which dies

[Mongrel]

Ok so ive been into shooting for around a few months and now its time i look into reloading.
Im gonna get the LEE BREECH LOCK CHALLENGER KIT. From youtube it looks like it will do the job fine.
So my question is, which dies do i get?
the 4 die set from lee( i only want to neck size) so im not sure on these
or better of just getting the dies i need or are there better brands to use?

TIA Mongrel


p.s. forgot to mention its for my 308

[bladeracer]

Ok so ive been into shooting for around a few months and now its time i look into reloading.
Im gonna get the LEE BREECH LOCK CHALLENGER KIT. From youtube it looks like it will do the job fine.
So my question is, which dies do i get?
the 4 die set from lee( i only want to neck size) so im not sure on these
or better of just getting the dies i need or are there better brands to use?

TIA Mongrel


p.s. forgot to mention its for my 308

I've got the Challenger Breech Lock Press, brilliant bit of kit.
Lee Collet Dies, only sizes the necks, no lube required, terrific case life.
Eventually you might want to get a full-length die if your cases stretch due to hot loads.
Get the Lee Quick-Trim Die as well, trims your cases to length in seconds.

[Mongrel]

Ok so ive been into shooting for around a few months and now its time i look into reloading.
Im gonna get the LEE BREECH LOCK CHALLENGER KIT. From youtube it looks like it will do the job fine.
So my question is, which dies do i get?
the 4 die set from lee( i only want to neck size) so im not sure on these
or better of just getting the dies i need or are there better brands to use?

TIA Mongrel


p.s. forgot to mention its for my 308

I've got the Challenger Breech Lock Press, brilliant bit of kit.
Lee Collet Dies, only sizes the necks, no lube required, terrific case life.
Eventually you might want to get a full-length die if your cases stretch due to hot loads.
Get the Lee Quick-Trim Die as well, trims your cases to length in seconds.

Thanks Blade...great news the challenger kit is good
I just looked online at my LGS website and couldnt find Lee collet die sets?
They have a few dif varities of dies but atm its all mumbo jumbo to me lol

[Supaduke]

Collet dies are good, I have a few. Keep an eye out for a yellow case. I have personally found all the reputable die brands to be same same. Redding, RCBS, Lee, Hornady all seem ,to me , to make good accurate ammo.

[Mongrel]

After doing some googling, the 4 set dies from LEE http://leeprecision.com/308-win-ultimate-die-set.html
do come with a collet die aswel as a full length one. its $96 so that might be the way to go.
plus a couple of breech lock things so i dont have to adjust all the time.

[Gamerancher]

G'day Mongrel
That kit has everything you'll need to get started in reloading. Yes you can buy better reloading gear but for what you want that kit is more than adequate and cannot be beaten regards value for money. Get the Lee 4 die set and you're good to go. See if they will throw in the latest ADI reloading book for you. Start with conservative loads and work up. Maximum loads are just that-MAXIMUM. You'll find best accuracy is usually achieved well before then anyway.

[Mongrel]

G'day Mongrel
That kit has everything you'll need to get started in reloading. Yes you can buy better reloading gear but for what you want that kit is more than adequate and cannot be beaten fro value for money. Get the Lee 4 die set and you're good to go. See if they will throw in the latest ADI reloading book for you. Start with conservative loads and work up. Maximum loads are just that-MAXIMUM. You'll find best accuracy is usually achieve well before then anyway.

Cheers game

Alright looks like I'm set for gear, next is a reloading book and the appropriate components(powder,primers and projectiles)

Can't wait

[bladeracer]

Thanks Blade...great news the challenger kit is good
I just looked online at my LGS website and couldnt find Lee collet die sets?
They have a few dif varities of dies but atm its all mumbo jumbo to me lol

I had to order my .303 dies from the US of all places.
Cheaper but takes a few days longer than ordering from within Oz.

[bladeracer]

After doing some googling, the 4 set dies from LEE http://leeprecision.com/308-win-ultimate-die-set.html
do come with a collet die aswel as a full length one. its $96 so that might be the way to go.
plus a couple of breech lock things so i dont have to adjust all the time.

