Dies. Does brand name make a difference?

Bushbasher said:
I like hornady dies
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I thought I would branch out from my Lee dies.....got a Hornady 7-08 FL die and a Redding body die. Followed all the directions, had the decap pin out 3/16 on the Hornady, bent the ####ing spindle rod on the first case I sized....awesome. Lol
Ran a well lubed case into the Redding die, came out super shiney....burnishing the cases like crazy, I'm going to have to polish the inside of this ##### up smooth....
Yes I cleaned them before using them...no I'm not real happy with either of them!
 
Brianma65 said:
Ya, not sure what a 99 carbine is , but if the lee can't produce the same MOA as RCBS , well I'm not sure if I want them. All joking aside I'm just wondering what the difference is , for handgun anyways.
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Stubblejumper gave the answer. The miserable, slipping collet that lets the decapping rod fly out.
 
I think post # 17 sums it up quite well.
As for me I cannot complain about the 80 + sets of just about all makes.
With respect to a favourite brand I really like the CH dies sets that I have..
 
I have 6 sets of RCBS , rifle and handgun dies. I don't think I've been reloading long enough to notice the diff yet. I don't like the locking system though.
 
Buddy has a set of Bonanza dies in 308NM and they work effortlessly.
Dastard won't trade for my RCBS.

Too bad RCBS won't make a longer taper on their expanding ball.
 
Brianma65 said:
Hello again, lol. I've been reloading for about a year now . Using RCBS equipment. .45 LC, .37/38,.223,.308. Im now looking for a set of .40 cal dies. I've seen a set of Lee on the EE for a good price and was wondering if they would be good enough for .40 cal? What's the difference? If any? Third world problems, I know ... But
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For my HG loading, I use Lee carbide die set. Really like the seater/taper crimp set up.

The sizing will be to min spec so that might be good or not depending on the HG and chamber.

I like them.

Jerry
 
I have seven different type/make .223 dies, Lyman, Lee, Redding, Hornady and Forster and the Forster full length bench rest dies produce the cases with the least runout. And the bushing dies produce the most runout so my vote is Forster or my RCBS dies with the Forster equiped with the Forster expander and spindle assembly.

When you ask who makes the best dies then neck runout should be high in the consideration, meaning how straight your cases are when they come out of the die. Why buy Lapua brass and then use a die that induces neck runout. To check this you need a neck thickness gauge and a runout gauge to rate the dies. The first check of the resized case is without the expander in the die and how straight the case is, and then with the expander in the die. With the neck thickness gauge you find out if neck thickness variations is causing the runout or the expander.

With standard resizing dies with a low mounted expander you have the greatest chance of pulling your necks off center "IF" the expander is not centered in the die.
The Speer reloading manual #9 has a very good chapter on setting up your dies to produce the most concentric ammunition. And after over 47 years of reloading the Forster dies are the best I have ever owned.
 
The importance of centering the expander is why I leave the lock nut loose on the top of the die until the spent primer is pushed out, then with the decapping pin in the flash hole, carefully lock the not on the expander shaft.
 
H4831 said:
The importance of centering the expander is why I leave the lock nut loose on the top of the die until the spent primer is pushed out, then with the decapping pin in the flash hole, carefully lock the not on the expander shaft.
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What if you just left the spindle loose? Would a floating expander not produce more concentric necks?
Just asking as seater dies usually have floating seaters to help center the bullet. Would the same principal not work with neck expansion?
 
Even though I have a thing for Redding or Forster, I couldn't care less who makes the die, as long as it does what I need it to do, and do it well.

In the last few years I have refined my loading regimen and dies down to Redding Body Die, Forster FL die, Lee Collet Neck Sizer, and Wilson seating dies. If Wilson didn't make a seating die for that cartridge, then I'll use a Forster competition seater or benchrest seater in the standard press. All my brass gets deprimed in a Redding universal decapping die, on a dedicated press. I HATE the way Lee uses a slip collet for their depriming rods....

I still use some of the other dies (Redding, CH, Hollywood, Pacific, Herters, RCBS, etc...) as they produce excellent ammo as they are and haven't seen a need to upgrade.

Ignore the box color, and the name on it or the die, and pay attention to what it does for you, and how well it does it.
 
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