32-40 Redding vs Lee Dies

[Fishoot]

I recently chambered a rolling block in 32-40 with a Clymer reamer. I had a stash of 32-40 brass and some converted 32 Winchester brass. I began to size the brass using my Redding dies. Brass resized with these dies would not fully seat in the chamber. After confirming, with other brass, I decided to switch to Lee dies I had in the same caliber. Those dies squeezed the case down so they chambered correctly. Have any of you experienced dimensional differences in brands of resizing dies?

[Green Frog]

Of all brands I’ve tried, Lyman tends to have the tightest tolerances, but I haven’t really made a study of the differences between other brands. In fact, I would bet that it varies somewhat by caliber and likely even between examples from the same manufacturer. This is why I make sure the dies I’m using are compatible with the chamber in question, and I use a tool called an “Ammo Checker” or do a “plunk test” in the actual chamber to make sure the round fits.

Froggie

[Char-Gar]

Redding dies vs. Lee dies is like Rolls Royce vs. Yugo.

[Mk42gunner]

Didn't see that coming, usually people go the other way.

But as long as it works, continue to use the Lee die.

Robert

[uscra112]

I for one hate, loathe and despise the Lee dies for that positively asinine method of retaining the decapping stem / expander. What few I have, I've set the stem on its' best position and welded it to the nut.

[/rant]

And yes, I've got 4 sets of .30-30 dies and they're all over the map. Can't say which is which since I haven't loaded .30-30 in years..

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I have several makes .308 Win, .32 Special, .358 Win, others by Lee, RCBS, Redding, Herter's, others, they all work but there are subtle differences in all the calibers, sometimes even for old to recent manufacture for the same brand.

[Wilderness]

I have a set of Lee .32-40 dies, used only for sizing .30-30 brass down to .32-40, with decapping pin removed. I open the .30-30 necks with Lyman .32 M Die before I start. These dies squeeze the life out of the brass. The cases are grossly undersized for my Marlin 1893.

After the initial sizing, I use a Lyman .32 Special FLS die from then on, effectively just neck sizing.

Lucky you, to have a chamber that needs the tighter dies.

[1hole]

Redding dies vs. Lee dies is like Rolls Royce vs. Yugo.

Goodness, that's a bit extreme. And inaccurate too. I mean Yugos fall apart, Lee dies do not. A LOT of knowledgeable people know that Lee's dies work very well.

I fully agree that Redding's dies are externally finished about as pretty as a few chunks of steel can be but ammo is made inside the dies and Lee's do that very well. IMHO, of course.

[1hole]

I for one hate, loathe and despise the Lee dies for that positively asinine method of retaining the decapping stem / expander. What few I have, I've set the stem on its' best position and welded it to the nut.

On average, Lee's collet holds the decap stem far better centered than any other design and the fact that it will slip under excessive load rather than bend (most of the time) is a secondary advantage. For it to work well requires the user to first clean oils off the collet and stem faces before wrenching the collet down.

My solution to stop stem pull-out while still letting it push-up when needed is to thread about 1/4" of the top of the stem and put a nut on it.

[Char-Gar]

Goodness, that's a bit extreme. And inaccurate too. I mean Yugos fall apart, Lee dies do not. A LOT of knowledgeable people know that Lee's dies work very well.

I fully agree that Redding's dies are externally finished about as pretty as a few chunks of steel can be but ammo is made inside the dies and Lee's do that very well. IMHO, of course.

Lee worship continues among those who think cheaper is better. I will admit that my experience with Lee products is limited, because I found them to be inferior and kept my distance from them, but my experience was very negative with Lee products.

[1hole]

.... Have any of you experienced dimensional differences in brands of resizing dies?

Not really. The meaningful dimensions of dies AND chambers are manufactured to tolerances as specified by SAAMI within a small range, meaning plus or minus a few thou of an inch. Measurements within those limits are as fully within tolerance as any other.

Shooting skill, rifle precision and sights play the major part of accuracy at the range. Reloading skill, component selection and and load development has far more target significance than the brand of dies used.