Definitely get the Eliminator Rings, I've got $400 worth of those already!

[Wm.Traynor]

Regarding that kit, does he really need a crimp die? If it was omitted and the parts bought separately, would not the price be lower?

[bladeracer]

See if they will throw in the latest ADI reloading book for you. Start with conservative loads and work up. Maximum loads are just that-MAXIMUM. You'll find best accuracy is usually achieve well before then anyway.

Maximum loads are only maximum recommended loads in a specific firearm under specific conditions. In your firearm, with your components it may be too hot or fall well short of maximum.
The maximum load is determined during your load development.
But yes, generally accuracy is best somewhere short of maximum pressures, but not always.
But any time you are working on the hot side _always_ pay particular attention to what you are doing. Minor things that have no significant effect in lighter loads can very quickly cause problems in hot loads. Changing to a softer primer cup, forgetting to trim a case, over-seating a bullet or using a different bullet for example.

[bladeracer]

Regarding that kit, does he really need a crimp die? If it was omitted and the parts bought separately, would not the price be lower?

I buy the crimp dies separately just in case I ever want to try crimping but I've never used them. Very easy to mix-up with the QuickTrim dies so really the crimp die is just a pain in the arse

[Gamerancher]

Considering he is only a new shooter and it will be his first foray into reloading, I was trying to steer him towards the conservative end. I've seen plenty of fella's get caught out trying to start at the maximum end of load data.

[bladeracer]

Considering he is only a new shooter and it will be his first foray into reloading, I was trying to steer him towards the conservative end. I've seen plenty of fella's get caught out trying to start at the maximum end of load data.

I figured that was the case, but I hate seeing people restricting their load development based on somebody else's arbitrary safety limit

I learned on my Remington 788 in .222 and I think the rear-locking action has an "advantage" for a newbie reloader. The brass stretches much more easily than a front-locking action. As the bolt gets progressively harder to open you get a really good feel for how close you're pushing toward maximum loads.

[Mongrel]

Thanks everyone,
Im heading to my LGS on thursday to get some ammo for my 22, as im heading to NSW for 4 days camping/shooting
so i might pick up the kit then and i can start setting up in the next week or so.
I will be starting on the low side and working my way up slowly, Better safe than sorry they say...

[Sender]

I have personally found all the reputable die brands to be same same. Redding, RCBS, Lee, Hornady all seem ,to me , to make good accurate ammo.

Ditto really.

[deadkitty]

I bought the same kit from Midway via ebay, just added the collet die this week, but the standard Lee die set has been giving me good results ....for a novice reloader like myself.... I did improve groups by using the crimping die....still aiming for a load that gives me the almost mythical one ragged hole though. .223 Savage 50gr Vmax, best powder so far is 2206H

[Bills Shed]

I bought the same kit from Midway via ebay, just added the collet die this week, but the standard Lee die set has been giving me good results ....for a novice reloader like myself.... I did improve groups by using the crimping die....still aiming for a load that gives me the almost mythical one ragged hole though. .223 Savage 50gr Vmax, best powder so far is 2206H

Please do not to wrapped around the axles about trying to get a group with all holes touching. Reality will bite and you can spend a lot of time and money trying to achieve something you do not need. Think about what you really are going to use the rifle for. If you are a paper punching then tight groups look impressive but if you are trying to put a hole in a foxes chest, it will not care where the next four shots go. It is the first one that counts. MOA is usually more than good enough for hunting purposes.

Bill

[Gamerancher]

Well said Bill, I've seen blokes trying to get a "cheap" hunting rifle to shoot miracle one hole groups. Once in a while they almost fluke one, most of the time they don't.
The benchrest boys spend upwards of $5-6k on a rifle, over a grand on rests and then many years/shots learning how to load, tune and read wind to shoot tiny groups.
Anything around an inch @ 100m is more than adequate for hunting purposes.

