357 Max dies?

[Vic49]

Sure this has been talked about a lot but I have very little luck with the search.  What dies do you guys recommend for the .357 Max?

[Torwe]

I simply use a set of lee 38 special carbide dies. Does a wonderful job on 357 max as well as mag and 38's

[petemi]

+1 on the Lee dies.  I have two sets.  One is marked just .38 Special and the other .38 Sp & .357 Magnum.  I use the  mag set for the Maxi, and they work just fine.  I've never tried the other set.  In fact, I don't know if the two sets are actually the same.

Pete

[dave29]

I use the Hornady dies. A nice bonus with them is that it comes with an extra seating stem for pointy bullets. 

[cwlongshot]

I gotta disagree, (Don't want this to be a LEE bashing)
I have quite a few sets of dies, the only problem I ever had was with a Lee set. The carbide ring cracked and fell apart under regular usage. NOT allot either!
 


 
I sold reloading stuff for about 20 years. LEE was the most returned reloading product, either broken, missing parts or manufactured wrong. IF they fixed the product it was on the owners dime and took more time than required. (I assume because of the large volume of returns)
 
I recommend REDDING first, RCBS, Lyman, Foster or NEW Hornady second. BTW, 357 mag dies will load 38 spl and Maximum too. I also recommend a Carbide set to avoid the need for messy lubes. Save some extra $$ and look used.
 
Good luck,
 CW

[Fred McIntire]

I currently use a 3 piece set of RCBS non carbide .38Spl/.357Mag dies; however, I'm going to buy a 4 piece set of .38Spl Lee carbide dies, as seen here: http://leeprecision.com/xcart/4-Die-Set-Pistol/ ,
which will load .38Spl/.357Mag/.357Max.

Hornady makes a nice 3 die set that they market as .38Spl/.357Mag/.357Max, as seen here http://www.midwayusa.com/product/498432/hornady-custom-grade-new-dimension-nitride-3-die-set-38-special-357-magnum-357-maximum

I have a set of the Hornady dies in .45 Colt and like them really well. I just think Lee has the best option with their 4 die set.

[Swampman]

I always use Lee dies unless I find a real cheap used set in another brand.

[yukondog]

I use Lee 38 spl. dies for my 38,357,360 DW and 357 max. never a problem. I did have to drill out my seating stem for pointed bullets, it leaves a ring on them but the deer dont seem to mind.

[tom548]

 VIC49 :  I have some of almost every brand of reloading equipment. I have never had any of them fail I think a lot of the problem with breakage is the person using it and not using it properly. The Lee, Rcbs ,Ch , Texan or any .357 die  should work  and most .38 will as long as the sizing die is deep enough. If you use a carbid set make sure you don't bump the bottom of the die with the shell holder as this can chip and crack them. Some times the carbid ring extends to the bottom and some times it is set back a couple thousands".

[parson48]

If you go with Lee dies you may need to get a seating plug for pointy bullets like the SSP. I know that some have modified theirs in different ways.

[Vic49]

Thanx guys, as always this is the place to come to get the information I needed.

[Fred McIntire]

Lee will custom make a seating die for your bullets for only $8 plus shipping. See the link below:

http://leeprecision.com/custom-bullet-seating-plug.html

[siamese4570]

Vic 49: I loaded 357max using standard rcbs dies.  the only thing special that i had to do was get a lee decapper die.  the stem on the rcbs die was too short to punch out the primers without over flaring the case mouth.  other folks dies may be different.
 
siamese4570

[cwlongshot]

Lee will custom make a seating die for your bullets for only $8. See the link below:

http://leeprecision.com/xcart/Custom-Bullet-Seating-Plug.html

Fred,
 RCBS, Redding and Dillon would send out pieces like this for FREE on there dime to correct the issue....  Just saying. 
 

Thanx guys, as always this is the place to come to get the information I needed.

Vic 49,
  I loaded 357max using standard RCBS dies.  The only thing special that I had to do was get a lee decapper die.  The stem on the RCBS die was too short to punch out the primers without over flaring the case mouth.  Other folks dies may be different.
 
Siamese4570

I think your issue was simply a improperly set up sizing die. 
 The length of the decapping stem has nothing to do with the length of the case. its length is determined by the length of the die its put in. If you set the adjustment bolt too deeply the case would hit it. If you loosened the nut on the stem, then back out the bolt, then screw in the stem deep enough to remove the primer. Lastly turn down the nut and lock it into position.

 In the event that was not the issue, a quick call to RCBS would have either had them walking you thru proper fix or had the correct parts mailed to you FREE of charge.
 
CW

[quickdtoo]

Fred,
 RCBS, Redding and Dillon would send out pieces like this for FREE on there dime to correct the issue....  Just saying. 
 

Sorry, but RCBS doesn't supply custom seater plugs for free, they charge ~$20($16.95 in 2010) and require 5 bullets to be sent, been there. I dunno about Redding and Dillon.

