Which die set do you prefer for 45 colt?

[Michael J. Spangler]

I'm looking to purchase some dies for 45 Colt.
I usually go with Dillon dies for all of my pistol cartridges. They are well made dies from a great company that knows the meaning of customer service.
I also like the separate seat and crimp dies.
However their crimp dies give more of a stepped crimp than a roll crimp in my experience. I guess this is more aesthetic than anything but I might be wrong.
I would prefer a die set with a separate seat and crimp die.
I could always piece together a lee set and get two seating dies, removing the stem for the second one and just using it to crimp.

Any other suggestions for die set out there? Thanks everyone!

[avogunner]

I’ve been using Pacific Durachrome (steel sizing) .45 Colt dies since 1981. I bought them new then and they still make great ammo. I started a thread not to long ago asking if I should update these old dies. The responses have convinced me not to.
That being said, I haven’t answered your question. I would say that any color die will provide fine service but maybe you should look at steel sizing for this caliber over carbide. My geriatrics prevent me from remembering specifics but there was a discussion not long ago on the merits of the older steel dies. It convinced me to stick to steel though.
Semper Fi


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[Michael J. Spangler]

I’ve been using Pacific Durachrome (steel sizing) .45 Colt dies since 1981. I bought them new then and they still make great ammo. I started a thread not to long ago asking if I should update these old dies. The responses have convinced me not to.
That being said, I haven’t answered your question. I would say that any color die will provide fine service but maybe you should look at steel sizing for this caliber over carbide. My geriatrics prevent me from remembering specifics but there was a discussion not long ago on the merits of the older steel dies. It convinced me to stick to steel though.
Semper Fi


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Thank you. I think I remember a friend (this generation caster and loader now 60 years old) Who suggested the same at one point and I believe it was due to less working of the brass vs the carbide dies. As long as they still chamber then the less work to the brass the better it is, longer case life the benefit. Having said that he still uses carbide dies but did promote the benefits of steel.
I'm going to check the local shops for some old steel dies.
It looks like lee makes a basic 3 die set but also offers their seat/crimp die separate for very little money so whichever set I go with I have the option of adding that as a final crimp die.
Lucking my LGS is a stocking lee dealer and has just about everything in stock from lee, including bullet moulds, spare parts for melters and all that jazz.

[cwlongshot]

Many good dies out there. Couple stinkers too!

Dillon has always been good. On a progressive YA have to have a separate crimp die BTW.

I like Redding first. Then a whole bunch as second choice. (Not a LEE die fan at all. Hornady OK not great either. (But some nice attempts as good stuff.) i do like the cost of the Hornady crimp bies and have a few in various calibers.

[Michael J. Spangler]

Many good dies out there. Couple stinkers too!

Dillon has always been good. On a progressive YA have to have a separate crimp die BTW.

I like Redding first. Then a whole bunch as second choice. (Not a LEE die fan at all. Hornady OK not great either. (But some nice attempts as good stuff.) i do like the cost of the Hornady crimp bies and have a few in various calibers.

yeah I prefer the separate seat and crimp. I've done it together and it doesn't always work out, especially with cast bullets.
Not a huge fan of hornady overall. I had a case trimmer from them that was not quite straight. I don't like the powder measure very much, I mean who thread the cast steel body of a powder measure and doesn't thread the plastic hopper? Also their 40 cal dies come with a roll crimp die which I thought was crazy. When I asked them about this they said to just back the die off a bit and I would be fine. However the die wasn't machine any straighter than their trimmer and I would get a nice taper on one side of the case and a roll on the other. So I backed it out and had a nice taper on one side and still had flare on the other. I'm all done with hornady reloading products.

[bdicki]

For cast I like the cowboy dies for the larger expander.

[mdi]

I use an RCBS Cowboy die set for my 45 Colt handloads, mainly because I shoot cast. And they are purdy...

[DAFzipper]

RCBS cowboy dies work well for me with larger diameter of cast bullets.

