Rifle dies...is there really a difference?

R

RT

CGN frequent flyer
Super GunNutz
Rating - 100%
174   0   0
Location
North West Ontario
Reloaded handgun for years...used LEE dies only, not sure why, but they always seemed available for whatever caliber I needed!

Dont reload handgun anymore and going to reload some rifle stuff now...mainly oddball calibers like 220 swift, 218 BEE, 22khornet

Is there really any difference between say LEE dies and RCBS dies for rifle calibers?
 
do you drink coke or pepsi?????.........do you like red or green???

there is no brand of dies on the market that do not work, and they all come with great customer service.........in the case of some of your odd ball cartridge choices you may have to go with who makes them and or availability
 
I don't like the lock ring on the lee dies. Moves too easily. And if you've ever had a expander/decapper rod pull out of a lee die it's a bugger to get to stay in again. Ended up having to score up the end that gets crimped down on so there was some friction to hold it in place.

My last collet die had an oversized mandrel that had to be turned down.

Other than that, I really like Lee dies.
 
Bonanza make/made great dies.
Smooth and easy.
RCBS is usually my main flavor and if I'm in
a hurry, then next available brand fills the gap.......for now.
 
In terms of basic performance the major brands are all pretty much equal. That said, I have found Redding to be the nicest finished (inside and out) and smoothest operating. They also cost more...

I have used dies from all the major brands and now try to only buy Redding for my rifle cartridges. I have nothing but Lee carbide dies for the handgun cartridges and have no complaints at all, I have found them to be excellent. Their bottleneck cartridge dies have been more hit or miss for me.


Mark
 
i use lee, rcbs and redding. all work but my favorite is redding also most costly. lee doesn't have all the bells and wistles but seem to work equaly as well. i also prefer lee collet dies for neck sizing and there crimp dies for rounds needing a good crimp..
 
RCBS makes the greatest selection of dies X 10, if you go to Huntingtons website and check out the calibers available it is mind boggling. If you're a wildcatter, chances are RCBS already has dies or at least drawings for whatever you have dreamed up thinking that it's new and are going to take the firearms industry by storm............oooops sorry, RCBS already makes dies for it, so someone beat you to it..........
What you consider oddball calibers are standard stock for Huntingtons, just give them a call, credit card in hand and voila a week later you have your oddball dies.......yes, even in Canada, they ship dies no problem........
 
I use primarily RCBS, but have some Redding, some Forster, a couple of CH4D, and a Lee universal decapping die.

Rcbs has such stellar customer service that I have chosen to use their products most often.

Regards, Dave.
 
I use both RCBS and Lee dies, both make great ammo. Wouldn;'t say either is better than the other.

Lee factory crimps are the best crimps, as I've experienced.
 
I have Lee, RCBS, and Hornady dies.
I have ordered my first set of Redding Competition dies.
I will try them and see if my groups get smaller.

I almost hope that they won't because at $229.00 + $25.00 per titanium nitride bushing it will get expensive.
 
I think the Hornady dies are some of the easiest to adjust, they also have excellent customer service and come standard with multiple seating stems and the best locking rings you can buy.
 
Lee dies are inexpensive enough that if I feel I know something the engineers don't, I can alter the die with a clear conscience.
Lyman makes the wonderful M die, and the rest are nice enough.
Redding dies are even pretty to look at.
Hornady seating dies are generic for caliber. Their 6.5 seating die, adjusted for no crimp in 6.5x55 in a Co-Ax press, has the locknut hanging on by the hair of its chinny chin chin, like half a turn. Still works, and it's maybe not a common combination, just an annoyance. Really nice dies, though.
I'm starting to think the brand name isn't so important, unless you are looking for a specific feature.
 
I prefer Redding over RCBS. I found that certain cartridges will give more trouble than others in any die. I just ordered a few Redding carbide expander buttons for a few dies to minimize neck lubing and hopefully a bit of runout as well. Not sure if the other companies do that as well. I will make a thread when they come in and I try them out. I would love to get my hands on a Redding competition seating die for my .222 Rem. That cartridge has given me runout problems but I almost completely fixed it. A competition seating die will likely eliminate it. Have fun and good luck.
 
I'm a big Redding fan too, even for pistol. That said, I've got Redding, RCBS, Lee, Lyman and Dillon dies at my bench. They all have their purpose. IMHO seeking CGN fanboy opinions about brands, isn't going to be of much help to you. Read each mfgr.'s promo material, narrow down your selection based upon what appeals to you and then see what others' "experiences" have been with the dies on your short list. The CGN consensus pattern is well established; Rifles = Rem 700; Progressive Press = Dillon; SS Press = RCBS,,, and so on. The consensus feeds into itself so what may in fact suit you best may get swept under the tide of opinion inbreeding if this is all you rely on. Not to denigrate fellow posters, this is just the nature of the internet beast.
 
I use a Rediing dies (.223), RCBS (22-250) and Hornady (6.5 Creedmoor). Sometimes, as with the Creedmoor, you have little or no choice as there is only one manufacture of die available. (At least, when I first started reloading for the Creedmoor)
 
I must have used the dies wrong, but I found hornady dies to be terrible. The bullet seater always left a donut ring around the nose of the bullet. Lee collet dies are excellent. I measured a seated round with a concentricity gauge, and they were just as concentric as a round loaded with the redding competition dies.

It really depends on what your think of the whole reloading practice and how precise you want to be. The redding neck sizing die is really good. Each fired piece of brass is a perfect cast of your chamber. By just bumping the neck enough to hold a round (and redding dies allow you to adjust the neck tension by swapping out different neck sizer bushings) the round will fit perfectly inside your chamber. No slop = accuracy. At least that's the view I have come to understand, others may have different views that work equally well for them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom