RCBS vs Lyman lubrisizer

[subsonic]

I have been looking at lubrisizers. The new Lyman 4500 looks an awful lot like the RCBS LAMII, but is a lot cheaper.

Do any of you have both for comparison purposes? Is the 4500 solid on the bottom, so that it no longer leaks?

I've been using a borrowed Lyman 450, and it works, but leaks out the bottom with soft lube. Otherwise, I find it to work pretty well and be aligned well enough for what I do. If the 4500 is an imporovement on this, I think I'll like it, but I've heard that the RCBS is the way to go for only a few $$ more, and I know it has a solid bottom.

[klw]

I have two of the RCBS and four of the Lyman 4500's. There are some differences. Lyman, incidentally, dropped the 450 because of leakage problems.

The RCBS unit, like all their non-electronic equipment is guaranteed forever. Also it will take any Lyman or RCBS sizing dies regardless of the die's age. Finally it will handle a sizing die with a slightly larger hole than the Lyman unit. It does not have a heater but you can buy one from Lyman.

The Lyman unit will only take recently made sizing dies. Somewhere during the manufacture of the 450 Lyman tightened up the specs. So older sizing dies, either Lyman or RCBS, may not fit. You just don't know until you try one. The Lyman unit has provisions for a built in heater. You can buy it if you like. I have one. Can switch it out between any of my 4500's.

Some firms, incidentally, make sizing dies up to about 0.580 for these two. Neither units was made for this. The problem is that these larger dies can not be easily removed. It is almost impossible to get them out.

I like them both but I probably prefer the Lyman.

[mtgrs737]

I have three Lyman 450's and like them alot, they work well and I have not found a Lyman or RCBS sizer die or top punch that they didn't accomodate. The bottom leakage problem is really not a problem at all, I cut a piece of pop carton (poster board) to the configuration of the Lyman sizer base, insert it under the unit to act as a gasket and the problem is solved!

[KCSO]

Say when my Lyman 45 wears out I might get one. All I have to fall back on are a couple of Ideal's.

[NVcurmudgeon]

The Lyman unit will only take recently made sizing dies. Somewhere during the manufacture of the 450 Lyman tightened up the specs. So older sizing dies, either Lyman or RCBS, may not fit. You just don't know until you try one.

klw, I have a 450 c.1968 and another 450 that Lyman GAVE me to replace another (leaking) 450 at the time they introduced the 4500. Can I expect to have trouble with leaking if I buy any of the newest Lyman dies intended for the 4500?

[klw]

klw, I have a 450 c.1968 and another 450 that Lyman GAVE me to replace another (leaking) 450 at the time they introduced the 4500. Can I expect to have trouble with leaking if I buy any of the newest Lyman dies intended for the 4500?

No! But some older dies just will not fit into the newer Lyman units. This is true of all the 4500's and some of the 450's. This has nothing to do with leakage. Some of the older dies now had an outside diameter than is too large.

[TAWILDCATT]

any one wonder who actualy makes these lubers??look at old Lyman and look at redding look at rcbs.I have a feeling they are all made by same manufacturer. Draper in Hopedale Mass made castings for Lyman as I have seen them.interesting!!:coffee::coffee::Fire:[smilie=1:

[subsonic]

Well, I opened an RCBS LAMII for Christmas, so I guess that settles it! From my mother-in-law, no less!

I am borrowing a recent Lyman 450 from a friend (between houses), and the RCBS is much "stouter". The castings are DEFINITELY different as are the main rams, with the RCBS ram being much larger, as large as the top of the Lyman ram before it steps down.

To put it bluntly, the Lyman = Mosin Nagant and the RCBS = an 03A3...

Now if I can just figure out how to size bullets that come out concentric from either of these before I pull my hair out.

[freedom475]

Now if I can just figure out how to size bullets that come out concentric from either of these before I pull my hair out.

If by concentric you mean that one side of the boolit is being sized more. I had the same problem until I started water-dropping my boolits now they size very uniform. not sure why but the softer boolits would almost smear my crimp groove away on one side.