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[smoked turkey]

I also have an older set of RCBS steel (not carbide) dies. It is kind of a pain to put case lube on each case and then have to remove it. However they so work good and I keep soldiering on with them. I also like the Redding dies but mainly due to cost I keep coming back to RCBS as their quality and customer service is second to none. I don't do the Hornady dies due to the sliding sleeve in the seating die not being compatible with lubed and sometime a little oversized cast boolits. Someday I will spring for a 45 set in the Cowboy Action set-up. They are top notch.

[JimB..]

I use an RCBS Cowboy die set for my 45 Colt handloads, mainly because I shoot cast. And they are purdy...

Same.

I use RCBS for most pistol calibers, do have Dillon dies for 9mm, 45acp, and 41mag.

[Taterhead]

I like RCBS since I was able to retrofit the expander plug to a "Cowboy" M style dimension. They have two sizes. One for the older larger groove diameter, and the other for the new dimensions. Also like that the dies shipped with different seating stems. I did add a separate roll crimp die to seat and crimp in separate steps

[Char-Gar]

My feelings on 45 Colt dies is well known. I strongly favor old steel dies. My 45 Colt dies was made by RCBS in 1958. These dies produce rounds that are larger than carbide dies and therefore fit the revolver charge holes with less slop. Less slop means better alignment with the cylinder throat.

If you want to crimp in seperate step, orphan seating dies can be bought on the cheap on Ebay. Just remove the seating stem and you have a crimp die. RCBS made #4 crimp dies, but the are not common on the used market.

[georgerkahn]

Having acquired a new-to-me revolver in .45 Colt about a year ago, I elected to upgrade my dieset. I had a plain-Jane Lyman set, and reckoned a carbide dieset would be the way to go. After a bit of research, I "discovered" the Redding dual carbide sizing die -- it has TWO sizing rings -- and hey, it's only money, right? -- I chose the Redding Competition Pro Series Dual Ring Carbide 3-Die Set. After my first reloads of 200 cast bullets I had no problem at all believing that my purchase choice was a great one. Worked/works WELL for me! The only "extravagance" I don't believe I really needed is the micro- adjustable seater die. Midway purveys the set, if you care to check it out, at https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016284072?pid=872880.
geo

[Martin Luber]

Hornady New Dimension 454 Casull dies are my favorite. I was looking for a larger o.d. For acp and found it here. The newer Colt dies are no different from the acp whereas the older colt dies didn't size as much.

Regards

[BCB]

I reload 38/357, 44 Magnum/445 Super Magnum, 45 ACP, and 45 Colt—all are reloaded with RCBS carbide dies. I shoot cast and jacketed in all except the 45 ACP, jacketed only so far…

I have old Lyman steel dies for the 38/357 and the 44 Magnum—they have gathered much dust over the past 20-30 years—don’t get near them anymore. Don’t know the last time I even used them! Maybe longer ago than 20-30 years!

I like RCBS…

Good-luck...BCB

Edited: I forgot 9mm and 9mm Makarov. So I guess that changes the number of carbide dies I use for straight-walled cases.

[DocSavage]

Pistol/revolver dies are Dillon,RCBS and Redding and are carbide.

[USSR]

Like Char-Gar, I use the old steel RCBS dies. Had a set of carbide dies, but sold them due to over-resizing issues. Since I shoot different size bullets in different revolvers, I had several expanders made up in different sizes to handle that situation. With RCBS dies, it's easy for a machinist to make expanders for you at a reasonable price, and they fit Lyman dies as well.

Don

[fatelk]

I remember the thread about steel dies. I had wondered if anyone else preferred them. I have a nice new set of RCBS carbide dies in 45 Colt, and an old used steel set I picked up at a show for $10. I always end up using the steel dies.

For low volume loading in 45 Colt and 44 Mag, I use steel. For high volume 38 Special and the like I use carbide.

[MT Gianni]

I don't think the 45 Colt should be loaded with carbide dies, either for accuracy or longevity.

[Rick B]

I use and prefer the older RCBS steel dies. For under ten dollars you can buy just the Cowboy expander. These Cowboy expanders generally run .001 larger which in most cases is good for cast bullets. I have several sets and seat and crimp with separate seater dies. Most carbide dies are one diameter sizers, a steel sizer a lot of times has a slight taper in the sizer die and doesn't overwork the case
Rick