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Favorite Dies?

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    Posted: December/15/2007 at 11:23
Whats the favorite brands in use? I prefer forster bench rest and redding deluxe sets. I always get full length and neck sizers for case life. Haven't tried any lee collets or redding bushings at this point but have nothing against any. Well except the hornady's...they produced cases with so much run-out that I couldn't even tweak em' back into line sometimes! Whats everyone use and like?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 11:25
i have always used rcbs, i havent ever had any problems with them and there replacement warranty and cs dept are spot on, if i could afford it i would probably use redding dies they make nice stuff! but i really like rcbs cheap, and yet good quality.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 11:26
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 11:34
RCBS and Redding here.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RONK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 12:08
 Forster seating dies are considered by many experts to be at the top of the heap of conventional dies, but I have no firsthand knowledge of that. I have six or seven sets of Hornady New Dimension dies and have never had a runout problem with any of them.  All will easily produce sub-minute ammo with boring monotony ( in a really good rifle, of course) if I really mind my "Ps and Qs" when handloading, but I am fanatical about case prep.
 Lee Collet Dies are absolutely fantastic when loading for extreme accuracy in a bolt gun when you can get away with neck-sizing only. I believe they can rival custom in-line dies for accuracy.  As a bonus, they don't require case lube.
 Lee's and RCBS's lock rings are lame though and I immediatly replace them with Hornady or Forster rings.
When I need to full-length resize- Imperial case wax. The. Best. Ever. I even swab a tiny bit inside the case mouth to help the expander slide back out easily. Works great.
 Focus- when you get runout, how do you attempt to "tweak them back in line"? I'm not sure I'd know how to attempt that.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 12:18
Originally posted by RONK RONK wrote:

 Lee Collet Dies are absolutely fantastic when loading for extreme accuracy in a bolt gun when you can get away with neck-sizing only. I believe they can rival custom in-line dies for accuracy.  As a bonus, they don't require case lube.
 
I have Lee, Forster, and RCBS. I neck size my .308 brass with the Lee Collet die, but FL size with my RCBS.
 
I find the Lee Collet die has the lowest run out of any dies I have used. GREAT accuracy can be had for cheap.
I think the Lee Collet dies is the "Super Sniper" of reloading dies......Smile   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 12:23
then rcbs is the 4200 elite and redding is a kahles
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 12:27
Anybody use Wilson dies??
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 12:29
Negative on the dies but all of my case length gages are Wilson and they are very well made.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 12:30
Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

then rcbs is the 4200 elite and redding is a kahles
 
I like the analogy, P
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 12:44
thanks t it sums it up i think
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RONK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 13:00
Originally posted by cheaptrick cheaptrick wrote:

Anybody use Wilson dies??
 
 I believe a lot of Benchresters do, but they usually use in-line presses.  I'm not sure Wilson makes conventional threaded dies.  If they do, I imagine they are good quality.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Focus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 13:03
I measure runout with an RCBS case master tool, If I had it to do over with I would have gotten the sinclair one. it shows the bullet concentricity of either the case after resizing or the completed round after bullet seating. The hornady ND dies ran from .007-.015 runout the moment the case was resized, this was a pain to tweak out and often ruins case neck tension in doing so. I switched to forster bench rest dies ($58) and the runout dropped to .002-.005 and after tuning the seating die it went to .001-.003. At this point about half my loads don't need to be tweaked at all and the half that do are only very minor tweaks that don't disrupt the neck tension and only take a couple seconds to do.

