Opinion on Sizing Dies

[bmblong]

I've decided on the RCBS lubrisizer. Which sizing dies are better, Lyman or RCBS? I read an article that most people prefer Lyman. I am mainly concerned with 357 and 44 Mag. I appreciate everyone's opinion. I am hoping that one side stands out noticeably more than the other. Thanks

[montana_charlie]

I doubt there's enough difference in quality to matter.

But, I know the Lyman dies are honed to produce a certain diameter...if the bullet is cast with Lyman #2 alloy.
Since that is pretty hard, they expect a lot (comparatively speaking) of 'springback'. So, a die which is marked .358 actually has a hole in it of about .357. If you are not aware of that, you might buy dies that are actually smaller than you want...if you use a fairly soft alloy.
CM

[9.3X62AL]

Lyman dies are head-and-shoulders better than RCBS, in my experience. In fact--I would put Buckshot's dies at the front of the pack. His staggered lube orifice system is the best arrangement I've seen for getting lube where you want it--and keeping it out of places you don't.

[hpdrifter]

Myself, I'd get RCBS for pistol and Lyman for multigroove rifle.

The multiport Lyman have give me nothing but fits for the single groove/short pistol bullets. I closed off a set of the Lyman ports and within two little tweeks all was good. No more than five minutes, where I never(NEVER) got the Lyman to be satisfactory. Now, there will be those that say less pressure, well, I apply a quarter turn of the pressure device to inject the lube on each and every bullet. The next bullet MIGHT, MIGHT, get just a trace of lube without another quarter turn. I mean like a pin heads' worth. So, pressure is NOT the deal. It's the fact that on a couple of particular bullets the two lube ports on the Lyman would either overlap the nose of the bullet, or if adjusted that out, it would overlap the base. The nose was preferable, but it still eventually would gum up the works.

RCBS has one lube port and you can put it where you want.

[bmblong]

Well, I jumped in and decided on the Lyman. Mainly for the price. I hope they work out fine. I don't want my first experience lubrisizing to be a chore or frustrating. I want it to go well and be enjoyable like the rest of my reloading and casting.

[Bret4207]

The orifice location issue is a new thought to me. Thanks to those who mentioned it.

As for the RCBS vs. Lyman- The NEW lyman dies are great. The OLD Lyman dies had a habit of shaving lead as they sized becasue they seemed to have a ridge where the sizer opening reduced in diameter to the finish size. They would cut bullets and that wasn't good. You could work around it, just have to be aware of it.

My RCBS are good, just more $$$.