New to 45 ACP. Recommend a die set please

[Pete44mag]

I load all of my pistol rounds on a Dillion. Of course use Dillion dies, have loaded well over 100 thousand rounds and never once had a problem with them. My rifle rounds are different, I load for the accuracy of each different gun and find that Redding Compition dies work best for me. YMMV. Some people like Chevy's, some like Ford's.

[1hole]

I won't go into my feelings on the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp die other than to say it's a crutch.

I've often read that but never with a reasonable explanation of what it means. I find the FCDs are just another tool to be used if needed but they aren't magic and they aren't always needed. Used properly - and when needed - they work very well for me and a LOT of others so I have to wonder, what do you feel them to be a "crutch" for?

[1hole]

NEVER had a problem! With Hornady, OR Lyman, OR RCBS!

I can say "Amen!" to that! And add Pacific, and Herter's, and White, and Eagle, and Dillon, and Forster/Bonanza, and Redding, and Wilson, and a few other brands. Including Lee. I really respect ALL of our reloading tool makers, I believe they do a great job.

[Burnt Fingers]

I've often read that but never with a reasonable explanation of what it means. I find the FCDs are just another tool to be used if needed but they aren't magic and they aren't always needed. Used properly - and when needed - they work very well for me and a LOT of others so I have to wonder, what do you feel them to be a "crutch" for?

IMHO they hide bad loading practices. Instead of solving the problem you just cover it up.

[1hole]

IMHO they hide bad loading practices. Instead of solving the problem you just cover it up.

That's another response without any useful justification for your common Lee FCD accusation. Did you say what you actually believe, and can justify, or did you just parrot what you've repeatedly read? You confidently say FCDs are a crutch for bad reloading practice and stop. I wonder, what do you think FCDs are actually made to do?

FCDs are very simple devices; what reloading errors do you think they can possibly cover up? I mean, you've told us your bottom line, now I ask you to tell us specifically what "bad loading practices" you think our FCDs are covering up? And then, if you're actually serious, explain to us how those bad loading practices can properly be "solved" in the first place.

Is it unfair of those of us who happily use FCDs to ask you how, without a shred of justification, you can confidently tell us that you believe FCDs are our crutch for "bad loading practices". You don't know us so how can you possibly say that without blushing?

[Burnt Fingers]

That's another response without any useful justification for your common Lee FCD accusation. Did you say what you actually believe, and can justify, or did you just parrot what you've repeatedly read? You confidently say FCDs are a crutch for bad reloading practice and stop. I wonder, what do you think FCDs are actually made to do?

FCDs are very simple devices; what reloading errors do you think they can possibly cover up? I mean, you've told us your bottom line, now I ask you to tell us specifically what "bad loading practices" you think our FCDs are covering up? And then, if you're actually serious, explain to us how those bad loading practices can properly be "solved" in the first place.

Is it unfair of those of us who happily use FCDs to ask you how, without a shred of justification, you can confidently tell us that you believe FCDs are our crutch for "bad loading practices". You don't know us so how can you possibly say that without blushing?

Crooked bullet seating.

I loaded over 30K rounds last year with out a Lee CFCD. I don't see the need for one. Anyone that MUST have one is covering up for something. I also don't need my fat boolits sized down to j-word diameters.

[1hole]

Burnt, social work with a defense gun is not a precision Bench Shooters game.

The single purpose of Lee's "after-seating sizer ring" in their FCD is to make sure every round chambers and function without fail - and it works. Thus, the only people who "need" it are those who put certainty of reliability above any tiny difference in absolute accuracy; that would include me.

If you don't even know that reliable chambering is the FCD's purpose or how it works then don't use it but don't jump on the basher's bandwagon to slam what you don't even understand.

Crooked bullet seating usually comes from a failure to campher case mouths and/or failure to expand case mouths enough to let bullets sit up in a case so they can start straight. But Lee's FCD plays no causative part in any of that.

People with fat chambers won't need an FCD no matter how many thousands of rounds they shoot. In fact, if your firearms didn't have fat chambers you sure wouldn't need fat bullets! But, overly fat bullets jammed into tight chambers will indeed need to be squeezed down if they are to feed properly.

In spite of conventional Lee bashing/web guru "wisdom", there's no ignorant user "crutch" in any of that and no amount of expert playing with die adjustments will make those tight fitting chamber and overly fat bullet realities go away. The FCD is only a tool and not everyone needs it; IF you don't need it then don't use it but don't slam it when you don't even know its purpose.

You should understand that not everyone has fat chambers or loads fat bullets or even needs 100% feeding reliability to effectively defend against rabid paper targets at a range.

I don't know or care what your shooting priorities are but those of us with different end goals know what we're doing and we're quite willing to use our FCDs as they were intended. And we're happy with that.

[THG]

I started this thread seeking suggestions on 45 ACP dies. I did note above that my son in law brought me a set of RCBS dies. I’ve set them up on a 550 and have been cranking out test loads and competition loads for a couple of weeks now.
I’m surprised to see this thread has continued. Since it has continued I will comment on the Lee Factory Crimp die. I use the 9mm FCD to iron out my failures. Any cartridges that won’t “plunk” get run through the FCD and go in the practice pile. I don’t have many that fail to plunk, but the ones that do get redeemed with a stroke on my single stage. For me it is useful.

