S+W 460 dies work for 45 long colt??

[ItZaLLgooD]

I am getting together supplies to reload 460 for my brother. We are usually on a pretty tight budget. Will the 460 or 454 dies from Lee work for the 45 long colts or do I have to get both sets?

[mellonhead]

You would probably be better off with 45 Colt dies to load them all. If not you will not be able to crimp any except for the 460's. You will need to readjust your flare die and seating die for each cartridge. The sizer die will work for them all. At least my RCBS sizer die does. Just my .02.

Toby

[ItZaLLgooD]

So the 45 LC is the way to go? I was curious about the sizing. I didn't think that a LC die would size the 460 because it is so much longer. Good thing I asked before I bought anything.

Does anyone have any experience the Lee dies? Will that sizing die reach the bottom of a 460?

[Frozone]

Same resize die for the 45Colt and 454, part numbers match. Don't know about the 460 ain't got one
What's a LC??? Or do you mean the nonexistent "Long" Colt

[dsmjon]

From looking at the brass, I don't see how you'd load a 460S&W Magnum (inferred, are you speaking of a different cartridge?) with a 45LC die set. HUGE difference b/w the two.

[lathesmith]

I use my 45 Colt sizer for 460 brass, but...I had to remove some metal on the inside with a boring bar on a lathe, as it wouldn't allow for full-length resizing of the much longer, 1.6" 460 brass. I also had to make a seating die, the 45 Colt die is really too short for the 460. So there you have it....nothing definitive, but the two are enough different that the die sets (probably) aren't really interchangeable.
lathesmith

[shotman]

45 dies WILL NOT work for the 460. I have the 460 and load 454 and 45 colt on the 460 dies . If you are going to load the 45 colt hot you need a crimp die for 45. acp will work if you need it for a few. the 460 set will crimp 454s but it wont do a 45 colt. I dont load the colts hot so no crimp works for me. The Lee dies is what I have . a 460 set and a 45 crimp die. The reason for the 45 die is for a rifle . Tube mag will let boolit move.

[Bullshop Junior]

as long as the seater from the 460 will go down fr enough to seat bullets in the 45 colt then it will work, exept you will ot be able to crimp, however, with the 45 colt or 454 dies you will have to back the die out of the press a log was to keep from ruining your brass.

[geargnasher]

Same resize die for the 45Colt and 454, part numbers match. Don't know about the 460 ain't got one
What's a LC??? Or do you mean the nonexistent "Long" Colt

And Lee Precision keeps that "long colt" misnomer alive with badging their dies that way. I hate it, but I guess it keeps their packaging monkeys from confusing them with .45 ACP.

ALLGOOD: The Lee dies are cheap and excellent in most cases. I have 3 sets of .45 Colt Lee dies (various presses and turret heads) and one set of RCBS. the RCBS dies, like all the other ones I have in other calibers, are a pain to use compared to Lee's stuff. You can afford to get a carbide .460 3-die carbide set and .45 Colt Carbide sizing die in Lee brand for less than $50, or you can get 3-die sets for both for $56. I would go with the latter just to have 2 seater dies.

Gear

[txhunter77]

RCBS carbide 45 colt dies will work for 454 and 460. You end up having to readjust the dies quite a bit when swapping between them. Though the seater plugs for the 45 don't allow for pointed bullets, you can modify the round nose plug for seating bullets like Hornady SSTs, by drilling out the center then using a vld type case deburring tool to cut a taper to more closely match the bullet nose.

[ItZaLLgooD]

I can get both Lee sets for a little more than 1 RCBS set and it sounds like thats the best solution. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

[shotman]

The 2 sets is the way to go. you can set the seat dies up different that way.

[Frozone]

And Lee Precision keeps that "long colt" misnomer alive with badging their dies that way. I hate it, but I guess it keeps their packaging monkeys from confusing them with .45 ACP.

Have you been keeping abreast of the drama over on singleactions?
I just couldn't resist.

I set up my 45/454 with fleabay's help . 1 complete set of 454 dies and individual buys of a seater die and crimper. But then I don't use a turret press.

I only needed the single resizer, and set up the crimpers for each caliber, as they don't have to be reset.
I could have gotten away with a single seater die too, and just adjusted it each time, but the price was to good.

[lostchild0]

I know that this is a different case, but I load the .445sm with a .452 bullet ( for a .45/410 ) I just use the .45 Colt dies with a spacer washer under the lock ring of the seat/crimp die and the expander die, the sizing die sizes all the way down to the rim, my dies are Lee carbide. Hope this helps...lost

[txbirdman]

Also the 460 takes a different shell holder than the 454/45 Colt brass. Shell holders for 7 Mag's will work okay with the 460's also.

[smokepole]

I found I needed a set of .460 dies because the rim of the .460 case is just a little bigger than the rim of the .45 and .454. 45 Colt dies are good for both the 45 Colt and 454.