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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mad Professor" data-source="post: 3388085" data-attributes="member: 5316">On the dies. I have not used a lee progressive press. Look carefully to determine where the case expansion occurs with the pistol configuration.  You also want to see what stages you have available and what the limits are at those stages. Decap and SizeCase expanderSeat Die Crimp DieTypical 3 die sets combine the seat and crimp die.Typical 4 die sets sets have all of the above. Dillon 3 Die sets and Redding Competition Pro 3 die sets are not typical. They are typical 4 die set without an expansion die. Dillon 550/650/750s use a flow through expansion drop tube on the powder measure. Dillon 1050/1100s use a combination expansion “die”/swage backer and expand at the swaging station. You will need to buy an expander die for these sets if used in some presses. The Lyman M die is a very good choice to add.  I recommend keeping the seat and crimp in two different stages if you press supports it. You can adjust a combo seat crimp die to run as one or the other, just add another die. A jacketed bullet is more forgiving if using a combo die. I see a lot of mistakes with a combo die scraping the coating off of coated bullets and breaking the plating on played bullets.  Separate these steps if you can. It is so much easier to setup even if you are running jacketed bullets.  Yes, even jacketed bullets can be screwed up. The Lee Factory crimp die is basically a sizing for with a taper crimp built in. It has a carbide ring at base of it and will “fix” damage to the cartridge that occurs during the loading process, like expansion and bullet seating. They are great, but care still needs to be used to prevent damaging some bullet types. Hands down  best 9mm die set I have used is the Redding Competition Pro Series part number 58172. It is pricy, however. Most of my 650 pistol heads are set up with:a) Dillon decapb) Redding Competition Micrometer Seating Diec) Lee Factory Crimp Crimp Die. Just make sure you understand your press, what the stages “need”, and what the dies need to do in those stages.</blockquote>

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