Lee Crimp Die

[Hiroshi]

Hi Everyone, I’m buying a Dillion 550C in a few days and i was told that i cannot use this Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die 9MM Makarov, is this true? or do i need to get the Dillion crimp die.

[Joe4d]

try it first. The issue is the length,  Lee FC are a bit shorter than industry standard, All of my Lee FCD's came with a lock nut that was hollow on one side for an o ring. If you pulled that locknut off, flipped it over, then put it all the way on you would have enough thread at top to lock it in place.
Looking at that package looks like they have changed the lock ring,, So cant say one way or the other if you will have enough thread. Take it out of package, screw ring as far up as it will go and measure from the bottom of the lock ring to bottom of the die

[Brooke]

Lord! Makarov is 9x18 mm. Luger is 9x19 mm.  The Makarov die may be too short to function as you wish  Just get the proper one and be done with it. They are cheap as dirt

 

[Jim D]

You can put the locking nut on the bottom instead of the top this gives you more threads at to go further down with the die.

 

Jim

[Sarge]

13 hours ago, Brooke said:

Lord! Makarov is 9x18 mm. Luger is 9x19 mm.  The Makarov die may be too short to function as you wish  Just get the proper one and be done with it. They are cheap as dirt

 

Maybe he is loading 9X18?

[RGA]

That's what I do too with several Lee dies, lock ring on the bottom. Classic trick!

[Brooke]

10 hours ago, Sarge said:

Maybe he is loading 9X18?

You Think?

[Sarge]

17 minutes ago, Brooke said:

You Think?

Your comment didn’t make sense talking about using the correct die. I use LEE dies on my 650 and love them

[GrumpyOne]

On 2/11/2020 at 5:36 AM, Brooke said:

Lord! Makarov is 9x18 mm. Luger is 9x19 mm.  The Makarov die may be too short to function as you wish  Just get the proper one and be done with it. They are cheap as dirt

 

Not every member who posts on the forum is posting about competition loads. While it is possible the OP is mistaken about the round he is trying to reload, why would you automatically assume that they are? Would you also assume that someone asking about 44 magnum or 380 auto would also be mistaken because they are not "common" competition loads (I know that 9x18 Makarov and 380 auto are not approved for USPSA, while 44 mag is)? 

[ddc]

To summarize what the guys already said in different posts:

1. if you are loading 9mm Luger (9x19) then the 9x18 Makarov die is not correct.

2. if you are in fact loading 9x18 Makarov then often the issue with Lee dies and Dillon presses is as already discussed: not enough threads available on the top of the toolhead. 

The common solution for those who use Lee dies, and there are many, is to put the lockring on the bottom of the toolhead where there should be more threads available.

That is true of the 650 and 1100 and I'm assuming true for the 550 but I don't know for sure having never loaded on one.

 

There is nothing inherently wrong (or right) with Lee dies vs. Dillon dies. It all comes down to what is appropriate for your cartridge,  to personal preference, and to what works best for your particular situation/application.

[Brooke]

On 2/12/2020 at 6:41 AM, Sarge said:

Your comment didn’t make sense talking about using the correct die. I use LEE dies on my 650 and love them

So do I on two 1050,s. I never said don't use Lee dies. I said get the correct one. Grumpy is right. Maybe the guy is loading 9x18. That never occurred to me.

[99mpower]

Not a fan of the Lee FCD, as its masking a different problem. Dillon crimp or other "standard" crimp dies work great, just have to set everything up correctly