Redding competition seating die - is this statement true?

[BrokenWheel]

Im looking at adding the redding competition seater die - does the Redding model measure and press off of the o-give of the bullet ?

I have a Hornady seating die while it does have a movable sleeve, i've noticed that it came with a seating adaptor (round nose vs flat nose) so I'm thinking that the hornady die will press from the tip of the bullet.

If Redding does seat off the o-give, I would think that would mean for the same pistol I can use a round nose or HP bullet and I wouldn't have to adjust the depth?

 

[jim243]

I undoubtably will get flamed for this statement, but........

I have been using Lee dies for 8 years now and have never had a problem with seating bullets, both rifle and pistol, to within 0.001 of my set OAL and all have been consistant from one round to the next.

Should you spend the extra dollars for a "competition seating die", IMHO NO, it is not needed.

If I was making $100,000 a year from competitions and endorsements, I might consider buying one, but even then it is not that necessary. Spend your money on a better gun or pratice ammo.

Jim

 

[jmorris]

If Redding does seat off the o-give, I would think that would mean for the same pistol I can use a round nose or HP bullet and I wouldn't have to adjust the depth?

Most likely you will still have to adjust. Unless you make a hollow point from the same round nose bullet the radius of the ogive will more than likely be different. You will find even the same style and weight bullet from different makers will have slightly different profiles.

 

[918v]

The Redding die indexes off the ogjive. It is a very nice die. It makes seating depth adjustments a breeze. It is well worth the money.

 

[helotaxi]

The ogive is merely the curved part of the bullet. The die presses on the ogive where it is a certain diameter. If the radius of the ogive is different, the die will index off a point a different distance from the nose of the bullet and you'll get a different length. You have to adjust the die whenever you change bullets.

The seating stems usually index off a point around 1/2 the bullet diameter. That holds true for most every rifle die out there.

FWIW, I prefer the Forster micrometer seating die to the RCBS, and at half the price of the Redding...

 

[J2FLAN]

Got one about 6 yrs ago for 45 acp. Going from 230gr. RN to 200 gr SWC you have to change the setting. A really great die, easy to use if you change from one bullet style to another or change the OAL for the same bullet. BUT, for the price, not sure I would do it again.
I just replaced the spring, It "felt like" it was getting weak. N/C from REDDING. Good CS.

 

[Walkalong]

They are excellent dies, as are the Forster seaters.

As posted, the seater stem pushes against the radiused part of the bullet. The stem is hollowed out a bit so the point has somewhere to go without being contacted.

 

[blarby]

The redding die performs as advertised.

Another comparable product is the RCBS competition seater die- also fantastic, and the ones I use for precision .308 and 7mm-08.

 

[kelbro]

For pistol? Really?

Buy a couple of seater plugs for whichever dies you have and make your own custom plugs with a little JBWeld and your bullets.

 

[StretchNM]

It indexes off the ogive, exactly like the Lee seating dies do. It's in the seating plug, as helotaxi explained. I can;t speak for the other brands. It's expensive, it should do everything it advertises and make coffee at the same time.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Wow. $504 for a "competition bushing neck die set" for a .257 Roberts.

http://redding-reloading.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19%3Atype-s-die-chart

I've already got a set of micrometers.. why would I need one sitting atop a seating die?

 

[Offfhand]

Virtually all seating dies can be adjusted to a precise seating depth. There is nothing special about that. The great advantage of the Redding competition seater is reduction of bullet run-out. That's where you get your money's worth if you're after top accuracy with a rifle. But for pistols? give it some thought..

 

[Walkalong]

For pistol? Really?

Sure, why not.

I use one for .45 ACP. It is really nice to just be able to dial to whatever setting I need for whatever bullet I am loading.

I also use one for .38 Spl and .357 Mag as well. I use the same seater die for both calibers. It is so nice and fast to just dial it to whatever bullet I am loading in either caliber.

Not to mention how straight they tend to seat bullets.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Virtually all seating dies can be adjusted to a precise seating depth. There is nothing special about that. The great advantage of the Redding competition seater is reduction of bullet run-out. That's where you get your money's worth if you're after top accuracy with a rifle. But for pistols? give it some thought..

I was goofing around on utube and some guy was doing a tutorial on different neck sizers and seaters. He showed how to use the Lee and then the Redding, really laying it on thick about the Redding's superiority.. saying "now's the time of truth!" or something, whereupon he checked a bunch of rounds on a cartridge run-out/concentricity gauge. You could literally see his balloon deflate when the Lee loaded rounds were much more concentric.

