I don't doubt this has been tossed around more than a few times but if you would... I am just breaking in my 6.5 Creedmoor and just loved everything about MCMXI's thread. The range guys seemed to start disagreeing on die quality so here I am ask for help. I'd probably choose Dillon and don't really know why.
Who makes the best reloading dies?
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trentcwwilson
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I use primarily lee, but most of the guys I shoot with, all of the long range guys, treat redding like a godlike following. Bit pricy for me though.
trentcwwilson
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Good price as well.
lauderdale
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Redding is rather nice. But maybe a lil. more? Depends.
trentcwwilson
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A little more? Try 40-50 for my Lee's versus 99+ for redding. However, I will be buying redding when I get my rifle reloading squared away.
WestKentucky
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Tool steel is tool steel, it's all in design, and in reloading dies the more complex simple designs are the best. Micro adjust sizer and seater are wonderful if you are looking to squeeze every bit of accuracy out of a gun, and if you have experience to use them properly. If that's not your MO then the rest are about even no matter the name on them. I use a lot of lee, and the rest is rcbs. They both make great ammo. Lyman dies seem to have problems regularly so I avoid those. Rcbs has incredible customer service, but I have found Lee customer service to be just as good, maybe not as speedy to ship replacement parts. I have no experience with hornady, dillon, or any of the other "top tier" dies.
zb338
Member
I have all sorts of dies, and I think that accuracy wise Redding
makes the best. All steel no plating and extremely tight dimensions.
I also like the Dillon dies a lot. I like the fact that you can leave them
in the press all set up and pull a cotter pin and clean them and put
them back together again without changing your set-up.
Zeke
makes the best. All steel no plating and extremely tight dimensions.
I also like the Dillon dies a lot. I like the fact that you can leave them
in the press all set up and pull a cotter pin and clean them and put
them back together again without changing your set-up.
Zeke
RainDodger
Member
I have all kinds of dies from my father and my grandfather - some of them probably from the 1950s. They all work just fine. Some of the older ones are a bit of a pain to adjust as they have knurled lock rings instead of flats for wrenches, but that's about it. They all work about the same. As was said, tool steel is tool steel and dies are pretty simple things. When I buy new dies, I like Hornady New Dimension dies - nice quality at a good price. There's never anything wrong with RCBS either.
Patocazador
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I have had the best results with RCBS and Redding. Lyman dies have been the most troublesome.
Poper
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I have dies made by Pacific (now Hornady), Hornady, Lee, RCBS, Redding, Wilson and Lyman. All of them work well and do what they are supposed to do. With very few exceptions, they are a lifetime investment. I don't have any Dillon dies so I can't speak to them, but there are plenty of Dillon users on the board here that can tell you all about them.
My favorite is Redding. I love their bushing dies and they seem to be better finished than the others. They are a little on the pricey side, though, but like it is said: "Buy once, cry once." I have had two Lee collet dies break. It wasn't worth the postage to send them back.
If I had to rank the ones I currently own, my top three would be Redding, RCBS and Wilson. I haven't had the need to use Redding's or Wilson's customer service, but I can tell you that RCBS's customer service is second to none. I have nothing but great things to say about their lifetime warranty. No BS. If you can still read RCBS on it, they'll fix it or replace it.
JMHO, YMMV.
My favorite is Redding. I love their bushing dies and they seem to be better finished than the others. They are a little on the pricey side, though, but like it is said: "Buy once, cry once." I have had two Lee collet dies break. It wasn't worth the postage to send them back.
If I had to rank the ones I currently own, my top three would be Redding, RCBS and Wilson. I haven't had the need to use Redding's or Wilson's customer service, but I can tell you that RCBS's customer service is second to none. I have nothing but great things to say about their lifetime warranty. No BS. If you can still read RCBS on it, they'll fix it or replace it.
JMHO, YMMV.
trentcwwilson
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I've heard a lot of lyman products aren't the best. Make a good manual though.
nettlle
Contributing Member
Hard to beat a Lyman M die.
Poper
Member
His is true. Once upon a time, many, many moons ago, Lyman was up at the top of the heap with RCBS and others in their warranty and customer service. No more tho. Their Lifetime Warrant went bye-bye due to the bean counters. Last time I tried their customer service (for an issue with an at-the-time-brand-new Acculine Trimmer), I came away swearing I would never buy anything with the name Lyman on it ever again. The person I dealt with was rude and unhelpful. Since then, the only thing I have bought with the Lyman name on it is the Lyman 48th Manual & Lyman 49th Manual.
Too many better companies out there to have to put up with nonsense.
trentcwwilson
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And at the end of the day, who's paying their bills? Granted, some companies seem like they gouge like dillon and redding, but you get what you pay for. Dillon doing warranty work on a discontinued press? That's unheard of today.
Six of One?
I have dies from RCBS, Lee, Hornaday and Lyman. They all do an adequate job of squeezing and then stretching brass tubing into proper dimensions and that's what you buy a set of dies to do. Each manufacturer adds their own features to make their products distinctive and that may make the products of one manufacturer more suitable for a particular user than another, but I don't think there's any way to objectively say that across the broad range of calibers any one manufacturer makes the "best" product.
I have dies from RCBS, Lee, Hornaday and Lyman. They all do an adequate job of squeezing and then stretching brass tubing into proper dimensions and that's what you buy a set of dies to do. Each manufacturer adds their own features to make their products distinctive and that may make the products of one manufacturer more suitable for a particular user than another, but I don't think there's any way to objectively say that across the broad range of calibers any one manufacturer makes the "best" product.
Txhillbilly
Member
80% of my dies are Lee,but I use Hornady and Redding bushing dies for all my long range/precision type reloading needs.
salpal48
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I have a wide variety of Dies, all companies old and New. It is Not the die That make Good Loaded ammo. It is The skill of The Hanloader.
Cheesemaker
Member
Didn't read all the posts since you were asking opinions.....
I have Lee, RCBS, Hornady and Redding - all work well. I don't feel the need to replace one brand with another.
I do like the Redding seater die with the micrometer adjustments.
I have Lee, RCBS, Hornady and Redding - all work well. I don't feel the need to replace one brand with another.
I do like the Redding seater die with the micrometer adjustments.
THEWELSHM
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I use Hornady and Lee both work great
Thewelshm
Thewelshm
JimKirk
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I believe that Forster dies are right up there with Redding ... seems very few folks have even heard of them much less used them ...
LiveLife
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Like C-H dies, presses and powder measures - https://www.ch4d.com/products/dies/caliber-list?page=1
FROGO207
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I have dies from many companies. Some are out of business now. I like Lee and RCBS the best but all my different brands of dies will make serviceable ammo in my experience. I go for lower cost most often. I doubt that the average reloader could tell the difference between which brand of dies makes the best ammo just by shooting the same round prepared in different die sets. Shooting out to 1000+ YDS, then there might be a measurable difference but I don't do that.
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