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Stupid die question???

sawman556

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Minuteman
Mar 16, 2012
1,203
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Bucks County, PA USA
Hey y'all. New reloader here. I just finished loading my first 50 rounds of .223 and all went pretty smooth, so I hope! I was just wondering about my RCBS Rockcrusher IV and my RCBS dies. The locking ring with the little brass set-screw doesn't seem to stay tight when I want to switch dies. Am I missing something? Aren't they supposed to stay tight to aid me in set-up next time I use them? Thoughts? Help? Eat shit? Thanks.
 
Mine didn't hold either, I didn't want to strip it. I went with a cross-bolt ring and it held a lot better for me. I read that the redding set-screw style has a lead-tipped steel screw so you can torque it harder without damaging the die threads.

Forster Cross Bolt Die Locking Ring 7/8-14 Thread
SINCLAIR CROSS BOLT LOCK RING | Sinclair Intl

Thanks for the reply. I was looking at these. They also have flats to get a wrench on. So I reckon RCBS dies are 7/8-14 ?

Hornady Sure-Loc Die Locking Ring 7/8-14 Thread
 
Get some clamp type lock rings, Hornady or Sinclair are top choices, Forsters are good but are Aluminum and the screws suck.
 
I have a bunch of the Dillon lock rings laying around. I take 2 of those and lock them together once I get my die set where I want it. The brass set screw won't hold and a steel set screw will mess up the threads on the die.
 
Split rings are nice and work much better, but you can also put some bird shot (#8 or so) under the set screw to help the RCBS rings hold. You can also swap the brass set screws for steel, which helps but you'll need the lead to keep the die threads from getting damaged. This works best for me on lock rings I don't need to move once they are set.
 
Split rings are nice and work much better, but you can also put some bird shot (#8 or so) under the set screw to help the RCBS rings hold. You can also swap the brass set screws for steel, which helps but you'll need the lead to keep the die threads from getting damaged. This works best for me on lock rings I don't need to move once they are set.


+1 on this. Worked well for me until I switched to hornady rings.
 
+1 on the Hornady rings. I switch all of my seating dies to the Hornady rings. IMO that's the way to go.