Anouther question.

I need to get a couple of die sets. One for 30-338 and the other.25-284win. They are both hunting rifles. Is there any point in getting competition seating dies from redding? Is there any advantage of using Redding FL die sets over RCBS?(What I normally use)

Your opinions and experience are greatly appreciated.

Daryl

Yukoner:

I've started replacing all my RCBS with Redding dies. I have .223 and .308 Comp sets, and just recently got the 7mm Rem Mag Comp set. They are pricey, but I like the micrometer adjustment. I think the Comp seater is essential. That sleeve keeps the bullet nicely aligned for entering the case.
Another plus is you select the bushing size for sizing the neck, and the Comp sets also include a body die.
By the time you buy a Redding S type set and add the Comp seating die, you're only about 20-30 bucks from getting the whole Comp set with the micrometer adjustments. Comp sets are about $122 plus bushing cost at www.dnrsports.com plus Redding quality is top notch. Rant mode off....I'll be replacing my pistol dies too.

Yukoner :

If hunting ammo for hunting rifles is all you will be loading , then most any die set will produce reasonably accurate ammo. The Redding competition dies are very good but not needed for good accuracy .
That said if you want,repeat want,to squeeze the tighest groups you can from your rifle. Or you would just "feel better" using the very best ammo you can make. Then consider the competition dies. But remember these dies can't make up for crappy brass or bullets , or chambers out of line with the long axis of of the bore etc. .
It's kind of like the computer ; axiom garbage in , garbage out.
And if you are going to spend extra money for "comp" dies then you should consider having your rifle "accurized" by a competent smith.
Thats my two cents.

muck

HEY'
I have replaced several die sets,with Redding.I like their design,and finish.They have quite a large line of wildcat dies.I might start using bushing dies,they seem they way to go.
1geejay
www.shooting-hunting.com

I agree about the high quality of Redding dies but you do not need them to make good ammo. Most of my RCBS dies are very good in quality and I have been very satisfied with my ammo made by these dies. Good luck.

Thanks for the replies.

1Geejay,

Are bushing dies of any use unless you have a tight neck chamber?

Daryl

Re: "Are bushing dies of any use unless you have a tight neck chamber?"

Yes. They allow you to control yet one more variable in a load, the grip on the bullet. It DOES make a difference.

Redding dies are well made, will last you a life time. Buy the Redding standard dies and you can load worry free. Loading for hunting rifles does not require competition dies, your just spending extra money better used for more shooting supplies. I use Redding and RCBS dies and all my hunting rifles will give me 1/2" three shot groups at 100 yards. Reloading your own ammo is only half the the job, tuning your rifle is the other half. Bed the action, free float the barrel, fine tune the trigger pull, and top off the rifle with the right scope and bases for the hunting you will be doing. Not one single game animal I ever harvested asked me what dies I loaded my cartridges with.
Benchrest shooters use Wilson dies the very best competition dies money can buy to shoot those tiny five shot groups.

Reloader66,

I like your advice. Regular Redding dies it will be.

Daryl

I really like my RCBS .30 cal comp seating die, as it does a better job of seating the bullets, is much easier and less annoying to adjust, and easier to feed bullets while loading.

When you amortize the cost of loading equipment over a lifespan of loading thousands of rounds for dozens of years, the upfront costs aren't that big of a deal if you pick up good gear, a few pieces at a time. Nobody ever regretted buying good tools!

So it's really quite simple.

If you are young and strong and have full life of adventure in front of you, then buy Redding.

If you're an old fart, who could croak any minute now, then buy RCBS.

Either way, You'll get good results.

By the way, all my stuff is RCBS

Elmo

Has anyone used the Forster competition dies. The seater thas the micrometer adjustment. If so, how would you rate them.

I use several sets of Forster Benchrest dies. They are excellent!! But, so are the Redding dies!!

About 10 years ago I bought a set of Redding Deluxe dies for my 7mm Rem Mag. Best investment in terms of accuracy I made. Since the rifle is a Ruger #1 I only neck size my brass unless it is new stuff which gets sized with the FL die. These dies are mirror smooth and easy to adjust. I just bought the Competition die set for my 22/250. Very well made but expensive. Do I really need it? Probably not, but since I wanted to be sure I was creating the most accurate reloads, I had to have it. For my hunting rifles, standard dies work best.

Call me a fanatic but I have Neil Jones make me a custom FL die for my guns and use inline dies for seating. My deer guns are loaded this way to, and they are built to bench rest specs but with standard necks which I turn to clean up. They all shoot premium bullets .500 or a little less. If I use northforks or nosler BT, Sierra GK the groups get into the .200s & .300s. I know this is ludicrous for big game hunting but it gives me total confidence in loads and gun. Plus the time it takes keeps me out of trouble.

Hey Guys:

Just my personal opinion, but the man said that he was going to use them for huntting. In my opinion that means not a horible amount of money needs to be spent.
If you are going to do some compition shooting or benchrest on the side then great.I have been loading for hunting with RCBSfor a good many years and have always been lucky. Both hunting and with RCBS products.
Grijim

Don't have QUITE as many dies as Steve does, but, I do have a pile. Redding has to rate a little higher than RCBS, not because RCBS's aren't any good, but, the Reddings just have that "smmooooth" feel to them. If you compare a set, you'll see what I mean. Also, I spring for the extra few $$ and get the Deluxe set, which includes a neck sizer.

As another poster mentioned, the RCBS competition seater die is superb for adjusting OAL. I have a 30 cal seater that can be fiddled and fooled with to seat anything from 300 Savage to 300 W'by. Now, if we could just get Redding to include the RCBS competition seater ...

R-WEST

I have both,redding and forster seating dies.To compare the two is the same as spliting hairs,quality wise,,,