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Thread: EGW U dies…?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    EGW U dies…?

    I have been reading a couple of old threads here and some reviews elsewhere on these. I get that they are made by Lee to be just a little tighter when sizing the cases. Personally, from reading the various reviews, I feel like some people are buying them for the wrong reasons. .40SW cases have the bad rap for getting the “Glock Smile” or any other name that has been hyped for cases that are loaded to higher pressures and used in barrels that don’t have quite enough support. These cases are then sized down for reloading but sue to the chamfered opening at the mouth of the die, the bulged area doesn’t get fully sized out uniform again. I guess roll sizing will fix this, but that’s a machine most of us don’t have. Then I don’t know who came first, either the Redding G-Rx die or the Lee Bulge Buster. I bought the G-Rx (I still laugh at the name since it feels like “G” for “Glock” and “Rx” as in the abbreviation for prescription… ). I guess I should have bought the Lee Bulge Buster since I have most of my pistol dies from Lee with their Carbide FCD’s already and that die doesn’t require lube while the Redding does. I guess Redding has seen the light and is now selling a carbide version of the G-Rx die. I will add that the bottle adapter works really well with the G-Rx, but isn’t really needed. It makes a great “nice to have” item though. I’m rambling on about push through sizing dies since I think some people are buying the EGW U dies thinking they will get the same use out of them as a push through die. I don’t subscribe to this theory, nor do I enjoy the thought of milling down the edge of an existing sizing die. My thought on the EGW U die is that since it does size the case walls down that extra .001” then it will have that much more neck tension to hold your bullets to prevent bullet setback a little more. And with a cartridge like the .40SW that is already high pressure, a little bit of insurance in assisting in the reduction of the chance of causing a pressure spike isn’t really a bad thing. I use a Lee six cavity mold to cast 175gr SWC’s that I tumble lube and size at .401”. So while the bullet is already a hair bigger, it’s also a lubed bullet and a fairly heavy one at that. I forget how much HP-38/Win 231 or Power Pistol I use under them, but I’m not loading them hot. They don’t lead the barrel of my Sigma one bit, but the alox does get a little smoky if I overdo it. I set my taper crimp with the Lee Carbide FCD and they drop right into the Sigma’s chamber. The post sizing ring always just kisses the case wall and never swages down the bullets. If I do feel real resistance then that one gets culled for inspection and usually becomes kinetic hammer fodder. Since I both enjoy this load already in my Sigma, and .40SW cases have become so cheap that they cost less than 9mm cases in many places… I’m thinking more and more that the .40SW is creeping up on my enjoyment meter enough to maybe buy something else interesting in that caliber. So if I really want to start loading big time on my LNL AP and use my cast bullets… Would it be a smart idea to invest in this die or is this more of the idea of “a solution in search of a problem” kind of equipment??? To buy or not to buy… That is the question… I can never tell if it’s a good tool or just continuing my amass equipment obsession.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Just a quick comment as I came across this die today, and I checked to see if it was discussed here.

    My impression is the reason why the competition guys buy this die is because they want that coke-bottle shape (more like an hourglass shape if you ask me) as an extra assurance to help avoid setback.

    We boolit shooters, particularly when case expanding with an appropriate M-die plug, get the coke bottle shape with just the normal sizer die because a properly sized boolit is a few thousandths larger than an equivalent jword.

    In a nutshell, I doubt the Lee U (underside) die is something applicable for us boolit shooters.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Russel Nash's Avatar
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    I have the EGW/Lee Undersize dies for 9, .40 and .45. I was using them on my Dillon 550. Now I have a 650.

    Especially for the .40 cal brass that has been shot out of Glocks, I find it helps get the brass back into the right shape to chamber properly.

    It used to be that I would case gauge all my rounds. With the Lee Factory Crimp Die and the EGW U die, I don't case gauge anything now. I am using J-word bullets.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Russel Nash View Post
    I have the EGW/Lee Undersize dies for 9, .40 and .45. I was using them on my Dillon 550. Now I have a 650.

    Especially for the .40 cal brass that has been shot out of Glocks, I find it helps get the brass back into the right shape to chamber properly.

    It used to be that I would case gauge all my rounds. With the Lee Factory Crimp Die and the EGW U die, I don't case gauge anything now. I am using J-word bullets.
    Am I correct in assuming they did not have the push through "bulge buster" sizers at that time?

  5. #5
    Boolit Master Russel Nash's Avatar
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    if you are referring to the Redding Grx push through re-sizing die, then the answer is "No".

    Like I said, I had a Dillon 550, now I have a 650. Anything which takes the brass off press and has to be done in its own separate step is inefficient. Having the casefeeder on the 650 keeps me from having to handle each piece of brass by hand.

    I would not buy a push through die now.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master Russel Nash's Avatar
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    my assistant match director uses one of the Lee push thru sizers normally meant for cast boolits.

    I can't remember now if does just the case or the whole complete round. I think he does the whole round, because I have heard of guys resizing their boolits thru the case. My assistant match director uses J word bullets though.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    I believe that the EGW undersize die has less radius on the opening to reach down further on the brass and size the overly expanded area just above the case webb. This allowed brass fired in a oversized chamber or a gun with an unsupported chamber in the area of the feed ramp to be brought back down to size so that it would chamber easier. In 9mm luger which has a tapered case wall it would oversize part of the case doing so, the down side was that it worked the brass more than most would like, but 9mm brass is cheap and plentifull. When expanded it would leave a coke bottle looking case, but would chamber reliablyl in any standard chamber.
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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check