What dies are best
- Thread starter mic2
- Start date
I don't think they carry RCBS products...
I have been reloading .300 win mag off and on for 25 years I have both lee and rcbs.the biggest problem with belted rounds is in most cases they can only be loaded about 3 to 4 times.(that has been my experience anyway)the best explaination I have come accross is in this article ht tp://www.larrywillis.com/ I have found it to be true in my case but different rifles or different chambers might change the results.I have never tried his product but might some time down the road
Lee collet neck die.
Redding body die. (For a wee bump, when the bolt starts going down hard)
Redding or Forster BR seating die.
Add a <fitted to two thou. neck tension> Lyman "M" die.
Runout, and the LR fliers it causes ... gone.
Dead straight ammo shoots best, and that ^^ combo shines.
Just tonight loaded 6.5/55, .... 100 rounds, ... the worst one measured 1.5 thou. of runout.
Only took me 35+ years to learn.
Redding body die. (For a wee bump, when the bolt starts going down hard)
Redding or Forster BR seating die.
Add a <fitted to two thou. neck tension> Lyman "M" die.
Runout, and the LR fliers it causes ... gone.
Dead straight ammo shoots best, and that ^^ combo shines.
Just tonight loaded 6.5/55, .... 100 rounds, ... the worst one measured 1.5 thou. of runout.
Only took me 35+ years to learn.
Oh, I've seen that there before. That ad has been there a long time. I was talking to them on the phone last year and they said that they were selling out their remaining stock of RCBS dies and just sticking with Redding dies.
I fail to see how your post relates to the topic at hand.
Thunder F/X
Member
- Location
- St. Albert AB
Ive used the "Belted Magnum Collett Die" from Larry Willis and it is AWESOME!!
Works just like advertised.
Thunder
Works just like advertised.
Thunder
That's strange. I've reloaded some 300WM brass 12-15 times with no problems. I use redding dies for my 300. And that's not a plug for Redding either. Truth be known, I have pretty much every brand of die (except Forester) on the shelf.
Lee is still.......Lee though.
I really enjoy using Forster dies. They ooze quality, from the extra heft on the hand, to the smoothness of operation, to the split lock rings. When confronted with the need to purchase new dies, Forster gets the nod. Having said that, if looking for dies for hunitng guns, Redding, Lee, Hornady, RCBS all have a place on my bench- right next to the headspace measuring inserts. Learn to use those, and your brass and you will be much happier.
I have around 50 sets of dies.
Most are RCBS.
But I have been buying all my new dies in Forster or Redding lately.
CH-4D makes excellent dies as well.
I have 2 Lee die sets, but don't use either of them.
Eagleye.
Most are RCBS.
But I have been buying all my new dies in Forster or Redding lately.
CH-4D makes excellent dies as well.
I have 2 Lee die sets, but don't use either of them.
Eagleye.
I have tried 2 sets of Lee dies. One long action (30-06) and one short action (308 win). Both were junk. I now use Redding only.
I had the Lee hand priming tool. It too was junk. I now have the RCBS universal hand primer and couldn't be happier.
I had the Lee Perfect Powder measure. As usual.....junk. I now have the Hornady LnL Powder measure and a Harrell powder measure. I have no complaints about either.
The only thing from Lee I like is their case trimmers using the lock stud with case length gauge.
. Combine that with fact that many gunnutters are, shall we say, frugal,
,,and some of us are cheap sons-a-#####es too !
Redding
To OP, I started reloading 300 WM last year, they're not just another pretty case. You may want to reconsider mixing your brass for use between 2 or more firearms.
From what I've been able to ascertain, and what has proven acceptable with my 300WM reloads so far, is that these suckers headspace on the belt on first firing and then on the shoulder thereafter, unless you FL size em. Aggressive FL sizing can lead to weakening the cases just forward of the belt so neck sizing is a good idea. From this leads the idea that you may want to designate X- fired case batches to specific rifles. You don't need a $90.00 collett die to load these cartridges. A good Redding (cause I use em
) set with a neck sizer and you're good to go. "There are many 300WM reloading stories in the naked city, this has been one of them".
I've probably got (or had) 50 sets of dies. I usually go for the Lee Collet deluxe die set. Their FL sizer is nothing to write home about, but I rarely FL size anyway, and the Collet die is absolutely first rate. The FL die is just there for the occasional use, so, I'm not picky about its quality. The seater die is adequate, and overall, the collet die and seater produce consistent and accurate ammo.
I also like Redding dies, they're probably the next-most-common brand on my bench. RCBS is a good standby as well as Lyman. I hate Dillon dies, overpriced garbage; they're middle-of-the-road at best, but twice the price of most of the others. Hornady/Pacific dies are quite good, too. CH4D makes really good dies for a urprisingly good price, in a massive assortment of calibers. And, although I rarely use bushing and body-only dies, Redding and Forester are good products. I've also used a few sets of other smaller and/or discontinued dies, like Herters - but they're not really relevant as they're no longer made.
Bottom line: it's actually really hard to find a *bad* set of dies. If you take care of your tools well, any of them will easily serve you for a lifetime. It's silly to get into heated debates over the quality of dies
I also like Redding dies, they're probably the next-most-common brand on my bench. RCBS is a good standby as well as Lyman. I hate Dillon dies, overpriced garbage; they're middle-of-the-road at best, but twice the price of most of the others. Hornady/Pacific dies are quite good, too. CH4D makes really good dies for a urprisingly good price, in a massive assortment of calibers. And, although I rarely use bushing and body-only dies, Redding and Forester are good products. I've also used a few sets of other smaller and/or discontinued dies, like Herters - but they're not really relevant as they're no longer made.
Bottom line: it's actually really hard to find a *bad* set of dies. If you take care of your tools well, any of them will easily serve you for a lifetime. It's silly to get into heated debates over the quality of dies
LordEvilPepper
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Under a rusty barge in BC
I like RCBS because they are a good piece of kit. However I like the fetures I find on Lee dies. from the split coller, to the finger adjustable bullet seater that stays put once placed.
On the sizing dies the deprimer held in place by a collet is a god send; who ever thought that up should be given a noble prize, unlike on my RCBS dies, when I encounter enough resistence to bend or break the deprimer, on the lee it simply slides up and saves me the $10 to replace it. And if a case gets stuck I can actualy beat on the Lee deprimer with a mallet as it is still guided when you loosen the collet... were as the RCBS the deprimer is right off the moment the hammer hits the deprimer rod because you have to remove the nuts and it sits loosy goosy as you try to pound the case out.
On the sizing dies the deprimer held in place by a collet is a god send; who ever thought that up should be given a noble prize, unlike on my RCBS dies, when I encounter enough resistence to bend or break the deprimer, on the lee it simply slides up and saves me the $10 to replace it. And if a case gets stuck I can actualy beat on the Lee deprimer with a mallet as it is still guided when you loosen the collet... were as the RCBS the deprimer is right off the moment the hammer hits the deprimer rod because you have to remove the nuts and it sits loosy goosy as you try to pound the case out.
