Whidden pointer vs Hoover tipping die

[MALLARD]

I want to buy one of these tools. Does anyone have experience with either one of these ? What is the difference ? They seem about the same, same price , the only difference i see is the Hoover has allot more "punch's/inserts" available.

any insight would be appreciated

link to hoover die
http://www.bullettipping.com/bullettippingdie_detail.asp

link to whidden die
http://whiddengunworks.net/pointingdiebuynow.html

 

[Big Dog Steel]

Re: Whidden pointer vs Hoover tipping die

tag

 

[James in Wyoming]

Re: Whidden pointer vs Hoover tipping die

I have used the Whidden with various 6mm, 6.5, 7, and .308 bullets with complete satisfaction. Easy to use and easy to change inserts. If you examine john's site you will find a chart showing which of his three pointers are optimized for a variety of bullets. I have heard good things about the Hoover but have no personal experience. Pointing dies are a specialized tool for specialized applications and unless you are quite an advanced shooter already they may not be of much benefit. If you shoot a great deal beyond 600 yards, and for instance would like to improve your X-count in F class and are already shooting expert or master level scores, then they can be very helpful. This presumes that your fundamentals are very solid and that you are already capable of producing really excellent and consistent ammunition. If that's the case then probably either tool will be beneficial. I know the Whidden set-up is an excellent product.
Best,
James

 

[Mark Walker]

Re: Whidden pointer vs Hoover tipping die

Whidden has worked great for me for over a year now. Easy to set up, no fuss... I recommend it!

 

[vman]

Re: Whidden pointer vs Hoover tipping die

Whidden. I have purchased goods off him before and they are good to go

 

[madd0c]

Re: Whidden pointer vs Hoover tipping die

I am by no means an F-class master or expert, just someone who likes to shoot and most of it is done at 300 and less due to space limitations. That being said, I have and use the Whidden pointer and trimmer on 308 SMKs simply to get the best uniformity of the meplat.
No experience or oppinion on the hoover, but the Whidden system is very easy to use and I can knock out 100 pointed and trimmed meplats in about 30 minutes. The trimming is the time consuming part, so if you are just pointing (which uniforms the meplats pretty well) then you can do them as fast as you can pull the handle on your press.

madd0c

 

[The Animal]

Re: Whidden pointer vs Hoover tipping die

The bullet tipping die from John Hoover (bullettipping.com) is Excellent! The inserts are custom taylored for the specific bullet (not just the caliber) you are going to shoot. They are close in price and the Hoover bullet pointer is made out of stainless steel.

In addition, John Hoover was a contributor for a complete bullet tipping die set last year (May 2010) at the Nor Cal Tactical Bolt Rifle Challenge (TBRC) last year. It would be nice to support those that support us.

In addition, if you have any shooting or reloading questions, John will spend any amount of time on the phone with you helping you out.

Plus, the Hoover bullet pointer is what I used on my bullets last month to win the Rifles Only Shooters Bash #1.