I'm getting ready to order two dies sets: .223 Rem and .243 Win. Lee Deluxe die sets are cheap!!!! All my dies are RCBS. Will I be satisfied with the Lee dies. I have no experience with them at all.

Nothing wrong with Lee dies. Have many and have duplicated some of them to see if there are better. I have yet to find anything that is really any better.

They work, but I'm much happier with RCBS or Hornady.

A lot of people like them I don't.

I have had problems with the pistol dies resizing the brass to small, when I wrote to Lee about it they said they never made any dies wrong so I tossed them in the trash.

I would recomend RCBS over Lee and Redding over RCBS.

They work just as good as RCBS or Redding for me.

Reloader

While the Lee Collet die is useful the Lee FL sizer that I bought to see what they are like sizes the case too much. This "too much" is beyond the SAMMI specs. I marked it to send back the then the heck with it. They can't do any better than that for the low price.



The few Redding FL dies that I got were rough inside and required polishing. Conventional Redding dies will oil or air dent shoulders and bodies faster than RCBS dies will as they don't have a vent hole.



So when a conventional die is wanted I am thru trying Redding and it's going to be RCBS. I don't have the same problems with denting with Redding "S" type FL dies although they are rough.

If I'm thinking inexpensive I will take Hornady any day over lee. I hate the o-ring on some lee sizing dies--too hard to set for exact headspace. The eliptical expander on a Hornady die once it's tuned will make amazing concentricity.

I agree. I like Hornady much better than Lee. Although Lee's factory crimp die is excellent.

RobertD

Hornady's FL sizing die drags way too much for my liking. However, their seating die with the micrometer is great. Overall I prefer RCBS, although I have never tried Redding.

Turok

i only load straight wall cases but you couldn't get my LEE SPEED DIES from me..........LEE DIES have always been a great value for me..........

I have a dozen or so sets of dies and they're all Lee. Of the 5 or 6 rifles I load for, only 2 will not shoot sub-MOA and that's because one is an old SMLE and the other is a K-98.
I'll stick with Lee.

Redding, then RCBS or Dillon, then Hornady, then Lee.

I worked in a reloading/shooting/archery store in Tucson, AZ for a few years back in the early 90's. When I was taught to reload, NOBODY suggested using Lee. We had several benchrest shooters there and 7 gunsmiths employed there.

I think Lee quality is OK, but Redding dies are much more concentric/true IMHO

My redding dies are easier to adjust and "feel" better than the Lee But the lee dies work fine

Thanks guys! I ordered two die sets. I gave Lee a shot on a Deluxe Rifle set for .223 Rem. I ordered RCBS die in .243 Win. I'll give them both a whirl. I keep hearing great things about Redding...may try one later.

I have some Lee dies. In every set of non-carbide dies, I've replaced the sizing die. I still use the collet dies and seater though and like the separate crimp die for many calibers. You may be perfectly satisified with them and many are but the more I use them, the less I like them and will no longer buy any new sets from Lee.