Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 08:01:38 AM
Post by: h20hunter on January 30, 2020, 08:06:23 AM
Post by: BULLBLASTER on January 30, 2020, 08:07:34 AM
All of mine are full length non bushing dies, I’ve never tried bushing dies.
To me the set up and adjustment of the Redding and whidden dies is so much easier than the rcbs.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 08:35:48 AM
I am a fan of the Redding premium dies. The carbide expander ball is slick going through the necks and the micrometer seating plug is easy to use. I recently got a set of whidden dies and really like them as well.
All of mine are full length non bushing dies, I’ve never tried bushing dies.
To me the set up and adjustment of the Redding and whidden dies is so much easier than the rcbs.
The little brass set screw on my RCBS die stripped out last time I was reloading, and wreaked havoc with me trying to keep consistent seating depth. Even when there was no apparent movement in the die, it would still wander on me. Got me thinking about upgrading into something a little better quality.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on January 30, 2020, 08:44:43 AM
two things. First, toss all those garbage rcbs locking rings and order a 6 pack of the hornady ones off Amazon. Second, my favorite dies are the redding master hunter series dies.I am a fan of the Redding premium dies. The carbide expander ball is slick going through the necks and the micrometer seating plug is easy to use. I recently got a set of whidden dies and really like them as well.
All of mine are full length non bushing dies, I’ve never tried bushing dies.
To me the set up and adjustment of the Redding and whidden dies is so much easier than the rcbs.
The little brass set screw on my RCBS die stripped out last time I was reloading, and wreaked havoc with me trying to keep consistent seating depth. Even when there was no apparent movement in the die, it would still wander on me. Got me thinking about upgrading into something a little better quality.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 08:47:31 AM
two things. First, toss all those garbage rcbs locking rings and order a 6 pack of the hornady ones off Amazon. Second, my favorite dies are the redding master hunter series dies.I am a fan of the Redding premium dies. The carbide expander ball is slick going through the necks and the micrometer seating plug is easy to use. I recently got a set of whidden dies and really like them as well.
All of mine are full length non bushing dies, I’ve never tried bushing dies.
To me the set up and adjustment of the Redding and whidden dies is so much easier than the rcbs.
The little brass set screw on my RCBS die stripped out last time I was reloading, and wreaked havoc with me trying to keep consistent seating depth. Even when there was no apparent movement in the die, it would still wander on me. Got me thinking about upgrading into something a little better quality.
Good call. Didn't know that was an option. Tell me why you like the Redding dies so much? What features do they offer that make them the best in your mind?
Post by: Bill W on January 30, 2020, 08:59:07 AM
Post by: Stein on January 30, 2020, 09:01:19 AM
If you are pulling out all the stops for bench rest accuracy, I'm sure there are good reasons to go there, but for average hunting situations I am better off spending that money on bullets and powder and shooting more.
Post by: b23 on January 30, 2020, 09:10:05 AM
Post by: BULLBLASTER on January 30, 2020, 09:14:41 AM
My only gripe with my Redding dies is on my 300 win seater the seating set up would not allow for long enough seating so i took a locking nut off another die to space the seating plug over the die. Though that would be mitigated with a fancy spring loaded seater.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on January 30, 2020, 09:41:03 AM
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 09:47:01 AM
Post by: CaNINE on January 30, 2020, 09:49:44 AM
Post by: Crunchy on January 30, 2020, 09:57:19 AM
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 10:26:08 AM
Post by: buckfvr on January 30, 2020, 10:45:04 AM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on January 30, 2020, 10:46:53 AM
Accuracy is definitely attainable with less expensive dies. Anymore I am a "get in front of the issue" kind of guy and would rather spend the few extra bucks in the beginning vs possibly having to upgrade to fix an issue. With that said, I finally got on the 6.5 creedmoor train and went "cheap" on the dies with some standard rcbs dies. Rifle is a ruger american and was intended to be just a plinker/kid rig while I was replacing a shot out barrel but the thing shoots amazing. Not sure I could achieve better accuracy with fancy dies. First pic is a 5 shot group during seating depth testing. Next pic is a 9 shot group doing some confirmation of the load.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 11:01:20 AM
Supergrade bench rest accuracy isn't necessarily the goal, but the more accurate the better. Both loads I use now are sub MOA, but I feel I can do a little better with some adjustments.
