So help a newb out.
What’s better about the Redding?
My friend just started reloading also so we have no clue on equipment other than reading online. We have loaded a couple 100 for his 6.5 doing ladder tests and seating depth but don’t know what we are missing because the rcbs is all we have used.
This topic has come up a lot lately. I absolutely avoid Redding personally. I own probably 15 sets, and I think they’ve gone downhill. Internal finish sucks compared to much cheaper dies.
This is a redding 6.5 cm die. Very typical finish.
This is a Hornady match 6.5 cm die. Uses the same .5 inch wilson/Redding bushings. I had to stick a q-tip in the die to take a picture, because it’s so smooth, it won’t reflect the light back at the camera. This die costs half what the Redding does. Dimensions are perfect for my 6.5 cm reamer.
This is recently purchased 6mmAR type s bushing die. A wildcat by Robert Whitley. Basically a custom die made by Redding for the cartridge designer. This is a $100 sizer. Looks exactly like the crappy standard 6.5 cm die.
Hornady match 6.5 PRC FL sizer. Great finish, perfectly dimensioned. This was bought on sale at midway for $30.
And for comparison sake, here’s a whidden 6xc die. Like the Hornady 6.5cm die, too polished to get a good pic unless there’s something to reflect some light inside.
The Hornady match and the whidden’s take very little lube, and you can literally FL size, with shoulder bump, with one finger. Not so much with Redding. My days of buying $200 Redding’s sets is over! I have zero affiliation with Hornady.
