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  #1  
Old 01-10-2010, 02:41 PM
Bad Wolf Bad Wolf is offline
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Default Different manufacturer's reloading dies

Hi,
I reload .17 Rem Fireball, for a factory Rem 7 rifle, and have been using a Redding neck sizer, seater and body die. However I also have a set of RCBS dies and am thinking of giving them a try.

I've done some measurements on the neck dies and both have the same expander ball diameters. Also, my test ammo' has the same neck runout of 1 to 2 thou.

I'm just wondering whether I should segregate the ammo' made with the RCBS dies and do some test firing to check for POI shift and grouping - which I have not done because it's blizzard conditions outside.

So, I'd like to know whether anyone has experienced variations in POI shift/grouping by swopping manufacturer's dies ? This is not BR related, just factory rifle shooting out to about 250 yards.
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  #2  
Old 01-10-2010, 03:43 PM
montdoug montdoug is offline
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I've seen dies on occasion that weren't straight from several different manufacturers but if the die'll true up on your press IMO most of it is just personal preference as to how the dies function compared to each other. I use to be a serious Redding guy but of late my first pick is Hornady and I wish a lot of my little green die boxes back there were Hornady Red instead.
I shouldn't think what I'm talking about would effect your situation.
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  #3  
Old 01-10-2010, 05:16 PM
Larry in VA Larry in VA is offline
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I believe Doug is on the money!
Baring you didn’t buy a bad die you aren’t going to see any difference on paper, especially with a factory stock rifle.
I have Lee, RCBS & Redding 223Rem dies and shot ammo made with all three in my most accurate factory rifle (Rem 700 VSSF) and can’t tell a hoots difference between them.
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  #4  
Old 01-10-2010, 07:28 PM
Bad Wolf Bad Wolf is offline
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Thank you. As a newbie reloader it's always reassuring to get confirmation from the knowledgeable folk on this site - before making any change to my, admittedly basic, reloading procedure.
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  #5  
Old 01-10-2010, 07:35 PM
montdoug montdoug is offline
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Everyone was a newbie reloader at some point Bad Wolf, the smart ones ask questions .
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  #6  
Old 01-11-2010, 03:19 AM
king canis king canis is offline
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all i have to say about rcbs 17 fireball dies is that mine were crap. the bullet seating insert was not properly chamfered and would catch the tips of my hollow points and sheer the side of my bullet off. a carbide bur was used to "fix" the factory error and worked fine after. just not something you should have to do to a new die. had some neck runout problems with an rcbs neck die for the 204 ruger too. sloppy fit in the press too. i remember when they were a top notch product, what happened? my last 3 sets of dies have been redding or wilson. i don't know if i ever want rcbs again.
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  #7  
Old 01-11-2010, 07:37 AM
Bad Wolf Bad Wolf is offline
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I've found the same problem with the RCBS seater die plug - which really marks the ogive of my Berger 25 grain HP. So, I've used 400 grit paper to smooth out the interior of the plug. Also, the neck sizer die expander ball is very rough, with machining lines clearly visible around the face and edges of the ball. So, again, I've had to use 400 grit paper to smooth out the leading and trailing edges of the ball.
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  #8  
Old 01-13-2010, 02:32 AM
king canis king canis is offline
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this is why the extra $10 for redding dies is worth it. the fit with a lot less slop in the press too.
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  #9  
Old 01-13-2010, 11:31 PM
glennlasher glennlasher is offline
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When I first bought my CZ Fireball, all I could find locally were Lee dies, and they worked fine. Later, I stumbled across some old RCBS dies, '60s vintage, that I picked up for cheap. They turned out to be crap in steel, barely touching the cases, and didn't seat for squat.
I went back to the Lee dies immediately. Seems odd to type that, but Lee DOES make some excellent dies. I prefer their dies when loading pistol ammo, in truth, and every die set for rifles that I've bought delivered great ammo, too.

Most of their stuff (Lee) I wouldn't give a nickel for, especially the "Auto Prime II" press- mounted primer doohickey, but I can't complain about the dies.
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