Quality dies

jsmith15

I am going to reload 243 for my son's Rem. 700. All i have reloaded so far has been pistol. Is there a difference in rifle dies, and quality? My brother in-law says Hornady makes a great set. He shoots competively. Is RCBS, Redding, Lyman, Pacific, Hornady, etc.. is there a distinct difference? I notice some cost more than others. Your opinion is appreciated.

jsmith15

I am going to begin loading .40 S&W, and .380 acp. All my old equipment, including all my dies are RCBS. Since I need 2 sets of dies, I am considering Lee Dies just because of price. Can anybody out there convince me that I would be better off paying the extra money and staying with RCBS? Thanks!

bpost

The Hornady dies are nice and guide the bullet well during seating. I like Redding for the fit and finish. I really like the Redding S die for tight neck chambers, the match seating die is very helpful in adjusting seating depth.

It really comes down to this.

They all work fine and do the job well. If you are splitting hairs only custom dies could do any better.

RCrosby

For the most part it's a matter of taste and an occasional feature. I've sold most of my RCBS (Excellent dies!) and replaced them with Hornady because I prefer the inside neck expander and sliding bullet chamber.
Used according to instructions and with consistency in technique any of the dies you mention will give excellent results.

jsmith15

thanks guys!