All American die makers work to the same specifications; if ANY maker actually has "tighter" tolerances than any other they would clearly say so in their advertizing; no one does that! Thus, web claims about a favorite brand meaningfully making dies to "tighter tolerances" puzzles me; what is the maker's target, to the small or large size or to the halfway point?

I haven't tested every sizer in the world so I can't say there is no difference between brands but I have made chamber casts of a lot of dies and found no significant differences by brand. In fact, I found as much internal variation between dies of the same maker as between makers.

My die testing has included sizers from Lee, RCBS, Lyman, Hornady, Forster, Redding and several others no longer made. (Okay, the exception I found was a SINGLE .243 FL die from the brief run in reloading by Savage Arms back in the '70s - over all, it was too small by several thou, and the neck wasn't truly straight.)

For what it's worth, for my best shooting factory chambered rifles, my most accurate (straightest, on average) ammo is made with weight selected and lightly neck turned cases sized with a Redding body and Lee Collet Neck Sizer Die and finished in a Forster or Redding BR/Competition seater die. (I have to laff at all other boxes of seater dies that claim to be "Benchrest"; they are not.)

[Green Frog]

One complication to this discussion is that I was told several years ago by the Lyman rep that there is no longer a factory standard spec listed by SAAMI for the 32-40. This was the reason given for Lyman no longer making loading dies for it (or so I was told). Can anyone confirm or refute this?

Apropos of nothing, Lyman made their A-Zoom dummy rounds in 32-40 for a very short time. I was fortunate to buy two packs of two each and still have one or two of them.

Froggie

[gwpercle]

Yes ... I've noticed that some dies size down more than others .
I have a 38/357 Lee Carbide sizer and a Lee 9mm Luger Carbide Sizer that actually size the cases down way to much for my likes ...
Back in the 1960's - 1970's Carbide die sets were rather pricey ... then Lee came out with a Carbide Sizer that us high school and college kids could afford ... I would just buy a Lee Carbide sizer to go with the set of steel Herters , RCBS , CH , Pacific or Bonanza dies that I had ... some of those Lee carbides were what's called "small base" and would size the doodely-squat out of the cases .
Good if you have a tight chamber ... but sizing too small doesn't help case life .
In the case of the 38/357 and 9mm Luger I've gone back to the old steel dies ... cases last longer when they're not worked to death .
Gary

[1hole]

....I was told several years ago by the Lyman rep that there is no longer a factory standard spec listed by SAAMI for the 32-40. This was the reason given for Lyman no longer making loading dies for it (or so I was told). Can anyone confirm or refute this?

I can't. BUT, on its face, it doesn't make sense for SAAMI to do something like that and I've learned that stories that don't make sense are rarely true.

[1hole]

... some of those Lee carbides were what's called "small base" and would size the doodely-squat out of the cases .... in the case of the 38/357 and 9mm Luger I've gone back to the old steel dies ... cases last longer when they're not worked to death.

IT's rarely mentioned but most "straight wall" cases are indeed tapered a little. The narrow carbide sizer ring must size the case mouth a little smaller than bullet diameter and - if that diameter is carried full length - the cases become true cylinders and the lower case is indeed sized too much.

A plain steel pistol sizer die will insure the right amount of taper for cases. Properly sized (steel die) cases will last quite a bit longer before splitting than when carbide sizers are improperly jammed down for the full length. With carbides it often works quite well for me to simply back my dies out about half the case length.

[M-Tecs]

One complication to this discussion is that I was told several years ago by the Lyman rep that there is no longer a factory standard spec listed by SAAMI for the 32-40. This was the reason given for Lyman no longer making loading dies for it (or so I was told). Can anyone confirm or refute this?



SAAMI does not currently list the 32-40. I am not aware of SAAMI retiring any of their standards but I have found some references to obsolete standards so maybe they do retire some????? Also there are lots of older calibers that never had a SAAMI standard. I do know chambers vary greatly with the 32-40. I have seen a SAAMI pressure standard for the 32-40 but never a chamber or case print?