die brands

[Oklahoma Scarecrow]

Hello again,

Thoughts on all the different brands for loading dies? What are the pro's and con's of each? Are any if them actually better than others?

I currently have a mix of lee, (bleh) RCBS and an old texan. Im very partial to the RCBS, evrry new set I get im currently buying is made by them.

[MT Chambers]

Redding are tops, followed by Forster, then RCBS.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

have been switching all of my Lee dies over to RCBS and Redding dies as i can

[Oklahoma Scarecrow]

Never heard of redding or forster. Where does Lee fall in on the lineup? Ups and downs?

[EDG]

This is a more complex question than some recognize.

A. You have workmanship and appearance that you can see

B. You have internal dimensions that you cannot see but you can measure. The problem is few people ever measure the internal dimensions of their dies. Then the die dimensions should be compared to the internal dimensions of the rifle chambers to see if the ammo and the chamber are a reasonable match.


1. RCBS seem to have the most useful internal dimensions. The head to datum circle length is close to the no-go headspace gauge length. This company has the best warranty and customer service of any company that I know of in ANY business.
2. The Forster Benchrest dies have a little tighter dimensions so they make ammo that is a little smaller. The BR Seater is a superior design
3. Redding dies tend to be still smaller. They look good but internally they are dimensionally ordinary. However the Competition seater while expensive is excellent.
4. Lee usually has internal dimensions like the RCBS dies though there are a few cases where the Lee dimensions are wrong. The decapper is a 3 rate design as is the entire seater die.
5. Lyman - These dies are often made to the minimum internal dimension. I do not like such tight dies. They require more sizing effort and you get more pulled off rims.

Herter's dies are not worth the trouble. Some work ok and some are only good for a fishing weight

I prefer RCBS FL dies and their warranty, Forster BR seaters and Lyman M dies for expanders.
I will buy complete sets of Forster and Redding dies if they are comparably priced to RCBS and usually they are NOT.

But I have some of almost every brand so my comments are based on first hand use and my own measurement of the die interiors. I measure them using small hole gauges and .001 increment gauge pins.

[Omega]

Everyone always knocks Lee, but until recently all I had was Lee and everyone always recommends their FCDs so WTH. Seriously, these dies are not rocket science, the only major difference I can see is in the seating dies and maybe the decapping pin. But honestly, I have not had any big issues with any of my Lee dies and ammo comes out better than any factory round, even the expensive match ammo.

[dragon813gt]

Lee first for me if they make that type of die. If they don't, of their die doesn't work, then I will buy other brands. I see no need to pay more for a product if it performs the same function to the same standard.

[Grasslander]

I agree with EDG. I use RCBS for full length sizing and a Forster Micro for seating. It wasn't intentional that it worked out that way, but I'm glad it did.

The Forster seating die is a dandy when you are using different weight bullets in the same caliber. I load mostly .223 so this what works best for me.

[slohunter]

Lee since day one.

[catskinner]

I have RCBS,Redding and Lee dies. All work well for me. Only complaint I have about Lee is the lock rings. I replace them. For neck sizing only I really like the Lee collet die. Best thing to come along since I started reloading 40 years ago!

[Ickisrulz]

Some people mix and match die sets. The M-die expander from Lyman works well for cast bullets. The Hornady seating die with a sliding alignment sleeve works great for me.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have successfully used Lee and RCBS or many years. No trouble with Lee lock rings. A good feature on the Lees is the decapping pin which has never broken in my use; it can be reset if needed without too much fuss. RCBS decapping pins have to be held tight to avoid wobble if loose. They can be replicated in a pinch using finishing nails that are cut to length, flame hardened and quenched. I keep my dies clean and lightly oiled to discourage rust which can happen due to handling. LLS

[Mk42gunner]

I have dies from several different manufacturers, off the top of my head they include: C-H, CH4D, Herter's, Hornady, Lee, Lyman, Pacific, RCBS, Redding and I am probably forgetting one or two.

Most of them work as advertised, some don't. Some work better than others, or have a better finish or better design.
Some people swear by the Lee FCD for handguns, some swear at it. I have not used one, my dies that have a roll or taper crimp make ammo that works in my guns; so I have not seen the need to buy one. The Lee collet style FCD for rifles will crimp just about anything, but again my RCBS dies with the roll crimping shoulder make acceptable ammo. I did make up one dummy round for a planned .38-55 project with a Lee FCD, but that is the only time I have ever really used one.

