38/357 dies?

[gabrigger]

I have Dillon dies for 38/357, but you won't go wrong with Redding or RCBS, either. I have never used Lee dies, but have heard good things about them from others. You definitely want a roll crimp for revolver loads and you definitely want a carbide die set.

 

[Drail]

I have used nothing but Lee dies since 87 and still use them and never had a problem. RCBS and Haornaday and Lyman are all very good. To prevent set back and bullets pulling a crimp (roll or taper) will only help when used with cannelured bullets. Almost all of my loads are hard cast. But in one of Elmer Keith's books he talks about this problem and I found he was right. Measure the plug in the expander die. If it isn't 4 or 5 thou. smaller than your bullet's dia. you will need to remove if from the die and turn it down it a drill or drill press until it is. A great many expander dies tend to overexpand the case. If the dies leaves the case mouth dia. oversized the bullets will pull or set back no matter how tight you crimp them or what kind of bullets you use. When you seat a bullet (without crimping it yet) and press the cartridge against the edge of your bench you should not be able to seat it any deeper even if you push as hard as you can. If it moves your case was overexpanded. The crimp only helps hold the bullet a little bit and only if there is a cannelure. If case next tension is tight enough you should be able to see where the base of the bullet is by looking at the brass. You should feel moderate resistance when setaing a bullet. If it goes in real easy it won't hold position. I have dummy loads made up in .45 ACP for testing feeding on pistols when I worked on them that have almost no crimp applied and they have never set back after years of using them over and over. Crimping is important and necessary but don't believe for a minute that it will hold a bullet tightly enough to not set back or pull in a revolver.