Forster dies

[Pardini Fan]

The salesman at the gun store told me that Forster dies were the best dies available for the money.

I bought 308 full length sizer, 308 neck sizer, and seating dies.
I have found that the decapping pins break and the decapping assembly
bends alot.

I am using an RCBS 2000 as a single stage press. Is anyone else have problems with Forster dies?

Any recommendations for different dies. I have made sure my shell plate is tight and the dies have been adjusted appropriately.

Thanks,
Lester

 

[taliv]

i'm very fond of forster dies. the 308 ones i have make OUTSTANDING ammo.

however, their decapping pins suck the big one. i use a lee decapping die. it's just a few bucks, and i don't worry about it now. never bent/broken the lee one

 

[hunt127588]

Wouldn't trade mine for any other brand of die.

 

[callgood]

Assuming you aren't trying to decap berdan primed (military) brass, the Lee Universal Decapper is (very little) money well spent. I've decapped thousands of rounds without a hiccough. I did get a spare decapping pin, so I'll probably never need it.

 

[Car Knocker]

I have found that the decapping pins break and the decapping assembly bends alot.

Does this mean that you've had to straighten the stem or replace them?

Are you decapping crimped Boxer primed military ammo?

What brand brass are you decapping?

When you bend a stem or break a pin, is there evidence in the inside of the web that the pin did not hit the flash hole squarely?

Have you checked your press to ensure that the shellplate is indexing properly and the shellplate is not moving during operation?

Do you have the same problem with other brand dies and/or calibers?

 

[Clark]

The benchrest guys go slowly with Wilson dies.

I am the deer hunter - varmninter type, and I prefer to go quickly with Forster dies.

The old Bonanza sliding sleeve patent has expired on Forster, and so now Redding, Hornady, and RCBS can make high end seater dies, but Forster is still the best for the money. Redding is the most competitive with easier to read numbers, but more expensive.

As much as I like my 5 ot 10 sets of Forster dies, cheap RCBS dies will often load ammo more accurate than my own shooting ability. Just take the expander ball out to size and seat with a partial stroke, rotate, partial stroke, rotate, complete stroke.

 

[langenc]

Have all RCBS up until I got tired fiddling w/ 223 seater die. Then I bought a Micro seater (Forster). Too bad RCBS dont use fine threads on the seater stem like they do on the decapper stem.

 

[Pardini Fan]

Does this mean that you've had to straighten the stem or replace them?

Are you decapping crimped Boxer primed military ammo?

What brand brass are you decapping?

When you bend a stem or break a pin, is there evidence in the inside of the web that the pin did not hit the flash hole squarely?

Have you checked your press to ensure that the shellplate is indexing properly and the shellplate is not moving during operation?

Do you have the same problem with other brand dies and/or calibers?

I have had to replace the stem. I am using Lapua brass and Whichester.
There is no evidence in the flash hole that I am hitting the side.

My press is indexing correctly. I tightened the shell plate also

I have no problems with pistol dies. I have ordered RCBS dies to try in 308.

Thanks.
Lester

 

[Ol` Joe]

Hmmm.
I`ve 2 sets of Forsters dies and haven`t had a problem to date. On mine it appears the expander ball should be entering the case mouth about the same time the pin hits the primer keeping the stem alined with the flash hole. (The Forster expander is mounted at the top of the stem not the bottom.) Aside of off center flash holes or crimped primers I don`t know what is giveing you trouble. I wonder if maybe the taper of the expander isn`t concentric to the stem on your die, pushing it out of alinement....... The stem does "float" or maybe the wider base of the pin where it screws on the stem is too low, makeing contact?
Hmm. Just don`t know, sorry.

 

[temmi]

I have Forster dies and RCBS dies... I believe Forster dies are the best (most accurate)... but I have sent my Sizer Die back once for a broken decapping pins... and now it is broken again. When I sent it back to them they ask me to send some brass and they would adjust the die so it would not happen again... still it did. I have had had this problem with my 30-06 only… not my 338WM… and I load them both in the same volume…

So now I decap with RCBS and resize & seat with Forster dies.

 

[Clark]

I love the Forster seater dies, but a couple have had the same problem:
The bullet gets a ring from the seater stem.
Under a microscope, I can see that the stem has been de burred, but the de-burr has itself, made a tiny burr. If the bullet shape is not right for the seater, then the burr can dig into the bullet.

The fix for this is to spin the stem and de burr the deburr with fine sand paper.

 

[Pardini Fan]

Thanks for all the replies

I am glad that I am not the only one with some problems with Forster dies.

For the most part I like them but I don't think they are the best of the best. Even the best of the best have problems.

Lester

 

[taliv]

clark, i think the instructions even mention the ring around the bullet and say it's cosmetic only.




you don't think they're the best of the best, but even the best of the best have problems?

 

[moonzapa]

No Problems with Forster Dies...

I've been using Forster Dies forever. I have them in every caliber I shoot except for 22 Hornet and 7.62X39 Russian. I've never run into any difficulties and haven't broken or bent any decapping pins. Interesting though. I guess that during production something may have gone south...Just my 2 cents.

 

[taliv]

moonzapa, please note the date on the thread before replying.

 

[moosehunt]

What difference does the date make? Still a good reply--besides, time is pretty immaterial to him--he been loading, at least with Forster Dies, forever. That's a long time! A few years is meaningless in that time frame!

 

[taliv]

potentially a big difference. products and people's opinions of them change over time. there are lots of products out there that i would have recommended two years ago but not today, and vice versa.

also, do you really think the OP hasn't made his purchasing decision about the reloading die almost 3 years later?

 

[Walkalong]

Well, if he is still thinking about it, tell him Forster dies are good to go.