Does anyone use custom dies? Are they worth it? I want to squeeze all the performance out of my hand loads possible, but I am far from a precision shooter compared to many. It looks like, cost aside, that a custom die may make loading ammunition a little more fool proof all other things being equal. Am I off base here?
Custom Dies
- Thread starter prairiefire
- Start date
I like mine, but I don’t think it’s really all that necessary unless you’re gonna have a chamber reamer made.
Neil Jones does a nice die that sizes the body always, and the amount of shoulder bump is controlled via a micrometer top. Looks a bit like a Forster ultra seater die. Nice piece and very easy to use, but about $250 to your door.
Another element is the cartridge you’re shooting. I’ll use hornady as an example. The Creedmoor and the PRC cartridges were nicely dimensioned from the get go. The firearms manufacturers have done a surprisingly good job sticking to hornady’s original dimensions. The die makers have done the same. With that you avoid any serious mismatch between the chamber/brass/dies.
You cant really say that about a 308, which has been molested by every manufacturer that ever touched it. Brass that’s all over the place, and dies made to accommodate all of that.
I personally don't believe there’s a strong correlation between brass that’s uber close in chamber fit, and accuracy. I’ve just shot way too many tiny groups with virgin brass to believe there is.
Neil Jones does a nice die that sizes the body always, and the amount of shoulder bump is controlled via a micrometer top. Looks a bit like a Forster ultra seater die. Nice piece and very easy to use, but about $250 to your door.
Another element is the cartridge you’re shooting. I’ll use hornady as an example. The Creedmoor and the PRC cartridges were nicely dimensioned from the get go. The firearms manufacturers have done a surprisingly good job sticking to hornady’s original dimensions. The die makers have done the same. With that you avoid any serious mismatch between the chamber/brass/dies.
You cant really say that about a 308, which has been molested by every manufacturer that ever touched it. Brass that’s all over the place, and dies made to accommodate all of that.
I personally don't believe there’s a strong correlation between brass that’s uber close in chamber fit, and accuracy. I’ve just shot way too many tiny groups with virgin brass to believe there is.
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I f you are shooting standard calibers really no need to use custom dies. With the exception of my F/O rifles, I use Redding Type S dies for all my precision rifles. If you plan on shooting 1000+ you need low SD's to control vertical dispersion with uniform neck tension and precise charge weights being the key. Invest in a good scale, annealer and if you want to be anal about seating use a chamber seating die with a Century 21 Hydro bullet seater.
I agree. Better brass=more consistency I’ve tried a lot of stuff including custom dies, but if you don’t spend the money up front of good brass, you’ll never see any real world difference
I agree! With a high end custom rifle, sure. With a factory rifle, nah. Use that money for more practice.
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