.308 dies

[rickp]

I'm looking at getting the Competition Redding .308 die set. There are 3 dies in the set, full resize die, neck resize and the bullet seating die.

Now my question is do I need the full resize die? I was reading the HL 101 articels and he talk about only bumping the neck back.
So do I need the full resize die?

Thanks

 

[turbo54]

Re: .308 dies

Yes, you need a FLS die in iventory. You won't use it a LOT, but you'll use it.

When your load hasn't changed but accuracy deteriorates, you FLS.

When you get new brass, you FLS.

When you buy/find once fired brass, you FLS.

You'll use it.

That said, I use the Forster stuff, and have had excellent success with them. I have the Forster FLS and Ultra-mic seater combo, and also the bushing/bump die that comes with 3 bushings as a set from Midway. This has worked fantastic!

I dont' have anything against Redding, but I've been pleased as punch with Forster, and they are significantly less expensive than Redding.

 

[rickp]

Re: .308 dies

thanks turbo,
I was planning on using the co ax press.
the only reason i was using redding dies becuase I've used them in the past. It's what i know.
you dont happen to have a link for the dies do you?

 

[RyeDaddy]

Re: .308 dies

I've owned both the Redding Type S Match set and the Forster Ultra FL set for 308. As stated above, you do need a FL die, or at least the shoulder bump die that comes in the Redding set. After about 3 firings the shoulders move forward far enough that the bolt gets hard to close and they need to be bumped back.

I kept what I liked of the 2 die sets and sold off the rest. My 308 set is now:

Forster FL size die
Redding Type S bushing neck die with the Ti bushings
Forster Ultra micrometer seating die
Lee factory crimp die for my semi auto

Forster makes top notch dies(and presses, trimmers, etc.) and I just can't figure out why Redding is so much more expensive. The only exception is in the bushing neck die, I LOVE Redding's TiN bushings. They don't require any lube and do a great job. If Forster had bushings that didn't require lube I might have gone all Forster in my 308 reloading, but as it is I've pieced together my perfect die set.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: .308 dies

My Redding competition die set includes a body die, a neck die, and a seating die.

In this set, the body die sizes the body of the caseincluding the shoulder, leaving the neck unmolested. The neck die sizes the neck with a selectable and replacable bushing. And the seater die pushes a bullet into the primed powdered case.

When I need something equivalent to the FL sizer die, I run the cases through the body die, and then through the neck die. Thus, you can get away without a FL die as long as you have a body die.

{My set is from 3-5 years ago and Redding may have changed up which dies are in which sets--so look closely to get what you want.}

 

[clmayfield]

Re: .308 dies

First, you need to picture what these dies do. A F/L sizing die will fit the neck, shoulder, and most of the body of the case and will try to size all of these surfaces simultaneously. A neck only sizing die will size only the neck portion of the case, leaving some of the neck, the shoulder, and the body of the case untouched. A body die will size most of the shoulder and most of the body. Why most of the shoulder? Because they don't know how wide you are leaving the neck, so they have to give plenty of room so that the body die doesn't end up neck sizing.

In a bottleneck cartridge (like the 308), the case headspaces off of the shoulder, which is to say that the tolerance between the face of your bolt and the case head is determined by how much distance you have between the shoulder and the case head. As you fire a casing, it tends to grow to fit the chamber, which means that eventually, the brass will grow so long from the shoulder to the case head that you will not be able to chamber your round. If you are neck sizing only, you will need to bump the shoulder back at this point with the body die. If your Full Length sizing die is set up properly, it should bump the shoulder back every time you size it, so you never have to worry about head space issues (assuming you set the die up correctly).

The advantage of neck only sizing is that it is gentler on brass as you are only sizing a small portion of the brass at a time and bumping the shoulder every now and then. The disadvantage is that because neck sizing and body sizing happen in two steps and because the body is not as firmly supported as in a F/L sizing die, the runout, or lack of concentricity, is usually higher for N/O sizing, which generally hurts accuracy.

The best of both worlds is to get a custom die that minimally sizes every dimension with every firing. It is easy on brass and yields good concentricity. It is also the costliest route.

If you go the N/O sizing route, all you need is a N/O sizing die and a body die. If you want you can bump with a F/L sizing die as opposed to a body die, but a F/L sizing die will be a bit more costly than a body die, and generally, you can't control the neck tension in a F/L sizing die without going the custom route.

Hoe this helps.

 

[TexIndian]

Re: .308 dies

I have the same dies MitchAlsup mentions above, plus a Forster neck and shoulder bump die. It uses the same bushings as the Reddings.

 

[Jeepocabra]

Re: .308 dies

Whatever set you get the micomiters on the seating dye is worth every penny.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: .308 dies

The mic heads on seaters add nothing to the quality of the reloads and at not all of us find them sufficently helpful for setting an OAL to justify the cost.

 

[Chanonry]

Re: .308 dies

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rickp</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm looking at getting the Competition Redding .308 die set. There are 3 dies in the set, full resize die, neck resize and the bullet seating die.

Now my question is do I need the full resize die? I was reading the HL 101 articels and he talk about only bumping the neck back.
So do I need the full resize die?

Thanks
</div></div>

Best approach is to buy the Body die plus a set of competition shell holders. You can then control how much you bump the shoulder without messing with the neck. Then Comp Neck bushing die to sort the neck
Then Comp seating die to seat the bullet square.

= minimum runout.

Redding is great stuff but other manufacturers make good comp dies as well.

 

[gau17]

Re: .308 dies

Anyone here use Lee Collet dies? What are your thoughts?

 

[larbhills]

Re: .308 dies

I have always used Hornady dies but during the big scare a couple years ago, I couldn't get ANY 308 dies. I found a set of Lee collet dies eventually. I have been absolutely happy with them. I only shoot my brass through one rifle and just neck size them with the collet die. I load ammunition that will run .75 MOA pretty much all the time. And through a lowly Savage too.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: .308 dies

"Anyone here use Lee Collet dies? What are your thoughts?"

Some of us believe they are THE BEST neck dies of any type for SAAMI chambers.