I tweak a cartridge by having my gunsmith cut me a short (6-8") piece of gunbarrel and sliding it down over the seated bullet I gently pull it the direction it needs to go to return to .001 runout. Sounds hard but its not and takes only a couple seconds per round and is quite easy once you do it a couple times. You turn the bullet to the highest point of runout and dot it with a sharpie, tweak it down slightly and recheck it.I tweak all my loaded ammo to .002 or less runout whenever I reload. I know its not a big deal for hunting accuracy and only really gets important at longer range.....but I'm into accuracy as you can probably tell from my posts. When I get a gun to shoot, I want the best it and I can offer. I like my guns to shoot in the two's and three's if possible and this along with weight sorting, flash hole deburring, primer pocket uniforming, hand weighing each charge, eliminating runout, tuning the dies, and seating the bullets straight are all pretty important to me.

The forster bullet seaters are pretty much the best when it comes to concentric bullet seating. Plus one on the imperial sizing wax....also the Imperial dry neck graphite lube is tops for just dipping the neck into when neck sizing. No contamination or mess to clean up, plus no pull on the neck sizer to induce any runout. I usually neck size 3-4 times before using the full length to just "bump" the shoulder and than go back to neck sizing again.

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Edited by Focus - December/15/2007 at 13:05
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RONK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 16:10
 
 Gotcha, thanks for explaining the procedure.  I take it you're holding the case body on one hand and the barrel section in the other as you flex it over in the direction it needs to go?
 Also you're aligning only the bullet?  Or is the barrel section cut at the neck of the chamber to allow you to straighten the case neck in relation to the case body? Sorry for all the questions; never knew of anyone doing that before.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 16:14
http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=search&item=09-600&type=store
go take a look at this site, rifledude let me in on it they have all kinds of neat gadgets one like you guys are talking about
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 16:20
I have the RCBS Case Master like I believe Focus mentioned. "Decent" product, but I too wish I had went with the Sinclair...Sad
 
I put the rounds in the Case Master, spin 'em, and try to tweak them as I turn them by tapping on the bullet until they are more concentric, less "wonky"  Wink  If I can get my rounds down to less than .004, I call 'em good.
 
I chased run out for about a year once....Bout drove me batty. 
I even took my Case Master to the range with me so I could spin 'em before I loaded them for a while....Bucky 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 16:22
you guys are way to hardcore for me i just load em up and let em fly if it works great if not try something else
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

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God Bless Chris Ledoux
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Focus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 16:27
I only move the bullet itself not the case. Once I got my dies dialed in to where they are almost perfect in concentricity it is a small amount to move an occasional bullet. He cuts me a piece of an old no good barrel and runs the reamer in to open it so it will slide right over the bullet. I tried another brass case at first but they don't work well at all and just bell out on the end. Sinclair makes the best concentricity guage cause its got bearings where the case rides making it turn so nice. My RCBS turns in v blocks so it takes some more effort to turn smoothly. I put a pinch of powered graphite on the v blocks to make em' turn easier. Tweaking was taught to me by an old benchrest shooter to take one more variable out of your reloading process. Once you do a couple you will get pretty fast and know exactly how much effort to put in your tweak. Course the deeper you are seating the more effort it will take. The guage is great for taking a new sizing die and making the minute adjustments to where the depriming/expander ball shaft is at its best position to get the most concentric resize job. I call that tuning and truing a die. I slowly turn the shaft 1/64 of a turn at a time and keep resizing a fresh brass until I get the least amount of runout. Then lock er' down. Using the powdered graphite to lube the inside of the case neck is the trick to sliding the expander ball through with out pulling the neck slightly sideways once you get the dies tuned.

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Edited by Focus - December/15/2007 at 16:31
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Focus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 16:38
Get yourself an old piece of barrel CT....works fast and good. I mark the bullet at its highpoint with a sharpie and just give it a little tweak until it turns without hardly moving the needle. When I shoot my 22-250 which will shoot from the high ones to the mid twos with calm conditions and me not all hyped on caffeine if I use cartridges untweaked right from the dies VS ammo tweaked to .001 or less it makes about .150 difference in group sizes. It will go from 1/4" to a little over 3/8" groups....same day, same shooter, same gun....

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/15/2007 at 16:42
Yes, Sir!!
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