Picking dies

wisconsinteacher

wisconsinteacher

Handloader
Dec 2, 2010
1,976
290
I need to get some 25-06 dies. I was thinking about getting FL RCBS dies but was wondering if I should get a set of neck sizing dies for this cal. I have a bolt action and this is the only rifle that I will be loading for in 25-06.
 
Get the FL dies. You can always perform partial neck sizing with the FL dies. If later, you want to pick up some neck dies, you will be able to do so.
 
I'm not gonna throw any brand names around...but I have had much better luck with seating dies that have floating seater plugs.

No scars on bullets, less runout, and more accurate ammo...there a few options for these seaters and not all of them are any more expensive than the normal RCBS dies.

I FL size hunting ammo, neck sizing is OK I guess...but the only real advantage IMO is better brass life...and even that only amounts to anything with rounds that you shoot alot of...as in target rounds.
 
+1 for RR65 and DrMike. I am a fan neck sizing, but I generally FL size as most round I make are for hunting purposes. I generally just get by with FL dies. I do not care terribly much for RCBS. Oddly my 25-06 dies are RCBS but I prefer Hornady dies. They have that floating sleeve for bullet alignment and... Hornady cost about the same as other but offer a rebate of 100 bullets when a die set is purchased (just pay 6.95 S/H). Bullet selection is (or was) a little more limited than I would have liked, but am still quite happy with my Hornady die experiences.
 
The neck sizing bug just never bit me...I tried it, but it didn't stick...much the same as crimping I guess...don't do that either except for AR's (10 and 15)
 
I'm a big fan of Redding dies. They are a little spendy, but their ergonomics and overall quality are better than any brand I have tried. I have tried every common brand but forster. A bonus with the Redding dies is that a 3 die set is available which includes FL sizer and Neck sizer.

For neck sizing only I like the Lee Collet type neck sizer. Requires very little force to size, no case lubing and works the brass very little. It is a bit nettlesome to get adjusted so you'll want to place witness marks on the die and lock ring to preserve your neck tension. A bonus is they can be adjusted for different bullet pull to tweak your load. I use this die for my 7,5 Swiss match ammuntion with excellent results. Do to a recent bad experience I'm not a fan of Lee FL dies. I think I got an out of spec set and they probably would have replaced them but I moved on to a different brand as I needed to load that caliber asap. RCBS dies are very good as well, an industry standard, but I just like the Reddings a bit better due to ease of adjustment.

The biggest advantage with most rifles of neck sizing only is a streamlining of your loading procedure. You do not need to heavily lube cases, therefore the lube removal step is bypassed. Just a slight amount of lube in the case neck is required which is easily removed with a quick alcohol swab. You may see a slight gain in accuracy of neck sized vs FL or FL/short sized (with the die backed off a couple turns to retain shoulder runout), important for match shooting but less significant for big game ammo. You will generally see a significant increase in case life and less frequent need for trimming with neck sizing. Hope this helps!
 
I am a big fan of the Forster dies. They seem to have excellent sizing dies and their seating die is very nice. Redding's are more refined RCBS dies, at least to me. I have all three and some smattering of others, but prefer Forster, they are worth the extra dollars, if you can't swing the Forster's, Redding's get the nod. They will all do a good job, but I am with Mike, get the FL die and invest in a headspace gauge measuring set. THAT is worth the money!
 
Not all dies are created equal..... but we already knew that.

I've found that when sizing Lake City 308, my Redding dies are just a tad better then the Lee's I use for commerical brass.

I am a big fan of Hornady's New Deminsion Cusatom Dies with the floating bullet alignment sleeve. I first tripped onto them when I was loading 22Hornet for NRA Pistol Silhouette and was crushing cases with my Lee's when the bullet strayed during seating. Fixed the problem PDQ.

But as mentioned before my comments...... often we cannot afford a certain brand of dies, therefore choose wisely from the remainder of the list available.
 
I quit using neck sizing dies a few years back. Seems there is not much support for the case body and I was getting some run out in the necks. These days I just set up my full length sizing die to properly size the case for the individual rifle I plan on using. Each rifle has it's own die set adjusted for that rifle only. It's worked out quite well for me regarding not only case life but accuracy as well.
I may have posted this before but this is how I set up my sizing die for bottleneck cartridges.

1. Take a once fired factory round and blacken the neck and shoulders with a Magic Marker or Sharpee pen. Some people like to smoke the neck and shoulder, but I find the Magic Marker/Sharpee pen a bit better.

2. Carefully lubricate the case.

3. Loosen the lock ring on the sizing die and back off about two turns from when the die is set to touch the shell holder.

4. Size the case. Note where the marks are on the case and turn the die down about a half a turn and size again. Turn down some more, and resize again. What you are looking for is the marks on the blackening just touching the shoulder.

5. Clean the lube from the case and try it in the rifle. It may chamber just a bit on the snug side. If so, turn the die down ever so slightly, lube and size again. Wipe off the lube and try in the rifle. If it slides in as easily as a factory round, you should be good to go. If not, usually one more very slight adjustment should fix the problem.

6. Tighten the locking ring for the die and you're done. You have just set your sizing die up for a custom fit to your specific rifle, rather than a generic one size fits all guns.

Paul B.
 
Heres two cents.

I have used Hornady FL dies for my 35rem and 358win and partials size using .015" shim. It has worked great for both the lever and the bolt gun. I check to see if a case will chamber before reloading them. If there is ever an issue I can go to any combination of seems in .001 incraments fine whats needed.

I also have a LEE Collect die set for my 22-hornet and beleve its the ony way to load the hornets thin case. No lube needed either. I did up grade the loc-rings.

I also have resintly bought two reddington match neck die sets for my 223rem and 221rem and absolutly love them.

However if I do try a new die set for my 358win or any of my other hunting cartridges it will be a Redington FL die set with a micrometer upgrade to the seater die. Partial sizing works just fine there and I can always buy a neck die down the road if I needed to.
 
I have setteled on Redding/Forester dies, with a few RCBS sets thrown in. I use run-out checking tools after loading and really haven't found much with jacket'd bullets. My loaded long-range rifle ammo all show 0.00" run-out even when using the old cardboard boxed RCBS dies, so there are some pretty good dies out there.

Dies must be adjusted properly in order to "work" properly.
 
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