Redding Dies - Which ones to get?

[CShooter92]

Please excuse me if this is a pretty basic question. I have been reloading for my hunting rifles for the last 5 years or so with standard RCBS dies and rockchucker press. I've had pretty decent results, especially for hunting rifles.

I have a custom 6.5 Creedmoor being built and I'm looking to get a little more involved in the precision reloading aspects. I've done a lot of research and talked to a few people and still can't really decide which dies I should go with. There is a local dealer that sells Redding, RCBS and Hornady at very good prices so I'm thinking of sticking with anything in those brands.

I'm pretty positive I want the competition seater die with the micrometer adjustment on it, that just leaves the sizing die and a lot of questions. I don't know if I want a neck sizer die, FL die, bushing die, etc? The dealer has a Redding Master Hunter die set which is a standard FL die with the Comp seater. Would this be a good choice or should I order the FL bushing die and the Comp seater separate? I understand the idea behind the bushing die and neck tension, I just don't know if it's really necessary.

FWIW, I plan to run some factory Match ammo through my rifle first for brass and then reload that.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sig Marine]

Many of us use, and recommend, the Redding Type "S" Full Length sizer with a neck bushing. This allows the user to full length size, bump the shoulders and control some of the neck tension in ONE operation. Controlling neck tension also depends on other factors, one of which depends on whether or not one is using the expander ball or not. For my purposes, just neck sizing is not a consideration. When I size, I bump my shoulders back .002 and use a bushing that is .002 smaller than the loaded case diameter with the bullet of choice. If using Lapua brass, I don't use the expander ball. Their brass is consistent enough for me to use just the neck bushing. I also do not neck turn. Again, for my purposes shooting steel, it's not going to make enough of a difference on the target for me to invest the time. Others have a different opinion and are successful with their loads. As you progress with your reloading, sometimes you just have to try things out for yourself to see if it's worth it to YOU to spend the money or time to perform certain tasks.

 

[culater]

If your looking for Redding dies you might want to keep open a use set on 6mmbr.com. Either choice will work for you

 

[spife7980]

Do you really want the competition seater? Or just a micro top?

The competition seater has a sleeve that supports the case and bullet as they are pushing up into the die, the same way that the forster dies function. The redding premium dies give you a normal seater that doesnt have the sliding sleeve but does have a smaller micrometer on top. You could also get a normal seater from any brand and add your own micrometer top to it as well as each brand makes add on micrometers. Ive done just that and converted all my old dies into micrometer tops.


Redding competition seater- notice the sleeve extending out of the bottom that moves with the case and bullet as a guide. You can also adjust the stem to try and align/zero the numbers a bit though it only counts up

Redding premium- notice that it doesnt have that extension out of the bottom- just a normal seater with a small micro top like you would add on your own.

Redding micrometer top that you can add to a normal redding seating die

Same thing for Hornady

Another bit about the redding premium die set, the expander ball comes in floating carbide, the competition dies require this as a separate 20 something dollar upgrade for that. So while you loose some of the adjustability of the dies you gain a bit of utilitarianness.



Since you say that you are looking to get a little more involved I would steer you towards the redding type s die sets as they will give you a bushing so you can control neck tension without committing to over working brass or reaming and being stuck to the one dimension. I personally dont have any bushing or honed dies but thats not to say I dont consider it often because I do.

If you are looking to spend redding master hunter level amounts of money look into the forester dies unless your local guy is making you a heck of a deal on the redding. The benchrest seater has a larger micro top than the redding and shows +\-0 instead of 0 and up so you can set its zero a bit more usefully.

Forster vs Redding Comp

 

[Marksman10x]

Make things easy on yourself. Forster micrometer seating die and a Redding Type-S FL bushing die. Don't worry about buying the more expensive bushings, the standard will be fine as you will be lubing your cases anyways for the FL sizing. Oh, and remember to pull out the inside expander from the sizing die.

 

[Brux]

Forster Micrometer seater and Forster FL Bushing or Redding FL Bushing

 

[CShooter92]

Thanks everyone. Things are a little harder to find up in Canada but I think I have a line on a Forster seater. Now I just need to figure out what bushings to order with the Redding die.

 

[spife7980]

Now I just need to figure out what bushings to order with the Redding die.

What brass are you looking to use? Maybe someone on here already has the same situation. If you dont decide on the bushing until after you get the seater in you can just seat a round and measure the outside diameter and subtract .002-.003 from it to get the bushing. .002 smaller if youre skipping the expander ball or .003 if you are using the expander just so that it has something to bite on reliably each time.

 

[CShooter92]

What brass are you looking to use? Maybe someone on here already has the same situation. If you dont decide on the bushing until after you get the seater in you can just seat a round and measure the outside diameter and subtract .002-.003 from it to get the bushing. .002 smaller if youre skipping the expander ball or .003 if you are using the expander just so that it has something to bite on reliably each time.

Not entirely sure yet. I have a few boxes of Federal GM Berger that I'm gonna shoot up first.

 

[Airw4ves]

For us Canadians, x-reload.com is your friend.

 

[smokinghole]

Please excuse me if this is a pretty basic question. I have been reloading for my hunting rifles for the last 5 years or so with standard RCBS dies and rockchucker press. I've had pretty decent results, especially for hunting rifles.

