Precision Dies - What Brand

littleshooter

littleshooter

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Hi There

I have been active on the Reloading Threads now for a few months, mostly taking it all in, since I am new to reloading and most of you are not. Thanks you for answering all my questions. I have purchased most of my equipment except for dies. There are many opinions about who dies are the best, I have heard Lee Dies are cheap, RBS Die are junk, lot of people like the Reding and Wilson etc.....I will be loading rifle hunting loads for 3006, 270, 30/30 and 45/70. I will be loading about 150-300 rounds a year. (I am thinking) All that being said, and some of the reading I have done (so far) I am thinking that I am ready to "Press Some Brass....."
I am looking to purchase 3 die sets, 3006, 30/30 and 45/70. I have a Lee Single Stage Press and I was intending to finish my 3006 and 30/30 with a factory crimp. For 45/70 die set I am a little unsure, because of all the comments on crimping Hornady Flextip (Lever Revolution)stuff. I am aware of the case trimming (shorter) and have had some greatfeed back.
What Brand of Dies for what and how many I am reloading and recommendations on the crimp for the Hornady stuff? Thanks again for you help....
 
Redding and Forster are the best dies you can buy ( for use in a standard press and disregarding the customs and semi customs ).I would consider them equivalent in quality.A lot of that is fit and finish and attention to detail and not necessarily in the ability to make good reloads.

I would recommend buying The ABC's of Reloading in the new edition. Also try to get a copy of one of the earlier editions written by Dean Grennell. Buying a set of dies is not exclusively a issue of getting the best made dies.

For ammo used in a standard bolt action rifle, all the brands will produce good ammo. In a lever action you may be best to use small base dies. With a varminter, adding the Lee collet neck sizer or bushing neck size dies as well as going for a competition style seater might be a desirable move.You need to understand your needs and and/or wants

I have dies from Lee, RCBS, Forster, CH4D, Hornady,Lyman and Bonanza and they are all capable of producing quality ammunition, even the Lees and RCBS

When you buy a set of dies, clean them and read the instructions. If you have a problem, read the instructions again. If that does not resolve the issue, contact the manufacturer. They will set it right. Also use Imperial sizing wax. That stuff is amazing.

Normally, I buy either Forster or Hornady dies but my last 2 sets were Lee and RCBS, largely based on the internet slagging these brands receive. I was curious.

The RCBS were good dies with no issues. The Lee dies produced amazingly concentric ammo, considering their price point. I would buy RCBS again with no hesitation. I would not buy the Lee dies however. I did not like the lock rings, I also did not like the loose thread/O-ring set-up on the seater plug.They did not feel secure to me. I replaced the lock rings with Forster lock rings . I ended up making a new plug and a knurled lock ring. I also hated the die box. Other people may not care and the dies still did the job.

Unless you are are reloading for a single shot,you are going to have to crimp 45-70 ammunition. The only dies I am aware of that will crimp the shorter Hornady brass is Hornady dies. Hornady brass is to short to reach the crimping ring in other dies. You could get the bottom of the seater dies on say, the Reddings, trimmed but why. The Hornady dies are good dies and will do the job. On a lever action, you will never see a difference in what the ammo does. You probably would never see a difference even in a good bolt action hunting rifle.

I personally prefer to crimp as a separate step and if you do that,you can use any brand of dies you want.

The Lee Factory Crimp Dies are a marvel of value and are easy to modify to fit a specific purpose. If you wish, send one to me and I will trim the bottom for you, no charge. No need for return postage, I will provide that.I could trim any die you want of course, but the Lees are cheap and work very well. The Dies could then not be used for conventional length brass but you can always buy another lee FCD for that.
 
Thanks for the information. My 30/30 and 45/70 are levers and I have a few 3006 in different actions. My expectation of my ammo that I am going to load, is that it be as good as I can buy for Hunting purposes. Thanks Again
 
I would not worry about getting small base dies for the 30-30 and 45-70. Die makers are aware that these chamberings are largely prevalent in lever actions and make their dies to suit.
The need for small base dies come in when a modern round like the .308 Winchester, .243 Winchester that are mostly found in bolt actions. The lever rifle do not have the caming power of bolt rifle.
 
I have lee,hornady and rcbs dies. I bought the lee dies for my 30-30 thinking it was only my 30-30 but as previously posted they work but I don,t like the lock rings either.......just doesn't make sense. Hornady and rcbs both seem to work good. I will never buy a lee die again.
 
For the 06 & the 270 I would buy a Redding Body die for each cartridge and a Lee Collet Neck Sizing die for both cartridges. Wish I would have done this initially and it would have saved me some money. For the seater I would do some research and buy one I liked.
 
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