I just finished the podcast, and as you mentioned he just uses regular Redding dies. He mentions that a lot of his critics/detractors say he's using some sort of custom die sets to get the results he's getting, but it's simply not true.
I like Erik's approach to reloading - he wants to keep it as simple as possible, while still getting the results he expects. He's tested a bunch of different methods and factors in reloading, and through that has disproven a lot of myths that get anecdotally passed down as reloading truths. He's just bought a rail gun, to do more extensive reloading tests that remove the shooter from the equation. He shares all of his reloading knowledge on youtube and Patreon, and most importantly he tells you the "why's". He's going to continue to test and demonstrate what does and doesn't work in reloading, and he's going to share the whole journey and the "whys" with those willing to listen. I think there is going to be a lot of interesting things that comes out of it, and like AB, will dispel some of the common myths that continue to be propagated as facts.
Again, I'm not stating that anyone needs to reload a specific way. My process is slightly different then Erik Cortina's, but I think his philosophy is a great one that resonates with me and my reloading style - keeping it simple and only doing the steps that matter. I learned a lot from the podcast, there's a lot of knowledge bombs being dropped. Like you, I also don't neck size, neck turn, weight sort brass, clean primer pockets, uniform primer pockets, uniform flash holes, check for runout, lube necks, etc. I keep it simple.
Applied Ballistics and Erik Cortina are really good resources to separate the anecdotal myths from the facts. Applied Ballistics has a lot of resources at their finger tips, and to my knowledge are the best equipped entity that's actually going through the process of what does and doesn't work. Erik Cortina is one man with less resources, but a hell of a shooter, and he's very passionate and knowledgeable, and eager to share his knowledge with those that will listen. Rather then blindly following any one shooter's methods, it's just as important to know the "why's", and don't be afraid to test them out for yourself.
Using quality components is important as well. Part of the reason why Erik Cortina can keep his process simple is that he starts with quality components - Lapua brass and Berger bullets. I've been bitten in the past from straying from these components, and ended up chasing my tail and wasting a lot of time, money and barrel life on loads that had no hope of shooting great in the first place.
Anyways, I just wanted to share those resources with people. These two sources are separating the wheat from the chaff, and are worth much more then some anecdotal experience from a screen name on the internet. Check it out for yourselves, I guarantee you will learn a lot, and as a result hopefully your reloading process becomes simpler and your results down range become better.
