?? about Lyman 45 ACP dies

[gray wolf]

I have not used any Lyman pistol dies in the past.
I am looking at the Lyman 45 ACP carbide 4 die set, I am attracted to it because it has a separate die to crimp with and I like to seat crimp in two steps.
I am always concerned with expander plugs in that I want the proper tension on the bullet and I don't like the end of the case to look like a big funnel.
Just enough flare to seat the bullet, I don't like to much of this \ / on the end of the case.
I guess I am also asking my brother casters and re loaders if they think there is a better or the best 45 ACP dies out there.
I got a very good deal on some dies recently and was able to pass on the deal to some folks here at the forum.
So I am able to get a set of dies for myself now and would like a good set.
Thank you for any help.

Sam

[RobS]

Lyman makes pretty good dies. The M-die is a great addition for shooting cast and here is an article that give a bit of info on this particular die. http://www.lasc.us/Brennan_LymanMDies.htm

I don't suspect you'll have any issues with their 4 die set.

[462]

Sam,
Lyman's expander die (M die) does not create a funnel, as you described. It "expands" rather than "flares" the case mouth. Also, it installs a "step" that insures proper boolit to case mouth alignment. I use an M die on every boolit I reload, regardless of caliber. It's a very useful tool.

Check this out: http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/dies/pdf/dieInstructions.pdf

[gray wolf]

that's great info, I know many of you like the M die
it's just I know nothing about it. But it sounds like a good addition.

sam

[GBertolet]

I like the Lyman 45ACP dies, especially the sizer. It has a very generous chamfer at the mouth of the die, more so than many other manufactures have. No more crunched cases after I switched to this die.

[BD]

First of all, definately spend the money to get the carbide set. Life's just too short to lube straight wall pistol cases. The Lyman carbide .45acp set is good, and has the lowest carbide ring I've seen. If you carefully grind down the base of the die, (without hitting the carbide), you can get them to size pretty nearly the entire case to the extractor groove which will really limit the shrinkage over time.

I have a Redding carbide set in my old Pro-Jector which has loaded over 100,000 rounds of .45 at this point with no issues beyond the occasional replacement of the de-capping pin. Sometimes I wonder if they might be wearing out, and I'll think about taking the thing apart, but then I just load another couple thousand rounds and forget about it. So far, So good.

My advice is to crimp in a separate crimp die. Any seat/taper crimp combo will shave up a sliver of lead or jacket every time unless you're using boolits with a cannelure or crimp groove.

If I buy another set for the progressive press, I will consider the Dillon dies just for the beveled entry design of the sizing die mouth. And the ease of popping the top off the seating die to clean the crud out. Every now and then I'll crunch a case that I failed to get all the way into the shell plate, and every now and then I'll need to take out my seating die and clean it. The Dillon design prevents the first issue, and makes the second much easier to do.

On these forums you can read for the next two weeks on the benefit vs trouble of the Lee FCD die. I've used one for years and swear by it. Others hate it. I suspect the controversy is really about Lee's lack of consistency in the ID of the die. Too small and it will give you problems.

BD

[gray wolf]

I thank you for all the great Info. I have loaded many, many rounds of 45 ACP
and I am aware of most of what is involved with the proses.
I just wanted a good set of dies. I have the Lee and it has been good to me.
I have a little extra cash that I can call my own ( wow that's a new thing for me )
I spoke with Julie and she said go for it, get a new set of dies.
I think you guy's like the Lyman from what I read, so Lyman may be the ones for me.
Unless someone gives the thumbs down.

Sam

[9.3X62AL]

Lyman dies are very fine tools, and their M-die expander system is best of breed for cast boolit reloading. Other than the RCBS Cowboy die sets, the Lyman tools are the only mass-marketed die sets that cater to cast boolit reloading--most others "assume" jacketed bullets with their dimensioning.

[captaint]

gw - I was looking at a set of Lyman dies (the 4 die set) today at Midway's site. 68 bucks, I think. I, too have the Lee's and while they're OK, I'm getting tired of self-adjusting seating stems and O-rings. Somehow, after using Redding and RCBS forever, the word precision just seems to be missing with the Lee dies. I'm gettin that Lyman set, too. enjoy Mike

[gray wolf]

What is this I hear about the M-die being in two parts and coming apart on the user.
The case expander is a separate part from the mouth flaring part and must have lock tite put on it. I also was told that the sizing die is Aluminum with a carbide ring.
Just wanted to know? I still think they are a good set of dies.

