Dillon users: Which dies do you use?

[SWThomas]

I just got into reloading and have only done 9MM so far. I will be getting into 40S&W and 308WIN very soon though. I've read a lot about people not being satisfied with how Dillon's resizing dies size pistol brass. The Dillon dies are not full length dies and leave a slight bulge at the bottom of the case. I've seen some folks saying to get a LEE full-length resizing die to eliminate the bulge when resizing. Other have said to use a Bulge-Buster. How many of you have done this and how many of you just use all Dillon dies and have no issues? If you use dies other than Dillon on your Dillon press, which calibers?

I've loaded about 400 9MM cases so far and every one of them fed, chambered, fired, and ejected perfectly. All of them were sized with a Dillon die and all had the slight bulge.

 

[lightman]

I like to use Dillon dies with their press. Others will work, too. The hour glass look is a Dillon thing, but they shoot good, and case life does not seem to suffer. Lightman

 

[rottenit]

I use the dillon dies as well.

 

[ShtrRdy]

I use the Dillon dies to reload pistol rounds. I load my rifle rounds on a single stage using RCBS, Forster, and Redding dies

 

[Queequeg]

I use Dillon's as well as RCBS, Lyman and Lee on my 550. All work well for pistol brass.

I bought a bulge swaging die from Lee; Lee Precision Case Bulge Remover - YouTube

 

[deadnbrkn84]

Dillon here. Never had an issue

 

[Scratchthejeepguy]

I use Lee dies on my Dillon 650 for 9mm and .223. No problems. I have RCBS for my .308 but its just because I got a good deal on them.

 

[OF&B]

I just got into reloading and have only done 9MM so far. I will be getting into 40S&W and 308WIN very soon though. I've read a lot about people not being satisfied with how Dillon's resizing dies size pistol brass. The Dillon dies are not full length dies and leave a slight bulge at the bottom of the case. I've seen some folks saying to get a LEE full-length resizing die to eliminate the bulge when resizing. Other have said to use a Bulge-Buster. How many of you have done this and how many of you just use all Dillon dies and have no issues? If you use dies other than Dillon on your Dillon press, which calibers?

I've loaded about 400 9MM cases so far and every one of them fed, chambered, fired, and ejected perfectly. All of them were sized with a Dillon die and all had the slight bulge.

If it isn't broke, ......

I use the EGW U die made for them by Lee to resize 45, 40, & 9mm IDPA loads. The Dillon dies were fine for most factory barrels using brass from that barrel. My aftermarket barrels sometimes had problems with once fired brass that came from service guns. The wife and I shoot IDPA and go through a lot of ammo and brass gets lost, mixed, and added at the range.

I do the 2 tool head approach on my 650 for 223 and 308. The first one is just a Lee universal decapper and the Dillon trim die. Bulk 223 gets loaded on the Dillon with a second tool head set up with the rest of the dies. Precision stuff gets finished on a Rock Chucker, mostly for the powder weighing step. The Dillon trim dies I have give very concentric cases.

 

[TheGerman]

Dillon dies on my 550 for 223 and 45; Redding dies for 308 and 8mm on a single stage.

Only complaint is that for 223 reloading, to achieve correct headspace on a LE Wilson gauge, you need to overcam the press. I've read on Brian Enos' site that this is normaly for the Dillon dies and they can either be grinding down by Dillon or to buy other dies that don't have this issue. I forget exactly what causes it but it has something to do with the 'feature' of the dies having a large mouth area to ensure the brass has room to slide into the die.

 

[rleffel]

I have used Dillon RCBS and Lee all with no trouble on my 550.

 

[pmclaine]

I use Dillon dies for .38, .45 ACP and 30-06. Never had a feeding problem in my guns.

The drop out insert cleaning feature is the shizzle, especially if loading lead.

Id like to use Forster Mic seat dies but for 30-06 they wont work on a S1050. Hoping to use them on .308/.223.

 

[SWThomas]

Thanks for the input fellas! I'm gathering that this issue is not very common and has a lot more to do with the gun the cases are fired in. I'll just stick to Dillon dies for my pistol loads.

 

[r50140]

I load on a 550 and a 650 and do not own a set of Dillon dies. I use RCBS, Redding, Lee, Forster, and lately think the Hornady quality is the best for the money.

 

[rjacobs]

Ive got Dillon 9mm, 45, and 223 dies that have a few 10's of thousands of rounds a piece on them on my 550b. No issues with any of those dies. The 223 size die took a little work to get it tweaked right(was getting random stuck cases). I dont load precision rounds anymore on my 550b, but I will still use the 223 dies for my 55g FMJ plinking ammo.

Other dies in active use on the Dillon are Hornady, Lee, RCBS, and Forster. All produce great results although they arent used nearly as much as the Dillon dies.

 

[Pinecone]

I use Dillon dies for pistol rounds.

The only rounds with issues over a bulge are .40 S&W cases fired in Glocks. For them, a Lee Bulge Buster setup is good. Only needs to be used once on each case.

Unless you shoot a Glock, and then expect shorter brass life.