[Mongrel]

Well said guys
And yes mine is a hunting rifle and im doing this mainly to keep the cost of shooting down with the bonus of getting better grps and i enjoy working with my hands.
Id be the happiest guy at the range if i can get around 1" at 100m grps

[deadkitty]

Bill, yep you're right of course, but I really enjoy reloading in between shooting the odd dog, fox and cat, A guy needs a hobby....other than shooting fishing and chasing the missus around the house.....

[Bills Shed]

Bill, yep you're right of course, but I really enjoy reloading in between shooting the odd dog, fox and cat, A guy needs a hobby....other than shooting fishing and chasing the missus around the house.....

Totally agree, somewhere along the line I got into swaging, maybe because the wife had a big stick! Reload, shoot and be merry.

Bill

[wanneroo]

I find with Lee that some of their stuff is great and good value for the money and some is not so great. I still use their dies for 9mm and 45 ACP. RCBS is ok but I find their dies fiddly to adjust and have started migrating over to Forster and Redding dies for rifle and I am much happier. Forster and Redding cost more but are easy to adjust and seem to have that extra bit of precision and quality of the materials

[brett1868]

+1 for Redding dies, especially their premium range. I use genuine Dillon dies in the XL650 press and find them head and shoulders above the rest for pistol cases. General rifle reloading I use RCBS because they a generally more available and easier to find compared to some others.

[bladeracer]

I find with Lee that some of their stuff is great and good value for the money and some is not so great. I still use their dies for 9mm and 45 ACP. RCBS is ok but I find their dies fiddly to adjust and have started migrating over to Forster and Redding dies for rifle and I am much happier. Forster and Redding cost more but are easy to adjust and seem to have that extra bit of precision and quality of the materials

Does anybody other than Lee do collet neck dies though?
The collet dies are a huge step forward in my opinion, no more lube and minimal working of your brass.

What are you adjusting other than bullet seating depth?
On Lee dies that only requires turning the big knob on top of the die, no lock nut required. Couldn't be any easier.
Thread pitch is 1.5mm so one full turn is 1.5mm or 0.060".

$60 for both of those dies and a shell holder is an absolute steal in my opinion.

[deadkitty]

Well said Bill, I've seen blokes trying to get a "cheap" hunting rifle to shoot miracle one hole groups. Once in a while they almost fluke one, most of the time they don't.
The benchrest boys spend upwards of $5-6k on a rifle, over a grand on rests and then many years/shots learning how to load, tune and read wind to shoot tiny groups.
Anything around an inch @ 100m is more than adequate for hunting purposes.

Yeah and I've seen blokes spend a motza on a fancy gun who can't shoot for s**t...... here's what the basic Lee kit can do with a novice reloader behind it...before I try the new collett die

[Mongrel]

Nice groups there kitty
Was that at 100m?

[bigfellascott]

Buy yourself a copy of Nick Harveys Reloading Manual, lots of great info there to help you get going and all the local powder brands and load data to suit.

[bladeracer]

Buy yourself a copy of Nick Harveys Reloading Manual, lots of great info there to help you get going and all the local powder brands and load data to suit.

When I started loading I used to write actual letters to Nick asking about loads for whatever I was trying to do and a couple weeks later I'd get a reply back in the post with things to try, awesome bloke!

[Gamerancher]

Not knocking the Lee gear. I will usually recommend the Lee Kit to any newby starting off in reloading. That's what I use myself. Lee press, various brands of dies including Lee, Lee powder thrower. I reload for 23 or more calibres, both competition rifles and hunting, and have been reloading for over 30 years. I don't see a need to change brands. I get more than enough accuracy with the Lee gear. When I miss it ain't because of dodgy reloads, its always the "nut loose on the trigger". Yes there are "better" brands but value for money, I reckon it's hard to beat.
These groups were shot @ 100m while running in my latest build, 6.5 Creedmoor on a Model 70 Winchester action. Loaded using LEE DIES. After bore sighting, first shot went low(see bottom rhs) adjusted up and got on with it. They are 1/2 inch circles. She looks like she might shoot.
I'll be using it this week-end at the Silhouette Nationals in Canberra. Anyone interested in coming along?