What is your opinion of the quality of Lyman dies? I was checking the prices of some 416 Rigby dies and found that the Lyman dies were less than half the price of RCBS.



Thanks, Hart

I haven't had any problems with them in 10 years.

Particularly those dies are a bargain. For that reason I bought a set and have absolutely no complaints. I prefer Lyman dies also for handguns because of the combinations available and I see little difference between them and RCBS. Generallly I rate them close and right behind RCBS, and ahead of both Hornady and Lee.

There is probably not much difference in terms of the ammo produced, but there are a number of differences between the two manufacturers:

Lyman dies are only warranted for two years. RCBS are covered for life. I bought a Lyman interchangable-faced hammer that had bad threads in the hammerhead when NEW. Lyman customer service said they'd replace it, but I'd have to pay shipping to them, which was half as much as the hammer. I bought a set of 30 year old RCBS dies at a gun show and they turned out to be pitted inside. Made a call to RCBS and they sent a new sizing die, so long as I promised to destroy the old one (which I did).

Fit and finish of Lyman products is usually crap, RCBS is much better. The Lyman hammer I bought had sloppy knurling and the threads. The threads in the hammerhead (into which the hammer faces screwed) were so poorly cut that the hammer faces could not be bottomed out. This rendered the hammer totally useless--one strike and the threaded shaft on the hammer face would bend or break. Threads, knurling, and polishing on Lyman stuff is mediocre, on RCBS it's very good, and on Redding it's excellent.

I've dealt with Lyman customer service only a couple of times, and it was not real good either time. RCBSS and Redding are superb. As the above example shows, RCBS is second to none. I even told them I got the dies used at a show for ten bucks, but it did not matter to them. I also got a piggyback progressive unit that I thought was new, but was used and missing parts. They told me to make up a list of all the parts that were missing and they would replace them for free(haven't done it yet, but I'll get to it).

I guess you've got to ask yourself how much the price differnce is (if it's 20-30 bucks, I'd go with RCBS or Redding) relative to the liklihood of doing damage to the tool. I find that unique dies, like .416 Rigby, are not used on a regular basis once a load is determined and a run of brass is loaded. They spend a lot of time on the shelf where they may rust. If this is the case, a lifetime guarantee might be a good idea.

For what it's worth, my 20 yr. old Lyman 8mm Mau. FL sizing dies and M-dies are finished every bit as nicely as RCBS's products. Moreover, run-out with the FL die is only .001". As for Lyman customer service, some think the term is an oxymoron, but it is truly quite variable. I.e., it depends on who's on duty that day. As for RCBS's "no quibble" guarantee, it is iron-clad and worth considering. Hope this helps, ...Maven

I have a set of Lyman dies in .300 Winchester Magnum, and they have been doing the job for over 30 years now with zero problems. I own dozens of their bullet molds, and they all cast very good bullets. I have a 450 Lubricator Sizer for cast bullets that works as well now as when I bought it 32 years ago. The same goes for my Lyman 55 Powder Measure, and My Lyman Powder Scale. A month or so ago I treated myself to one of their new DPS 1200 Electronic Powder Dispensers and it works beautifully with any type of powder without the need to constantly calibrate it when going from one powder type to another. As you can tell, I like Lyman products. I can't speak for their customer service, because I've never had to use it in almost 35 years. Bill T.