I do mix and match dies to do things they weren't intended for. A combination of dies on hand allowed me to make my own .45ACP shotshells without spending $166 or whatever the RCBS form dies cost at that time.

A not so big secret is that most dies are bought because of personal preference or cost, not performance.

Robert

[ole 5 hole group]

When purchasing dies today, it's not very common to find a bad one, but it can be done. I find different types of shooters prefer different dies. For the rifle, Wilson dies are top shelf, if you like reloading mainly by hand. When we go prairie dog shooting, we reload on the spot using Wilson dies, as there's not much out there except custom dies that can compete with Wilson. Now for your single press & progressives, it just comes down to what you're comfortable with but for straight walled cases, you really should put out the money for Carbide resizing dies.

I prefer Redding dies but when they don't have a die for the caliber I'm looking for - I'll go Hornady.

[flashhole]

You will ultimately end up with a mix of dies. I have Redding, Forster, Lee, RCBS, Lyman, C-H and Hollywood brands and use select dies from the sets for their functionality and not their looks. I thought EDG's assessment was pretty good. Not to offend anyone but the one brand I avoid is Hornady. Too many bad experiences with their customer service.

[ole 5 hole group]

Not to offend anyone but the one brand I avoid is Hornady. Too many bad experiences with their customer service.

Not often you hear of customer service complaints relative to Hornady but I guess about every brand out there have disappointed customers at one time or another. Over the years I've dealt with Hornady's custom die division and always found Lonnie & Ben to go way out of their way to accommodate customers.

I know when I've kinked a few springs on the LnL and couldn't find them locally, I would call Hornady and they would ship me 1 to 3 springs free of charge that same day. Now the one thing I personally dislike about their revolver dies is their expander die - it's a press fit and I always take out the expander plug and polish it down so only the very top portion of the stem (bell portion) touches my case mouth, as I prefer all the case tension I can get on my cast bullet - can't do that on a press fit stem die - other than that, no complaints.

The recent powder coated cast bullets are great for keeping your seating dies free of lube - why they weren't used here in the USA decades ago is a shame, as it seems the Aussie's always come up with the damnest things that outperform the norm in a lot of areas and it takes us years, if not decades, to copy them. Vehicle offroading is another example.

[mac266]

I own Hornady, Lyman, RCBS, Dillon, and Lee dies. For a Dillon press I recommend Dillon dies, but for single stage any of them will do. Of the brands I own, I like them all (and I typically poo-poo Lee products, but I admit their dies work fine).

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

You may have noticed you've gotten as many opinions about which dies are best and which dies are not as there are leaves in the fall. This illustrates they pretty much all work.

I'm not going to offer an opinion on which dies are best. Instead, I propose to you to think about looking at the cartridge you're reloading and get the best "set" of dies for that cartridge you can. By "set" I do not mean brand x or y, I mean a group of dies, regardless of brand, that produce the best cartridge for your application and the components you are reloading.

I took that approach a couple years back and since that time, I've found much greater satisfaction in the ammo I've produced. As far as the dies go, I care little about who made them and much more about what each individual die can do towards making the cartridge I want.

For example, when reloading .223 or .308 in volume for under 300 yards and under, I currently use:

First pass through progressive press:
1. RCBS lube/depriming die
2. CH4D or Dillon sizing/trim die w/1200 trimmer

Second pass through progressive press:
3. RCBS, Hornady or Dillon powder measure case activated die (depending on powder) with appropriate powder measure and die insert
4. Forster seating die
5. Lee collet Factory Crimp die (if needed)

Notice how I defined a cartridge for a specific application. When you define what you want your cartridge to do, you can then look at which of the manufacturers dies will get you to that point

[dudel]

They all work. Some just work better than others. I prefer Hornady (zip spindle decapper, headed decapper pin, inline seater, easy to clean seating plug, fit and finish, and warranty). Hornady are sort of middle of the field pricewise; but to me high on value/dollar.

