I decided to reload some ammo for a pistol caliber that I haven't been shooting much but the quantity of clean brass my wife bought at a yard sale says that I should start soon. She picked up around 3500 cases for something like $6.

Anyway in looking at the 3 dies, it's a straight walled caliber, I noticed that the operations are conducted in a different fashion than the current dies.

The sizer die just does that alone nothing else.

The second die has the decap function and the belling function of the mouth of the case.

The third die is a seating and crimping function.

The newer RCBS dies I have have the sizing and decapping in the first die with the second die only belling the mouth of the case and the third die seating and crimping.


Questions:

When did RCBS may this change?

Anyone else have a set like this?

Isn't it a draw back to have the decapping pin extend so far out in the older dies when you adjust the belling feature?

I suspect they did it when they started selling the same dies labeled for two different chamberings...as in for .44 Spl. & .44 Mag, or the .38 Spcl. and .357 Maggie.

An expander plug/decapping pin die for .44 mag might extend the pin too far for .44 Spcl. I don't know that it would, but it might.

Decaping while FL sizing lets you clean the primer pocket. To trim brass using the Lyman, the primer has to be out. RCBS makes/made an optional decapper to fit the FL carbide dies. I have 3 sets, they work great for the last 40 years

Year should be stamped on the RCBS dies.

geez -most of my pistol dies are 3 die sets. i think the 2 die sets probably started about the time progressive presses came into popularity

quote:

Isn't it a draw back to have the decapping pin extend so far out in the older dies when you adjust the belling feature?

Yes, I swapped a Lyman 44 Mag expander into my RCBS die and put a decapper into the sizer.
It makes for a better set of dies.

I remove the decapping pin on the expander die when using a single stage press. Not needed as i decap when FL sizing. When using my progressive press, the powder funnel expands and bells.