quick question regarding my 44 mag RCBS dies

[Andrew Mason]

i have a set of .44mag RCBS dies,
i would like to reload some .44 special ammo

can my .44mag dies crimp the .44 special? or is the brass to short to reach "the crimper" in the die.

thank for your quick reply.

[daniel lawecki]

My RCBS dies says 44spl & 44 mag on the end of the Little Green box.

[1hole]

I don't know what your dies will do. Try it yourself, that's pretty quick.

[williamwaco]

Yes, you can.

The crimp ring will crimp .44 special just fine.


That die set comes with a steel "ring" that looks like a black washer.
That is a spacer ring for the seating die.

Adjust the seating die to properly seat and crimp your .44 special loads.
Then when you load your .44 mag brass. You put the spacer on the seating die before you screw it into the press.

The die will then be adjusted to exactly seat and crimp the same bullet in your 44 mag brass.

Note that other die sets have similar spacing rings. They are NOT all the same so be sure you keep them with the appropriate dies..


I buy an extra ring from Midway or elsewhere so I have one for the expander die too and I don't need to adjust anything.

[plainsman456]

The same goes for 38/357.

When set up they work for both.

[Andrew Mason]

neither of my die boxes say anything about .44 special,
and neither of them have the washer that is used to elevate the dies.

i bought some .44 special brass, so in a few days i hope to try and find out,

[FLINTNFIRE]

You did get a set of instructions didn't you ? if not you need to find some and download them and read them , I use my 44 for both , and 357 to.

[Andrew Mason]

these dies are not new, they are about my age, if not older
i have been using them for years to reload .44mag with great succes

and i have a set of dies that i use for .38 special and .357mag, however are marked 38/357.

they are both in green boxes,

[FLINTNFIRE]

My first RCBS dies were in older dark green with a different closure then the later ones I bought with the bright green box , for what it is worth you can place a 44 mag case in and run to top of press then screw die body down to see where it touch's and how much adjustment is left . You will know then if you have dies that do both and feel the crimp ring .

[Duckiller]

Don't agonize over it. Call RCBS on their 800 number on Monday and ask them. They are very helpful people and will tell you the truth. They have been known to send freebys if needed to make something work right or better. 800 number is on the internet.

[375supermag]

Hi...

RCBS dies manufactured lately for .38/357 or .44Spl/44Mag have the spacer ring to account for the difference in case length. I suppose they work just fine.

What I did was buy a separate set of dies for .38Special and another for .357Mag. I did the same for .44Spl and .44Mag.
I adjust the seating die for seating and crimping my favorite cast bullet in that caliber. I then bought a separate seating die for my favorite jacketed bullet in that caliber.

I mostly load cast bullets(generally using the same type bullet for thousands and thousands of loads) for most calibers that I shoot. When I decide to load large quantities of a different bullet, I generally buy a seating die specifically for that bullet.

I don't care for constantly re-adjusting seating dies. I probably have at least 4-5 different seating dies for any caliber that I shoot different types of bullets in.

[williamwaco]

In the olden days, they did not include that spacer ring.

You can get one here:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/181564/redding-die-spacer-125-height-44-special-44-remington-magnum


If you want to use this system, you will need two of them. One for the expander and another for the seating die.