Reloading dies for 45-75

[Wild Billy Potts]

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OK, first off I don't own a '76 yet. Have other cool shooters to get first. But I do hope to someday get one of these newer '76 repros that have surfaced since my recent whirlwind world tour began back on Jan '05. When I get one I will want it in .45-75 just like the first offering and with a long barrel to boot. I was looking at Buffalo Arms and they have a few sets of reloading dies for the chambering, all a little pricy, some moreso than others and then they had the RCBS sets, one priced $260ish and the RCBS legacy set priced $45ish. IS this a misprint? What could possibly be the difference for such a large gap in pricing?

[john boy]

I have zero complaints with the Lee 45-75 dies ...
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=296031&t=11082005

In addition from Track of the Wolf, I use their neck expander plugs that go in the Lee powder charging die to provide 0.001 to 0.002 neck tension on the bullet ...
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(2x4xipyuah5t3qiqjg5c4t45))/categories/partList.aspx?catID=18&subID=128&styleID=433

[Dirty Brass]

OK, first off I don't own a '76 yet. Have other cool shooters to get first. But I do hope to someday get one of these newer '76 repros that have surfaced since my recent whirlwind world tour began back on Jan '05. When I get one I will want it in .45-75 just like the first offering and with a long barrel to boot. I was looking at Buffalo Arms and they have a few sets of reloading dies for the chambering, all a little pricy, some moreso than others and then they had the RCBS sets, one priced $260ish and the RCBS legacy set priced $45ish. IS this a misprint? What could possibly be the difference for such a large gap in pricing?

Oh, they do vary in quality. metal used, metal hardness, tooling techniques, locking systems, threading, knurled rings, polishing, tloerances, etc. etc. RCBS has always been higher priced than, say, Lee. I switched over to Lee some 25 + odd years ago, and for the most part have never had major problems....

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I have a lot of RCBS dies, and they are very good, and reliable.  I have a few Lyman sets, and ditto.  Recently I have chosen LEE, and find them perfectly satisfactory. My .45-75 dies are LEE.

For exotic and unusual calibers look to C-H.  Quite often the special order sets that some offer at $200 plus, can be obtained from C-H for about $90, by return post.

[CavSoldier3ACR]

Do the threads on the Lee dies correspond with the threads on an RCBS Rock Chucker combo?  Will the shell holder fit also?

[Dirty Brass]

Do the threads on the Lee dies correspond with the threads on an RCBS Rock Chucker combo?  Will the shell holder fit also?

Yes, and yes....

[CavSoldier3ACR]

Is there any significant value add to the C-H dies for $109 versus the Lee dies for $30 to warrant the difference in price?

[Leverluver]

I have a set of RCBS Legasy 45-75 dies and they are very high quality.  A lot of the price difference has to do with demand and machinery setup time.  A lot of die sizes are produced in very low numbers.  The 45-75 used to fit in that category in the time before the current reproductions.  Once demand is sufficient to make a larger run, the price drops way down as setup time is spread over a much larger production run.  The inside of the die (the important part) is just as good as any RCBS die I have ever used.   

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

ACR3;  C-H dies are good, but their niche is the old small-run items.  For that they beat RCBS, etc. hands down. 

My view, almost all current die production is excellent.  LEE is my first stop, if they have what I need I search no further.