Are reloading dies universal

[nwslopoke]

I want to get into reloading in the future. I'd like to start buying things now little by little. Is there such a thing as the most popular set that is pretty universal that I could focus towards? This is mainly for 5.56 and 308. But to a lesser extent 9, 40, 45.

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[TTSX]

I'm not sure I fully understand what you're asking. Are you trying to get a single die that will do 5.56, .308, 9mm.....

 

[deadeye]

RCBS is the most popular but Lee is what I use mainly. If you mean universal as in use in different presses they work in pretty much all newer presses. There are older presses and dies that need adapters but they are not too common.

 

[ma96782]

Now a days....
The threading on the dies are pretty much "standard" (7/8" - 14 threading) throughout the major brands. So, they'll normally fit across the brand lines. Lee, RCBS, Redding, Dillion, Lyman, etc....will fit in mostly all of the brands of presses and vis a versa..

In the older days.....YES....there were instances when they did not always interchange between the brands.

Aloha, Mark

PS....hint: a reloading: press will not normally "wear out" So, if you find a USED deal at a gun show, it might be worth it to check it out. Make sure that the "ram piston" fits the frame without side to side "shake". And, you don't want the piston "binding" during the stroke.

Dies on the other hand should be inspected really carefully. Otherwise, buy them NEW. This is just IMHO.

 

[ma96782]

If you were asking about which brand line is better?

There are plenty of opinions.

That being said.....when I started out, I bought "green" (aka: RCBS products) exclusively. Why? Because.....my first press was green. LOL.

As the years passed by and I wanted more dies (and presses) for different calibers. I've expanded my thinking to include Lee, Dillion, and Redding products.

They've all worked fine for me.

Aloha, Mark

 

[kevlar]

Lee Hornady rcbs Dillon. They are all quality machines. All dies will interchange. Personally I started with green "rcbs" and worked my way into blue "Dillon" but I still have use and love my green ones.
If it's green and a good price buy it, doesn't matter if it's garbage. Send it to rcbs they "WILL" make it right.

 

[Lesliet]

Just in case it's what you're wondering, you DO need different dies for different calibers. I like the 4 die sets for pistol stuff, Lee's 4 die sets are generally great. 4 Die Set Pistol - Lee Precision You may find that your needs and your process will have you buying different brands, and mixing sets on the press to do what you want.

 

[nwslopoke]

Now a days....
The threading on the dies are pretty much "standard" (7/8" - 14 threading) throughout the major brands. So, they'll normally fit across the brand lines. Lee, RCBS, Redding, Dillion, Lyman, etc....will fit in mostly all of the brands of presses and vis a versa..

In the older days.....YES....there were instances when they did not always interchange between the brands.

Aloha, Mark

PS....hint: a reloading: press will not normally "wear out" So, if you find a USED deal at a gun show, it might be worth it to check it out. Make sure that the "ram piston" fits the frame without side to side "shake". And, you don't want the piston "binding" during the stroke.

Dies on the other hand should be inspected really carefully. Otherwise, buy them NEW. This is just IMHO.

Thanks all. This is what I am asking. If I find what I think is a good buy from one brand, will it work okay with another.

Reloading is on the list but not too high as I am prepping my house for sale and other things. But there may be some items I may get sooner than later. I don't have a place set aside to even reload now but that will play into my next place. Maybe standardization is what I am thinking.

 

[turq]

I like Hornady die set and a Lee factory tapered crimp die

Edit; Hornady has a great in-line seater in (some/most of their seating dies)

 

[HighlandLofts]

I have mostly RCBS dies but have dies from other manufacturers.
Right now I am running two single stage Hornady Lock n Load presses.
I have RCBS, Hornady, Lee, lachmiller, C&H and a couple of other die sets.

The only problem I had was with a set of C&H dies.when I went to set them up in the Hornady bushings the locking collar was up in the space between the threads and the top of the die. There wasn't enough threads for the locking collar to grab on to.

 

[Lesliet]

I've heard on some presses, you end up putting the locking collar underneath the plate with some brands of dies, due to lack of thread room at the top. ( especially if you use quick change collets like LnL, or Lee) A lot of Lee dies are a bit short, although I've heard they have made them longer in the new manufacturing. So far, I've gotten away with flipping the Lee locking collars o-ring side up, and that gave me just enough thread to secure the die.

 

[GWS]

Thanks all. This is what I am asking. If I find what I think is a good buy from one brand, will it work okay with another.

Reloading is on the list but not too high as I am prepping my house for sale and other things. But there may be some items I may get sooner than later. I don't have a place set aside to even reload now but that will play into my next place. Maybe standardization is what I am thinking.

OK so yes you can mix brands of dies as in I have mixed Lee and RCBS dies on my Lee turret press as well as on my Dillon. They just all need to be for the same caliber.
Lee is the best deal in dies IMHO unless you are going for super precision. I love the Lee turret but I will never own another Lee progressive press. If you want a progressive press Go Blue, as in Dillon Precision

 

[HighlandLofts]

My oldest son bought a lot of Lee dies when he first got into reloading because of lack of funds to buy better quality dies.
His 22-250 shoots 1/2" groups at 100 yards with his Lee dies.
Once he started getting ahead he has been buying either Hornady or RCBS dies.
They all work, it's mostly just a matter of choice.

