basic dies or?

[WRENCHHEAD]

i'm reading up and understanding reloading and whats involved. but one thing i wonder about is if certain dies are better for loading match ammo? looking on midway i see the basic RCBS dies go for $30, and other RCBS dies labeled "compietition" are going for 3X's that

can match grade handloads be had with basic dies?

 

[cuffm4615]

Re: basic dies or?

Yes Wrenchhead you can acheive "OUTSTANDING " results with the basic dies. They offer a great starting point especially considering all the components needed to start. Personally I now use the redding match dies, they really do help but this is something you can try later on when your ready to take your reloading to the next level. Now if you have money to burn then have at it.

 

[Wade]

Re: basic dies or?

It is not worth the savings to use basic dies. If you shoot much at all the difference in cost per round is almost nothing. Forster br dies are the best for the money in my opinion. No need for micrometer gadgets.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: basic dies or?

Itt is the Indian, not the arrow. That is, a skilled reloader can make excellent ammo with almost any set of equiptment.

As to the dies, I like the micrometer dies for seating the bullet--not because they can make better rounds than the others, but because they make running seating depth experiments easier. You can use the regular seating dies and make ammo just as good, just not quite as easy.

The micrometer on the sizing die is not "all that useful".

I like the sliding sleave dies in both sizing and seating varieties because these fully support the case while the die activity is being performed. This leads to lower amounts of 'banana' of the cases and better concentricity.

But still, it IS the indian, not the arrow.

 

[ChadTRG42]

Re: basic dies or?

You can make good ammo with your basic dies. I did it for a year or two for my personal match ammo when I first got started. But the match dies allow you to control more of the sizing and bullet seating. I like the Redding competition dies. If you plan to shoot competitively, then go with the match dies. If you plan to only hunt or shoot good plinking ammo, then a standard set will work fine.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: basic dies or?

I started with basic RCBS 2-die sets in the early 1990's and haven't seen any need to replace them. I have acquired some dies secondhand since then, and they are mostly Redding baseline products. They seem to work the same to me.

My .260 Rem dies were a gift, are Hornady New Dimesion Dies, and they work well; being perhaps especially good for reforming .243 and 7-08 to .260, with their elliptical neck expander. The collet-type decapper/expander fastener tends to be somewhat awkward, but that's probably just me.

I think that special micrometer dies sets can be justified, I just can't manage to do it for my kind of handloading.

I may not be able to duplicate their precision; but for what I do, I'm sorta convinced I really don't need to. When I invest reeasonable time and care to my dies setup process, the ammo I produce is at least capable of outperforming the likes of me.

When I miss, it's not the dies that should receive the blame.

Greg