[1hole]

I will comment on the Lee Factory Crimp die. I use the 9mm FCD to iron out my failures. Any cartridges that won’t “plunk” get run through the FCD and go in the practice pile. I don’t have many that fail to plunk, but the ones that do get redeemed with a stroke on my single stage. For me it is useful.

You are a wise man with your head on straight, but I wonder about your few "failures" to chamber. Were they YOUR failures or just the occasional coincidence of fat bullets in a random uncommonly thick wall case? And it would be interesting to hear about an accuracy test between your normal ammo vs. your culls.

[Burnt Fingers]

Burnt, social work with a defense gun is not a precision Bench Shooters game.

The single purpose of Lee's "after-seating sizer ring" in their FCD is to make sure every round chambers and function without fail - and it works. Thus, the only people who "need" it are those who put certainty of reliability above any tiny difference in absolute accuracy; that would include me.

If you don't even know that reliable chambering is the FCD's purpose or how it works then don't use it but don't jump on the basher's bandwagon to slam what you don't even understand.

Crooked bullet seating usually comes from a failure to campher case mouths and/or failure to expand case mouths enough to let bullets sit up in a case so they can start straight. But Lee's FCD plays no causative part in any of that.

People with fat chambers won't need an FCD no matter how many thousands of rounds they shoot. In fact, if your firearms didn't have fat chambers you sure wouldn't need fat bullets! But, overly fat bullets jammed into tight chambers will indeed need to be squeezed down if they are to feed properly.

In spite of conventional Lee bashing/web guru "wisdom", there's no ignorant user "crutch" in any of that and no amount of expert playing with die adjustments will make those tight fitting chamber and overly fat bullet realities go away. The FCD is only a tool and not everyone needs it; IF you don't need it then don't use it but don't slam it when you don't even know its purpose.

You should understand that not everyone has fat chambers or loads fat bullets or even needs 100% feeding reliability to effectively defend against rabid paper targets at a range.

I don't know or care what your shooting priorities are but those of us with different end goals know what we're doing and we're quite willing to use our FCDs as they were intended. And we're happy with that.

30,000+ rounds loaded and shot last year. All of them chambered in every firearm I used.

There's no need for the Lee CFCD if your equipment is up to snuff.

If you require a Lee CFCD to get your rounds to chamber then your equipment is not up to snuff.

[1hole]

If you require a Lee CFCD to get your rounds to chamber then your equipment is not up to snuff.

You just don't get it.

Cast bullets are often sized and loaded oversized and some case walls are made somewhat thicker than others; those are facts. And factory tolerances accept that some chambers are bored on the large side of the tolerance range and some are smaller; that's a fact. Loading fat bullets into thick wall cases and fed into minimum sized chambers are prone to jamming; that's a fact. Lee's post seating sizer ring simply insures the finished ammo is NOT larger than SAAMI tolerance allows and therefore won't jam; those are facts. But you loaded 30,000 rounds last year without a jam so you're are still stuck on your blind opinion of LCDs --- and the supposed lack of skill by its happy users --- is fact? Okay, it's a free world, you may freely think anything you wish.

Fingers, I will say that IF you've actually cast, loaded and fired 30,000 rounds of anything in the past year I'm truly impressed. But, ... 30,000 rounds? Man, that's a LOT of casting, sizing, reloading and shooting each week!

My simple minded OPINION is that volumes of experience stops meaning anything when learning stops. ???

[Burnt Fingers]

You just don't get it.

Cast bullets are often sized and loaded oversized and some case walls are made somewhat thicker than others; those are facts. And factory tolerances accept that some chambers are bored on the large side of the tolerance range and some are smaller; that's a fact. Loading fat bullets into thick wall cases and fed into minimum sized chambers are prone to jamming; that's a fact. Lee's post seating sizer ring simply insures the finished ammo is NOT larger than SAAMI tolerance allows and therefore won't jam; those are facts. But you loaded 30,000 rounds last year without a jam so you're are still stuck on your blind opinion of LCDs --- and the supposed lack of skill by its happy users --- is fact? Okay, it's a free world, you may freely think anything you wish.

Fingers, I will say that IF you've actually cast, loaded and fired 30,000 rounds of anything in the past year I'm truly impressed. But, ... 30,000 rounds? Man, that's a LOT of casting, sizing, reloading and shooting each week!

My simple minded OPINION is that volumes of experience stops meaning anything when learning stops. ???

So you're loading a fat boolit then sizing it down. Makes no sense to me. If I'm loading a fat boolit I want it to stay fat.

I have multiple 9mm firearms. The 9mm loads coming off my 650 could be shot in any of more than two dozen firearms. They work in them all.

I know a double Distinguished Master shooter who tells me that the 9mm I load is the most accurate 9mm he's ever seen.

Shooting 30k a year isn't that hard...as long as ya have the primers. 500 rounds a week gets ya to 26K.

I'm retired and try and hit the range a couple times a week. I use an eight cavity MP mold for the 9mm boolits and can cast over 1000 in less than two hours. I'm usually casting and coating at the same time.

I run the coated boolits though a Star and load on a 650. Many times I have a minion sizing boolits while I'm loading.

A couple days a month casting. 3-4 days a month loading and sizing. It leaves a lot of time to shoot during the week.