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Best dies money can buy??

Kino

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 14, 2011
381
148
United States
Building a new 6br and was thinking about trying some new dies. I've been running Redding bushing type S sizers and Redding or Forster micrometer seaters for about 25 years on every caliber I own. They have produced some very accurate ammo over the years and as with everything, technology evolves. Really my only big complaint is its hard to see the lines on the Redding seater to adjust seating depth but thats really my only gripe. I also wish Redding used the same lock ring as Forster since I'm running Forster Coax presses!

I haven't bought dies yet for my new caliber and was wondering if there's something new thats a better mousetrap than what I've ran, thanks in advance.
 
Short action customs dies are damn nice. I'm very happy with my BRA die and seating die from them.
 
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Before you open that wallet, might not be a bad idea to remind one’s self that the the $600 dies some people make are made on the same, or lesser quality, CNC machines as the $20 ones…
 
So lots of guys recommending SAC, have you guys that are recommending them actually done runout and or concentricity checks on your ammo vs the Redding or Forsters?? What makes them better???

I don't have an issue spending money but ONLY if its a quantifiable improvement on producing more accurate and concentric ammo.
When I started loading many many years ago my mentor was a benchrest guy and complete fanboy of Redding so thats what I bought. Their competition seater die produces great results but as I aged I couldn't see the marks near as well as a Forster so now thats the only seater dies I buy. The results between the two brands of seater in my experience is ZERO except the Forster is easier to read/see for old eyes and typically a little cheaper. I tested runout and its virtually identical.

Again I appreciate the recommending of brands but why are you sold on a certain brand and has it produced better ammo than Redding or Forster?? Thanks guys for sharing your experience!
 
The best dies are the ones that fit your chamber. I would send some fired cases to someone like Whidden and have a custom sizing die made to fit your chamber. You will have a lot less issues if the dies and chamber are matched up. While you're there grab a seating die to go with it.
 
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Huge fan of Redding.. no reason to chase a problem that isnt there... there is a reason they are one of the most used dies for precision loading
 
Having owned most of them short of the uber expensive ones, Wilson makes the finest dies of the commercially known ones.

I have lee, rcbs matchmasters, Redding Match, Lee, forster and Wilson blows them out of the water for fit, finish and design.

They are the only sizing dies I will buy going forward, unless its something they don't make.
 
I like/use the LE Wilson FL Sizing Bushing die too, and I do dig their machining/finish and their whole "old timer shtick"... but after trying all of the "non-ridiculously-priced-for-attention-and-to-fool-idiots" dies, I think next time I need another FL bushing die I'm going to pick up another Hornady Match Grade bushing die (which I stupidly sold since I wasn't using it anymore)...

...because the "best die money can buy" is just the die with the best design for what you're trying to do, and how you do it.

Example: I do not decap while I size, and I don't expand while I size, so I don't give a shit about how a given sizing die decaps or how its expander ball thingy performs at all. I decap first before I clean my brass with a $10 Lee Universal Decapping Die, all my sizing die does is size the outside of the case.

If you size as I do, then the LE Wilson has the same "drawback" as the Redding Type-S FL bushing die, in that, if you pull out all the decap/expander pin stuff and ditch it, you still have to use and re-insert that thinner pin retaining nut to use as a spacer inside the die body above the bushing, in order to get everything to tighten up to where that bushing is just floating ever so slightly (otherwise there's too great of a gap in there). So in both cases, you end up with these nice solid machined die bodies having this crappy little spacer in there, semi-floating much like the bushing, but wherever it wants in relation to the bushing it's sitting on (and likely causing just a cunt hair's worth of deflection).

I like the Hornady because if you size like I do, and ditch all the decap/expansion crap, the die's design enables one to snug up the die without any crappy spacer floating around in there. (Plus, the Hornady's inside-of-die finish is the best I've come across out of the usual suspects).

I'm not loyal to any one brand in particular, regardless of who makes it, I just try to grab the one from whoever's got the best design that'll jive with each step in my process.

