Redding competition bushing die set

E

eric2381

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Hello. Recently I bought a new rifle. A Sako 85 in 300 Win mag. It shoots great with my hand loads, but I am trying to get the most out of it I can.

Would a good set of Redding dies help me out? I'm partial full length sizing with my RCBS set right now. I would like to be neck sizing, but instead of putting money into neck sizing die, I thought maybe I would go whole horse and get the best.

Any help is appreciated, Thanks, Eric
 
eric2381 said:
Hello. Recently I bought a new rifle. A Sako 85 in 300 Win mag. It shoots great with my hand loads, but I am trying to get the most out of it I can.

Would a good set of Redding dies help me out? I'm partial full length sizing with my RCBS set right now. I would like to be neck sizing, but instead of putting money into neck sizing die, I thought maybe I would go whole horse and get the best.

Any help is appreciated, Thanks, Eric
Click to expand...

It might, or might not. It actually can get worse. Much will depend on how well the factory chamber is cut. If the neck is cut grossly over the diameter of the loaded cartridge you may as well forget about neck dies, because they will make worse cases than the FL dies you are using. A few minutes on a comparator will tell you if you are winning.
I`ve basically narrowed it down to using bushing dies on custom barrels with tight chambers plus a select few factory guns, and FL dies on everything else. The Redding seating die is a joy to work with for anything so the money isn`t completely wasted.
I`ve made more progress by buying high quality brass than the pile of expensive bushing dies I have.
 
The nice thing about the Redding dies though is that you can choose a bushing size which comes very close to that of the chamber, provided there is still enough grip on the bullet. The body die will allow you to bump back the shoulder for easy chambering of the handloaded cartridge while at the same time allow you the choice of the amount of the neck you want to size. You can size it all right down to the shoulder or partially resize the neck, depending on your preference. Partial full length resizing only allows you to resize a portion of the neck.

As for the end results, all I can say is that very accurate handloads can come from either standard or competition dies. The greater attention you pay to detail the more accurate you loads will be, and this plays a bigger role in accuracy than the dies you choose.
 
Thanks for the help guys.

The brass I'm using is Norma. I uniformed and prepped the primer pockets and flash holes. It's trimmed to length, deburred and chamferred.

I measured a fired piece of brass- 0.338"
Loaded shell- 0.332


Does that mean I have 3 thou clearance? I know that the brass has some spring in it, but this is the closest way I can measure. Brass has not been neck turned.
 
Rather than the fairly expensive Redding dies, I'd recommend you get a Lee Collet neck size die.

I'd bet the price of the dies that it'll give you all the accuracy that the Redding set will.
 
eric2381 said:
Thanks for the help guys.

The brass I'm using is Norma. I uniformed and prepped the primer pockets and flash holes. It's trimmed to length, deburred and chamferred.

I measured a fired piece of brass- 0.338"
Loaded shell- 0.332


Does that mean I have 3 thou clearance? I know that the brass has some spring in it, but this is the closest way I can measure. Brass has not been neck turned.
Click to expand...

Eric2381,
The brass normally springs back .001, so you have .007 clearance. As factory rifles go, that's not bad. The neck needs to sized .002 less than loaded diameter, so you have to size it down .008" in total. Norma cases have consistant necks so you shouldn't need to use the expander ball. .008" is a long way to size an unsupported case and keep it straight so I would guess that it isn't a great candidate for a bushing die. A Collet die might be a better guess, but if you went that way it's nice to have the body die from the bushing set anyway. The seating die as mentioned before is a joy to be around.
What sort of runout are you getting on fired cases now, how much on loaded ammo? You can play around and have a bit of fun with a comparator, different dies and bushings and still be left with the nagging feeling that you may have had more fun with a couple kegs of powder instead.
 
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