Die shopping list help?

[Icewater]

For anyone wanting to help a rookie choose the correct dies for reloading.

Here's what I have that I plan to reload:
.308 bolt gun
5.56/.223 semi auto ar
9mm luger semi auto pistol
Rock chucker supreme press(came in RCBS's most deluxe kit from cabelas)

Here's what I plan to do:
After firing my brass I plan to de-cap only, then clean, then lube, then size and put neatly aside for later when I am ready to load, then I may clean once again then load. I want to be able to measure my chamber so I can properly full size my brass every time. I also plan to use a couple different bullets in my .308 that I plan to make a "dummy" round for testing where I am from the lands by watching for rifling marks and seating until they are gone plus an extra whatever I decide to jump, then measuring coal(I thought I heard of an ogive gage?)

Flaws to my method? Suggestions?
Obviously I need dies that will fit in my rcbs but appreciate help selecting the proper dies and measuring equipment

 

[mdmp5]

You already have the press? You are fine with your plans. I will tell you that the thought of loading pistol cartridges on a single stage press makes me nauseous. But that is just my own personal opinion, and don't let me sway you from doing it. Ok, for decapping, I would look into a universal decapping die, like the LEE. It will work for everything you have, but if you ever wanted to shoot a big magnum caliber like 338, you will have to get a large decapping die; I have the Redding.

For sizing, you can get just about any F/L sizing die for your rifle calibers. Question is if you want to use a bushing or not. You can just get any F/L sizing die, see how it is working for you, then make a decision later whether you want to use bushings or not. For seaters, I think you would be served well by getting a seater with a micrometer.

As far as 9mm goes, I only have experience with Dillon carbide dies for pistol. They are very easy to use. Just about every company makes pistol dies. I would be sure to get carbide sizing dies because you can get away with not lubing straight walled pistol cases. You also need an expander die, a seater and a crimp die.

 

[Icewater]

Yeah I don't shoot a whole lot, maybe one day a progressive and a turret press.
If I can use any standard die I'm assuming my head space is set by how far I screw my sizing die in? The standard method seems to be "fully cam press, then additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn". Is a once fired brass from my rifle pretty much formed to my chamber head space, could I use a fired brass to accurately measure head space? I know with a standard die I'm locked in on the diameter of the round but I'm just trying to figure out how to custom fit my brass to my rifle without overworking it.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I like using a "small base" die set for my .223 AR reloading. Makes feeding just a touch more reliable. My brother had a FL die set, and would occasionally get feeding issues on once fired brass.

 

[mdmp5]

If you screw the die in until it touches the shellholder on the upstroke, you are gonna set the shoulder back at one fixed amount. With a standard shellholder, this is about .007 below saami. To reduce the shoulder setback, you would have to unscrew the die a bit. Every 5 degrees of rotation equals .001".

 

[Icewater]

What are bushings and their purpose? Sorry guys this stuff wasn't covered in my manual I've heard of some quick connect fittings by hornady that allow you to set your dies and quickly change them without having to re-set them; one person I talked to loves them, another guy didn't seem to trust them.

 

[damoncali]

Do NOT cheap out on the pistol dies - get carbide. No lube required.

 

[mdmp5]

What are bushings and their purpose? Sorry guys this stuff wasn't covered in my manual I've heard of some quick connect fittings by hornady that allow you to set your dies and quickly change them without having to re-set them; one person I talked to loves them, another guy didn't seem to trust them.

The bushings I was referring to are to size the neck of the case to a desired diameter. A standard die sizes the neck very small, and you end up with a lot of neck tension. If you leave the expander ball in, the ball rips the mouth back open to one set diameter. When using different brands of brass, some have thicker necks than others. With a bushing die, you can get a bunch of different sized bushings which will enable you to set the same neck tension between brands.

 

[jet_lagged]

You will probably want carbide expander ball(s) for the rifle dies, unless you want to dip each case neck in mica or some other dry lube first to smooth out the process.

I like the Dillon dies for 9mm and .223 as they have a few handy features.
-Pistol dies are carbide, have a little bigger radius so the pistol brass doesn't have to be quite centered under the die.
-reversible seater plug for 2 bullet types (RN and SWC)
-down side:no expander die in the set, as Dillon uses their own type as mounted on the powder reservoir.

Dillon rifle set comes with carbine expander ball and crimp die, which will be extra on some brands, but no powder die again.

For bolt gun, I really only neck size, unless the brass gets sticky. Eliminates lubing, cleaning the lube off, and works the brass less. Any brand of bushing neck die works well.

 

[bigedp51]

To reload more accurate and consistent ammunition I would also buy a Hornady cartridge case headspace gauge for proper shoulder bump. And a runout gauge for die setup/adjustment and minimizing neck runout, meaning with a standard die with a expander ball you may need to make adjustments to the die.

Your ammunition will only be as good as your brass and a neck thickness gauge and runout gauge is important for checking runout, and WHY you have it. The cheaper low cost .223/5.56 ammunition you buy is made from cartridge cases that failed quality checks for higher cost ammunition. These type cases will have defects like unequal case wall and neck thickness and increase you group size. These type cases are OK for blasting/practice at 100 yards or less with a AR15 carbine but worthless with a bolt action and trying to shoot tight groups at longer ranges.

I still use my Rockchucker press I bought in 1973, and yes it is slow reloading large amounts of ammunition. BUT slow also means more time to inspect your work, and far less loading errors. If you later get into competitive shooting then buy a progressive press, this is like learning to drive on a stick shift and then getting a automatic transmission when you get tried of shifting.

I'm retired with nothing to do and all day to do it, so my trusty Rockchucker works just fine.

But again having gauges lets you know if you have brass with unequal case wall and neck thickness and WHY you have neck runout.

Below is an example of a case with unequal case wall and neck thickness, and these type cases cause the most problems. The thin side of the case will expand more when fired and the case will warp and become banana shaped and misaligned with the chamber. The neck of the case will also be out of alignment with the axis of the bore and the end result is larger group sizes. And without gauges you will never know the problems you are having with bad brass. And the most expensive reloading dies will not fix bad brass and low cost Lee dies AND some good gauges will load very good ammunition.

You may also need to let the cat know who the chair belongs to at the reloading bench. For some reason I do a lot of reloading standing up while the cat keeps the chair warm.

 

[Icewater]

Thanks for the help guys!
I ended up getting a set of redding dies, a sizer and seater with a mic gage. Super excited about them! I was also turned on the hornady measuring system, the hollow red aluminum rod with the plastic rod inside it and the threaded dummy shell. I plan to use that for measuring bullet ogive and headspace. How about measuring trim length of my chamber?

 

[mdmp5]

Thanks for the help guys!
I ended up getting a set of redding dies, a sizer and seater with a mic gage. Super excited about them! I was also turned on the hornady measuring system, the hollow red aluminum rod with the plastic rod inside it and the threaded dummy shell. I plan to use that for measuring bullet ogive and headspace. How about measuring trim length of my chamber?

Measuring your chamber length is overkill. If you are shooting a factory rifle, the chamber length is likely pretty long. Just keep your brass trimmed anywhere between 2.005 and 2.015 for 308, and 1.75 and 1.76 for 223

 

[Icewater]

Ok, so trim length isn't critical to accuracy or overworking brass as much as it is a safety issue if it is too long.

 

[damoncali]

Ok, so trim length isn't critical to accuracy or overworking brass as much as it is a safety issue if it is too long.

Exactly. You are just trying to prevent the end of chamber from crimping the bullet in place.