For the record, I currently use (maybe not the best, but best for me):

Dillion 750/MBF (shitloads of 130pf 9mm awesomeness, easily 25,000+rds on it):

Lee standard/non-Udie size/decap (Squirrel Daddy hardened decap pin)
MBF expander/powder drop
Redding Competition Seating die
Lee taper crimp

(98-99% of the rounds pass a Hundo, the ones that don't see the taper crimp again and then they'll pass)

For rifle:

Lee Universal decap die (everyone should own one, best $10 ever spent)
LE Wilson FL bushing die (decap pin removed), Reddin TiN bushing
21st Century Expander Mandrel die with the widow (it's actually kind of shitty, the Sinclair is much better and I'll go back to that at some point)
Sinclair TiN turning mandrel (2 thou less than bullet diameter)
Forster Ultra Micrometer Seating die (as close to an in-line seater as you can get without having to use an arbor press IMO)


- A lot of guys have recipes that work when it comes to dies, only you can figure out what's best for you... but I feel like I can solidly come down on the side that when it comes to dies, price IS NOT a prerequisite for performance.
 
You do realized you want the spacer to float so it self centers the case neck right?

I will take a self centering bushing over trusting shitty Hornady manufacturing and QC/QC to make a die that is actually true.
 
You do realized you want the spacer to float so it self centers the case neck right?

I will take a self centering bushing over trusting shitty Hornady manufacturing and QC/QC to make a die that is actually true.

Yeah, I want the bushing to float a little, just not sure about bushing+spacer floating around (I know, getting deep in the weeds enough to drown)... anyhow, it makes great ammo so whatever.

Point is: design drives performance, not necessarily cost.
 
I have redding, rcbs matchmaster and Wilson bushing dies and they all function similar without issue. The Wilson is just designed, finished and polished better than the rest.
 
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LE Wilson dies with SAC bushings....no center rod. Mandrel as a separate process because you want to mandrel pushing into a supported neck instead of pulling up. Runout difference can be measured between these two processes.

There are other things more important than the miniscule differences you will get from one brand of die to another....Lapua, Berger, proper powder....Autotrickler V3/4....AMP....proper trim/chamfer/debur.....and of course...your ability to shoot the difference.
 
Off the shelf Wilson for me, especially their arbor press seating dies. Custom definitely Whidden for sizing great products and worth it in the increased brass life alone. 21st century makes custom seating dies for very reasonable too and all their products are incredible. I feel the last step of pressing the projectile in perfectly straight makes the biggest difference in concentricity. I’m going to try some SAC neck bushings with my .223 Redding die to see if they really are better. https://21stcenturyinnovation.com/buy-online/ols/products/calibrated-bullet-seater-die
 
SAC are for loosers with too much money. just like every overpriced reloading piece of shit. 600$ for priming? 600$ for standard die?

sizing die is just a piece of drilled hard steel, which is dimensionaly smaller than your chamber. is this worth fucking 600$? :eek: only loosers shillers promote this overpriced shit.

every gunsmith, which is cutting chambers, can order the same reamer just 0.002' smaller, so he can make custom sizing / seating die for every customer he has for cheap. or they can just buy blank dies: https://newlonprecision.com/
 
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SAC are for loosers with too much money. just like every overpriced reloading piece of shit. 600$ for priming? 600$ for standard die?

sizing die is just a piece of drilled hard steel, which is dimensionaly smaller than your chamber. is this worth fucking 600$? :eek: only loosers shillers promote this overpriced shit.

every gunsmith, which is cutting chambers, can order the same reamer just 0.002' smaller, so he can make custom sizing / seating die for every customer he has for cheap. or they can just buy blank dies: https://newlonprecision.com/
While the content of your colorful treatise is fairly accurate, I think your method of delivery is less than stellar.

i.e. You wanna tone it down a bit, before you get a vacation? This isn't the Pit. Keep it civil.
 
I wonder what the end result different would be, buy 10 Lee dies (or like 6/7 Hornady dies), and pick the best one to use and throw the rest in the trash, or buy one SAC die?
 
They all make good dies. I use Lee collet sets and the FCD with good results, also Lyman, RCBS, Hornady, etc.
I have a set of Lachmiller dies that are as good as anything made today.
 
I use RCBS bushing FL sizing and Forster micrometer Seating die.

22BR. No issues with either dies

Doc