Lee Factory Crimp Dies

[CSEMARTIN]

I have seen a lot of people recommend using the Lee Factory Crimp Die. Why do so many advocate its use? Is there an advantage to using a Lee crimp die over the Dillon crimp die?

[Kruzr]

There are two advantages. The first is the Lee FCD has a carbide resizing ring on it. It resizes the entire case length in station 4 (of a 550.) The Dillon resizing die doesn't resize all the way down the case. This sometimes leads to bulged cases that have trouble feeding after the 4th or 5th reload. The other advantage is the ease of adjusting the crimp. The Lee FCD has a separate crimp insert with a knurled adjustment knob on the top. You set the die down to the shellplate exclusive of the crimp. Then set the crimp by turning the knob.

Well worth the investment IMO.

[EricW]

I personally don't care for the FCD. I tried it in 45 long ago and yes, all my cases fed into my 1911 nicely, but it made my press horribly, miserably difficult to run. Using lubed cases would probably make a world of difference and is probably the only way to go if you're going to use one. Buy a can of Hornaday One Shot.

[Flexmoney]

I won't put a round in my gun that hasn't been ran through one. (At least in 40S&W)

The full resizing of the loaded round has another benefit..the most important to me. It helps to ensure that the bullet is being held in by the larger bearing surfaces of the side of the case...not just the crimp at the top.

I haven't tried it in 45 (I don't load large pistol).

I do use Hornady One Shot.

[Skywalker]

I use FCD on my match ammo only.

Since I still use a LEE Pro1000, 3 stations press, I have to run all ammo through a single stage press for FCD.

I have found out that my SVI in .40SW and Tanfoglio in 9mm can handle non-FCD rounds without jamming: they are sort of round-gobblers.

For this reason I developed the abit of FCing only match ammo: after FCing, they all pass the gauge test they would not fully enter without FCD.

As Kruzr said, the FCD resizes the whole brass down to the base, eliminating the bulge near it, and this gives that extra little confidence on ammo I need in matches, just to rule all flaws on my side, not on the gun or ammo.

[Steve Anderson]

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

Buy the Lee Factory crimp die today....and throw the case gauge away.

Set it to music and put it on prime time.

I also use the egw U size die ( a modified Lee die) I just want all the rounds to work, and I hate case gauging.

SA

I have grown to prefer the Dillon case lube, lately, over one shoot. Mostly because one shot has become scarce at my regular pro shop.

The dillon is easier to get on all the cases and works really well.

[davecutts]

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

Buy the Lee Factory crimp die today....and throw the case gauge away.

Set it to music and put it on prime time.

I also use the egw U size die ( a modified Lee die) I just want all the rounds to work, and I hate case gauging.

SA

I use the same set up in all the calibers I shoot, and haven't had a failure to feed since I started. Although I have fired a few split cases. Now I just have to get a set for supercomp.

dave

[CSEMARTIN]

Thanks to everyone that responded. I greatly appreciate it!

[Guest Dick W Holliday]

i like mine so good that i thought i'd just put this topic to the top again.....i bought mine a while ago just because i didn't have one and needed to make a minimum order somewhere.......just used it the other day on 45ACP and like a previous poster said.....you can throw your case gauge away.....even Amerc cases with a lead bullet will drop right in the case guage....i was telling a buddy about it (his stuff never chambers) and told him to get me a 40 S&W when he orders his die......D I C K

[Nolan]

I had a problem with the Lee Factory Crimp Die in 38 Special and stopped using it altogether. With soft lead bullets the FCD would squeeze the lead bullet as the resizing ring passed down. The brass would spring back slightly, but the soft lead wouldn't. This removed the nice tight fit with the case and as the resizing ring passed back up, sometimes the bullet would move up with it changing the OAL slightly. Even with a heavy roll crimp I could spin the bullets in the case.

I checked with lead bullets in 40 S&W and depending on which lead bullets I was using I was able to push the bullet back into the case. I had to push fairly hard against the edge of the bench, but didn't like the thought of shortening up 40's using Clays!

[Flexmoney]

Nolan,

That sound like a good point.

Gotta ask though...why the "soft" lead?

(of course, i don't shoot much lead at all...just in 45)

[Nolan]

Flex,

I should have said swaged lead bullets for the PPC gun. With the 40 S&W the bullets were all hard cast lead, it was just that some brands were harder than others.

