignment I had achieved on the press.
Thus, all I can see of your complaint is that on an simple single-stage press, that Dillon and Lee lock rings will not hold the die position as positively as the cross bolt lock rings. If so, then simply state it that way.
Since your complain is specific to a specific set-up, it is NOT a universal complaint as you originally stated.
If I wanted the die to be permanently locked in position, I would do what I did any way--get a press with a die bushing (or, in my specific case, I got the Forster Co-Ax). This solves all problems. I can align the die with a case inside, torque down the lock ring, lower the ram, and the die/bushing are held tight and easily removed with the bushing or simply sliding it out of the groove in the Co-Ax..
So, for you, Lee lock rings are a PIA when used on a single stage press when you do not want to every have to adjust the die again and can't coordinate removing the die and lock ring together.
Is that it?

[dikroundtree]

So sad. RIP 9mm.

[Lead Waster]

Speaking of lock rings... the Hornady ones are good. The lock ring is an incomplete circle and the set screw squeezes the ring into a smaller circle.

There are some rings, like RCBS which are a complete circle, and the set screw locks by digging in INTO the die's threads.

IMHO the Hornady design is better. However on a progressive's toolhead where 4 or 5 dies are locked in right next to each other, you might actually find the Lee lock rings are good since you can't really control where the set (locking) screw ends up when you lock down the ring and if it's pointed inwards towards the other dies, it's really hard to get an allen key in between dies to tighten it, with the RCBS style being worse since you have to go straight (radially) to tighten it. With Lee lock rings, just tighten it down.

Though some Lee dies are short and you'd have to put the lock ring on the BOTTOM side of the toolhead to lock it in!

Just FYI...don't discount the utility of the lee locking rings.