Posts: 410
Threads: 31
Joined: Oct 2017
Mad Charlie Wrote:Ask all the questions you want, it's called participation to get education in my book.
Also, sometimes things get updated as more knowledge is acquired too.
To throw another wrench into your spokes, a lot of the more experienced and knowledgeable loaders here prefer Forster, and personally, I think they are the best dies and presses a man can buy without getting into custom and/or semi-custom dies. If your budget can stand it, I highly recommend them.
That is exactly where I was starting to go, earlier today.
Buy once, cry once.
Posts: 830
Threads: 31
Joined: May 2017
I don't think you will be sorry.
Posts: 521
Threads: 19
Joined: Jul 2018
PVBoom Wrote:Yeah, I'll do more (re)searching instead of endlessly asking questions... Sorry, I didn't mean you should stop asking questions. Heck, I have a bunch myself, which is how I ended up in this sub-forum. I was just thinking you could address/PM the members above who mentioned they use Hornady dies, to get additional info.
But yeah, I'm thinking about shooting right past the Hornady idea and going straight to Forster or Redding myself. I was perusing Midway again. And it occurred to me that if a person already has a Lee set yet is concerned about sizing the brass optimally, they might just buy a Forster or Redding full sizing die, as opposed to spending a bunch of money on a die set. For example, I saw that many Redding and Forster dies are on sale there also: Midway's Redding and Forster dies for 6.5 Grendel.
However, if you have a nice sizing die, it's probably be smart in the long run to get the set instead and also have a better (than Lee) bullet seating die.
Posts: 521
Threads: 19
Joined: Jul 2018
To add, and speaking just for myself, if I were to spend a bunch of money on quality dies I would just get a 2-die set. I believe the 3-die sets come with either a neck sizing die or some kind of taper-crimp die. Since my one and only Grendel is a semi-auto, I'd have no use for either of those extra dies. Can't neck-size for a semi-auto, and I've got the Lee FC die, so that's how I'd crimp If I was going that route.
Posts: 217
Threads: 12
Joined: Jun 2016
I had case head separations with my original Lee dies.
Didnt know why till i bought a comparator to measure the case bump. The Lee was bumping the case .014. Yes, .014
A good die is more like .002
Bought a Redding and get exactly .002 as it should.
Threw away the Lee, never had case separations again
Posts: 3,654
Threads: 17
Joined: Aug 2013
SightedIn Wrote:I had case head separations with my original Lee dies.
Didnt know why till i bought a comparator to measure the case bump. The Lee was bumping the case .014. Yes, .014
A good die is more like .002
Bought a Redding and get exactly .002 as it should.
Threw away the Lee, never had case separations again
Once you realised the bump did you try unscrewing it?
Posts: 410
Threads: 31
Joined: Oct 2017
SDW Wrote:Sorry, I didn't mean you should stop asking questions. Heck, I have a bunch myself, which is how I ended up in this sub-forum. I was just thinking you could address/PM the members above who mentioned they use Hornady dies, to get additional info.
But yeah, I'm thinking about shooting right past the Hornady idea and going straight to Forster or Redding myself. I was perusing Midway again. And it occurred to me that if a person already has a Lee set yet is concerned about sizing the brass optimally, they might just buy a Forster or Redding full sizing die, as opposed to spending a bunch of money on a die set. For example, I saw that many Redding and Forster dies are on sale there also: Midway's Redding and Forster dies for 6.5 Grendel.
However, if you have a nice sizing die, it's probably be smart in the long run to get the set instead and also have a better (than Lee) bullet seating die.
I did go with Midway, looking around I wasn't seeing much Forster in stock anywhere.
So I ordered and received a Forster Ultimate Micrometer Seating Die
I have backordered the Forster Bench Rest Full Size Sizing Die
Posts: 217
Threads: 12
Joined: Jun 2016
Klem Wrote:Once you realised the bump did you try unscrewing it?
Yeah, but no matter how much i fiddled with it i couldn't a consistent .002 bump. Sometimes it was .002, sometimes .001, sometimes .003.
Tried a different press and even bought a new caliper as well to no avail.
Went to a Redding type S and its been perfect since
Posts: 830
Threads: 31
Joined: May 2017
SightedIn Wrote:Yeah, but no matter how much i fiddled with it i couldn't a consistent .002 bump. Sometimes it was .002, sometimes .001, sometimes .003.
Tried a different press and even bought a new caliper as well to no avail.
Went to a Redding type S and its been perfect since
I had that same issue a few years back with my .308, simply unscrewing the die gave me more inconsistent results than I cared for.
I bought the Redding Competition shell holder sets for every bottleneck caliber I load for and set up the dies for a firm contact with the shell holder. Consistency increased drastically. I had a Hornady die in .223 once that bumped the shoulder back .016, that one went in the lake, although Hornady most likely would have replaced it. I can only imagine the look on my face the first time I dropped a case from that die into a Wilson case gauge.
It's been Forster for me ever since.
Posts: 3,654
Threads: 17
Joined: Aug 2013
SightedIn Wrote:Yeah, but no matter how much i fiddled with it i couldn't a consistent .002 bump. Sometimes it was .002, sometimes .001, sometimes .003.
Tried a different press and even bought a new caliper as well to no avail.
Went to a Redding type S and its been perfect since
A ±.001" variance in measured bump is not unusual. Sometimes it's how we pressure the close on the calipers and sometimes it's the brass itself...Just saying.
Posts: 232
Threads: 17
Joined: Feb 2017
I'm not going to knock all the Die types Lee makes, or some of the other tools they make, I prefer REDDING Body dies, with the use of the Lee Collet and Crimp die, even with a semiauto rifle, my method is to use a REDDING body die and a Lee neck Collet die and crimp die for my loading process, I do not like to touch my necks with any type of expander mandrel die like is used with a standard FL sizer die! Those types of dies will give terrible run out issues! I have used the Lee newer offering dies for the 6.5GRRR, with decent success, but still I prefer my method, as I use for my LR Bolt rifles, applied to my AR or M1A semiautos, I just works well for me! 
|
