Comparing die manufacturers

[RM]

Is is possible to compare the different die manufacturers in terms of quality and design?

I am new to reloading, here are my impressions:
Redding dies- the best, with the highest price, also.
Dillon- next best, also somewhat pricey
RCBS and Hornady- next, about equal
Lee- certainly adequate, but not quite as quite as good as the other four

Is the above list generally correct?
Thank you.

 

[Walkalong]

They all have something to offer. I have Redding, RCBS, Forster, Hornady, C&H, and Lee dies.

Lee dies are the least expensive and the roughest internally (expander&crimp dies), but Lee sizers are as good as anyones. That said, I have about 5 sets and they will load perfectly good ammo.

My only problems with sizers have been with Reddings. The carbide rings came out of a couple.

RCBS die sets are hard to beat for overall quality of all the dies in the set.

I like the Lyman and Redding expanders. (Redding copied Lyman on this one)

For pistol I like the Hornady seaters. The only thing better is the Redding Match seater which is quite pricey.

For Rifle it would be hard to beat the Forster or Redding dies. I prefer the Forster sizer/expander. The seaters are both top notch.

 

[Otto]

My only problems with sizers have been with Reddings.

Same here.
Redding replaced the sizer but I ate the shipping.
I'm still a fan of their competition seating dies.



For the money you pay, this is inexcusable.

 

[ranger335v]

"Is is possible to compare the different die manufacturers in terms of quality and design?"

Sure. But the comparision needs to have definitions of what you are calling "quality".

If you are judgeing by external appearance your accessment is close enough. If you judge by the quality of ammo the dies produce, they are all pretty much a tie, except for the superior designed Competion/BR sets by Redding and Forster. Those two indeed tend to produce more concentric and, therefore, higher "quality" ammo because of their design features.

But no one makes better neck sizer or crimper dies than Lee's collet types. Lee puts your money to work in the areas that matter, not in flash.

I really like the expander design in Lyman's and Redding's pistol dies, they aren't so case length critical for getting the flare right.

 

[Schleprok62]

I would trade my RCBS dies for the same Lee dies any time...

Now, I'm not a general expert on dies, and don't need to get as involved that I need the high end BR dies... but I just like the Lee dies over the others that I have used...

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

Of the ones you listed, I would put Dillon in a different list. Their dies are optimized for progressive loading on their presses, which includes some short cuts that might not be acceptable with a single stage press, especially when ease of altering the setup is concerned (i.e. seating a differen bullet, etc.) For instance their sizing dies are made with widely belled entrances which do not size a case as far down on the sides as others. Their seating dies must have the lock rings loosened to adjust seating depth (they cannot crimp at all). Their lock rings do not lock in place on the die, since their dies are not intended to be removed from the tool head. They are good for what they are designed for (use on Dillon presses).

Andy

 

[Walkalong]

My .45 sizer looked JUST LIKE that one Otto.

 

[Uncle Chan]

As a general rule, I only use Lee. I have RCBS which I loathe and I have a Redding competition seating die which is ok, but Lee is still my favorite.

 

[stubbicatt]

For ease of use, I choose Lee. The finger adjustable seating die is a really nice feature, and the rubber "O" ring lock rings just can't be beat. The tapered expander on their dies is nice too, as it sort of irons out dents in case mouths.

I don't like the rigors involved in cleaning the sizing dies by Lee: removing that cinch bolt on the tops and getting everything all set up again is a chore: this is where the RCBS really shines, as the whole decapper assembly is easy to remove to allow access to the inside of the die for cleaning.

I've used the micrometer seating dies offered by Redding and Forster. They are neat dies. But my OAL still seems to vary... the same as the Lees, so I just don't see the benefit of a really precise adjustment to arrive at the same cartridge dimensional variations.

Dillon dies are neat if you use their 1050 press as they have to extend quite a distance through that tool head, and the RCBS and Lee sizing dies are *just* held in place by the lock ring in the conventional location.

 

[MMCSRET]

I had the carbide ring come out of an old pacific(hornady) 45 die just like your Redding. I cleaned it up with some acetone and krokus cloth to get the adhesive off and super glued it back in, waited an hour and went back to work. I like all the brands of dies, some features better than others, I have herters and Lachmillers as well as all the current brands.

 

[layusn1]

I started out with Lee dies for 9mm, and 223. They worked great, never had a problem with them, but fell into the more expensive is better philosophy. I didn't trade up too far, I ended up buying a set of 243 Win Hornady New Dimension dies and I love them, the seating die's sleeve is awesome, especially with flat based bullets, and I don't know if it was meant to be this way but the sizing die seems to have a hole in the body, right above the lock ring, that lets any excess lube out so you don't dimple your cases. I ended up picking up another set in 223 to replace the Lee since I really liked the design and the free bullets were a good thing making the dies really affordable. When I decided I wanted to cast I quickly decided on replacing my 9mm Lee dies with a set of Dillon dies. The hurt the wallet a little more but I like the way they have their seating die set up so you can flip the seating stem for RN and wadcutter bullets since I plan on casting my own shortly...that and I have a 650. I think in a lot of cases the quality will be subjective to the user, the press you want to use it on, and they type of bullets you want to seat, as in the sleeve is great for flat based and the double seating stem design is great for lead.

 

[Spartacus451]

I think you have to figure out what application you are looking at first. Different designs have different features geared towards different applications. It rarely makes sense to order different designs on a linear scale.

 

[jimbob86]

I've used Lee and Hornady dies, with no problems with either. The Lees are cheaper and more user friendly, IMHO.