Re: reloaders?
[Re: topknot]
#7413414
11/24/21 11:28 AM
11/24/21 11:28 AM
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,758 Green County Wisconsin
GREENCOUNTYPETE
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,758
Green County Wisconsin
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Lee dies work , work well and do it for less money , if your already stretching your budget to get started , there is nothing wrong with Lee
I have all Lee and they make ammo that works well.
America only has one issue, we have a Responsibility crisis and everything else stems from it.
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Re: reloaders?
[Re: topknot]
#7413506
11/24/21 01:16 PM
11/24/21 01:16 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 348 Amherst, NE
Roy Greenfield
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Posts: 348
Amherst, NE
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I agree with Larry Hall for I have taken the same route. Roy
Vietnam 1970 & 1971, Delta 3/506 101st ABN 11B, Light Weapons Infantry
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Re: reloaders?
[Re: topknot]
#7413602
11/24/21 03:03 PM
11/24/21 03:03 PM
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 3,078 Wyoming
cmcf
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 3,078
Wyoming
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Redding is the best mid level IMO. I don’t trust RCBS (dies) due to some severe runout issues with seaters. Had a rifle go from 1.5” to .5 just changing dies. Forester Bonanza Benchrest are worth the money , and my favorite if available for the cartridge I’m working with. The only thing that I crimp are shotgun shells and hard kicking pistol ammunition.
“The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined” B. Disraeli
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Re: reloaders?
[Re: topknot]
#7413752
11/24/21 05:45 PM
11/24/21 05:45 PM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,251 Missouri
HayDay
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Posts: 2,251
Missouri
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A little info: I have reloaded for years, and for consistency all of my dies are RCBS. But I wonder are their general opinions on who makes the best entry level dies? Or is that more of a ford chevy type debate. Fairly new to reloading myself, having loaded my first rifle in 50 years back in April. Since then have loaded a few hundred rounds using Hornady, RCBS and Lee dies. In category of "Best Entry LeveL".....Lee wins that one hands down. Lee sizing die also has decapping pin......which is a singe piece mandrel....including pin and a solid neck sizing mandrel. That mandrel is held in place by friction from a collet nut. If primer won't come out, pin doesn't break, it slides up out of the top. Also doubles as an extractor for removing stuck cases.....loosen nut and tap on end of that mandrel to drive case out bottom of the die. As for sizing, Lee dies are made to just barely get cases back to SAMMI specs......no more. A 270 Win I am loading for must have a tight chamber.....when I size fire formed cases, I only get 0.003 shoulder bump when setting up die as per instructions. A near perfect outcome. Bullet seating die always seats to within 0.005.....and I suspect all that variation is from variation in the bullets more than the dies. And as per Mr. Lee, purpose of factory crimp die is to hold bullets in place.....keep them from moving, until adequate and consistent start pressure is reached......which means you do not have to be loading to the lands. I'm loading to about 0.010 over COAL listed in load data....basically factory depth. I recently reported here on some 270 Win loads.........printed 4 rounds on the target........3/4" MOA with 3 of 4 holes touching. Loaded with Lee dies. Hornady and RCBS dies both 2 die sets, with typical taper crimp option built into seating die. Hornady dies came in clear plastic clam shell package (no case). Brief instructions printed on card packed inside. Also came with a spare extractor pin, which I view as both good that they sent a spare......and bad as they must have felt some compelling need to include a spare. But again, no hard case. I had to find one. Both Hornady and RCBS dies loaded good ammo. Lee 3 die set sells for around $35, which is $10 less than I paid for either the Horny or RCBS. For that, you get the case, 3 die set, small sample of Lee case lube, appropriate sized Lee powder dipper and a complete set of instructions, with extensive load data for the caliber of the die set. I have an ingrained bias against cheap crap. My first impression of all things Lee was that it had to be crap.....cause it was the cheapest stuff out there. Turns out this is one of the very few cases I have ever encountered where the least expensive option also happens to be one of the best.
Last edited by HayDay; 11/24/21 05:55 PM.
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Re: reloaders?
[Re: topknot]
#7413758
11/24/21 05:53 PM
11/24/21 05:53 PM
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,758 Green County Wisconsin
GREENCOUNTYPETE
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,758
Green County Wisconsin
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lee also has a good manual that explains how to properly use Lee dies , and the what and why.
Doesn't hurt that Lee Dies are made here in Wisconsin
Last edited by GREENCOUNTYPETE; 11/24/21 05:53 PM.
America only has one issue, we have a Responsibility crisis and everything else stems from it.
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Re: reloaders?
[Re: topknot]
#7414466
11/25/21 01:07 PM
11/25/21 01:07 PM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,872 meadowview, Virginia
EdP
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meadowview, Virginia
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Hayday said Bullet seating die always seats to within 0.005.....and I suspect all that variation is from variation in the bullets more than the dies. I also see some variation in seating depth, typically .002 or less. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a RCBS or a Hornady seating die. Hayday may be correct but my impression is that the variation comes from play in the ram pivot because when a load is a bit long a second run through the die with a bit more force results in a shorter load. That would make both press mfg tolerances and user technique a factor in seating depth accuracy. I'm curious what others think.
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Re: reloaders?
[Re: EdP]
#7414793
11/25/21 09:31 PM
11/25/21 09:31 PM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,251 Missouri
HayDay
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trapper
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,251
Missouri
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Hayday said Bullet seating die always seats to within 0.005.....and I suspect all that variation is from variation in the bullets more than the dies. I also see some variation in seating depth, typically .002 or less. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a RCBS or a Hornady seating die. Hayday may be correct but my impression is that the variation comes from play in the ram pivot because when a load is a bit long a second run through the die with a bit more force results in a shorter load. That would make both press mfg tolerances and user technique a factor in seating depth accuracy. I'm curious what others think. On my Lee press, with Lee dies, running them through again does nothing. Say supposed to be 25......I get 30. Have run them twice...three times.....rotate and nothing changes...still 30. Next one back to 25. Also may make a difference in press style. Lee press does not cam over......it has a stop in the linkage. Assuming you have setup the die as per instructions, when it hits bottom.....ram is pressed against die and that is as far as it goes. A press that cams over may be different.
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Re: reloaders?
[Re: EdP]
#7414812
11/25/21 10:10 PM
11/25/21 10:10 PM
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 10,406 Northeast Oklahoma
Mike in A-town
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Posts: 10,406
Northeast Oklahoma
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Hayday said Bullet seating die always seats to within 0.005.....and I suspect all that variation is from variation in the bullets more than the dies. I also see some variation in seating depth, typically .002 or less. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a RCBS or a Hornady seating die. Hayday may be correct but my impression is that the variation comes from play in the ram pivot because when a load is a bit long a second run through the die with a bit more force results in a shorter load. That would make both press mfg tolerances and user technique a factor in seating depth accuracy. I'm curious what others think. I run a Redding Big Boss 2. It has a large roll pin at the base that acts as a stop when raising the ram. It's stout but it still flexes based on how much force I apply to the lever... If I pay careful attention to how much force I apply when seating (and sizing) I will cut my variation down to less than +/- .001 But I will get the occasional outlier that's out by .005-.006... and that is usually a variance in the bullet itself. How hard I mash on that lever each time plays a part in how much variance I get... But I do occasionally get a weird bullet. Just my own experience and observation. Mike
One man with a gun may control 100 others who have none.
Vladimir Lenin
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