[AZ-Stew]

If it means anything, the only pistol die sets I own that AREN'T Lyman Carbide are the .45 ACP, .40 S&W and 9mm dies I have from Dillon. I load for .25 ACP, .32 H&R, .38 Spl., .357 Mag., .41 Spl., .41 Mag., .44 Spl, .44 Mag., .45 Colt. All Lyman Carbide. The only thing I load on my Dillon is handgun ammo, so all the Lymans are mounted in Dillon tool heads. I bought a set of RCBS carbide dies a long time ago, but their chintzy mouth taper caused most of the cases to hang up entering the sizer. Sold them, moskosh (*), and bought a replacement set from Lyman.

Regards,

Stew

moskosh: Japanese. Literally, little time. English equivalent: very quickly.

[AZ-Stew]

Gray Wolf...

Here is a photo of a 7mm Lyman M die. Make sure you click the small picture below to see the larger image that shows the details. On the right, you'll see a knurled part with a long threaded section. This allows adjustment of the depth of the neck expander within the die body to accommodate a number of different cartridges, all with the same boolit diameter. It is made of aluminum. Its lock nut (just below the knurl) is steel.

In the middle is the operative part, the neck expander, made of steel. From the left, it has a generous taper to ensure that it slides into the case neck easily. Some distance above that is the part of the expander that provides a seat for the boolit. It's about .004" larger than the neck expander and expands the case slightly above boolit diameter and makes it easy to get the boolit started straightly. You'll see it as a small white spot, just above the central gray stripe, and about 1/8" left of the next detail, explained here: Above that is a larger section that seats against the aluminum part on the right, to ensure that the expander plug remains on axis with the die. To its right is the threaded section that screws into the aluminum part. This is where you might want to apply a touch of Loctite. These parts may separate from each other, as shown here. This tendency drove me nuts years ago when I first started using the M dies until I figured out what was going on. I was getting erratic mouth expansion and I couldn't figure out why. You may not have to resort to Loctite. Don't use it unless you have to. These two parts (right) are shown unscrewed from each other for the purpose of illustration.

On the left is the die body. It is steel, with a steel lock ring.

I hope this helps you make your decision. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards,

Stew

[AZ-Stew]

By the way, this is my first post using photos from my "new" Nikon D-90, using an old manual Nikon 55mm Micro lens and the light tent I bought a few weeks ago. Even I'm impressed by the quality of the shot. I've degraded it slightly for size considerations, but it's still a very clear shot.

The light tent provides even illumination, and I plan to use it for items up to handgun size that will be posted on this site. I've used it for some other items I had to shoot for a training class I'm writing for my employer. Couldn't be happier with it. Cost me about $100, including the two lamps that provide the light.

Sorry about patting myself on the back, but I'm just amazed with the detail of the photo.

Regards,

Stew

[462]

As I posted in another M die thread, I use one 30 long die and 3 different plugs for 5 different rifle calibers. Rather than Loctite the plug, which won't allow plug interchangability, I use a small diameter lock washer to keep the plug in place. Works like a charm.

[gray wolf]

Now that is what I call explaining something, great job.
and yes the picture was very good.
Can't thank you enough

Sam

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Lyman makes good dies and you won't go wrong with them. But other dies from other manufacturers are also very good. I have successfully loaded excellent target ammo for my 45's using RCBS, Lee and 310 dies and shot good scores with all of it. I would also say that Redding and Hornady dies can be counted on to be mentioned in the game. The M die is a good thing to use; Lyman also makes a "multi" die with swappable end spuds that expand and have a powder thru the middle feature. The Lee powder thru the expander version is also good. All of these systems have been in use in the field for quite some time and do a good job. To be fair in my opinion I would honestly say that it would be difficult to say or prove that one brand of dies makes better ammo than another. Carbide is the only practical way to go and you can expect at least a million rounds out of a carbide set. I have found that lubing every 5 th case not only makes the sizing easier in terms of force applied, but probably prolongs the life of the carbide ring...as if a million wasn't enough. As for M dies coming apart...not to worry, just a tad of the non permanent loc-tite will stop that. +1 to 462 on the lockwasher idea as that obviously solves the prob too. LLS

[AZ-Stew]

Just dawned on me that by applying one or two wraps of teflon water pipe sealing tape to the threads of the expander plug the plug won't unscrew on its own, but could be easily disassembled when required. No Loctite required.

Regards,

Stew

[stephen perry]

RCBS dies especially pistol dies work out the problems that other die makers create. I use a 3 die set 18908 for 45 ACP. I have allot more green boxes than orange/black boxes and red boxes. My green boxes include RCBS and Redding. The RCBS leaves a flare on the case neck you don't need much.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[mdi]

FWIW, My die set for 45 ACP consists of Lee, Pacific, and RCBS; all on the same turret. Decapping/sizing done by the Lee. Pacific die does the case flare, Lee seats the boolit, and RCBS applies a taper crimp ( just enough to straighten out the case mouth). I prime separately on a single stage press. Yep, I got 2 complete die sets plus a TC RCBS die, to make up my "combo" but through trial and error this works best for me, and my 1911...