OK , Redding or Lee Die.

Hear the Lee is easier, the Redding  has bushings for adjustments.
 
    From what I hear.....
 
    Redding pushes the case from the outside to get size putting imperfections inside the case by bullet.
 
 Lee pushes the case from the inside to get size putting imperfections on the outside of the case.

This would be for a Dillon 55B. All other dies are Dillon,.
Will probably put the Dillon full length sizing die for sale.

 

Huh?
 

The premium price for Redding dies are worth it if you are loading for a precision rifle.  For hunting or plinking, the Lee dies are fine.

Huh?
 

The premium price for Redding dies are worth it if you are loading for a precision rifle.  For hunting or plinking, the Lee dies are fine.

What THEY said. 

Redding uses bushings to control neck tension and shoulder bump. Not sure what you meant by pushing on the inside or outer case as the shellholder holds the case by the rim. Lee works fine. If you are a benchrest shooter chasing after .001" groups get the Redding and understand what you are trying to accomplish, if not, you're overspending on dies.

I use regular Redding FL dies for rifle but I believe the ones that use individualized bushings are the "S" series for match.   If reloading for pistol/plinking, I feel Lee carbide dies are alright.  Maybe change the lock rings to the Hornady type or Dillon rings if on a toolhead.

I hear all the old timers always go back to using Lee eventually.

   OK , Redding or Lee Die.

Hear the Lee is easier, the Redding  has bushings for adjustments.
 
    From what I hear.....
 
    Redding pushes the case from the outside to get size putting imperfections inside the case by bullet.
 
 Lee pushes the case from the inside to get size putting imperfections on the outside of the case.

This would be for a Dillon 55B. All other dies are Dillon,.
Will probably put the Dillon full length sizing die for sale.

 

 I believe you are talking about bushing and non bushing dies. redding and rcbs make both kinds. Bushing dies are nice because you can change bushings to adjust your neck tension. That only works if you remove the expander mandrel. As for imperfections in the neck on the outside or inside, it doesn't matter as they will be pushed out when you insert the bullet. Ideally, you don't have neck imperfections because you only use premium brass and sort out anything less than your spec or turn your necks.

Bench rest guys don't usually use bushing dies because they have custom dies made to match the chamber of a specific rifle.

As for brand? Redding and RCBS make excellent dies. Lee dies are good too but lack the bells and whistles like micrometer seating depth and such. I don't know if lee dies make less accurate ammo. They work great for me. There are a lot of factors that affect accuracy more than brand/type of dies and neck concentricity.

I use both.  Sort of....

I use a Redding body die to size the rifle case body.  Then I use the Lee Collet Neck sizer to size the necks.

My theory is that using a 'regular' die to do both operations could push the brass out of line, pull the shoulder up out of spec where you bumped it down, and give erratic neck tension because of variance in neck thickness.
even with the bushing type dies, neck tension could be erratic, unless you turn the necks, which is a royal PITA, and takes up a lot of time.

My solution is to bump the shoulder .002" down and size the case with the body die.  Then use the collet neck sizer to crimp the neck down to the correct size.  Since the Lee has a mandrel on the inside and pushes the case neck evenly all around the outside, theoretically every case neck's inside diameter should be exactly the same.

This method nets rounds with very little runout, consistent neck tension, and works the brass as little as possible.  This method, in conjunction with annealing the necks, in quality Lapua cases last many many reloads.

Just curious......
whats wrong with the Dillon dies?

i suppose we should know what caliber, rifle, and intent is.

    Sorry guy's should have been more specific.
I am going for the neck size die only because all brass has been shot once out of 1 particular bolt  rifle.
All reloads will be shot out of same bolt rifle.

    Technically, I should only have to "size the neck" and by doing so, should be able to get more reloads out of my brass because I am not stressing the whole case length.
Kinda like in response to Heavies theory
Is my/our thinking correct ?

