3 die set vs. 4 die set - difference?

[Ranch Dog]

What is the benefit of using the FCD?... So, does the FCD really provide a benefit?

What the Pistol FCD provides is a uniform crimp without the need of having uniformed case lengths. If you are trimming your cases and using the bullet seating die to provide the crimp at the end of the seating stroke, there is no difference.

The die's purpose is to eliminate the need to trim the cases on every reloading cycle for a given lot of brass.

[gregg.carlen]

Getting a consistent uniform crimp makes sense. By not having to trim on straight cases, it would seem you could reload the same case multiple times until some physical failure (cracking at the mouth) occurs. I couldn't see the stretching of the case getting too far on 9mm, for example, that it would cause problems (such as ejection issues). Now, in a 357 Sig or Tolkarov, I could see that being issue.

[Sincity]

What about a 3-die set with a taper crimp? Someone was telling me on glocktalk to forget the FCD and go with 3-die set and get the taper crimp die. It costs more thay way than the 4-die set.

[mikld]

What is the benefit of using the FCD? I am reloading 9mm with 4 dies on a lee single stage press (loading in batches of 50 or 100 rounds). I loaded a batch with the FCD and a batch without. Both seemed to cycle through 4 different semi-auto handguns without issue. So, does the FCD really provide a benefit?

You obviously know how to correctly adjust your dies, therefore no advantage. If you are having chambering problems from mis-adjusted dies/sloppy reloading, then an FCD (for handguns) will just "iron out" your mistakes. Now this is just my opinion, my experience, but there will be others that will tell you the Lee FCD is the best thing to come around since smokeless powder...

I don't believe the FCD will/can give a more uniform crimp than any other crimp die (taper or roll). It is merely a crimp die with a "post seating sizing" feature; a carbide ring added to the ID of the die. Or at least mine was (it now resides in a landfill somewhere in Southern Oregon).

[Ranch Dog]

I don't believe the FCD will/can give a more uniform crimp than any other crimp die (taper or roll). It is merely a crimp die with a "post seating sizing" feature; a carbide ring added to the ID of the die.

Yeah, forgot to mention that.

[62chevy]

What Ranch Dog said at the top of page 2 will eliminate the need to trim your cases. But I think he said that.

[Sincity]

Thanks!

[Ranch Dog]

Reference the brass "growth" effecting length and the need of the carbide sizing ring, it kind of depends on what you are shooting and what you are shooting it out of. With the semi-autos, how much unsupported chamber there is. Cases can get rather lopsided, that is why they did it one better with the Bulge Buster.

I resized some 41 Mag brass yesterday. It had been annealed and polished last week and was at room temperature of 66°. After running it through the die, the brass was noticeably warmer which makes sense. Any time you heat brass it is going to flow. So I started to think; I heated it during each of those three phases of prep so it is going to change each piece differently, so if you are not trimming each time the length is going to be slightly different.