That said, I do have a mix of different brands on my shelf. When there was a shortage of equipment, I'd get the Lee die set (they were generally available; while others were not). I planned on replacing it later (and for the most part, I did). There are some features of Lee dies I don't particularly care for (short threaded die body, decapping spindle, and the dies seem more prone to surface rust than my other dies - none are deal killers).

However, for certain rifle brass, I really like the Lee collet dies (less chance of crumpling 22 hornet brass). Back when I wanted carbide 30 Carbine dies, Lee was pretty much the only game in town. I like the Lee Factory Carbide Crimp die, and will buy that one to add to the other die sets.

I'll consider high priced dies for rifle ammo; but I'm not sure there's as much benefit in pistol dies for general plinking/shooting. If I was doing 200 yard handgun Bullseye, maybe.

[paul h]

I prefer Forster and Redding for rifle dies, Dillon and Hornady for handguns.

I prefer the precision of the Forster and Redding dies and also like that Redding uses larger dia threads on their decapping and seating stems vs. the 1/4" most other companies use.

Dillons run super smooth through my 550B and Hornady handgun dies have a great seating die.

[Brotherbadger]

I own a mix. My pistol dies are all Lee as of now. They are inexpensive and do the job just fine. My rifle dies are a mix of Lee, Lyman and Hornady.

[r1kk1]

I have sets from just about everyone with the least amount of sets going to Lee and Lyman. This year I have bought over 20 die sets from Hornady in wildcat cartridges. I really love the taper crimp die for the 500 Linebaugh. It works extremely well! I look at RCBS in this cartridge but their die set is 1" and the only carbide ones made. Only CH4D and Hornady carried dies in the standard ⅞" size. So I bought the Hornady's. For common pistol cartridges I went with Dillon. They are sweet. For common rifle stuff, I like Forster/Bonanza and Redding.

take care,

r1kk1

[Jtarm]

All green for me with the exception of a Lee collet neck sizer.

[vzerone]

I too have used just about all of them. In my opinion LEE seater dies are junk. I'll explain. Pull one of their rifle seaters apart and take a look inside. Notice just about a non-existent bullet guide section. Yes I know the floating nose attachment above is suppose to center the bullet, but it really is an iffy setup. Look at Forster Benchrest seater. It has a very bullet guide section. I've talked to Forster and asked them if the body sleeves are reamed with chamber reamers and they said that they are. So that sleeve has a chamber that fits the particular cartridge closely and the bullet guide section is integral to it. The whole assembly moves up to press the bullet against a nose seater stem. They make very concentric ammo. I've also found many LEE dies too fat. I have some I can size rifle cartridges without lubing them. To name a few the 30-06 and the 8x57, but you know that's minimum sizing both good for the brass and accuracy. They do have some innovative dies like their collet neck sizers and their crimp dies. LEE is innovative on some things I'll give them that.

I use to be a hardcore RDBS fan. Not anymore. They've changed their die material and finish. Before they were polished raw finish and they were exceptionally hard. Now they have a hard coating and the metal underneath is different. I've machined some of the new style sizer dies and they cut easy on the lather. You wouldn't find that in their older dies. I now prefer other brands. I'm not enamored with Hornday dies. I hate that floating nose seater guide that protrudes from the bottom of the die. For one thing it hangs down so load you can't put a cartridge in the shell holder to seat the bullet because that guide is in the way particularly with long cartridges with long bullets like the 30-06 with 200 grain bullets. That guide serves to crimp the case too should it need it and especially with cast and the lube that gives everywhere on your dies from them stick in that nose guide and often on the down stroke gets pulled out of the die body because of that very thin flimsy ring spring they use to hold it in with. Very shoddy setup and will not use it any more. I also don't like dies that don't have and easy adjustable threaded shaft for the decapper assembly. Like LEE and Hornady choose to use.

It's true all internal dimensions aren't the same. Heck they aren't the same in rifle chambers. So some dies size more, or too much, some don't size enough. Something to know about dies most aren't make for loading cast bullets especially the seaters. Our cast bullets are fatter then jacketed bullets so most up them won't slip into the bullet guide section in the seater die should they be of that design. Even the Forster Benchrest seater is guilty of that. I bore that guide section out for cast bullets.