   I just wanted to know if there was any preferences or advantages of Lee over Redding.
Obviously, we are new to reloading rifle and do have a friend who is VERY proficient at reloading including subsequent documentation   , but he had no opinion either way on the die
Will be doing a variety of loads/combinations followed by chrono and ladder test to find that "Golden Bullet" to go the distance. 


    The Dillon set up I got came with  a full length die but because of the above method of thinking,  I'm going with the neck size die only.
Nothing wrong Dillon Full length die, BNIB

    As for my original post comments on case inside/outside 'that's what I heard"  and was looking for confirmation or rebuttal.
Does that change any of your replies ?

Thanks all

    Sorry guy's should have been more specific.
I am going for the neck size die only because all brass has been shot once out of 1 particular bolt  rifle.
All reloads will be shot out of same bolt rifle.

    Technically, I should only have to "size the neck" and by doing so, should be able to get more reloads out of my brass because I am not stressing the whole case length.
Kinda like in response to Heavies theory
Is my/our thinking correct ?

   I just wanted to know if there was any preferences or advantages of Lee over Redding.
Obviously, we are new to reloading rifle and do have a friend who is VERY proficient at reloading including subsequent documentation   , but he had no opinion either way on the die
Will be doing a variety of loads/combinations followed by chrono and ladder test to find that "Golden Bullet" to go the distance. 


    The Dillon set up I got came with  a full length die but because of the above method of thinking,  I'm going with the neck size die only.
Nothing wrong Dillon Full length die, BNIB

    As for my original post comments on case inside/outside 'that's what I heard"  and was looking for confirmation or rebuttal.
Does that change any of your replies ?

Thanks all

Hi Rocky 

I would suggest not selling the full length die as I can almost guarantee you will need it at some point or another. I neck size some of my cases for my milsurps. And some of the milsurp chambers are very generous. After reloading the brass for certain number of times (It's different for each caliber) it gets to the point where I need to full length size the case once in a while. Also, when you bring in new brass from another source you will want to full length size it the first time before using it in your rifle. And then also if a piece of brass gets bent, stepped on etc. you will want to full length size it. And the big reason for me is if you get a second rifle in the same caliber, especially if one is a semi auto. For me it is the 1903 Springfield and the M1 Garand. Both in 30-06. Now I keep the bolt gun brass separated from the semi gun brass. 

Hey rocky, was the rifle a rem 700 in 308?

Hey rocky, was the rifle a rem 700 in 308?

Yup, with 5R

+1 for Inspectors comments.  After about 3 firings the case will be tough to chamber.  You will need to size the body of the case.  For the best consistency I'd size it .002" every firing.  That will give a tight fit to the chamber, yet work the brass very little, and the bolt will close easily. If you don't anneal, the necks will crack before the body of the case fails from working the brass in that area anyway. 

Yup, with 5R

Nice! The reward for loading for that rifle will be great!

OK out of 15 replies, it looks like there are 5 answers

4 for Redding
Lihikai
The premium price for Redding dies are worth it if you are loading for a precision rifle.  For hunting or plinking, the Lee dies are fine.
Inspector
What THEY said.
Ren
Lee works fine. If you are a benchrest shooter chasing after .001" groups get the Redding
Justin1098
Redding and RCBS make excellent dies. Lee dies are good too but lack the bells and whistles like micrometer seating depth and such.

One for Lee
Q
I hear all the old timers always go back to using Lee eventually.

Redding it is

Direct sale  is 
Die $36.95
shipping $28.47 (lucky you live Hawaii)

Fortunately, my In laws are 30 minutes away and will pick up and ship to me for about $5
This will also piss of my Father-in -law who used to actually shoot with Lee. 

Rockette sez Thanks Ya'll

$28.47 SHIPPING? did you check midway usa or brownells?

$28.47 SHIPPING? did you check midway usa or brownells?

Thanks a lot Justin ! 

Went to Midway, saw this and now my price more than doubled ! 

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/200390/redding-competition-seater-die-308-winchester