Who makes the best Collet Dies? and do they make them for wildcat's?

What size would I use for a 30STW, (8mm rem mag, necked to 30cal).

Could I use a standard 30cal.???

Thanks,

TGW

I am not aware that anyone makes collett dies except for Lee Brand.

I have several sets and use them, but admit I have mixed emotions. You may find you have to polish the mandrel a little to get enough neck tension on the bullets. I kept turning a 7mm Rem Mag set down to try to get more tension and literaly destroyed a set of Lee Collet Dies with my RCBS Big Max press.

They do turn out pretty concentric ammo and their bullet seater works well.

I can see no reason that a set of collett dies made for the 300 Weatherby would not work just fine for your 30STW. I reload 22-250 Ackley ammo with a standard set of these collett dies that is made for the standard 22-250 and it works just fine.

These dies only size the neck and the die does not hold the body that closely. So, your wildcat which so closely resembles the 300 Weatherby should work just fine in a set of these dies.

R Flowers

Contact Lee and they will make you a set of custom Collet dies all you do is povide the specs to them. Cost about $50

Makes you wonder what the market would be for a QUALITY made collet die? Really should be fairly simple, but with variable size mandrels (a la bushings), steel (stainless?) collets, repeatable settings (rubber "set it and forget it, my A##!).

Just thinking out loud. Dutch.

I use the Lee collet dies and like them. I did have to polish the collet, collet sleeve, and mandrel to get them to work the way I wanted them to, however. I hope that when the patent expires someone like Redding or Forster will come out with a die based on this design. I think either of these two companies, and others, would do a better job with it.

Nice thing about them is that you can send Lee something like $5.00 and they'll send you a custom ground mandrel. This is essentially the same thing as buying multiple bushing in one of Redding's dies, but cheaper. Concentricity w/Collet dies is great and reloading straight ammo is what it's all about.

Martindog

I gotta admit I laugh every time I hear someone whine about the collet dies. Their simplicity itself- dab of grease at times and your set.

One variable can throw a monkey wrench into their operation- that being the off center flash hole. Granted few are off enough to come into play, but this system centers on the flash hole. And those cases would be sized off to one side.

Not all Lee stuff is something I would use, but that goes for many brands. But consider this-- how many people has Lee gotten into reloading, which might not have tried it without those bargin tools????? And isn't that good for all of us?