Hornady v Lee Dies

[MiddTennTaco]

Saw this thread in the classifieds.

 

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/63481-trade-hornady-9mm-die-set-for-lee-9mm-die-set/

 

I'I have a set of Lee 9mm dies and I was wondering if the Hornady set is any better. Those locking rings alone sure are tempting me. Anything else? I just want the set that's going to give me the most reliability. All I make are dirt cheap cast range rounds. Can anyone comment?

[2.ooohhh]

After seeing the hornady rings on a friend's set of dies I just ordered up some hornady rings for my Lee dies. ;)

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It's not that it's necessarily better. The powder through die thing is what he wants and he needs the Lee set to accomplish. The Hornady set is great for Hornady setups for the same reason, except you need a different piece for your powder drop. You can use the powder drop for the neck expander and use a bullet feeder in the extra station on the Lock-n-Load.

 

They're both just fine, otherwise.

Edited April 1, 2013 by 6.8 AR

[RED333]

I have LEE, RCBS and another I cant think of, I can not tell any diff.

Old timers say LEE is no good.

[LngRngShtr]

Most of my dies are RCBS, Lyman or Dillon  I run an older Dillon RL450 2with a powder measure upgrade...

 

I do have a set of LEE for my .223 though   may be replacing the decapping /resizer for  an RCBS or Dillon die though..

 

Being an "Old Timer" (reloading for almost 30 years now)  I wouldn't say LEE is no good    just "different"

 

the collet setup on the LEE to hold the decapping rod tends to slide on mine when decapping crimped in primers   will try a few more times before deciding on replacement

 

John

Edited April 1, 2013 by LngRngShtr

[Rightwinger]

Lee Universal Decappers, big ole plus one.  Pistol caliber carbides...good.  Rifle and non standard rifle....go with something else.  I like the Hornady as well for cost and quality.  Never bough Lyman but they sure must be good...

[bikertrash2001]

I do like the locking rings on the Hornadys. I think for single stage purposes, each set works just fine. I do like that the Hornady set comes with a flat and curved bullet seating pin. On the other hand, Lee sets come with shell holders and my Hornady didn't.

 

6.8 AR hit the nail on the head in my situation. I need Lee dies for a Lee press.

Edited April 1, 2013 by bikertrash2001

[MarkInNashville]

Most of my dies are RCBS, Lyman or Dillon  I run an older Dillon RL450 2with a powder measure upgrade...

 

I do have a set of LEE for my .223 though   may be replacing the decapping /resizer for  an RCBS or Dillon die though..

 

Being an "Old Timer" (reloading for almost 30 years now)  I wouldn't say LEE is no good    just "different"

 

the collet setup on the LEE to hold the decapping rod tends to slide on mine when decapping crimped in primers   will try a few more times before deciding on replacement

 

John

I helped another member here setup a set of Lee dies. I believe that I read in the Lee instruction sheet that the decapping pin moves up, intentionally, instead of breaking.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

The Hornady locking rings are good, also. I pretty much would use any die, but my Lock-n-Load needed

Hornady dies for some setups and I took advantage of the bullet deals on some of them.

 

I learned around here and agree that the Lee crimper is the one to use, in station 5 of my press. I

use a mixture of RCBS and Hornady on my .45's, and have some Lyman dies I still use on occasion.

[ttocswob]

You can torque the Lee decapping pin tighter to remove crimped primers, but at a somewhat greater risk of breaking the pin. That said, I've yet to break one.

[Guest warhwkbb]

I have a lot of Lee dies, mostly pistol calibers.  I like the ability to fine tune the dies w/o needing a tool, but bullet seating depth is not as accurate. But unless you are a world class Bullseye shooter, the LEE's work well.  If you break a de-capping pin on a Lee, replacements are just a couple dollars.  I have only broke one trying to decap Berdan primed ammo. (DOH!)

 

For '06 and .223, I much prefer the Dillon Carbide sizing dies.  You still need some lube, but these take much less effort, and if you stick a case, the die has a built in stuck case remover function.  I always use a separate crimping die, and Lee's are less expensive than other brands. YMMV

[gregintenn]

Call me odd, but I prefer the Lee locking rings to the Honrady or RCBS rings. I like being able to install, remove, and adjust without hunting for an allen wrench. Also, once you get a die adjusted to suit, and then tighten the allen screw, it swells the locking ring, and thereby changes your adjustment a bit.

 

Both will work fine, but I have a set of Lee dies and I wouldn't trade him, although his is woth considerably more money than mine.

Edited April 1, 2013 by gregintenn

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That's why I keep the allen wrenches for the die plate and the locking ring right behind the press on mine.

They can be a hassle. I get tired of searching for everything, which is a routine with me.

[BigK]

IMO, both sets have HUGE advantages over the other.

 

Hornady pros:

-bullet seating tube to guide bullets into die

-locking rings are excellent

-decapper has a longer carbide insert that sizes more smoothly

-more accurate fine-tuning of the seating/crimp/etc.

 

Hornady cons:

-locking rings don't fit a 4-hole Lee turret (they're too wide to get adjusted correctly)

-need extra station to flare the case mouth and doesn't accept powder measure

 

Lee pros:

-powder thru die is a MUST have for turrets/progressives

-they work just fine

 

Lee cons:

-they just work "fine", nothing great about them

-very hard to fine-tune the seating/crimping

 

I'm using the best of both worlds:

I use a Hornady decapping die, Lee powder-thru/flare die, Hornady bullet seating die, and Lee Factory Crimp die in my Lee 4-hole turret press.

I use a Hornady decapping die, Dillon powder-thru/flare die, Dillon powder-check die, Hornady bullet seating die, and Lee Factory Crimp die in my Dillon 650.

 

...hope that helps

[jaysouth]

The voice on the phone "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but for 9mm on your Dillon 550B, get a lee sizing die for the number four station.  It's better than ours on 9mm".

 

Without going out to shop and counting noses, I know that I have dies from Lee, Dillon, Hornady, Lyman, Redding, RCBS, Herter and CH.

 

They all appear to clones of each other except the Lee.  It seems like Lees are a little bit better thought out but don't really outperform any others.  I do like the marketing of Lee Deluxe sets.  Seater, neck sizer, full length sizer and factory crimp die with a shell holder and powder scoop in the same box.  I do wish that Lee boxs had hinges like the rest of them.

[Raoul]

For some reason I went with RCBS carbides. They've worked well and if I need pins or whatever RCBS has always refused to take my money