Whidden Arbor Seater

[AllenOne1]

Is anyone using the Whidden Arbor Seater dies yet. It looks like a reasonable design and it fairly affordable compared to other options for arbor dies.

I wonder if they will market the internal sleeve and seater stem separately so that you can convert the die to a different caliber.

 

[Dogtown]

Yep, I got one but am not that impressed. I use a Whidden custom seating die for one of my magnum wildcats and it was easy to convert that die to this new arbor die. The problem I have is mostly how it sits on the base not in a particularly stable way, while others use a cup-like base to capture the die. It just makes it kind of wonky to work with compared to the Wilson-style dies.

Personally, I just like these better, even though they're still fairly pricey:

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[AllenOne1]

Yep, I got one but am not that impressed. I use a Whidden custom seating die for one of my magnum wildcats and it was easy to convert that die to this new arbor die. The problem I have is mostly how it sits on the base not in a particularly stable way, while others use a cup-like base to capture the die. It just makes it kind of wonky to work with compared to the Wilson-style dies.

Personally, I just like these better, even though they're still fairly pricey:

All SINCLAIR INTERNATIONAL Products for Sale Online - 236 Products

Brownells has 236 SINCLAIR INTERNATIONAL products for Sale Up To 91% Off including Reloading, Tools & Cleaning, and Gear.

www.sinclairintl.com

Is it possible to use the die without the base, that seems like one less part to deal with.

 

[Threadcutter308]

I have no experience with the Whidden, so I can't/won't comment there.

I have the Wilsons in multiple calibers and no, they're not cheap. This latest iteration with the micrometer adjustment below the seating stem (as opposed to above on the old style) is by far the best. Keep in mind they will last a lifetime. In that sense, the price isn't so bad.

You could conceivably use the die without the base. But, if you go with a Wilson, try it with the base. I doubt you'd find it objectionable.

 

[Dogtown]

Nah, I don't think you'd want to use it without the base. It sort of captures the case web, but then the whole die sits above it before seating.

And this is where it gets annoying. It's not stable at all when it's sitting above the base like that. All other arbor dies I've used settle into the base in a much more stable way and move internally. This one seems to move the whole die to seat.

It's not terrible; the die works and the results are consistent. It's just an added headache that feels cheap and unnecessary.