Which dies??

[Husky10]

Looking at dies for reloading vlds... I’ve been steered towards Redding, but curious as to what are the biggest differences between a Redding type s set and a Hornady match grade set. Tolerances? Material of dies?? Just not sure if it’s worth spending 2x the money on a die that will do the same thing for me. I’m not loading for comps if that makes a difference. Just looking to get more precise on loading for my custom rifles

 

[HonkeyMcGee88]

Tolerance, quality, etc.

Some of the cheaper dies will also work the brass more than neccessary which in the long run shortens brass life.

I use Redding for 90% of my stuff but theres nothing wrong with Hornady, RCBS, Lee, etc.

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[lyle_destroys]

I cant speak for redding die sets but I have lees and rcbs and hornady customs and the 2 sets of hornady customs are my favorite by far. More user friendly, the seating die has a bushing that slips down to hold the bullet until it starts in the case keeping it in line.

 

[carter33]

I use redding the “master hunter” I believe. It has a full length sizer die as I do full size for all my hunting brass. It also has the bullet seater with the micrometer which I really like to get precise with bullet depth and ultimately cartridge OAL, ultimately this is the reason I chose this set.

 

[WestexSBK]

I’ve used them all. For me and my house we will use Redding Type S FL dies and Wilson in-line seaters.

 

[TauPhi111]

I have a set of Redding dies for my 260 AI, which is my long range precision gun. All my others for my hunting rifles are RCBS. My 260 handloads shoot 1/2 moa or better, but I honestly cant tell if it is the dies or the rifle (probably a little of both). The tolerances do seem much tighter than the RCBS because I've gotten a couple cases stuck using cheap lube. Redding imperial wax solved that problem.

That said, I've turned out consistent 1 MOA or better ammo on my RCBS dies. Also, RCBS customer service is second to none in my experience.

 

[Shrek]

Forster dies for the best value. Redding are nice but for that money the Whiddon dies are the nicest I’ve used. I now buy a Forster micrometer seater , Redding body bump , and a Lee collet neck die for any new rounds. That combination works the best for me.

 

[wind gypsy]

With VLD's or other long pointy bullets, just make sure you get something with a seating stem that doesn't close the ogive or damage the bullets. The only Hornady seating dies I have pressed a ring into the nose of bullets with compressed loads.

Redding and some others sell VLD seating stems to address this.

 

[Yotekiller]

I've had great luck with Forester micrometer seating dies

 

[Dos XX]

Tell whoever you get them from that you need a VLD seating stem on the seater. Without a VLD stem, you can get wonky seating depths.

Die fit can depend on what brass you run and what your chamber dimensions are. I like Whidden dies. I use them on 4 calibers currently. A phone call to them might be worth your time. They are super helpful. Redding dies would be my 2nd choice.

Do you have a reamer print or know anything about the chamber reamer dimensions?

 

[Smokenaces]

Had really good luck with Redding Type S Match Bushing.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I'm in the same boat as you and have been doing a bunch of research. Hope this helps. And it all pertains to Redding as I've heard alot of good recommendations.
Premium = reg dies with a micro seater.
Master hunter = reg sizer and a comp micro.
Type S = bushing sizer, comp seater.
Comp dies

So a comp seater is spring loaded and has a floating sleeve that fully supports and aligns the case. Same with the sizer.
A bushing sizer is an extra step to help adjust neck tension and bump..
I think the master hunter is what I'm going with as a hunter. I may do a little more research on the bushing sizer and see if I think it would be beneficial and I can actually learn to set it up.

At a minimum I think for a VLD setup get the master hunter you get the fully supported seater and the floating vld stem is cheaper. So your getting a better seater and spending the same as a lesser die that has a more expensive vld stem.

 

[granite7]

If you’re looking at the Master Hunter set, you might also consider the National Match (NM-C) set. It has the competition sizer also, but the FL die has the carbide expander button (a $30-40 add-on). It also includes a taper crimp die. Since I upgrade to the carbide expander anyway, this set basically gives me the crimp die for free. I usually don’t crimp, but I like having the option.


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[balls47]

I prefer Redding dies and Forster.

 

[Mark86]

Redding Competition dies are really good but you pay for them. I like Forster Comp dies too maybe even more than I like Redding


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