Your Die Choices

[Wondermutt]

Given the choice, which brand of dies do you use for your rifle hunting loads? Why and are they rebuild-able? My only experience has been with Hornady and no other brands. My reloading is not a way saving money but rather a hobby to do when the snow is flying. Not saying I am made of money, but I hate buying things twice.

These are the calibers that I need dies for right now:
- 300 RUM
- 30-06
- 7mm-08
- 223 (I use this the most and this is what prompted a new press )

I have not reloaded these, but will this year. So I will be getting these dies this summer:
- 9mm luger
- 38/357
- 45 ACP
- 30-30
- 7mm rem mag
- 300 Win Mag

I have yet to use unfired brass. I use only clean,fired brass. We have about 2k pieces of brass sitting in buckets ready to be tended to :mrgreen:

Thanks

WM

 

[nvbroncrider]

Looks like you have lots of work ahead of you!! I primarily use RCBS I think they are all pretty equal but I do like the hornady locking ring the best.

 

[gerry]

RCBS and Redding for me, I just ordered a Lee collet neck sizing set for my 303 British after a positive review on 24hourcampfire so we will see how they work.

 

[Woodycreek]

I prefer Redding dies and use a Redding press. Been looking at the Coax press and upgrading some of my die sets to Forster.

 

[JD338]

I really like Redding but many of my die sets are RCBS. I also have a few Hornady dies too.

JD338

 

[wildgene]

...mostly RCBS, the Reddings I've got are from back when I was shooting & actually trying to hit something. Figgered out a long time ago that shooting 1/4MOA groups was good, but not good enough, & only won ya the right to buy the beer... :mrgreen:

 

[BK]

For handguns I used RCBS almost exclusively, .44 Special/Magnum being the exception where I have Lee (which I don't really like, nothing wrong with them) and a brand-spankin' new Redding Profile crimp die.

Rifle dies, I'm kinda all over the map. I started out buying RCBS (for whatever reason, they have a HUGE local presence). I have Hornady for 6.5 Creedmoor (cheaper than anything else, by a mile) .25-06 and my third .223 set. Don't really like them, either. I have a pretty fair number of Reddings, which I like even better than RCBS, and lately I've been trying to buy mostly Forster Ultras which I really like from just playing with, but haven't used much at all.

I do have to say that my last three sets have all been RCBS... a used set of .300 Savage dies, a used set of .416 Rigby dies that came with the gun, and a new set of .300 H&H dies that were still priced at about 1995 levels.

Note to self: need to buy dies for my Fireball, and .300 RSAUM and RUMs.

 

[rick smith]

For rifle, Redding, Forster and RCBS. For pistol, Dillon.Rick.

 

[tecumseh]

All my dies are Redding. For handguns I'm using the titanium carbide dies Redding makes.

 

[BK]

All my dies are Redding. For handguns I'm using the titanium carbide dies Redding makes.

That would appeal to my slightly OCD nature. Unfortunately, the cheap side of me requires that I keep everything I already have!

 

[SJB358]

I like the Forsters, Reddings and RCBS in that order. After getting a few sets of Forsters, I kinda wished I had them for everything..

 

[DrMike]

Whenever possible, I use Forster. I also use a lot of Redding dies. However, RCBS dies have quite a bit of space on my shelf. I have Lee Collet dies for many of the cartridges I load.

 

[dezmick]

I really like the Forster Ultra dies along with the Forster Coax press, they are simply awesome to use.

 

[FOTIS]

my favorite ever Redding!

Then the rest

 

[BK]

Fotis, have you ever tried Forsters?

 

[ScreaminEagle]

Mostly RCBS and Redding. I have been seriously looking at Forster Dies as well. have heard great things and they are priced perfectly.

 

[sask boy]

I have all RCBS but just order 3 sets of Forster

Blessings,
Dan

 

[joelkdouglas]

First, I'd like to say I drive an old, paid for truck, and I only have 1 rifle to reload for.

The disclaimer is because I have, all for 30-06:

Lee Collet Neck Die with 3.055, 3.045, 3.035 mandrels
Redding S-Type Bushing Neck Die, with 0.334 and 0.335 bushings
Redding regular Full Length Sizing Die
Redding Body Die
Redding Competition Seater
Forster Competition Seater
Lee Universal De-priming Die
Lee Factory Crimp Die
Redding Taper Crimp Die

With that said, for my next rifle (if that day ever comes) I'll be getting:
Lee Collet Neck Die, with a couple of mandrels (the mandrels are only $10)
Redding Body Die
Redding Competition Seater
Possibly Lee Factory Crimp Die

The above 4 are my preferences as of today.

 

[tjen]

I think it depends on the cartridge and its bullet type and rifle type. Here is what I have and they all work perfect.

35 rem Hornady FL set and Lee FC die (parcial size). This seating die works great with RN bullets (marlin 336D).

358 win Hornady FL set and Lee FC die (parcial size) FC die with cannelured bullets.Seater works fine with RN or Spire points (rem 700).

22 Hornet Lee Collect Neck Size die set. (CZ527) I am working with 300 cases in 50 case batches and have loaded some five times with no triming and no split necks.

223 & 221 rem Reddington Type S Match Neck Die sets. (rem 700's). I use a .246 bushing for rem & lapua brass and .244 for win brass for both the 221FB and the 223rem. This is spendy but I realy like this die set.

I have just sized 60 fired cases in 270win with a RCBS FL die set seems fine. This and a RCBS 22 hornet was given to me thu I my never use the hornet FL die set because the collet die works so well.

 

[BK]

22 Hornet Lee Collect Neck Size die set. (CZ527) I am working with 300 cases in 50 case batches and have loaded some five times with no triming and no split necks.

That's pretty dang impressive...