What dies are best

kevguy said:
I have tried 2 sets of Lee dies. One long action (30-06) and one short action (308 win). Both were junk. I now use Redding only.

I had the Lee hand priming tool. It too was junk. I now have the RCBS universal hand primer and couldn't be happier.

I had the Lee Perfect Powder measure. As usual.....junk. I now have the Hornady LnL Powder measure and a Harrell powder measure. I have no complaints about either.

The only thing from Lee I like is their case trimmers using the lock stud with case length gauge.
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kevguy said:
I fail to see how your post relates to the topic at hand.
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Fear not, the irony is not wasted......:p
 
On the sizing dies the deprimer held in place by a collet is a god send; who ever thought that up should be given a noble prize, unlike on my RCBS dies, when I encounter enough resistence to bend or break the deprimer, on the lee it simply slides up and saves me the $10 to replace it. And if a case gets stuck I can actualy beat on the Lee deprimer with a mallet as it is still guided when you loosen the collet... were as the RCBS the deprimer is right off the moment the hammer hits the deprimer rod because you have to remove the nuts and it sits loosy goosy as you try to pound the case out.
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I have never bent or broken a deprimer rod in a Redding or RCBS die, and I also use enough lube, and proper lube, to have never jammed a case in a die in over 30 years, so I haven't had to beat on a deprimer rod with a hammer. As such, I find no use for this so called "god send". I have however had the deprimer rod on a Lee die slip in the collet under normal use, and I found this annoying, and certainly not an advantage in any way.
 
Paatz, not at all, we sell many of these to FClass shooters and those seeking top results. As good as Redding for less moey. They are a Forster product.

Regards,

Peter
 
mic2 said:
Im new to reloading and need some 300 win mag dies. Reading some of the other threads it seems some dies are not as well made. What should I stay away from and what would be the cadillac. Probably 3die set as I have some brass that is from a different riffle. Thanks for the help.
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I'm absolutely loving the Lee collet neck sizing die with dead set seater. It's making extremely accurate rounds and there has been no issues. I spent like $35.00 for my 308 set compared to a lot more for the others. I find RCBS has great accessories but their dies aren't better than Lee in my experience. I honestly think they overprice their goods just to make them look better than they are.

One piece of advice for you, Lyman is never a bad decision. I always go with that brand if I didn't do my research on a product and catch a sale at WSS. I recently bought their universal trimmer for $119 ($20.00 off coupon) and it's pretty decent. Far better than the Lee trimming systems (they suck).
 
Cadillac Dies

Cadillac Dies would be these

http://www.warner-tool.com/reloading.htm
Friend has a set nothing made by Redding,RcBS close to these in quality
 
My Vote, goes to RCBS for all 'round Value/Performance

.... Just about every "Reloader" has their own preferences. Personally, I like the RCBS Dies (and equipment in general )... Uniform quality, pricing is not too bad, replacement parts readily available, and WARRANTY,( Customer Service ) in the unlikely event you need it, is EXCELLENT. ..... Look around, for used dies etc. and save a bundle ! ;)..... David K
 
Like most of the other guys here i have a bunch of different makes including Lee. The 30-06 Lee die i have doesn`t size the neck enough to hold the bullet. The 25-06 Lee dies worked well. Haven`t had an issue with any other makes RCBS,Lyman,Pacific,Redding or Bonanza.
 
stubblejumper said:
I have never bent or broken a deprimer rod in a Redding or RCBS die, and I also use enough lube, and proper lube, to have never jammed a case in a die in over 30 years, so I haven't had to beat on a deprimer rod with a hammer. As such, I find no use for this so called "god send". I have however had the deprimer rod on a Lee die slip in the collet under normal use, and I found this annoying, and certainly not an advantage in any way.
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My sentiments exactly.
 
I started reloading last year and bought the RCBS 2 die set, followed shortly thereafter with a neck sizer. A few months after that I bought a set of Lee (collet neck sizer and dead length seater) because the RCBS wouldn't let me seat VLDs out far enough. A few months later I tried and then bought a Redding Competition 3 die set and haven't looked back. The RCBS haven't been touched since, and I only use the Lee collet to uniform the inside of the neck before neck turning.

Try Redding (or Forster as Peter and Matt have suggested); buy once, cry once. If you decide on the RCBS I might know where you can get a deal on a set ;)

Scott
 
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dead meat said:
Like most of the other guys here i have a bunch of different makes including Lee. The 30-06 Lee die i have doesn`t size the neck enough to hold the bullet. The 25-06 Lee dies worked well. Haven`t had an issue with any other makes RCBS,Lyman,Pacific,Redding or Bonanza.
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I have a 30-06 Lee set that works just fine, no such problem as you describe.
I guess any manufacturer can have defects, the only defective dies I have owned were Lyman.
 
TGReaper said:
Good question,it made me get up and look at the die shelf.
I found that I have dies from Lyman, CH, Lee, Dillon, RCBS, and Hornady and I honestly can not tell you which are the best,I have not had any problems with any of them. Some are prettier to look at but no one stands out as being superior in performance.
TGR
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Same from me, Also still using Herter's and bonanaza and biar dies of my fathers can't say which are best
 
I love Redding dies first, Hornady sizing dies are good, but I don't like the seaters. I have had very good luck with cheap Lee dies over the years and my least favourite are RCBS.
 
I find that the LEE dies are fine for pistol rounds. That said, for some bananas reason I decided to order a redding competition seated for my 9mm toolhead. There wasn't anything wrong with the LEE seater die, but I just want more control. I find that the LEE sizing dies (at least for pistol) size a bit further down than the dillon dies at least (matters for me as I shoot glocks). People either love or hate the LEE FCD for pistol rounds - YMMV.

I also have some dillon and RCBS dies for 38spl. For loading lead, I am a fan of the dillon dies as they are easily taken apart for cleaning.

For 223 I have the steel dillon set and so far I am happy.
 
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