I have a custom 6.5 Creedmoor being built and I'm looking to get a little more involved in the precision reloading aspects. I've done a lot of research and talked to a few people and still can't really decide which dies I should go with. There is a local dealer that sells Redding, RCBS and Hornady at very good prices so I'm thinking of sticking with anything in those brands.

I'm pretty positive I want the competition seater die with the micrometer adjustment on it, that just leaves the sizing die and a lot of questions. I don't know if I want a neck sizer die, FL die, bushing die, etc? The dealer has a Redding Master Hunter die set which is a standard FL die with the Comp seater. Would this be a good choice or should I order the FL bushing die and the Comp seater separate? I understand the idea behind the bushing die and neck tension, I just don't know if it's really necessary.

FWIW, I plan to run some factory Match ammo through my rifle first for brass and then reload that.

Thanks in advance.

I love my Forster sets. For my creedmoor I went the route of a cheaper Hornady FL bushing sizer to start. This was like $35-$40 until I settle on a brass supplier manufacturer. With lapua, Peterson and alpha I wanted the ability to swap bushings for now. In the future I will buy a Forster benchrest with the neck honed to where I want. I already have the Forster Ultra Micrometer seater. Even with the potential of buying two seater dies it's still cheaper than a Redding Type S set. At this point I see no reason to go away from my Hornady die. My combined set ran me just over $100 USD.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Proud Dad]

I love my Forster sets. For my creedmoor I went the route of a cheaper Hornady FL bushing sizer to start. This was like $35-$40 until I settle on a brass supplier manufacturer. With lapua, Peterson and alpha I wanted the ability to swap bushings for now. In the future I will buy a Forster benchrest with the neck honed to where I want. I already have the Forster Ultra Micrometer seater. Even with the potential of buying two seater dies it's still cheaper than a Redding Type S set. At this point I see no reason to go away from my Hornady die. My combined set ran me just over $100 USD.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Due to my limited experience, I wonder if the lack of a crimp is appropriate for hunting rounds where being hauled over hill and dale might loosen the bullets.

 

[FLIGHT762]

Due to my limited experience, I wonder if the lack of a crimp is appropriate for hunting rounds where being hauled over hill and dale might loosen the bullets.

So WTF does asking about a crimp have to do with the O/P asking about what dies to buy three years ago?

 

[Proud Dad]

He said he was going to use it for reloading hunting rounds. I am considering the same thing.

The answer to my question might affect what I buy and maybe should have affected what he bought.

 

[Gustav7]

He said he was going to use it for reloading hunting rounds. I am considering the same thing.

The answer to my question might affect what I buy and maybe should have affected what he bought.

I think the point is, this thread is from 3 years ago. Every post has a date attached to it... and people forget to look at that date and start replying to 10, 5, 3 year old threads.

TO answer your question, crimps can help, but proper neck tension works just as well. If someone is worried about bullets coming out, 2-3 thou of neck tension should do the trick. If you're hunting and your bullet falls out of your case....then that person needs to stop hunting immediately and learn how to reload properly.

 

[FLIGHT762]

I have been reloading for my hunting rifles for the last 5 years or so with standard RCBS dies and rockchucker press. I've had pretty decent results, especially for hunting rifles.

I have a custom 6.5 Creedmoor being built and I'm looking to get a little more involved in the precision reloading aspects.

I'm pretty positive I want the competition seater die with the micrometer adjustment on it, that just leaves the sizing die and a lot of questions. I

FWIW, I plan to run some factory Match ammo through my rifle first for brass and then reload that.

Thanks in advance.

^^^^This is what the O/P was asking^^^^. This was not about his hunting rifles and he wasn't asking about using the new precision dies for his hunting rifles.

In post #7, it looks like he's figured it out with the answers provided.

Your question has nothing to do with this thread and is a completely new topic. That's why I posted. And yes, this was figured out three years ago.

You have a valid question, but don't dig up a thread years old. Post up a new thread and ask your question. Lots of people here will be glad to give you an answer.

And the answer to your question is that with proper neck tension you don't need a crimp. The time I would use a crimp would be on the real heavy recoiling cartridges used for Pachyderm & Buffalo hunting.

I've been reloading for all of my hunting rifles and have taken lots medium game with non crimped ammo. I've never needed it.

Many years ago, I bought the Lee Factory crimp die for 2-3 of my hunting rifles. It turned out that I found they weren't needed and they sit, not being used. If you feel the need for a crimp, I would suggest buying the Lee factory crimp die and crimp your ammo separately.

I would not use a crimp on precision ammo and never on a bullet that doesn't have a cannelure.

 

[Proud Dad]

Well, I didn't "dig up" an old thread. I searched online about choosing dies and this thread showed up.

Sorry to have upset everyone. I certainly wasn't trying to get vulgar responses.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[FLIGHT762]

I took the time to answer your question instead of ignoring you.

I just pointed out that the three year old thread you responded to had nothing to do about loading for hunting rifles and crimping hunting loads. The O/P was asking about new dies for a precision 6.5 Creedmoor and using a competition seating die.

 

[E-Tool]

Well the OP thread was right up my alley, I’m about to purchase some dies, and never consider buying them individually, I was looking at a redding set.

 

[Gustav7]

Well the OP thread was right up my alley, I’m about to purchase some dies, and never consider buying them individually, I was looking at a redding set.

Big fan of Forster dies. Highly recommend them