Which 223, 308 dies for progressive?

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sikwhiskey

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Looking at buying dies right now for a single stage press (Older Rockchucker), will be upgrading to a progressive(Dillion) in the near future. What are good dies I can buy for use in both?
Any standard die work in the 650? Would like to buy Redding but which type? Carbide worth it?
Panning on loading thousands per year in each caliber when the Dillion arrives. What would you guys sugest for quality/longevity?
 
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@sikwhiskey, what kind of rifle are you loading for? (bolt action, or semi auto?)

Pretty much all standard dies work in a 650.

Redding are really good. They're pretty expensive too (and omigosh I was shocked to see the list price that @Antoine22 linked to!). With some shopping around you can usually get them for a lot less than list price.

Carbide probably isn't worth it.

Tell us more about what you want to load and we can offer you more detailed recommendations (do you want to load M14 blasting ammo 500-1000 rounds at a time? do you want to load 600 yard precision ammo 50-100 rounds at a time?)
 
Loading for the XCR-L and XCR-m, The M should be here may 2nd, the L doesnt need small base dies. So far I have loaded around 3k of 223 with the rock chucker, been through 2 rcbs dies and 1 lee FL set that still works half ass- sizing milsurp crimped brass. I now have NT win brass for the 223-no crimp. The Lee die will be set asside for a decapper only, the rcbs goes to scrape steel bin.
There might be a few bolt guns in the near future too so a FL set with a Neck die is what I'm aiming for. No more rcbs dies in this lifetime.;)
 
rnbra-shooter said:
Tell us more about what you want to load and we can offer you more detailed recommendations (do you want to load M14 blasting ammo 500-1000 rounds at a time? do you want to load 600 yard precision ammo 50-100 rounds at a time?)
Click to expand...

I would like to load 500-2000rnds of precision blasting ammo at a time! Lol
Maybe precision ammo for the Bolts, and some 1moa ammo for the XCR's
 
you're still going to have to lube with bottleneck cases, so carbide is NO ADVANTAGE whatsoever-it's just a sizer ring at the base of the die , not the whole die- so ordinary steel dies will work , period- as for what brand, it really doesn't matter, as i have het to even hear of anyone wearing out a set of rifle dies- chances are you'll wear out your gun/barrel/whatever first
 
What sort of difficulties are you having decapping mil brass?

(I've never had a problem with any of the dies I've used, including RCBS; there's definitely a noticeable resistance to decapping, but it doesn't bend pins or anything).

I have a DIllon primer pocket swager. It works, though you have to be careful when setting it up, and it is slow. And even after you've done everything, the mil brass is still a bit fussy (alignment-wise) to seat a primer in (whereas commercial brass is really easy).

In the grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side department, I've often wondered what loading .223 mil brass on a 1050 would be like...

Since you're loading large volume for an autoloader, you should get conventional FL dies (i.e. you don't want to use neck bushing).

Personally I would not bother with an SB die (I'd only switch to one if it really was necessary), also I would not bother crimping bullets, though this is up to you and your experience with your ammo in your rifle(s).

The Redding seating die is fantastic. The micrometer adjustment is brilliant for two reasons - making small, precise, known changes to seating depth; and recording settings in your load book, and being able to exactly return to them.

Less pricey than the Redding seater, but also a first-rate piece of gear, is the Forster seater die.

Be aware that you can buy Redding dies individually, you don't need to order a set.
 
sikwhiskey said:
I would like to load 500-2000rnds of precision blasting ammo at a time! Lol
Maybe precision ammo for the Bolts, and some 1moa ammo for the XCR's
Click to expand...

Maybe you've written that with a bit of humour, but in all seriousness it is eminently doable on a 650. If you use good bullets, you can _easily_ crank out 500 rounds an hour of ammo that will shoot 1MOA at 600.

I like to use two toolheads for each caliber I load, and do my loading in two passes.

Pass 1 - F/L size (and optionally, trim)

Then I run the brass through my vibratory cleaner to clean polish and degrease (corncob, some "AutoSol" polish, and a couple tablespoons of varsol)

Pass 2 - decapper die (to remove media from flashole), prime, charge, seat.
 
rnbra-shooter said:
What sort of difficulties are you having decapping mil brass?

(I've never had a problem with any of the dies I've used, including RCBS; there's definitely a noticeable resistance to decapping, but it doesn't bend pins or anything).
.
Click to expand...

RCBS= Bent-Broken Pins/excessive run out/stuck cases/stripped locknut/locknut doesnt lock-strips/ case necks-heads chewed up from rough die body. They have good warranty, they need it. I won't own another set.
Lee = 1 out of 100 necks doesn't get sized, and its not the brass or press. Aside from that its been ok.
The redding dies I use for my other cals have/still work great.
Forgot all about Forester, Ill have to look into it.
Does the 1050 use standard dies?
 
rnbra-shooter said:
Maybe you've written that with a bit of humour, but in all seriousness it is eminently doable on a 650. If you use good bullets, you can _easily_ crank out 500 rounds an hour of ammo that will shoot 1MOA at 600.

I like to use two toolheads for each caliber I load, and do my loading in two passes.

Pass 1 - F/L size (and optionally, trim)

Then I run the brass through my vibratory cleaner to clean polish and degrease (corncob, some "AutoSol" polish, and a couple tablespoons of varsol)

Pass 2 - decapper die (to remove media from flashole), prime, charge, seat.
Click to expand...
At the moment I'm lubing with Imperial wax. partial sizing/decap, trim with WFT trimmer,chamfer remove crimp, uniform primer pocket, debure flashhole all with the RCBS trim mate, into the US cleaner. Dry then load. I do the case prep well ahead of loading so I can sit down and Load 500-1000 at a time on the RC. Gives my thumbs some time to recover from the torture of the trimmate too.
 
My gosh sounds like you really had a rough time of it with your RCBS .223 dies!

I don't own a 1050 so this is not an authoritative answer, but I am 99% sure that they do indeed use standard dies.
 
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