Need Die recomandations

[Guest]

HAving a custom rig built by Chris Matthews. Excited to no end.

While waiting for this beast. I'm looking to do some loading case prep etc. The Cal. will be 6.5-284. What dies does everyone recomend.
As far as Brass I'm thinking Lapua. Do I want to F/L resize these first then neck size after first firing.

Looking to load the Sierra 142 HPBT Match Kings

Thanks in advance

Joe

 

[270bdl]

I just got a set of Forster bench rest dies for my 7 mmsaum for Christmas. They look really good. My Dad has used this brand of dies in his 22-250 for years, and he says he would'nt use anything else.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I just had a 6.5x284 (tight neck) built myself. I have several sets of Redding Comp bushing dies and am very pleased with the quality of the dies and the ammo they produce.

I much prefer bushing dies over any type of sizing die that uses an expander to ball pull the neck back out to the proper diameter. Expander balls are a great way to diminish concentricity or otherwise ruin cases, IMO. The Redding Comp set comes with a body die in case you "periodically" need to reduce overall body diminisions for easier chambering. If loads are made to reasonable levels this won't be needed too often.

Some guys prefer sizing dies that fully resize but still only use a bushing to size the necks, thus avoiding the use of an expander ball. I haven't used them myself, so I can't comment on these.

6.5x284 brass is available from Lapua, Norma and Hornady. Since I have had very good results with Lapua brass in several other cartridges, I bought a few hundred to get started with.

Good shootin' - VH

 

[goodgrouper]

I agree with Varmint Hunter.
My 6.5-.284 Redding competition Seater and bushing die produce ammo with .001" runout or less. Very good stuff. It is what Sinclair recommends when you ask them too.

Most likely, if your reamer was made for Lapua or Norma brass, then you can just run them into a neck sizer or over a neck turning mandrel just to make sure they have consistent neck tension. Running them over the mandrel is very easy, and you will have to do it anyway if your gun is a tight neck. You shouldn't have to FL size them at first unless the reamer was made for .284 Winchester brass.

Good shooting!

 

[Jimm]

oops! ihave rcbs dies with expander ball.will the redding dies work in a rockchucker press?, or should i stat looking for a better rig for loading.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

No problem using Redding dies in your Rockchucker. Nearly all dies are threaded the same. Not all - just most. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

VH

 

[Guest]

Thanks a million guys

Time to start ordering dies

Joe

 

[Jimm]

where is a good source for redding competition dies ? does rcbs offer such dies? what do the bench rest guys use predominately? so many questions , so little time, thanks jimm

 

[7ultra]

I got my redding competition dies through midway, however the last time I bought reloading supplies for the 6.5, they were out of stock for a few Items. One thing you might want to check into for a seating die are Z-hat custom seaters. They are very user friendly, and can accomodate any caliber/cartridge from 22 to 7mm. I've used this seater exclusively with my 6.5-284 and have gotten plenty of sub 1/4 inch groups.

 

[goodgrouper]

Sinclair intl. or Midway are great outfits to buy from.
www.sinclairintl.com
www.midwayusa.com

RCBS dies are good, but no competition dies are available.

100/200 yard benchrest comps use mainly hand dies by Wilson. 1000 yard comps use a variety of stuff, but mainly use Redding or custom dies.

Hope this helps. --goodgrouper

 

[royinidaho]

Ok guys, now I'm confused......
Geez, I up grade to a Lilja bbl, and have it installed by a knowledgeable smith, it now out shoots any factory 40X and a couple of custom BR rifles I had years ago. Then, there's the better scope (Mil-Dot) for reaching out, then the LRF for knowing how far I'm reaching out (640 yds - so far), then the better spotting scope, now it looks like Competition dies.......

I went to the sinclair link and looked at the dies. They sure are different than the 40 yr-old Lachmiller's I'm using . /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

What's this bushing idea? I am shooting a 270 Win. It's a factory chamber, no tight neck, maker doesn't go there in that cal. Would a competition seater make any difference?

Also, I sort brass by weight, turn necks just enough to get uniformity. Some days groups are in the 1s, just a few, some days groups are in the 2s a few more days, most days groups are in the 5s and 6s. Its the days that one shot makes it a 7 or 8 that I'm looking for something to blame it on.

 

[goodgrouper]

Roy in Id,
I know what you mean about the never ending list of stuff that just seems to upgrade every year. I need a semi-trailer now just to haul my stuff around on rock chuck trips!

The idea of bushings is nothing complicated. It is just a way of controling the neck tension or bullet grip of the case. It also makes your cases last longer because you are controlling how much work hardening your brass is undergoing. As far as the comp seater goes, they are awesome. They have a floating sleeve that supports the entire case while the bullet is being seated, thus maintaining bullet/case runout. Normal seaters can ruin concentricity sometimes.
I would venture to guess that your mystery accuracy from day to day could be caused by many things, but bullet grip tension could be one possibility. It could also be temp changes affecting pressures. Your going to have to run a process of elimination until you find the problem.
good shooting!

 

[Jimm]

goodgrouper, the redding bushing dies,how do you use them ?same as rcbs? do you full length size or neck only?sorry but since i know so little i have to ask a lot. thanks ,jimm

 

[goodgrouper]

The Redding bushing dies have a countersunk hole in the top of the die that you access by removing the decapping stem. You then just drop the right size bushing into the hole, and screw the decapping stem back into the die body. You figure the size of the bushing by measuring the loaded round, and then subtract the amount you want for bullet grip.
Example: Your loaded round measures .251" diameter on the neck, and you want .001" bullet grip (which is what I've found to be the most accurate most of the time) then you buy a .250 bushing. If you are ramming your ammo hard from the magazine into the chamber, you would probably want .002-.003" bullet grip so you would get a .248" or .249" bushing.

I always neck size until my ammo won't fit in the chamber anymore, then I just slightly bump the shoulder back about .001" with a body die. I very rarely use FL dies. I have found that they have a tendancy to make your loaded ammo somewhat out of round. Redding makes bushing neck dies, competition neck bushing dies, competition bushing FL dies, body (bump) dies, regular FL dies, and regular neck dies. Basically, anything that says competition on it has a micrometer on top and a floating sleeve. This is ideal, but I have loaded ammo with no runout using just the standard "S" bushing dies and a comp seater.

It might get confusing with the names of all these dies, but if you get lost, just look at www.reddingreloading.com, or leave another post! The only dumb question is the one not asked! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif