About to Start Reloading...Dies?

[Rodedawgg]

So, I need to buy Grendel dies. I'm not exactly looking for recommendations on companies, most of the mainstream companies make Grendel dies and I doubt any of them are particularly bad. What I need guidance on right now (I'll need way more later) is more of a checklist for dies. Not all companies include the same parts. If I go with, say Lee, what additional parts other than the box of dies will I need? Or if I get RCBS, what additional stuff do I need?

It's tough question to ask since I don't know exactly what I don't know. But I guess I'll start with: when you bought your dies from whatever company, what all did you need to buy that wasn't in the box of dies?

Thanks!

[LRRPF52]

Cross Lee off the list for starters.

If you’re reloading for a gas gun/AR-15, you will need:

1. A full-length sizing die (many companies include the de-capping die in their sizing die, like Hornady and RCBS)
2. Bullet seating die

For full-length sizing, the bushing dies from Redding allow you to control your neck diameter and neck tension without over-working the brass. I also polish my expanders so that there aren’t any imperfections on the expander that will dig grooves inside the neck. This is one contributor to why I have only seen one split neck since 2009, which was really caused by excessive use of Imperial Sizing Wax. I switched to Hornady One-Shot spray lube and haven’t looked back.



For bullet-seating, if you’re going to be using a lot of secant/VLD/ or Nosler Accubond Long Range bullets, you will want a VLD seating die. I personally like micrometer seating dies from either Forster or Redding if you want the best of the best. These allow you to have a clear picture of how much you’re setting your COL or Base-to-Ogive measurements.



The difference between going with a basic 2-die set from Hornady with a full-length sizer/de-capper and bullet-seater vs a high-end 3-die set from Redding or Forster ranges from $47 to $340.

You will also have to account for your die full-length travel relative to the shell holder.

In some cases, the shell holder is too tall, and will not allow you to fully re-size your cases and set the shoulders back far enough, so the shell holder might need to be shaved on top to allow proper headspace setting.

I used the Hornady dies for years until the Lee press ram deviated from center and broke my de-capping pins, then got a Forster Co-Ax and Redding dies.

If I could start over again, I would have gone straight to the Forster Co-Ax and Redding dies.

For someone on a tighter budget, the Hornady dies are the lowest I would go, then move up from there. Polish the expander with a drill and fine abrasive cloth or super fine sandpaper with wet polishing compound. That’s the first thing I did with my Hornady dies.

[Zeneffect]

Or get a mighty armory full size die. I still use the hornady seating die but with the micrometer adjustment top ad a few different stems

[Klem]

dawgg,

Depends, whether you are loading for a semi-auto or bolt gun. Full-length sizers for semi-auto, and neck-sizers for bolt guns. Also, we have to talk about manufacturers as there are important differences worth considering.

Lee gets a bad rap on this Forum and from the measurements shared probably deserves it. They are the cheapest but I avoid most of the stuff they sell. Their collet neck-sizing dies for bolt guns are innovative as they come in from the sides instead of the top (no need for lube), but for everything else...

I use Forster for both the sizing and seating dies. These are the two dies you need to get rounds down range. You have to full-size cases for use in a semi auto to ensure reliability. The other issue is the violent feeding which requires a firm grip on the bullet, so it doesn't move when feeding into battery. Forster have basic and more expensive versions of both sizers and seaters, and all are capable of loading best quality ammo.

As far as managing the grip on your bullets, you can buy a bushing sizing die which will do this well, or get the cheaper basic die and for $17 Forster will machine the neck to your preferred grip. Or, just use the grip that the basic die imparts, which will work in a semi-auto but might not be perfect.

Other non-essential dies are crimp, and shoulder bump dies. After testing a few things I have stopped using both - you don't need them to load perfectly good ammo.

.

[lazyengineer]

FWIW, I prefer:

-FW arms decapping die (then wet tumble with pins)
-Forester Bushing die, with one of the bigger bushings that still works. I remove the expander ball completely, to avoid overworking the brass
-Sinclair mandrel die (with the hardest mandrel option, which is TIN coated or Carbide; so that it doesn't require any lube).
-Hornady seating die (the sliding sleeve is pretty great, IMHO)


In this manner I never need mess with lube inside the case mouth or neck, and even the neck outside needs very little lube, if one get at least the TIN coated or carbide bushing. I do this for .223 and 6.5 Creedmoor. I haven't gotten a Forester bushing for my Grendel yet, so I run just a Hornady factory die with the expander stem completely removed, for 6.5 Grendel. I probably should, since the Hornady factory die is probably over-working the neck-brass.


That's how I prefer to run it at least. Why? Because of my own methods and practices. In particular, I bulk process a lot of brass, and much of my brass is actually sourced from random range pick-ups. This means unknown internal debris contamination. Which means I need to wet tumble with pins to really recover the brass to attractive condition, and the pins pulverized whatever might be left over inside the casing - making it gleaming bright on the inside, and I'll see, if there are problems.

I decap first, so that the primer pockets get scoured clean. It's pretty (nice), but more importantly, it allows the wet-tumble with pins to removes gunk allowing more consistent primer seating.

I don't like spray lubes -I've had bad experiences - many times. Maybe I'm just not as competent and should feel bad, but I'd gotten way way waaaay too good at Stuck Case remover and finally gave up and went back to wet lube. No more stuck cases for me. Problem with wet-lubes is if they get inside the casing, the can cause media and such to stick inside the casing. And they are messy. I address this below. But first, I resize the wet lubbed brass by the next step below

I resize with a bushing. and with the expander and decapper completely removed. This eliminates the need to lube inside the neck, and basically this is how the winning service rifle team at Camp Perry said they process brass, so I copied that part. If I don't have a bushing die, I just do it with a factory sizing die I removed the spindle from - same thing as a bushing die, but with a small sized fixed position "bushing"; if you will.

To deal with the afore mentioned messy wet lube in my now sized casing, I no-pins tumble it in water again, this time with a little turtle wax or RainX, to leave a thin film to mitigate cold-welding.

Then I trim it in a Giraud trimmer. That system is a QC check to assure the neck got resized, in addition to be a good trimmer.

Then I Mandrel inside size the inside of the neck. Tihs requires no lube.

I then seat the bullet, typically doing a half-seat/rotate/finish seat, to help with runout. (it helps quite a lot doing it that way, in fact).

Then, many times I'll Lee Factory Crimp. I personally like the LFC, even on bullets without a cannular - though I back it off a bit, when no Cannular.

I then keep it segregated by headstamp and number of cycles. If it's near end of life, I'll make the head with nail-polish to seal the primer, but also leave a resilient weather resistant marking on it, so that I don't pick it back up again, even if it's still there 4 weeks later.


Others do it differently, and I don't have a single bad thing to say about that. That's just how I do it, that I find works best for me. It's a tailored approach that's particularly good for processing brass of mixed or even unknown provenance and mixed degrees of tarnish and dirt inside, and probably isn't the route for everyone.

[SDguy]

Or get a mighty armory full size die. I still use the hornady seating die but with the micrometer adjustment top ad a few different stems

Like! Mighty armory FL form die has won me over due to the ultra smooth finish that makes for smooth resizing W lanolin lube.

Lube of one sort or another (imperializing wax or a spray Lanolin are two of my favorites. If you are using bushing dies then the bushings would be extra. Lee dies & you may wish for a whole additional die set. If you are Anal about seating you may wish for additional seating stems to essentially, custom fit your bullet profile.

[FightingMajor]

Cross Lee off the list for starters.

Why? Their collet die is quite good. I would get the Lee collet die with a Redding body die for sizing. Seating would be with a Forster bench rest seater or for more convenience the Forster bench rest seater with the micrometer.

[mdram]

i use redding bushing dies
BUT i just got a set of rcbs matchmaster bushing, the window in the seating die is a great thing, no more balancing the bullet on the case