seater or competition seater..?

[Bill M.]

Want to upgrade from my Lee seater die in 9mm. Do not care if it has a micrometer or not. So.. does the Redding competition seater die in 9mm really do a better job than the standard Redding seater die? Machined more accurately? A better job than say standard RCBS seating die? I have got the Redding competition seater in .41 mag and in .357 and it does seam to align the bullet better than the Lee dies but I do not know the reason nor do I have any other standard of comparison. Are the Lee seating dies maybe a little too sloppy? I tend to load 1 bullet and 1 load once I get that worked out so once I get it adjusted that is pretty much where it will stay.

 

[PO2Hammer]

The Lee 9mm seating die was the single worst die I've owned.
The stem didn't match any bullet shape that I had, and the threads were so sloppy that you could see the stem tilt sideways each time it contacted the bullet.
My ammo was less accurate than factory, and I could see my bullets weren't always straight.

I went with the Redding comp seater and have never regretted it.
Instantly, my ammo was just as good as factory.
I use a lot of different bullet shapes and weights, and the micrometer settings have saved me countless hours of die adjusting.
But I don't know if it's more precise than a conventional Redding die, I just know you need to get rid of that Lee seater.

 

[ballman6711]

I like the Hornady seater with the sleeve. Helps align my bullets when seating. Don't have any Redding dies so can't give a comparison.

chris

 

[9mmepiphany]

So.. does the Redding competition seater die in 9mm really do a better job than the standard Redding seater die? Machined more accurately? A better job than say standard RCBS seating die?

Yes, it is a superior design that mechanically does a better job of aligning the bullet and the case before seating the bullet.

Besides being machined more precisely, both the case and the bullet are held in alignment before they contact the floating seating stem.

The case in fully supported by the die body while the bullet is held in alignment by the sliding bullet guide. Their patented floating seating stem aligns within this guide and is ground to match the bullet diameter...making contact at the ogive rather than the nose. The fit of the sleeve to the floating seating stem is so precise that the stem will float on the column of air inside the guide...as opposed to just dropping through.

Along with a M-die profiled expander, the Competition Seating die eliminated any bullets set askew in cases and any shaving of coated bullets

 

[jmorris]

The stem didn't match any bullet shape that I had

In a nutshell, that’s it. You could spend $150 on a seat die but if the mandrel doesn’t fit the bullet it won’t do any better job than a $20 one that fits the bullet perfectly.

 

[Walkalong]

Along with a M-die profiled expander, the Competition Seating die eliminated any bullets set askew in cases and any shaving of coated bullets

That is a great combination, and I have it in a couple of calibers. The Redding micrometer seaters are great, but it is still better when we are careful to start bullets straight vs asking the seater to do too much, and of course the M-Die type expander helps us do that. I use almost all M-die or M-die type (RCBS & Redding have copied it) expanders now.

 

[Bill M.]

Thank you for all you responses. Ordered the Redding competition seater. I guess I just needed a pep talk.

I really do not need to load 9mm. But I sorta like too. And I have been wanting to "buy something American" so I will regard the high cost as a donation to help keep America working. My cheap reloads in 9mm are going to cost about 60 cents apiece this year. I guess that is incentive to load and shoot even more to get the cost per unit down?

 

[Laphroaig]

I got one for .45acp and it made a world of difference. It will be money well spent.

 

[edwardware]

The Hornady (or other) sleeve seater aligns more consistently than a normal sleeveless seater. Other than that, I don't appreciate the difference.

I do appreciate micrometer stems, because repeatability and tuning COAL is so much easier. All my rifle seaters are now competition/micro equipped.

For pistol ammo, I can't see spending the money.

 

[jmorris]

Redding micrometer seaters are great, but it is still better when we are careful to start bullets straight vs asking the seater to do too much

This is my experience as well. Another reason why I really like my GSI feeders, as they hold the bullet straight as it is being seated. So well that that almost no bell/flare is necessary. The case on the left as an example, right before seating one of my cast and coated 230gn 45 bullets, the one on the right is ready for the crimp.