Rcbs, Hornady and Dillion have GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE,. personally for me Lee's customer service SUCKS.
Maybe other had better service from Lee then I recieved.

When you buy dies for straight walled cases buy carbide dies. They don't need lube, but I put a little spray lube on the brass every once in a while.

 

[Lesliet]

When you buy dies for straight walled cases buy carbide dies. They don't need lube, but I put a little spray lube on the brass every once in a while.

+1

The carbide ones last longer. With some Hornady one shot lube, the whole experience is a lot smoother. I think Redding uses some high end material that is better than carbide on their premium dies, but I haven't spent that kind of money on dies, yet.

 

[HighlandLofts]

When I got back into reloading after a forty year break I bought a used set of RCBS 38/357 dies at a gun show. The box said CARBIDE, so I was resizing with no lube and after a hundred or so cases the cases were getting straight line scratches. I called RCBS and told the guy at customer service what was going on and he said the resizer die was not carbide and I should of been lubacting the cases.
I told him the box said carbide and he said some one swapped out the carbide resizer with a regular steel resizer die.
He said if it was a carbide die it will have CARBO stamped on the die.
I mailed the screwed up die to RCBS and got it back a few days later all fixed up.

Any thing that breaks they get it right out to you free of charge.

 

[Lesliet]

I bought an RCBS primer pocket swager on Amazon as a return, and when I got it, the pin that connects the swage head to the cam was broken. I emailed RCBS, and they had a new pin out to me in a week, free of charge. I never saw customer service like this til I got into guns and reloading; most places would probably have left it at "not my circus, not my monkey."

 

[Certaindeaf]

I got a set of Lee dies and all known matter revolves around them so they're pretty universal.

 

[jjfitch]

I want to get into reloading in the future. I'd like to start buying things now little by little. Is there such a thing as the most popular set that is pretty universal that I could focus towards? This is mainly for 5.56 and 308. But to a lesser extent 9, 40, 45.

I would start at the beginning! Buy a reloading manual from a major reloading equipment supplier like Hornady!

The beginning of the book shows step by step reloading and the use of their products. The rest of the book shows recipes and other other important data for new reloaders. Lee also has one. Not sure about RCBS or Dillon but there is also tons of data on line. Use caution when looking at on line data and never use recipes unless you can verify the load by a powder of bullet manufacturer.

Several years down the road you will understand and thank me!

Smiles,

 

[Whisky Tahoe]

Wow are you in for a pleasant journey. Everyone has posted very good advice.
Use this time to start reading. When you understand how presses work, you'll start to develop some preferences.

Most equipment manufacturers have education. Here's a link to RCBS info:

Handloading Basics | RCBS

The RCBS guide to reloading and handloading.

www.rcbs.com

Hodgdon and other powder manufacturers do the same. Here's the link to Hodgdon's info:

Reloading for Beginners | Hodgdon Reloading

Welcome to the world of reloading. At first blush, the numbers and jargon can be overwhelming. But arm yourself with the basics and before you know it, you’ll be reloading with the best of ‘em. Browse and select topics in the submenu to get started. Still wondering if this hobby is right for...

www.hodgdonreloading.com

Gavin has posted an entire universe of reloading reviews located here:

Ultimate Reloader – Reloading Explained

ultimatereloader.com

Balance the desire to buy the best with a pace that works for you.
While the phrase "buy once cry once" certainly applies, you don't have to invest all your money at once.
A lot of reloading expense is designed to save time. When starting out, learning a basic method with simple tools is very beneficial to understanding what you like and where you want to spend.

Reloading scales are a great example. A good beam scale is less than $100 where an Autothrow enabled digital scale with magnetic force restoration that doesn't drift like load-cell based digital scales runs $1k
Having both is good if you need to reload without the power being on.

Say you find a Lee "O" style press at a garage sale for $25. That press combined with dies and a set of good practices will reload very accurate hunting and target shooting ammo. Later if you decide to upgrade, you can still use that press for general things like depriming (removing spent primers) or as a dedicated station for reloading a favorite caliber. Whatever you choose.

Start thinking about a dedicated space for your reloading as well as a sturdy bench to support the press.
Custom, repurposed, wood, metal, It's all good as long as it is sturdy.
At some point you will need to focus on storing powder, primers, bullets and assembled cartridges.

You are already on the right path posting questions. This forum has a great deal of experienced reloaders who are very helpful.

Enjoy the ride

 

[Dinglenutz]

Most dies will fit 'standard' presses, the only exceptions I know of are dies for beasts like 50 BMG, 416, etc that just end up being bigger. I've had RCBS, Hornady, Redding, Lee, maybe a few others, and presses from RCBS and Lee. They're all fine, some maybe a little better thought out than others. For progressives I'll probably stick to Dillon from now on, but my BiL likes the Hornady Lock 'n' Load he has.