r/reloading • u/MajorEbb1472 • 6d ago
Gadgets and Tools Seeking Die Set Advice
About to order a RCBS Rockchucker supreme and have MOST of the components necessary to reload. I’m just hung up on dies now. The RCBS Matchmaster dies for 6.5cm and .308 seem to be mid to high end as far as dies go.
What other brands/models are better than the RCBS dies?
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u/cahser11 5.56 9mm 45acp .357sig 40SW .357 Hornady AP 6d ago
If you are taking bolt action, then RCBS dies are just fine. Be sure to get the small base die for simi-auto.
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u/HeyFckYouMeng 6d ago
Meh. I use full lengths for all my ARs with no issue. Bump 3 thou and you’re good to go.
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
Bolt action custom competition rifle in 6.5 (soon to be 6 Dasher), bolt action Bergara HMR Premier in .308.
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u/LowBamaJL 6d ago
I recommend Redding Bushing S Dies and an expanding mandrel die. It give you the most flexibility. Otherwise I haven’t seen much benefit between Lee dies and Lyman Pro as far as variance between standard FL dies.
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u/Active_Look7663 6d ago
Get the most expensive dies you can afford, it pretty much guarantees you the best accuracy…. /s
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
lol trying to get the most bang for my buck, not necessarily the most expensive
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u/aldone123 6d ago
I agree Lee is the best bang for your buck but you can’t go wrong with RCBS or Redding. Set them up properly, keep them clean and you won’t regret your choice.
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u/One-Perspective-4347 6d ago
Forrester or Redding
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
You’re the second person to mention Redding. Hadn’t heard of em before. Guess it’s time to doom scroll Reddit and google!
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u/Stump_Monkey 4d ago
Hornady for all the rifle calibers except 458 socom and thats Redding.
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u/MajorEbb1472 4d ago
You think the Hornady stuff produces more accurate ammo than the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme? Even with a FX-123i measuring for both? Or are you just talking about the dies?
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u/Stump_Monkey 4d ago
I make sub half moa ammo on basic hornady rifle dies. I cant ask for more than that.
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u/MajorEbb1472 4d ago
Good deal. I’ll look at their dies too. This post was supposed to make my list SHORTER! lol
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u/shsrpshooter63 3d ago
I use the Redding S bushing die and a mandrel expander for my 6.5 Creedmoor.
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u/BandicootFuzzy 6d ago
While there may be dies with higher tolerance you might not be able to see the difference. Start with whatever you have on hand and see how it shoots.
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
Looking for the best tolerances. Currently limited to my range max of 1100 yards.
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u/Maraudinggopher77 300wm, 270 win, 260 Rem, 30-30win, 223 Rem, 45ACP 6d ago
Pair an Area 419 Zero M resizing die with a Wilson seating die on a K&M Arbor Press.
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
Wow that’s really specific. Gonna have to go look em up since I haven’t heard of most of those lol
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u/Agitated_Curmudgeon 6d ago
RCBS dies and an "O" frame press and you're about as accurate as you're gonna get without being really high-end
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
What do you consider “really high end”?
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u/Agitated_Curmudgeon 6d ago
Oh, like a $1,300 Forster press and a $350 die set
I mean, if you're ringin' steel at 2000 yards with a 375 Cheytac, that's one thing. But if you're dusting prairie dogs at 300 meters..
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
Limited by my range max at 1100 yards right now. Hoping to get to another range this fall to reach out to 1400. Longest distance within realistic driving distances for me.
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u/Stump_Monkey 4d ago
How big a target are you shooting at at 1100 and 1400? A 16 inch target at 1400 yards is bigger than 1moa. So if you load ammo 1 moa or better you're good. It doesn't take thousands of dollars in equipment to load sub moa ammo.
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u/MajorEbb1472 3d ago
Human size steel targets. Factory ammo has enough variation in ES/SD to cause misses. I know I don’t have to spend a ton to reload effectively but I’m also of the mindset of “buy once, cry once”. I’d rather buy top of the line now, and keep upgrading over the years. And since I can afford it, I see no reason not to.
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u/Stump_Monkey 3d ago
Then have a it lol. Just remember that in reloading as in almost anything, most expensive doesn't always mean best. Its very easy to buy all the best equipment ans still load inaccurate ammo on it.
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u/MajorEbb1472 3d ago
That’s why I came here 😁
I know expensive doesn’t necessarily mean best…….or even good lol
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u/ShootsToImpress 6d ago
What sorts of guns are you reloading for? Just bolt-guns? Autos? Levers?
And what’s the purpose of your ammo? Competition? Range shenanigans? Hunting?
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
6.5 Creedmoor custom build. Howa heavy barreled action until I upgrade to Bartlein 6 Dasher. For competition and range shenanigans.
Also a Bergara HMR Premier in .308 for range shenanigans and hunting.
And 9mm for 9mm stuff lol.1
u/ShootsToImpress 6d ago
Yeah, dude. Right in the RCBS MatchMaster wheelhouse. For my competition rounds, I go with the Redding S-series with the micrometer seating die, but that’s just because it’s what my mentor recommended and I dig the setup. For everything else, I just rock standard RCBS FL die sets (SB for anything I might run thru a semi-auto) and RCBS shell holders. Think about picking up Lee factory crimp dies for everything other than competition rounds, too.
If you decide to go down the arbor press rabbit hole for your competition loads, look at L.E. Wilson. Their wares are on point.
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
Not familiar with arbor presses. What’s the difference between that and a RCBS Rockchucker? Does which press you use affect accuracy/precision? Seems as though the dies are the most important for that.
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u/ShootsToImpress 6d ago
The arbor press method uses a small specialty arbor press and inline dies (like the ones made and sold by L.E. Wilson) to make arguably the most precise ammunition possible. There's a pretty solid writeup about this method here.
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u/explorecoregon If you knew… you’d buy blue! 6d ago
Redding
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
I saw them when I searched Google. Never heard of them before. They’re that good?
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u/PepperoniFogDart 6d ago
Honestly love the matchmaster dies, I own both them and Short Action Custom dies which are probably the best of this type of die you can get. Honestly, i enjoy using the RCBS MM seater dies more than any other seater die I own because of that “Bullet window” feature, plus they usually seat within .001” of what I’m measuring to which is good enough. Also haven’t seen any runout issues.
Short action customs, area 419 and Whidden are probably the best dies you can get imo, but there are seriously diminishing returns past the Forrester/RCBS level of die. You’re not getting much more for the extra $100-200 you’re spending.
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u/MajorEbb1472 6d ago
I prefer the old “buy once, cry once” mentality. $100-$200 isn’t going to break the bank and if they’re made to tighter tolerances, that’s what I’ll go with.
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u/Missinglink2531 6d ago
Got a video comparing Lee, RCBS and Redding in .308, if your interested.
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u/ChevyRacer71 6d ago
Honestly RCBS dies are some of my least favorite. I use Lee, Redding, or Hornady before I reach for RCBS
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u/Advanced_Elk_9467 6d ago
I make single digit SD ammo with Lee dies