Rifle dies -need some new ones - what do you use ?

[halvey]

WHEN YOU ARE HITTING INSIDE A FOUR INCH DOT AT 200 YARDS, THAT KINDA SPEAKS FOR ITSELF...

There it is ladies and gentlemen...Lee will get you 2 MOA. Wow!! Impressive!!!

 

[Matt-man]

Maybe it is just me, but I do use different bullets. In other words, I don't have one load that my dies are set for and I never need to adjust them again. For example in .223 I shoot many thousands of 55 grain FMJ for practice, but for serious accuracy shooting or varimint hunting etc. I load the 77 grain matchking. Which means I have to fight these little nuts etc. Same thing in '06 and .308. I buy bulk 150 grain bullets but also shoot heavier matchkings. I want easy to adjust dies with repeatable settings.

This is precisely why I love the micrometer seating dies. You can adjust them without tools, and they're marked so you can go right back to the proper setting for a particular load.

 

[mrb302]

I bought a set of Hornady New Dimensions 30-06 and the cases would not go into the full length sizer. I called tham and received excellent service. They sent me another sizer die body for free. Oddly enough, the cases would not go into it either. I tried my cases, my neighbor's cases from a different gun and a different brand case. Even tried nickel plated. Out of about 40+ cases tried, only 3 went in.

Picked up a RCBS full length sizer and have yet to have a case not go.

I'm not sure what's up with the Hornady, but I would buy their brand again based on customer service and thier willingness to help.

I actually use the RCBS sizer and the Hornady seater. The Hornady seater has the free sliding sleeve where as the RCBS just has the seater plug.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

Hornady's micrometer adjuster screw works with any of their new dimension series dies, creating a "competition" style seater die for any caliber they offer dies for.

I got started in reloading by straightening the bullets in a bunch of S&B 7.62x25 ammo I bought. I have a CZ52 with an off center chamber/bore that will jam the bullet into the lead if it is not seated straight, and rotated to just the wrong orientation when chambered. (I got a couple of blown primers that way, but no damage. The bolt face left it's impression on the rear of the brass too.) Anyway, I started with using lee seating dies in a lee hand press. They did not straighten the crooked bullets very well at all (the seater plug had a lot of side-side play). Then I tried an rcbs set (30 mauser, but close enough), and it worked better, but still not consistently. Finally, I bought a hornady 30 lugar seater die (upper dimensions are almost identical between them), and it works perfectly every time.

YMMV, HTH, etc. ...

Andy