Post by: buckfvr on January 30, 2020, 11:14:19 AM
Post by: yakimarcher on January 30, 2020, 11:30:32 AM
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 11:45:12 AM
I'm specifically loading for my 7mm-08 right now, and I've determined lands depth, so I want to start exactly .05 of lands like Barnes suggests. The prospect of that with my current die situation was pretty daunting, that is why I was asking about upgraded dies and if they were worth it. Some good suggestions were made to help diagnose if its the die itself that is the problem causer, or the shotty locking ring.
Post by: buckfvr on January 30, 2020, 12:19:16 PM
Post by: Stein on January 30, 2020, 12:28:41 PM
1. Try different cases, I found one brand was much more consistent.
2. Try different primers, again one was the clear winner, a few were very good and the rest were not so good.
3. Try different loads, pretty much standard fare here, some loads are more accurate than others.
I left the length the same, in my case it is the longest that will fit in the mag but shorter than I would have liked. I also kept the powder the same for simplicity and cost/time.
Using the above, I was fairly quickly able to get to a new hunting load and get a remarkably consistent shot, especially considering I was using a mediocre bullet ballistically (TSX), a $25 electronic scale and Lee reloading equipment.
That said, it is marginally better than my old hunting load that I arrived at by shooting 3 shot groups at maybe 10 different powder charges and calling it good. For my 400ish yard max, it really isn't better but I enjoy data, shooting and the intellectual pursuit.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 12:51:21 PM
This isn't related to dies, but you mentioned you are looking to increase consistency. There are a bunch of much more knowledgeable guys here, but here are a few steps I went through that are pretty straight forward and affordable. I used a MagnetoSpeed to gather good data.
1. Try different cases, I found one brand was much more consistent.
2. Try different primers, again one was the clear winner, a few were very good and the rest were not so good.
3. Try different loads, pretty much standard fare here, some loads are more accurate than others.
I left the length the same, in my case it is the longest that will fit in the mag but shorter than I would have liked. I also kept the powder the same for simplicity and cost/time.
Using the above, I was fairly quickly able to get to a new hunting load and get a remarkably consistent shot, especially considering I was using a mediocre bullet ballistically (TSX), a $25 electronic scale and Lee reloading equipment.
That said, it is marginally better than my old hunting load that I arrived at by shooting 3 shot groups at maybe 10 different powder charges and calling it good. For my 400ish yard max, it really isn't better but I enjoy data, shooting and the intellectual pursuit.
I'm all over it Stein, thanks for the input.
Post by: yorketransport on January 30, 2020, 07:37:37 PM
I get some pretty remarkable accuracy results out of RCBS standard dies. However, the first thing I do is pull the expander ball out and throw it in the trash. I use a separate mandrel step to expand necks.
That's some solid advice right there. The K&M Expander is money well spent.
As far as getting more consistent results when bullet seating, try seating the bullet a little bit, then rotating the case 90° and seating it a little more, then repeat until the bullet's seated completely. Then rotate the case one more time and lower the press handle one more time, making firm contact at the bottom of the press stroke.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 30, 2020, 07:45:50 PM
I get some pretty remarkable accuracy results out of RCBS standard dies. However, the first thing I do is pull the expander ball out and throw it in the trash. I use a separate mandrel step to expand necks.
That's some solid advice right there. The K&M Expander is money well spent.
As far as getting more consistent results when bullet seating, try seating the bullet a little bit, then rotating the case 90° and seating it a little more, then repeat until the bullet's seated completely. Then rotate the case one more time and lower the press handle one more time, making firm contact at the bottom of the press stroke.
Its funny you mention this. A member that doesn't hang around here much anymore, BOWHUNTER45 or something suggested this a few years back when I had a reloading question. Been doing it ever since. Dont know if it makes a big difference but it's nice to hear others suggest it as well.
Post by: h20hunter on January 30, 2020, 09:01:15 PM