Lee Precision 90861, Carbide Factory Crimp Die, .38 Special

.357 Magnum: I got this because my standard die set wasn't cutting the mustard. This die was super easy to use with finger adjustments. It put a very tight crimp perfectly in the cannelure after I used my other seating die. I cranked down hard on an old cartridge and the case didn't buckle. All the shells dropped right into my Blackhawk cylinder without catching. It came with a splined jam nut instead of the hex-nut of the old style and It came in a nice, sturdy black case but no shell holder included.

I bought this for loading 38 special and 357 magnum. Follow the simple directions and you will have a uniform crimp. You will found out that if you use turret or progressive presses that it is much easier to seat the bullet with one die and the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp die to crimp with. As long as you trim your brass to the same length you will always get a uniform crimp. I have one of these dies for most of the handgun calibers that I reload. Besides getting a good crimp it has a carbide insert that insures the entire cartridge is completely sized. I have not had any issues using this die as long as I follow the written instructions included with the die!!

The standard 3 die set for the 38/357 uses a modified roll crimp in the bullet seating die. It's good, and has not failed me, but I wanted a very solid crimp on my full power magnum loads. You are limited to the amount of crimp you can use on the seating die. If you over-crimp it will try to push the bullet down after it starts crimping causing the case to buckle. This is most prevalent with Federal brass. What the factory crimp die does is let you set the seating die to a standard crimp, then run a full taper crimp after the bullet is seated. This eliminates case buckling. It also pushes the modified roll crimp from the seating die even further in which leaves a perfect, tight crimp every single time. The crimps are more consistent than most factory ammo. I also have the factory crimp die for my 45 ACP setup. The only downside to using a factory crimp die is that it adds a little more resistance to the lever pull if you are using a progressive press. I use a 5 die setup(redundant sizers) and it does take a bit of a push to complete each cycle. Well worth if for better-than-factory ammo that can be produced at over 300 rounds an hour.

I received CARBIDE FACTORY CRIMP DIE 38/357 (Lee 90861) twice from Amazon. The first order was defective with an internal 45 ACP Crimp Sleeve inside the 38/357 Die Body. Amazon sent a replacement with exactly the same problem. I was credited for the return. The Die Body would resize the brass, but the crimp sleeve was extremely oversized and useless. This equivalent to a size 38 Bra with size 45 Cups - it can't perform the intended function.The Die set came in the older design rectangular black box. It is listed as coming from MSP Sports LLC. Since 2 units came with the same problem the rest on the shelf are probably defective as well so the supplier is supposedly locked out for that product. It was an item from a dealer, not from an Amazon warehouse so unless Amazon opened the package and took the die apart during shipment and had 38/357 and 45 ACP ammo as a measure or calipers they wouldn't know the internal parts don't match.The LEE CARBIDE FACTORY CRIMP DIE will fix most cases with minor bulges and bumps so rounds chamber correctly.I contacted Lee and they won't admit shipping defective 38/357 dies. The die in a black case may have been shipped years ago. Links to authorized online Lee dealers on their website. I found dies on sale $8 less, but about $10 flat rate shipping from a listed dealer. I purchased additional items so it ended up cheaper.

I use this die for all of my straight wall cartridge reloading efforts. It works as advertised, is well made, and does a great job. I highly recommend it for all straight wall cartridge cases.

I have trouble with hard cast bullets in certain revolvers. The chambers are extremely tight.This product makes the reloaded rounds conform to factory specifications so I can use the reloads in any of my firearms. Saves me the trouble of having to separate my ammo based on which firearm I’m going to use.

If you do reloading, this equipment is a 'must have'. It does the job. Crimp on a cartridge is very important.

So I purchased this because I had been reloading, and the cases would not fit into the firearm. I know that I had resized the case, but they still would not work well. Sometimes, I would get a round to chamber, and other times it would not even go into the firearm.So I had asked about this on one of the forums that I use. I had a bunch of the users tell me to get one of the Lee Factory Crimp die (FCD) andI was not real sure about it at first. Boy was I wrong, it allowed me to save a large amount of loaded ammo that I would have otherwise had totake all down and start over. Not something that anyone that has reloaded not done. It is a real pain to do, but this really help stop fromhaving to do so. I have one for all the calibers that I load for. If they ever do break, I will buy a new one that day.. Thank you LEE.

I reloaded both 38 Special and 357. Crimps were perfect, and finished bullets slid into the chamber as smooth as any factory made.Better than expect results. Very happy with the results. Worth the investment.

Its a lee👍👍👍

Best Crimp Die. So easy to set up. Is a final sizing check of whole case and simple to fine tune the amount of crimp. Tried it once and bought it for all my Calibers I reload. It was replacing Dillon crmp dies that work well to begin with. Best die you could put in your final stage

Exactly what is described

As always Lee dies are best bang for the money...