High dollar dies for a newbie?

[Axle2010]

I know 99% of the time you get what your pay for but will I benefit from "deluxe" or "precision" dies when I'm just starting to reload? I mean the difference in RCBS dies or Redding Master Hunter sets. Is there really a plus to having the buikt in dial on the seating die? I don't mind spending a little more on better stuff but I don't want to waste money on something I'll never see a difference in. Thanks

 

[JimP]

100% of my reloading has been done with RCBS dies. I have them for a number of pistol calibers along with rifle calibers. The only thing that I suggest is if you are loading for any and all straight wall pistol cartridges is to get their carbide dies, same with any other manufacture of dies. This eliminates the need to lube the cases when you size them.

Then when you get down the road and see for the need for more expensive dies you can upgrade to them, but they all do the basic stuff that needs to be done. The only exception would be small base dies for semi automatics and some pump action rifles.

 

[PARA45]

Most of my rifle dies are either RCBS or Reddings, and they are the regular models (Resizer, seater). On some of the other calibers I do have the neck sizing die. I would get started the standard set from either RCBS or Reddings, and go from there. Trust me, as the years go by, you'll end up with more junk on your reloading bench. Get the hang of it, see if you like it, and go from there.

 

[Axle2010]

So carbide dies for 44 mag and 45-70, thanks. So far I've got RCBS and Redding but still need dies for 338 3030 270 and 223.

 

[PARA45]

What press do you have? If you don't have one yet, make sure they can clear the biggest caliber you planning on owning, for now the 45-70.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I use RCBS, Redding, and Lee dies. Of these I prefer Redding and Lee - the Lee dies are very good and, for whatever reason, cost much less than most other dies and die sets. Lee offers a couple innovative dies - the Factory Crimp Dies and the Collet Neck Sizing Dies - these are both excellent products and very affordable in most calibers.

 

[Axle2010]

BTW do yall crimp everything? I know I need to crimp the straight walls but do you crimp 300 wm, 338 wm and 375H&H?

 

[Axle2010]

What press do you have? If you don't have one yet, make sure they can clear the biggest caliber you planning on owning, for now the 45-70.

I have an RCBS Rebel, I think that covers everything but 50 bmg. The biggest I have is 375H&H but plan on 416 Rigby and maybe 460 Weatherby.

 

[Axle2010]

I use RCBS, Redding, and Lee dies. Of these I prefer Redding and Lee - the Lee dies are very good and, for whatever reason, cost much less than most other dies and die sets. Lee offers a couple innovative dies - the Factory Crimp Dies and the Collet Neck Sizing Dies - these are both excellent products and very affordable in most calibers.

I'm thinking about Lee for my 44 mag 3030 and 45-70 since they're short range anyway.

 

[mdwest]

For hunting quality ammo intended to be shot at what I think most would consider reasonable hunting distances (<500 yards?) honestly Im not sure there is much difference..

Ive got everything from redding to rcbs to lee to hornary to lyman dies out on the bench.. I typically just pick up whatever I can find at the time when I need something thats at a reasonable price..

Im not going to be loading true match grade ammo using my RCBS rock chucker and a set of Lee precision dies..

But I can easily produce ammo capable of 1 MOA or better in most of my assorted calibers (until you get to the minutia.. accuracy and reliability of function is largely going to be driven by choice of powder, projectile, primer, depth of seating, case trimming, etc.. not by how absolutely precise the resizing step is, how absolutely precise the bullet seating is, etc..)..

Were I trying to win national matches in F1, PRS, etc.. I'd probably have a very different take and be concerned with things that might give me just one tiny bit better overall edge at any price or any additional work required..

But for shooting at game at my typical distances (200 yards or less).. Im producing more accurate and more consistent/repeatable ammo that most factory loads.. with pretty basic gear, and any old die set I happen to have on hand..

 

[Nevada Mike]

BTW do yall crimp everything? I know I need to crimp the straight walls but do you crimp 300 wm, 338 wm and 375H&H?

I crimp my loads from 7mm and up. Not just to provide resistance to recoil set back, but because I believe, but cannot prove, that a consistent crimp helps provide more consistent ignition ad thus, lower ES in my loads. I can often get below 10 fps difference in a 5 round string. Of course, there are a lot of contributing factors that effect ES.

I am not building 'match grade' ammo, but most of my rifles will shoot 1/2 MOA with this ammo.

 

[Axle2010]

I crimp my loads from 7mm and up. Not just to provide resistance to recoil set back, but because I believe, but cannot prove, that a consistent crimp helps provides more consistent ignition ad thus, lower ES in my loads. I can often get below 10 fps difference in a 5 round string. Of course, there are a lot of contributing factors that effect ES.

That's what I've heard, es consistency. I don't think anything I have yet kicks hard enough to worry about recoil setback except the 44 mag.

 

[shootist~]

RCBS and Redding are the only dies I buy for single stage loading.
A calibrated seater die is very nice time saver if you load multiple bullets in a single caliber. Match seater dies might give a hair better accuracy also.
But they are not really necessary (you will want a dummy loaded for each bullet anyway).

I think I have about half and half RCBS standard dies and Redding dies - with most (not all) of the Redding in two die Match sets.

I load 5.56/223 to 9.3x62 and crimp absolutely nothing in bottle neck rifle cartridges. Total waste of time IMO, so long as you check for good neck tension (~.0015" minimum). And another "IMO".

Edit to add: I also anneal, which I think also promotes consistent neck tension.

 

[GuttormG]

In my 30+ years of reloading I have bought Lee dies if they are available in the caliber I need. They are just as good as any other brand (and actually better then some other big brands).
Only thing I change on them is the lock-rings, I can not stand that alu-nut with an O-ring.

The money you save you use to buy more powder, bullets and primers.

 

[JimP]

On crimping, I have never crimped a bottle neck rifle cartridge. I shoot everything from a .22-250 on up to a 340 Weatherby. I have even check the last round in the magazine after a hunting season on the .340 and the bullet hasn't moved a bit.

Now for my .348 and 30-30 Winchester I do crimp the rounds just because of the tubular magazine.

 

[shootist~]

Only thing I change on them is the lock-rings, I can not stand that alu-nut with an O-ring.

Maybe I should have tried that before throwing my one and only set of Lee's in the trash (years ago). Just made the whole set feel cheap.

 

[Nevada Mike]

The Lee rings with rubber grommets are supposed to provide a tiny bit of flex under pressure. If they give me a problem, I just screw another (locking) ring on top.

 

[Woodcarver]

I'm another that has most brands of dies on the bench, but mostly RCBS. What's available and preferably on sale when I need another set is typically what comes home. None of them have the micrometer seating die. But I crimp everything that Lee makes a crimp die for; I'm sold on them. They have proven to me to improve consistency load to load; smaller SDs, smaller ESs, and improved accuracy in most rifles (probably a result of the 1st 2 improvements).
Also, I'm one of those that is just loading hunting ammo, as I'm not a precision long range shooter, but strive to find a load under MOA for most of what I load for. Be warned though, reloading can be a bit addictive, leading to what @PARA45 mentioned Adding an annealer is probably going to require an attempt to rearrange my bench, again.

 

[Lone Star Bluegrass]

I know national champions on the service rifle circuit that load most of their stuff in standard RCBS/Lee/Lyman dies. Usually their 600 yard ammo is seated in an RCBS competition die but the short line ammo is all in standard grade dies.
For sporting purposes you can’t go wrong unless you just want to use Redding (which are very good).

 

[Inline6]

I thought we were going to be talking about SAC dies. I would consider them as high dollar.