 

[StretchNM]

Yes, I don;t think it's concentricity or bullet run-out where Redding shines, though they advertise it that way. Rather, I think it's price. If you're going to sell high-dollar dies, you better be able to at least convince some people they'll do something special for them, pistol OR rifle. No......I think Reddings nice knurled exterior and coating are about what you're going to get. I own one. They work well and are very handsome. But, I didn;t pay for those two attributes. I paid extra because I couldn;t get my preferred brand in that caliber and configuration.

 

[Walkalong]

A lot more folks talk about concentricity than actually measure it. Dies from the same maker can vary in how straight they load ammo, much less from maker to maker. If your cases are not straight, it doesn't matter. It is not all about the seater. Somewhat crooked ammo can still shoot extremely well. Perfectly straight ammo can also shoot poorly. There are many variables. Action, barrel, bullet quality, bedding, wind, mirage, shooter skill.......

For most applications, I don't worry about how straight the ammo is, just as long as it isn't real bad. If it is (for rifle ammo), look at the sizer first, especially if it uses an expander ball, and the seater second.

 

[918v]

If you're going to sell high-dollar dies, you better be able to at least convince some people they'll do something special for them, pistol OR rifle.

With these dies, what you pay for is the convenience of adjusting OAL with ease. They do not do anything special outside of that.

 

[kelbro]

I load almost all pistol on Dillons. Their seating dies give me all of the consistency that I could ask for in pistol ammo. The difference for me is in the ease of disassembly of the Dillons as 95% of my pistol ammo is cast and there is always a lube buildup in the seaters.

For rifle, I have great luck with Redding dies.

 

[Jay/kEC2/10]

I own a Redding & a Forster Micro. I bought for the only fact you can zero it in, and then dial up your blah.blahblahblah and you get blah.blahblahblah quick ,easy,and accurate...once you get the hang of it.The directions don't tell you there is a learning curve!>>>some learn quick and some don't. Some will purchase, some won't. I think they are worth the investment. That's my Blah.blahblahbla worth. Member 918v nailed it on the X

 

[GLOOB]

Most likely you will still have to adjust.

Yup.
And dies that seat off the ogive actually contact the bullet way farther up the nose than where the rifling contacts the bullet, anyway.

Should you spend the extra dollars for a "competition seating die", IMHO NO, it is not needed.

My experience with the Hornady New Dimension seating die with the drop down sleeve is very positive. At first, it was annoying, because I had to move the press farther to clear the sleeve. I even taped it up. But I was seating boat tails.

Then I started seating flat base, and the light bulb went on. I gave it another try, and it was great. It makes seating flat base rifle bullets faster and easier. And it is nothing short of fantastic for seating cast rifle bullets. I use it because it saves me time and effort. Well worth the dough. Talking pistol, yeah, who cares. I love Lee dies, and I have 8 sets. But I have a Hornady seating die for each of my rifle calibers.

I imagine the features on those high dollar dies all solve a problem that someone is having. You just haven't had those problems, yet.

 

[helotaxi]

My experience with the Hornady New Dimension seating die with the drop down sleeve is very positive.

Nice thing about the Redding competition dies and all the Forster dies is that the sliding sleeve is actually cut using a chamber reamer so it holds the case straight and aligns the bullet while it is being seated. The Hornady dies do not. I have two Hornady seating dies and they work fine, but the Forster is a better design with a better price point than the Redding.

 

[jmorris]

Quote:
For pistol really?

Sure, why not.

I use one for .45 ACP. It is really nice to just be able to dial to whatever setting I need for whatever bullet I am loading.

While I understand easy adjustment I tend to go the other way. Once I am done working up a load I don't want anything easy to adjust. I put witness marks down the dies, lock rings and tool head just so I can see if anything moved.

Same thing goes for the easy adjust powder bars, I just buy extra regular bars and leave them set up for the load they are marked for.

If you have a dial indicator you can measure the height of any die and adjust with accuracy.

 

[fguffey]

"With these dies, what you pay for is the convenience of adjusting OAL with ease. They do not do anything special outside of that" Again, it is not fair, my seater dies as in Gold Medal and competition type dies have bullet centering with the case neck, all of my seating dies have micro adjust for seating depth, most? I am required to furnish the micro adjuster, no, I do not count threads and then do the ought and ought, figure and figure, I simply zero the height gage first after transferring the measurements from the chamber with a transfer.

The die bodies have multiple uses, 308 W and 30/06 with the addition of an extended shell holder.

If in my possession there is a die that has lock rings secured to the die and or adjuster, it is not my die, I secure the die to the press with the lock ring.

Seater plugs, I have the RCBS assortment that comes in the large organizer box, most handy.

F. Guffey