Small base vs FL Dies

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.303

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With the anticipation of my .308 just around the corner, I need to stock up on the reloading equipment for it.

I like the RCBS stuff, and have a question.

What is the difference between the small base and FL dies for the .308?

If it matters, it will be for a bolt action .308 mainly for targets, maybe for varmints later on.
 
If you're loading for precision in a bolt action, you'll get best results only FL sizing the first time, and neck sizing after that. You'll have brass nicely fireformed to your chamber, which will give you consistent pressures and velocities. This can be done with a FL die, or with a neck-sizing die.
 
coyote said:
Get the FL dies , small base dies are better suited to semi's pumps and lever action .
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That's what I thought, thanks.

Silverado said:
If you're loading for precision in a bolt action, you'll get best results only FL sizing the first time, and neck sizing after that. You'll have brass nicely fireformed to your chamber, which will give you consistent pressures and velocities. This can be done with a FL die, or with a neck-sizing die.
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Yeah i would kind of like this to be precision, so that's probably the route I'll take.

stubblejumper said:
Neck size only, until it starts to get difficult to chamber the brass, then push the shoulder back with a FL die, and repeat the process.
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Thanks!
 
stubblejumper has it right, but don't forget to trim your brass! It prevents getting the neck jammed in the throat of your rifle and causing massive overpressure when firing a round.

I like Lee's case trimmer setup for this; it's cheap and easy... and good.
 
Silverado said:
stubblejumper has it right, but don't forget to trim your brass! It prevents getting the neck jammed in the throat of your rifle and causing massive overpressure when firing a round.

I like Lee's case trimmer setup for this; it's cheap and easy... and good.
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Good, because not all things that are cheap and easy are good...
 
Yeah i would kind of like this to be precision
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May I suggest a Lee Collet neck sizer and Forster or Redding BR seating die.

Match grade cart's., they need to be dead straight to shoot straight ... with little to no runout of the seated bullet.
These dies will load 'em straight.

Never have I been able to get standard dies to do that.

You may have to polish the collet's stem to get to ideal .002" neck tension.

a bolt action .308 mainly for targets
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vviking said:
May I suggest a Lee Collet neck sizer and Forster or Redding BR seating die.

Match grade cart's., they need to be dead straight to shoot straight ... with little to no runout of the seated bullet.
These dies will load 'em straight.

Never have I been able to get standard dies to do that.

You may have to polish the collet's stem to get to ideal .002" neck tension.
Click to expand...

Does it have to be the Lee, or is RCBS ok? I am assuming at a certain point I will have to FL size it anways, correct...? The seating dies you suggest don't seem to be readily available, that's whay I ask about brand.

stubblejumper said:
I prefer the Redding Type S Match Neck Die Set. I find that I achieve the most consistent neck tension, using these dies.
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For $200, these wouldn't fit the budget...
 
Does it have to be the Lee, or is RCBS ok? I am assuming at a certain point I will have to FL size it anways, correct...? The seating dies you suggest don't seem to be readily available, that's whay I ask about brand.
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The collet is Lee, for neck sizing only. The die is not expensive, $40 or so, and has two major advantages ... necks stay straight, and case lubing is not needed. The FL die will be needed when you want to use brass not fired in your chamber, and after many reloads, to bump the shoulder back when the bolt handle gets hard to close. I use a $25 Redding bump die for that, it doesn't overwork my brass, or lose the perfect fit to the chamber. A bump die does not touch the neck.

A friend recently bought online a Forster BR seating die with the micrometer seating stem. He paid $79 delivered from Sinclairs in the USA. Reload tools pass over the border freely. A very nice precise die, that gives him .000 to .002 thou. indicated runouts on seating.

The difference between say .007 thou. of runout from a regular RCBS die(some will be more crooked than that!), and no runout with these mentioned dies .... is very noticable on target. Smaller, more consistent groups, and a lack of "flyers" will be apparent. Long range magnifies the advantage.

Good shooting Mate!.
 
"...difference between the small base and FL..." The SB die sizes a few thou smaller than an FL die. For a bolt action you don't need either, except for new brass or once fired out of another rifle. One or the other is required for a semi-auto, lever or pump action though.
"...like this to be precision..." You don't need the so-called 'match' or 'BR' dies to load match quality ammo. Regular dies will do just fine.
"...is RCBS ok?..." RCBS or Redding kit is far superior to Lee. The RCBS warrantee(Dillon too) is on the kit, not the buyer, forever. So if you were to buy used RCBS kit you still get the warrantee. They'll fix anything with a phone call or e-mail. Lee has a limited warrantee that does not cover used kit. Lee stuff breaks too.
 
"...like this to be precision..." You don't need the so-called 'match' or 'BR' dies to load match quality ammo. Regular dies will do just fine.
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Disagree.

Regular dies will load quality ammo, agreed ... but they won't load to 'Match' standards of concentricity, precision, or consistency.
My point to OP is, since you are buying anyways, may as well pay a bit more for kit that will satisfy for a lifetime. Cheaper in the long run when you consider the cost of components expended trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear.

mainly for targets
like this to be precision
Click to expand...
 
Ok thanks guys, so what I am gathering, as in most cases is it is how much you want to spend and how picky you (well, I) want to be with accuracy.

At this point there is now way the premium dies etc are in the ballpark of what I am willing to spend right now. Perhaps maybe not the Lee set, but maybe the Redding 2 die FL set or even the 3 die set that includes the collet die.

Thanks for all your input guys. I do reload for my .300 Win Mag which is a pretty nice shooter. I have a nice recipe for it. It is quite accurate. However I am putting a lot of thought into this target rifle and would like a bit more precision like equipment to go along with it....within the budgeted cost margins of course.
 
FL dies are your best bet for general purpose reloading.

Some semi's or pumps or levers need SB (small base) dies; most don't, but if your rifle needs them then there's no other cure for the reloader. Of the handful of semi's I reload for, I have one that absolutely requires them. You don't want to use SB dies unless you have to, as they work your brass more than other dies and this leads to shorter brass life.

Neck sizing is best as long as your rifle will let you get away with it, which is "most of the time" in my experience.
 
Don't mean to hijack this thread but Has anyone found they needed to use the smallbase dies for a 3006 Benelli R1? Or are tolerances usually loose enough for them?
 
My small base dies get their most use in tight chambered match barrels. Some of the chambers are small enough that a standard FL die may as well be a neck die.

I've run FL dies, neck dies, collet dies, small base dies, neck bushing dies, FL bushing dies, and small base FL bushing dies. Then there's body dies and small base body dies. FL bushing dies with no bushing make a body die, so I'm not buying a lot of body dies anymore.

The biggest part of loading concentric ammo is a straight chamber with minimal neck expansion and some quality brass. I've proven to my own satisfaction that I can usually load straighter cartridges with a good FL bushing die than any neck die. Or even a decent ordinary FL die. Some are bad but most aren't. I do love the Comp seating dies though.

I'm sure I would have been better off if the money I put into designer dies was spent on good brass and good barrels instead.
 
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