Do you have a preferred brand of reloading equipment?
- Thread starter Ridersfan
- Start date
Lee gets the least amount of love in my reloading room and Redding gets the most. That being said, in my opinion every company offers at least one product that is better than everyone else's. It's just a matter of sorting out which one it is for you.
He probably won’t care what he looks like next year when he’s kicking that ball for $millions in the NFL.
That’s what I see as well.
I’m probably equal parts Forster, Lyman and RCBS with a little something from all the others.
- Location
- NFA country
They're all about the same though some seem to feel better when they pay 2 or 3 times as much for stuff that does the same job.
A couple of my old range buddies used to crow about their RCBS, Forsters and Reddings and run down my Lee stuff yet I didn't see that their ammo was any better or groups were any tighter than mine.
Went as far in one case to measure dimensional consistency and run out and their was no notable difference.
Like anything else you got to separate the gimmicks and marketing hype from the facts.
Thought it was a thread created for silly remarks so I just tried to fit in. Sorry ridersfan
I started out with RCBS and Forster 30 odd yrs ago. I like Forster benchrest style seaters because that was the first set of dies I had. But, these days you can order that style of seater from RCBS and Redding and Hornady as well. The other day I splurged and bought a Forster bushing/bump neck sizer for my new 7-08, I have an RCBS micrometer seater for that from yrs ago. Most of my dies are RCBS, I've used Hornady, like their seater, it worked well enough. Rockchucker has been good press, I also have a Coax, they have different things one seems to do better. Casting tools are Lyman, and LBT, and NEI, I have one Saeco mould. Have Forster and a Hornady trimmer, Redding powder measure, had Lyman as well. Hve a bit of Lee stuff, priming tools, powder scoops, couple of bullet sizers, hand press. I also have had and have custom built dies from RCBS and Forster and Lyman. There really isn't one do it all brand, each makes something that has a different feel to using it, depends if it works the way you want it to, and if it seems better to use it, I'll give it a shot. If it doesn't work how I want it to, it gets given away or tossed in the garbage.
It's all good, I live for off the cuff remarks
I bought a LEE Loadmaster because I like to spend more time fixing than I do loading. ........ Never use one for an anchor ......... you don't want to be lifting the anchor every few minutes to fix it!
LEE Loadmaster ....... money well wasted!
LEE Loadmaster ....... money well wasted!
IMHO, who makes the tools, such as dies/press isn't important.
My shelves of die sets reflect this opinion as do the four presses on my loading bench.
My criteria is how well the dies match with the axis of the base and mandrel of the press.
All four of my presses are almost dead true to their axis. The only one that I can get a measurable offset on is my Hornady Turret Press, which is used exclusively for handgun ammo, which isn't so fussy.
Bullet run out is extremely important if you want to make "accurate ammunition."
This equates to consistently concentric ammunition, which is impossible to achieve when dies/presses aren't true to their axis.
For the rifles I have which are extremely accurate, I don't use a regular press. I use an arbor press with Wilson dies, which I have found to be consistently true.
The latter system takes up a lot more time but every round is predictable if I do my part.
They're difficult to find but the most consistent dies I've found have been Bonanza Bench Rest. They are easy to pick out at gun shows by their RED boxes. Be careful though because often the dies in them are from another manufacturer. Check before buying.
I have sent several sets of Hornady, RCBS, Pacific and Lyman dies back to their manufacturers because they consistently throw cartridges with to much run out. They've always been very good about replacing them with new sets that are true.
I will also say that the shell head holders are also overlooked and important. Often they don't fit the mandrel properly. They're usually very true because of how they're made but I've had them where they didn't seat all the way back into the mandrel recess or the cartridge rim wouldn't seat all the way back into the holder. All of this makes for "crooked" ammo. These holders are HARD. I like the holders to slightly FLOAT in the mandrel slot, this allows the cartridge case to find the center of the die, rather than being forced to form off center.
All of this may seem ANAL, but if you want to produce ammunition that will wring the best out of your firearm, it's the attention to small details that will make the difference.
Most dies are very well made, when you consider how much you pay for a precision piece of equipment. Most, unless they are proprietary, will fit interchangeably. Most will throw ammo that will shoot consistently into sub 2 moa reliably as long as the shooter is doing their part. Usually better.
TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019
Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day
If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest
My shelves of die sets reflect this opinion as do the four presses on my loading bench.
My criteria is how well the dies match with the axis of the base and mandrel of the press.
All four of my presses are almost dead true to their axis. The only one that I can get a measurable offset on is my Hornady Turret Press, which is used exclusively for handgun ammo, which isn't so fussy.
Bullet run out is extremely important if you want to make "accurate ammunition."
This equates to consistently concentric ammunition, which is impossible to achieve when dies/presses aren't true to their axis.
For the rifles I have which are extremely accurate, I don't use a regular press. I use an arbor press with Wilson dies, which I have found to be consistently true.
The latter system takes up a lot more time but every round is predictable if I do my part.
They're difficult to find but the most consistent dies I've found have been Bonanza Bench Rest. They are easy to pick out at gun shows by their RED boxes. Be careful though because often the dies in them are from another manufacturer. Check before buying.
I have sent several sets of Hornady, RCBS, Pacific and Lyman dies back to their manufacturers because they consistently throw cartridges with to much run out. They've always been very good about replacing them with new sets that are true.
I will also say that the shell head holders are also overlooked and important. Often they don't fit the mandrel properly. They're usually very true because of how they're made but I've had them where they didn't seat all the way back into the mandrel recess or the cartridge rim wouldn't seat all the way back into the holder. All of this makes for "crooked" ammo. These holders are HARD. I like the holders to slightly FLOAT in the mandrel slot, this allows the cartridge case to find the center of the die, rather than being forced to form off center.
All of this may seem ANAL, but if you want to produce ammunition that will wring the best out of your firearm, it's the attention to small details that will make the difference.
Most dies are very well made, when you consider how much you pay for a precision piece of equipment. Most, unless they are proprietary, will fit interchangeably. Most will throw ammo that will shoot consistently into sub 2 moa reliably as long as the shooter is doing their part. Usually better.
TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019
Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day
If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest
Attilathecanuk
CGN Regular
- Location
- On the way to Onoway
Most my stuff is Lyman, turret press and electronic measure/scale work great!