[Mayonaise]

I thought I'd bump this thread again. I broke down and ordered a Lee FCD in .45 ACP from Midway on Monday. I set it up last night and cranked out 200 rounds real quick on my 550B. Yeah the 550B doesn't run as smooth as it used too before the FCD. It hits a stiff spot lowering the plate. Some case lube (which I never used). The stiff spot is still there but a lot smoother cycling the press now using lube. Case gauged all 200 rounds, every round cleared the gauge easily.

I'll still gauge match ammo but probably not the practice ammo from now on. I wish I bought the FCD 2 years ago.

Mark

[KentG]

I got one for my 550 that I use to load 45 for IDPA out of my Wilsons. I still use the dillon resize/decap and use a redding seating die. I cant verify it but I think the Wilson chamber is on the tight side and using the Dillon crimp I did get a few that didnt chamber fully. After the LEE FCD no more problems.

[ErikW]

I just loaded up a few hundred neeners (9x19), which is the only cartridge I load with an FCD (full Lee set, actually). I had a horrible reject rate with many rounds that didn't go in my Midway SAAMI maximum gauge. All the rejects went in the chamber up to their rims, but no further. It was almost as if the cases were too long. Almost all the rejects were nickle Speer +P cases. (But then, more than half of the cases loaded were Speer +P.) Any idea?

[Flexmoney]

Got any left in the "before" pile to measure and compare?

[texasag93]

I am a user, love it, don't know how I did without. Makes pretty, consistant, accurate, and by the way accurate ammo. Highly recommended. TXAG

[.40AET]

Erik- I doubt that the +P designation has anything to do with it. I read this on Starline's website a while ago and dug it up. http://www.starlinebrass.com/descriptions.html#9MM+P

9MM+P has no difference from the standard 9mm Luger other than headstamp designation for load segregation. Due to standard case design, will handle +P pressures with no problems.

[MstngLX50]

Since I still use a LEE Pro1000, 3 stations press, I have to run all ammo through a single stage press for FCD.

Skywalker,

You might try what I've been doing. Buy another turret for your press and use it only for the FCD. With the case feeder raised you can place the loaded rounds in your case tubes and size them progessively, with no other dies in the turret. I was considering buying a c-press for this but found this to work better.

Regards,

Alan

[Skywalker]

Alan,

thanks for the tip. I must admit I've considered it for a while, but never tried it because I felt rather uncomfortable with the idea of having a pile of loaded rounds stepping down nose poking in the primer of the above round.

I might give it a try with flat point bullets.

[jkrispies]

I'm curious if anybody has done an accuracy comparison between FCD'd rounds and those done with a "standard" crimp?

[magchange]

I use exclusively Lee Precision stuff have for almost 20 years, I'm not that old just been shootin since I was young. The FCD is a fantastic die and almost a necessity if you run one of the tight tolerance guns in the uspsa game. The ONLY problem that might occur (some have hinted to it in earlier posts) is if you have NO crimp coming from the seating die it can infrequently cause the OAL to increase as it resizes the case, since I'm not familiar with Dillons seating die I will just advise those that can, to have some crimp going into the FCD. I run it in all my calibers (9mm,38 super,.40 S&W,.45 acp,.44 mag) with carbide dies and NO lube with NO problems, to the tune of 20-50k a year. I have to add to the cast bullet users that I run jacketed only, so I don't have any problems with squished bullets. I did do some accuracy tests with no practical differences either way.

Edited October 9, 2005 by magchange

[jkrispies]

I have to add to the cast bullet users that I run jacketed only, so I don't have any problems with squished bullets. I did do some accuracy tests with no practical differences either way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm glad that you threw in that last part-- the "squished bullet" issue is the one that has concerned me. Since I'm using jacketed bullets, maybe that wouldn't be an issue.

[DougCarden]

I tried loading match grade ammo with Lee FCD and the same with Dillon crimp die. Absolutely no discernable change on ammo at 50yds in my experience, FWIW. DougC

[bobaloo]

I'm another ex-FCD user, for the two reasons that were already mentioned.

First, they make the press a lot harder to run, at least on mine they probably double the amount of force needed to stroke the press, particularly noticeable on the downstroke. I was amazed how much easier the press runs without the FCD in place.

The other issue is I load all cast bullets, and it's very noticeable that the FCD really sizes the brass over where the bullet lies, in effect sizing down the bullet through the brass. This leads to a LESS effective crimp and more chance of the bullet moving in the case.

Once I figured out that while reloaders talk about "crimp", when it comes to most autoloader rounds what's really holding the bullet in place is case tension, I realized that the FCD is actually making the problem worse. Now I just take the bell off the mouth with the seating die and use a separate taper crimp die in the final station to smooth out the case mouth, it works great and is much easier to run.