As with any thread that discusses Lee's FCDs, there is often confusion about what FCD is being discussed. Lee makes an FCD for handgun/straight sided calibers which F/L sizes the cartridge post crimp. Lee also makes a collet crimp FCD for rifle cartridges, that squeezes a small portion of the case mouth. A good tool. Lee also makes a few collet crimp style dies for handgun cartridges, also a good tool.
My Anchor is holding fast!
I use them loading 5.56 and I use them on 9mm, 40 and 45acp ammo. Ive never seen leading caused by them in those guns and have seen no degrading of accuracy. I have though in roll crimp versions for the 41,44,45 ect and in them if I want a 4th station crimp (which I allways do) I just buy a second lee bullet seating die and take the stem out and use it just to crimp.
^^^ that is a good idea
The price is right and that would work well as a stand alone crimping die
Using Hornady lead for my first try I found a very light crimp after seating was ok. Anything more crushed the lead. A push test on bathroom scale was always a good test for me. 8 lbs or more and bullet doesn't move your good to go.
I use the FCDs for numerous pistol and rifle cartridges. For me, they work and work well...
Bayou52
Bayou52
NRA Life Member
"Keep Calm and Reload"
try it both ways and see what you like. I use them on some and not on others. Depends on the load,cal and bullet I want to use at the time.
Two very important statements! I tried a Lee CD for my 44 Magnums, out of curiosity. Fail! Ruined my carefully sized cast bullets and resulted in copious leading...Originally Posted by sniper
I purchased one of these some years ago, when maybe 5% of my reloads wouldn't chamber without a sometimes hefty push. I readjusted my reloading dies, and the problem seemed to mostly go away.
I then started reading on the 'net, (a DANGEROUS thing!) and found opinion that the FCD will resize lead boolits, making them beaucoup smaller! That won't do much for leading/accuracy, sez I to myself.
I figure if anyone knows, he/she will be right here on the forum. Lee FCD...good or bad? I've lost the instructions, so, are there any tips for better use, or...just don't use it?
Thanx,
I have only been reloading semi-auto ammo for only 22 years (revolver ammo for 30+)and have never had a need to resize my ammo after crimping. If I encountered a chambering problem, I found out why it was happening (normally with the plunk test) and I fixed it, most often with a simple die adjustment. Some people swear by them (but I can't help thinking they are too lazy to fix the problem and just cover it up. No offense intended to any members). I have often thought about the bizillions and bizillions of rounds reloaded and fired successfully prior to Lee's FCD.
I'm definitely not a Lee Hater as I have 1.75 metric tons of Lee equipment, and don't really care what tools other fellers use, but I do object to telling a new reloader to use an FCD rather than fix the problem...
My Anchor is holding fast!
I've used a 38-357 FC die for some 357 WC loads that wouldn't chamber without a lot of thumb pressure. Not sure if oversize commercial cast WC's were to blame or something else.
At the time I had a 50 round box loaded, about 12 out of 40 were giving me some resistance so those 12 and the remainder went back home for the FC step.
Anytime there is a fit issue, measure. Find out where the cartridge is too big, then fix it...
My Anchor is holding fast!
I'm ordering the Lee Collet Crimp Die to try out for my 357 loadings. Seems like a nice addition.
I'll throw my opinion in here as well, its worth what you paid for it trust me.
If you're using a FCD I think it is very beneficial to use the same headstamp of brass, wall thickness is what I've noticed causes the bullets to perhaps become somewhat undersized.
Last summer I learned this with some pulled down 9mm TMJ's I purchased at a very low price. I found out that they had way over crimped on the original loading which may be why they were pulled, thus causing the majority of the bearing surface to be undersized so much that about 1/50 rounds I reloaded did not have enough girth to take any kind of a crimp.....switched to a different case....it would crimp. I got a lot of those bullets and even today I'm still finding some rounds that have "self adjusting" bullet seatout when I pull a box out for the range. I'm not saying this was caused by a FCD I'm simply saying case wall thickness does play a part in the total round girth that any die touches.
If they made a 9mm Collet FCD I would get one...I rather like the reliability and repeatability I've been getting with the collet type dies. No reason why a collet type die couldn't work I think. Would belt the bullet some but it wouldn't resize the whole projectile.
Collet dies for the bottle neck rounds are awesome too!
My firearms project blog
You are forgetting that the 9mm headspaces on the case mouth. If you use a rifle type crimp on the case mouth it would no longer work properly. You would need the extractor to hold it in place for the firing pin to strike it. That doesn't always work.
I really like the 9mm Redding Taper Crimp Die
OK, FWIW I had some loaded 357 WC ammo that had chambering issues, too tight and wouldn't chamber. This in nickle rem and fed cases. I didn't pull any of the ammo down to check bullet diameter, but it may have been the culprit.
A pass thru the Lee FCD took care of it, no issues. Remember, the FCD resizes the entire case thru a carbide ring and crimps when finished. It is not solely a crimp die.
It may not be for everybody, but if you're looking to save a batch of loads that cannot be readily used as mentioned above, or as a crimp die on the last station of your progressive, it works well for that.
I'm not sure a crimping type die would cause it to not head-space correctly, depends on the exact specs of the die.
My firearms project blog
My 1st experience with a lee FCD. Was for 9mm. 2 of my pistols have tight chambers. And the rounds would get stuck and jam the slide. After getting a FCD the issue was gone. I also use one for 38/357 and for 40/10mm and my rifle rounds.
True. As long as the case mouth is still large enough that it can't enter the throat, it should work.
I'm in the camp that doesn't agree with the concept of post sizing finished rounds. I own two different carbide FCDs and don't use them for crimping.
Coincidentally, I found a new Redding micrometer crimp die was post sizing my 10mm ammo because the mouth of the die body was too narrow for my cast ammo. Swaging my bullets. Not unlike a carbide CFCD.
I shipped it to the friendly folks at Redding. They machined the die mouth a bit wider, and now it doesn't contact the case. Took two months, but it is a very cool die. Apparently they did not have cast bullets in mind when specifying dimensions.
Last edited by Taterhead; 01-22-2019 at 12:32 AM.
I think the reason Lee makes the collet FCD with so wide a crimp band is so that It can work with varying case lengths.
If the crimp band was cut narrower it would limit the case lengths it will work with.
I have found many cases start out shorter than the trim to length. With the way the crimp ring is now it will work with them.
On rifle cases You can make them from longer cases and trim to a length just short of max, and it will work with them.
If a bit of the bullet ahead of the case gets crimped a bit I don't see how that can hurt.
Leo
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