Tim


http://www.rcbs.com/downloads/2010_SpecialOrder.pdf

http://www.rcbs.com/guide/#faq

Q. When I seat the bullet, the seater plug cuts a ring around the bullet just below the nose. What causes this?

A. In short, the seater plug does not fit the bullet you are using. The seater plug furnished with the Seater Die normally will fit the great majority of the bullets for that particular caliber. However, we cannot make one seater plug fit all bullets currently available. If you experience this problem or any similar problem where the seater plug doesn't match the bullet and you wish to have a special seater plug made, we can supply one from the Special Order Department at minimum cost. See our Special Order Catalog for current pricing.

[cwlongshot]

Fred,
 RCBS, Redding and Dillon would send out pieces like this for FREE on there dime to correct the issue....  Just saying. 
 

Sorry, but RCBS doesn't supply custom seater plugs for free, they charge ~$20($16.95 in 2010) and require 5 bullets to be sent, been there. I dunno about Redding and Dillon.

Tim


http://www.rcbs.com/downloads/2010_SpecialOrder.pdf

http://www.rcbs.com/guide/#faq

Q. When I seat the bullet, the seater plug cuts a ring around the bullet just below the nose. What causes this?

A. In short, the seater plug does not fit the bullet you are using. The seater plug furnished with the Seater Die normally will fit the great majority of the bullets for that particular caliber. However, we cannot make one seater plug fit all bullets currently available. If you experience this problem or any similar problem where the seater plug doesn't match the bullet and you wish to have a special seater plug made, we can supply one from the Special Order Department at minimum cost. See our Special Order Catalog for current pricing.

I knew someone would post this...
 
Thats a CUSTOM MADE SEATER!! Not simply a seater plug for pointed bullets!  Guys shooting itty bitty groups need a seater precisely fit to there bullet. (Or at least THEY think they do ) All we need is a seate thet will not make a flat point outta out SSP bullets.
 
RCBS (Most others too) offered a RN seater for autos and a SWC style seater for rev calibers. Then as we asked for it they started supplying BOTH.(I have not had a need to call reciently) But they always did offer such small STOCK parts for free as well as tips and advice on any of there products.
 
CW

[siamese4570]

cwlongshot: not to get the thread of track, but to clarify, my sizing die was a sizer only,  The decapper is on the second die that flares the case mouth.  the expander plug is not long enough to reach the bottom of the max case with out excessive flaring of the case mouth.  it wasn't an adjustment issue. 
 
siamese4570

[quickdtoo]

I knew someone would post this...
 
Thats a CUSTOM MADE SEATER!! Not simply a seater plug for pointed bullets!  Guys shooting itty bitty groups need a seater precisely fit to there bullet. (Or at least THEY think they do ) All we need is a seate thet will not make a flat point outta out SSP bullets.
 
RCBS (Most others too) offered a RN seater for autos and a SWC style seater for rev calibers. Then as we asked for it they started supplying BOTH.(I have not had a need to call reciently) But they always did offer such small STOCK parts for free as well as tips and advice on any of there products.
 
CW

I called RCBS and asked for a different seater plug for my RCBS 38-55 die set because neither of the seater plugs that came with it would work with jacketed spitzer bullets, they said they didn't have one, to send in 5 bullets and $$ and they'd make me one, the same thing stated in their FAQs. I ended up using my Hornady 375H&H seater die instead. Like I said, been there!   

[JB White]

Nothing wrong in starting out with Lee 357 dies as they certainly do the job. It's true that their customer service is no longer service with a smile and it costs to have repairs done. For the past few years especially Lee tends to write more things up as "User error - No liability under warranty". I've heard that from the forums to the gun shows to gun shops and friends. Not bad tools for the money. Just don't expect much from them if a problem occurs.
 
 I use Lee, RCBS, and Lyman dies. I've been satisfied with all.  When it comes to .38/357 I had been using RCBS but bought a set of Lee dies when Lee came out with the carbide sizing die. Back then the seater die came with a plastic seater plug which popped loose while seating 180 gr spitzers for a T/C Contender. To get by I opened up RCBS dies again but continued using the Lee sizer. Still do in spite of snagging a replacement part for the broken Lee. That was the only die failure I've experienced with Lee's. That includes both their standard 7/8 dies and the 1 1/4 inch large dies.
 
Side by side RCBS are much better quality tools and that's reflected in the price. Lee dies are cheaper which allows me to shoot more oddball stuff by mixing and matching and modifying instead of buying special order dies for everything I want to try.
 These days I decap with a Lyman universal decapping die (prior to cleaning) and crimp with a Lee F/C dies in certain calibers so I mix things up a bit when it comes to brand names. Lyman dies I use as a set. Not as finely finished as others but they work just as well. Keep a ready supply of spare decapping pins on hand though. Those tend to break quicker than others especially when decapping military crimps.