Collet FCD Dies for Short Cartridges

[Ranch Dog]

I was digging through the Lee web site and noticed on the Custom~Factory Crimp Die page that have a complete stock now of the FCDs that I offered through my store: 357 Mag, 41 Mag, 44 Mag, and 45 Colt. These are a must have for the levergun reloader!

[donhuff]

RD, can you explain the benefits of a factory crimp, over a roll crimp. I have read about the FCD for years but never researched into it much.

[MikeM]

I ordered a 357 FCD earlier this week from them and waiting for it to arrive in the mail. Went to the site today and checked the closeout section and I believe that they have/had a few of the RD designs in 2 cavity for sale as overstock. I was certain enough that I ordered the TLC 432-265-RF for my M29 S&W. I've been keeping an eye out on the Lee and NOE sites for the RD TL 359-175 for my M92 Lever but so far no go. I emailed Lee to see if they were going to offer the RD series as one of their standard offerings in 2014 and the response I got back is that they'd be happy to cut me a custom one. I'll sit tight for now and keep my eyes out.

[donhuff]

Mike,

I see on the NOE site that they have 9 of the 359-175 molds in stock, 4 cavity and 5 cavity versions. From what I have read, you would be much more pleased with the quality of the NOE mold vs the Lee ones.


I know the next mold that I buy is going to come from them. My old Lyman 454424 mold is getting real sloppy loose and starting to give trouble. NOE makes a copy of it and it looks just right. So I gots to have one.

[Tuco Ramirez]

As a general rule some prefer one type over the other based upon personal preference. I believe similar to cleaning primer pockets or not cleaning. My understanding is the roll crimp and FCD if done right will produce good results. Both can be over done and cause problems. The one benefit in the FCD is you can measure just how much crimp you are applying. The roll crimp is more of an educated guess.

[MikeM]

Thanks Don,

I saw the GG versions of the mould, I'll wait till NOE has some TL versions in stock in 4 or 5 cavities. Sent them an email earlier this week asking if they had a timeframe on when they expect it to be back on the shelves. So far no word yet. I don't "need" it right this minute so I'm willing to wait.

Mike

[Tuco Ramirez]

Don't get disheartened about no reply Mike. I have emailed him several times and one was not answered. If it was a general question of availability I don't think he has time to answer because he did not answer mine either. Given the current state I can only imagine how many emails he gets in a day....

Now specific questions about his molds were replied to. I have approx. 10 Lee molds and one NOE. I still like my Lee molds but IMHO there is no comparison between the two. The NOE will last 2 lifetime if taken care of. Quality materials used and built to last.

[donhuff]

Thanks Tuco for the answer.
I have always used the roll crimp in the seating die and crimp as much as the crimp groove in the bullet will allow. As long as the bullet does not move in the case, I'm good.

[ironhead7544]

The Lee Factory Crimp die does more than crimp for straight wall pistol cartridges. It uses an oversized carbide sizing ring that will insure the round will fit in the chamber. Some brass and bullets will be out of spec enough to give an occasional chambering problem. Howerver, with a cast bullet the bullet can be sized down a bit by the carbide ring. As we know, bullet fit can be a problem with cast bullets and an oversized diameter can be necessary for best accuracy and reduction of leading. The rifle type FCD for pistol cartridges wont change the bullet diameter. It will only collet crimp the bullet in place at the case mouth. May or may not be necessary depending on you gun's dimensions.

I use the factory crimp die on everything but match rifle loads.

[donhuff]

MikeM,

OOPS, sorry I did not notice that you said tumble lube. I have never used a TL style so I generally pay no attention to that in the description.
Now that I powder coat, I really want to try a mold with NO lube grooves at all. I have reamed them out of a couple of molds but want to have one made right form the start. That way It would be concentric, the ones I ream always seem to get a little one sided. I just hate to spend that much money for a "slick sided" mold, only to find out...it don't work. But my limited testing shows that they do work, but not sure that they work any better than with grooves. They sure drop out of the mold better though.

And about the gas check mold. I have started making my on plain base gas checks, so I like checkless molds too. That way I make only one type bullet, and add a check if I need it.