It boils down to "what you like" in dies.

[Petrol & Powder]

I have a mixture of dies but if given a choice Redding and RCBS are my first choices.

There's a lot of brand loyalty when you start talking reloading equipment and some of it is deserved and some is just pure brand loyalty.

My rifle dies are now all Redding but the collection is much smaller these days.

It is hard to go wrong with RCBS.

I have a mixture of handgun dies on several Dillon tool heads for my 550B including some tool heads with more than one brand on the same tool head.

[DerekP Houston]

I was gifted my lee classic turret and a set of 38/357 dies. As I didn't know better at the time I now have a collection of the sizes I use all in Lee. I thought you had to use the same brand as the press :D.

[robg]

i started with lyman now all my dies are lee.why pay more when lee work fine for me

[troyboy]

Vzerone while i certainly can appriciate your opinion, the fact of the matter concerning the capability of the Lee seater to produce concentric ammo is that it works very well. Equally as well as RCBS, Hornady, Lyman and many others. In many instances it has less runout. The only seater dies that are better and not by much have been the Forester. I have not tested the Redding yet.

[MT Chambers]

1) Redding
2) Forster
3) RCBS
4) any other make
5) Lee

[flashhole]

Just to show some examples, these are the die combinations I use on the Lee 4-hole Classic Turret, one turret each individual cartridge. I make excellent ammo with these combinations. For rifle cartridges, the best die is the Forster Seat Die, a very close second is the Lee Collet Neck Die. For on-press powder drops the new Lee Auto Drum is fantastic when used with the rifle charge dies.

221 Fireball
CH FL Size Die
Lee Small Rifle Charge Die – Used with Lee Auto Drum
CH Seat Die
Lee Crimp Die

223 Remington
Lee Collet Neck Die
Lee Short Rifle Charge Die – Used with Lee Auto Drum
Forster Bench Rest Seat Die
Redding Taper Crimp Die

25-06
Lee Collet Neck Die
Lee Large Rifle Charge Die – Used with Lee Auto Drum
Forster Ultra Seat Die
Redding Taper Crimp Die

7mm Remington Magnum
Lee Collet Neck Die
Lee Large Rifle Charge Die – Used with Lee Auto Drum
Redding Seat Die
CH Taper Crimp Die

45-70
Hollywood FL Size Die
Lee Powder-Through Expander Die – Used with Lee Auto Drum
Hollywood Seat Die
Redding Taper Crimp Die

40 S&W
Lee Pistol Die Set – Used with Lee Auto Drum

357 Magnum
Bonanza all steel Die Set

Specialty Dies used on a Lee Classic Cast single stage press
Lee Universal Decapper Die
Lee Universal Neck Expander Die
Lee Bullet Sizing Die (.401, .458)
RCBS Form & Trim Die for 223 to 221

[Tom W.]

My handgun dies are all RCBS carbide now. Back when I started I bought Lee, but didn't like them. My rifle dies are Redding, with one exception, a Hornady for the 30-06. The 30-06 A.I. is also a Redding. BTW, my last set of RCBS carbide dies now comes with an M die for the flaring die. I wonder if they sell the innards for the other dies I have????

[oldcanadice]

Had all kinds over many years. Dumped my Lymans except for the m dies. In pistol, RCBS and Lee have been ok. I hate my first-gen Dillon 38/357 dies: they size down way too much and the so-called semi-wadcutter seating punch marks soft bullet noses -- I've called them and they say it's too bad and there's nothing to be done about it. In rifles, I have RCBS and Dillon and especially like my Foresters, and, of course, Wilson is king if you can stand doing things with hand dies.

[Double B]

If you are an average guy like me get the Lee's and save your money. Have exceeded my expectations. Hornady has not. RCBS has been fine but I find myself using Lee's by choice.

[USSRSNPR]

As seems to be the case with most others, I too, have a mix of dies. Lee, RCBS, Lyman and Hornady that I actually use. Herters and pacific that I got in trade deals. My only complaints with any are the Hornady seating die that barely held in bullet guide was the end for me, kept sticking to my 395 grain FP for my 460 S&W, contacted their tech department and they suggested replacing the spring retainer (I had already done this) bought the RCBS carbide set and never looked back.