What's so great about Redding dies?

Which dies have the best "value"?

  • Redding Dies

    Votes: 5 8.3%

  • Redding Micrometer Dies

    Votes: 13 21.7%

  • Hornady Dies

    Votes: 3 5.0%

  • Lee Dies

    Votes: 25 41.7%

  • RCBS Dies

    Votes: 14 23.3%
  • Total voters
    60
  • Poll closed .
S

Sequins

New member
Hello friends,

I'm just getting into reloading and I firmly subscribe to the "buy once, cry once" school of thought. To that end I've been researching what gear to get started with carefully and I've decided I'm going to get a Forster Co-Ax press and 'the best dies available' to go with it.

I'm going to be reloading magnum pistol calibers (.357 and .44) and in researching reloading and dies it's really hard to find a consensus on "best", but Redding, Dillon, and RCBS come out as the clearest winners one can determine for pistol calibers. Redding however stands out from both Dillon and RCBS by offering extremely highly priced "Micrometer adjustment" stemmed dies (I've seen both seating and crimping micrometer dies)- Those stems look totally awesome but as a novice I have no idea towards their efficacy...

Are the Redding dies really that great? Is the Micrometer adjustment fantastic or just a dumb gimmick? I've got the cash to burn if they're really that great but I'm skeptical considering the cost. If they're really a materiel advantage I'll gladly get them but I don't want to be made a fool of and buy a $200 die set that's no better than standard.

What say you? Are those Redding dies with the micrometer stems worth it or should I get "regular" dies?
 
Don't forget that Forster sells dies as well.

RCBS has never disappointed me. Lee has disappointed me once. Lyman has done nothing but disappoint me. I have no Redding or Hornady dies, so I can't comment on them.
 
No experience with Reading. I hear they're great.
I voted Lee as a good value. Started hand loading pistol 15 years ago on Lee everything. If I loaded rifle, might buy something else.
 
No experience with Redding dies here either. But with the bullet rebate, I feel Hornady dies are the best overall value. Take away the bullet rebate and I would consider RCBS dies a better value.
 
The best value in dies is without a doubt, LEE.

The vast majority of dies I actually buy are Redding or Forster. I have been reloading for decades and I tend to buy higher end stuff now. I think the Redding and Forster dies are better made, from better materials, and I like the way they are adjusted. I do buy the micrometer dies if they are available for what I am loading and no I don't think this is a gimmick. I know it isn't a gimmick. Obviously I think they are worth the money and are better than the other stuff out there *

But, you pay for that. Lee dies are well made, they work fine and they are usually much less expensive. For value, they are the king.


*I guess I should add that the Forster and Redding dies I buy are mainly rifle dies. I play with loads and having the adjustment features is big for me. For loading handgun ammunition I tend to set the dies and then load a few thousand rounds of the same load; so the ability to quickly and accurately adjust the dies isn't nearly as big of an issue. For loading pistol ammo, I would probably just buy Lee dies.
 
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I like the Forster spindles.
Floating sleeve seaters are sometimes an advantage...Most folks don't think of them for handgun ammo,but you avoid tilting your flying ashtray.

Redding is not cheap.Most of my career was as a machinist.Reddings appeal to my sense of quality and workmanship.
They offer specialty items along with micro seaters. Floating bushing seaters,bushing die sets,body dies,graduated shellholders..wildcat forming dies...

Most folks just want to make good ammo to shoot. You can certainly do that with Lee Challenger dies.

It might be as you develop as a handloader and pursue accuracy or brass life or just the hobby,you'll figure out a want or need and Forster or Redding will answer it.

Try a set of Forster dies with your Co-Ax press. You won't regret it. They offer floating bushing seaters and Micrometer seaters.

Try one set of Redding dies. Basic ones. Try a set of Lees.You are into them for what,$40? Study Redding's web site.Understand their products and the options they offer.

Don't buy a $200 die set unless you know why you are buying it.
 
I use Redding Competition Seating and Sizing dies and love them, but had to vote LEE as having the best value. They are decent, and VERY inexpensive.
 
Reloading

Have been reloading 50+ years starting with .222 Remington.

I've used all of the above mentioned dies over the years and have also replaced existing dies as well.

For my reloading which is somewhere between accuracy and competition, I find Redding and Hornady to be on top. As others have mentioned, if Hornady did not provide 100 bullets of your choice free when purchasing their dies, I would never stray from Redding.

Enjoy the hobby!
 
For a progressive press nothing beats Dillon dies. I have Hornady dies and Dillon dies in my LNL as I wore out the Hornady nitride resizer decapper after about 15,000 rounds. I have several sets of Dillon dies for my rl 550b excellent quality nver an issue, and they are designed for a progressive reloader. I load all my rifle rounds single stage, I have Redding dies and a micrometer die for .308 and .223. So the answer depends on what I am reloading.
 
