Building an accurate rifle, need advice on reloading DIES

[68lemans462]

I'm rebarreling my Ruger M77 in 6.5 creedmoor with a 24" Shilen 1:8 sporter barrel. This rifle will be used for bench shooting mostly, but will likely kill some game as well. I reload several calibers and have mostly RCBS/Lee dies.

A buddy of mine can get a deal on Redding stuff through his club, and I know their competition dies ($200) are awesome. I also see that Hornady makes a "match grade" ($80) die as well. I like the LEE collet dies myself and I'm inclined to buy these ($55), but I'd like input as to how much DIFFERENCE in accuracy can be noticed when loading with different types/grades of dies. Are the high $ dies worth it in a rifle like this? I'm not a competitive shooter, but I'd like this rifle to shoot as good as it can. Where is money best spent? Thanks....

 

[fguffey]

Where is money best spent? Thanks....

My opinion the best money is spent on the rifle.

F. Guffey

 

[matrem]

I sure won't put down "match grade" dies, as I have next to no experience with them.
I have had the good fortune to load for numerous rifles that are owned by me, as well as several others. Some of them, quite accurate.

Consistency is what matters most, and any reputable die company offers that in their normal / on the shelf dies.

 

[Reloadron]

Remember your barrel thread and glad you found a barrel. If I were you I would just get a standard set of dies for now. Start working up some loads trying different powder & primer combinations and then, eventually worry about match or competition dies. My RCBS Comp dies in 308 and 223 were bought years ago and honestly while they make great ammunition I can't really say the ammunition is that much better than I have made with standard dies. I would first get this rifle broken in and shooting great before I would worry about special dies.

Ron

 

[ArchAngelCD]

In today's world with super accurate CNC machines I'm sure there is very little difference in dies. I doubt spending $200 on Redding dies will give you anything more the RCBS dies will. (for that rifle and not being in competition)

 

[WelshShooter]

I bought a set of Forster bench rest dies (full length and seating die) for less than $100 and they are great. I added a Redding bush die with TiN bushing to make the brass last a bit longer. I wouldn't bother spending the extra money on the micrometer seating die, I couldn't justify the cost of these. For what it's worth, I use the aforementioned dies for handloading 6,5x47 Lapua and achieve 0,3MOA from an accuracy perspective. Don't forget that the bullet you use will also make a big difference, there's no point spending lots of cash on good dies then use cheap bullets. I use 123gr Hornady A-Max's and Lapua Scenar's.

 

[lightman]

If your new barrel has a tight chamber and requires neck turning I would get the Redding competition set that uses a bushing neck die. If its a no turn chamber I would look at the Redding Master Hunter set that consist of a standard fl sizer and a competition seater. Yeah, I like Redding, but Redding, Whidden and Hornady all make a set like this. I have a few rifles with custom barrels and this strategy has worked well for me. I you choose to go with a standard die set you can buy a separate seater later.

 

[gojuice101]

In my opinion, the high priced "competition" dies are really not worth the extra money. I load "match grade" ammo for my brother's 243 on a standard Lee "RGB" die set. He can shoot sub-MOA with it all day long (much better shooter than me). If a standard Lee die, the cheapest of them all, can do that, then I really see no point in paying 7 times more for a "competition" die. Maybe others have different experiences, but I think money would be better spent on the rifle itself rather than the dies.

 

[dirtykid]

I personally just use the RCBS gold set, It's fairly reasonable compared to others, and you get 2 huge benefits, Using the micrometer seater, you seat bullets based on ogive, not by pushing on the tips, and assuming the tip isin't deforming or mashing down, changing your coal..
Using the bushing die set, you can change neck tension,, most cases are pretty similar in neck wall thickness, but running Lapua brass and some 1x shot Hornady thru the same dies will certainly change your results. .Both at the barrel, and downrange..
.
Many would argue all this isint necessary, because your not "competing" .. ?
Im always in competition with myself to shoot better, even as the effects of age fight against me doing just that.
Knowing that my muzzle velocity does not deviate by more than a few fps, I can be assured any flyers or missed cold bore shots are the nut behind the triggers fault..

 

[Reloadron]

Lightman's post got me to thinking, something I don't do very often since retiring. If I recall correctly you were going to start with a barrel blank and have the chamber reamed. Depending on who does the work you may want to consider a few things. First would be immediately following reaming the chamber have the smith make you some loading dies using the same chamber reamer he just cut your chamber with. You won't get a better precision die than a die cut using the reamer that just cut your chamber. Also, before cutting the chamber or crowning the barrel we generally remove about 1/2 to 1.0 inch off both ends of the blank. Have the smith make a neck gauge using, again, the same reamer(s) used to cut the chamber. This way if you go tight neck you have the perfect neck sizing gauge. These are things you want to consider when the chamber is cut and the new barrel fitted to the action. There is no "tomorrow" or at a later time. Unless you buy and own the reamers. Anyway, something to think about.

Ron

 

[bluejeans]

i was just about to suggest the same thing; matched dies/chamber reamer. i don;t think brands will be much different in performace but tightening up with you chamber specs sure can... ch4d i know will provide a set of dies with a matching chamber reamer... i'm sure others can do the same.

 

[Woolecox]

I have used and owned all the dies you mentioned. I have constantly made more accurate loads with Redding and Forster bench rest dies. You won't be sorry.

 

[zb338]

I own tons of dies of different makes. Most of them are RCBS and I
have no trouble with them. The most accurate loads I have made
were for my Son's Model 700 Remington .270 loaded with Redding dies.
The only dies that are more accurate are the bench rest dies made
by Sinclair. I can load very accurate ammo with a Sinclair press and dies.
Mine is set up for .223 caliber.
Zeke

 

[243winxb]

Prep brass, sort by weight.

 

[lightman]

Yeah Ron, I have gauges made from barrel stubs for all of my custom barreled rifles. Its easier when fitting turned necks but also is nice for finding the lands.

 

[taliv]

a lot of the expense in the higher end dies are in the micrometer tops and crap. cool if you have spare $ sitting around, but definitely not necessary. in fact, i thought i saw a post yesterday around here somewhere about the US AMU doing testing and showing the micrometer dies had worse runout, but that is hearsay as i haven't seen any report.

if you stay away from the micrometers, i think you can get decent redding or forster dies for a good bit less, and i wouldn't be afraid to buy used as long as they're not rusty or anything. i'd bet ebay or gun shows would have plenty of old dies laying around you could probably get for less than retail.

for a seater die, i really like the LE wilson hand dies and those are about as nice a die as you can buy but priced like an RCBS. if you only neck size, the LE wilson sizer is awesome.

 

[Bart B.]

'Twas proved back in the late 1950's that ordinary full length sizing dies with their necks honed out to .002" smaller than a loaded round's neck diameter then set to bump the fired bottleneck case shoulder back that same amount produced best accuracy. Such dies made the sized case neck best centered on the case body and shoulder axis.

'Twas also learned back then that fired bottleneck cases so resized enabled any seater to put bullets in their mouths the straightest.

Best way to get the best full length sizing die these days is to order one from Forster; they charge $12 to hone their dies' neck out to customer specs.

If your case neck wall thickness spread is no more than about .0015", you don't need to turn necks. Such cases will shoot under 1/3 MOA at 100 yards easily; if the rest of the system is capable. That included the human loading ammo and shooting it. 1/3 MOA at 100 yards is what the most accurate benchrest rifles shoot all 5- and 10-shot groups less than holding aggregate records.