RCBS also has the competition seating dies. As "best value", I vote for RCBS. Have never had any issues with their dies (or their reloaders). I have dies from Lee, Hornady, RCBS, Redding and Forster. All are good
 
I've never used Pacific dies, probably a few other's also. Right now I have several different set's. Mostly RCBS but also Lyman, Redding, Herter's and Lee. My favorite are Redding because they look really nice. New set of Lyman I recently got are really nice looking also. My old Herter dies don't look so good but somehow do the same job just as well! When you get into micrometer die's, I've never even seen a set nor do I know why anyone would pay the money they seem to cost. Maybe a competitive shooter but that's about the only need for them other than to say your dies cost a lot. Where the die is most important in inside and you really can't see it that well till a case is run through it. Something all the dies I ever owned and used have in common is that not one of them has ever failed me.

Buy once cry once? Yea when you find that you can produce the same ammo with $30 dies as you can with $200 dies!
 
IMO and FWIW, and from personal experience, I can say that both RCBS and Redding have excellent customer service along with their excellent products; buy with confidence from either company. All my reloading dies are standard dies, which work very well for my shooting purposes, and all my measurements are done with a mechanical (not digital) calipers. I've been reloading for over 35 years, and I've figured out a routine that has been working quite well for me and my reloading equipment. I've had good mentors for any questions I've had during my reloading journey, too, and I'm thankful for that.

Consistency is key in all steps of hand-loading to make a good, safe and quality round. I have, and still use the same old wonderful Rock Chucker II I've had since I started reloading those many years ago. Pretty much a "bullet proof" (pun intended) and proven press for many re-loaders; certainly one of the old standard presses.

Welcome to the wonderful and fun world of cartridge reloading! Read the manuals, ask questions and stay consistently safe on your new journey.

Happy New Year
 
Over the last 4 years I have gone to Redding Pro dies for my progressive (pistol) and Forster dies for my Single Stages, Rock Chucker and Co-Ax (Rifle). I simply like the quality and workmanship. I have many RCBS dies and they are very good also.
 
I have a set of Lee .44 Magnum dies I got in 1985. They are, after several thousands of rounds still producing good, safe, attractive, accurate ammo. Just as good ammo as my RCBS 38 Special dies...

I only have Redding dies in their Profile Crimp design...
 
Are the Redding dies really that great? Is the Micrometer adjustment fantastic or just a dumb gimmick?
Click to expand...

All of my dies can be adjusted with a micrometer; some dies come with the micrometer dial type indicator and all the rest I furnish the dial indicator or I use the old fashion depth micrometer etc.. So? I do not believe it is the 'gimmick' that is dumb. Dumb can be described as 'not knowing' if the work 'ignorant' is used.

F. Guffey
 
After switching to a Redding Competition Seating Die I had a measurable reduction in run-out compared the Hornady and Dillon dies.

Could have saved good money had I just gone with the Redding to begin with. Trying to save money can get expensive...
 
I don't like the little micrometer knob on the Redidng dies.

RCBS and Forster have a nice large Micrometer adjustment knob (on the specific die sets that offer that, ie comp dies for RCBS)

Forster is mare accurate for major movements, RCBS is not linear.

For the most part not an issue. Fine tune is very close to linear.

All and all I go with RCBS, some Lee, a couple of Forster. No Reddding, they don't offer anything I like, quality is fine as near as I can tell.

Forster sizers are fine but you don't eve want to mix in a miltary round that was crimped unless the crimp is totally gone (don't ask how know)

RCBS replaces parts even if its your fault. Forster does not. No experience with Redding. Never had to replace parts in the Lees.

I have Lyman M dies and like those a great deal.
 
I voted Lee and I have had and used some of theirs for a long time. I had more but moved to Hornady because my older Lee didn't have enough threads to fit my LNL AP. I had no trouble selling them for close to what I paid.

I have some Redding dies but for precision rifle. Somehow I just don't think they would make all that difference in a pistol round but Redding quality is phenomenal.
 
All of my straight walled handgun cartridge dies are lee sets- usually the 4 die carbide ones. The work very well, are accurate, and affordable.

For my rifle dies I use Lee and Redding competition dies.
 
"...find a consensus on "best"..." That's because there is no "best" anything.
Redding die are pretty much the same as RCBS dies. Not so very long ago, they were the same company. I'm guessing Vista Outdoors didn't want Redding as well as RCBS.
Micrometer adjustment dies are really not necessary for most reloaders. Marketing things primarily. You can load match quality ammo with a Lee Loader and a scale.
 
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