I recently had to send my 20+ yr old hornady 25-06 dies back for some repairs. Well, they had gotten wet and rusty, and the insides were beyond repair, and they offered to sell me new ones for $29 + shipping. But no free bullets. Natchez has both rcbs, and hornady for $33. Which dies are better? I do NOT want Lee, nor want to spend more money than that. What does everyone think?

The only dies i've bought in the last few years have been Redding. Never tried Hornady, but I still have quite a few RCBS old-timers. Work great. Plus customer service is still great, or so i've read. lol

Not taking anything from Hornady, but RCBS for several reasons.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Have many RCBS dies.
The thing that gets me is paying $5 for a shell holder!

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

...and those reasons are???


I only paid $2 for my shellholder, 20 yrs ago.

I prefer Hornady New Dimension dies over RCBS, or any others I have worked with.
Can't go too wrong with either.

+1

Be sure you use the same brand shellholder as the dies you obtain.

Bruce

Redding first and RCBS second. I use mostly Wilson hand dies.

For rifle dies I like RCBS best for the price.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I use a lot of Lee dies. I have Lyman, Redding, RCBS, Hornady, etc.

Quality is a toss up with most. Of the two you're considering feature wise I'd pick the Hornady over RCBS bottleneck dies.

One caveat, I didn't see which press, but note that the bullet guide on some Hornady seating dies while quite useful may not clear the frame on some like the RCBS turret press.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I have four sets of Hornady "New Dimension" dies and don't care for them as much as RCBS or Redding. I bought the Hornady dies because the other two brands weren't available at the time I wanted them. By comparison to any of those three brands, Lee dies make good paperweights.

When buying dies, I compare the price of RCBS and Redding for a three-die set or a two-die set plus a neck die. Sometimes one is cheaper, sometimes the other is. Just last weekend, I shopped the two for the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge at MidwayUSA and Brownell's with a Redding Deluxe three-die set at Brownell's coming out on top at $99 over the same thing from RCBS for $129.

They arrived yesterday but also yesterday I learned the rifle I bought them for that was supposed to arrive this week won't be here until "mid-summer." I'm having one of the new version of the Ruger Precision Rifle sent to me for review and they are trying to fill their distributor pipeline with the updated model before supplying any to the media.

Die sets that include a shell holder don't have any appeal for me as many years ago, I bought a complete shell holder set with storage case from RCBS so I don't need those "free" shell holders. I load for well over 20 rifle cartridges and haven't had to purchase a shell holder since buying that set. For instance, the Creedmoor has the same case head as the .243 WIN - .30-06 SPRG so the RCBS #3 or Redding #1 shell holder is recommended for it.

Spending a few extra bucks for better tools almost always pays off in the long run.

Ed

Ed, where are your reviews published?

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Doug

So what's wrong with Lee dies? I find them highly satisfactory. I had one new set (in .303 Savage) with an interior scratch on the FL die, but Lee replaced it immediately, no questions asked. I often buy used die sets cheap from eBay, never had any problems with any of them.

"Be sure you use the same brand shellholder as the dies you obtain."

Can you provide some reasoning for your statement? I have never had any problems whatsoever using Lee (mostly) and RCBS shell holders with any maker's dies, and I use Lee, Redding, C-H, Herters, Hornady, RCBS, and Lyman dies. I think I am up to about 40 calibers at present.

I use mostly RCBS, but I tried using a Hornady 9mm set and found the sizer very rough. I replaced it with a Lee sizer, problem solved. The Hornady seater/crimp die works very well.

When loading .223 I use the Lee Factory Crimp die with excellent results.

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State of Jefferson
Jim

The presses I have are a Rockchucker 2, and a Lee hand press. Both see use, however I have to readjust dies when I switch.

I have 117 different cartridges' dies. They are from every company that has made reloading dies for the last 50 years (except Hollywood and Texan). I have found that they all work, some a little better than others! If you only have dies from one company stick with that brand and you will have a interchangeable parts source. With the exception of Lyman, all the companies have very good customer service, (but they can't/won't sell you dies cheaper than their distributors). I seem to enjoy using Redding the best and for unusual cartridges RCBS, seems to be the most available. Used 25-06 dies are pretty common and should run $5-$10 just look around at some real gun stores instead of the big box stores, or check out a gun show or two.


Ivan

As I replace dies from a number of other companies , I seem to buy Redding over anything else. Mainly due to their amazing consistency.

They are not a cheap solution however.

Randy

I have Lee, Pacific, Lyman and RCBS dies and use different manufacture shell holders interchangeably. Haven't had an issue so I am wondering whats up with this:

The Pacific dies are ancient, having been bought new by my father back in the early 1960s. most of my hand gun caliber are Lee carbide dies and they serve my purposes well. All my hand loading is done on either dads old Pacific C press or a used RCBS Rockchucker Jr press I bought off of E bay a few years back. I do prefer the RCBS dies for my rifle cartridges, all of them were bought used for about 50% of new die costs.

John

I am a contributing editor for Shotgun Sports Magazine but am permitted to stray off the reservation to review some single-projectile firearms on occasion. My most recent ones were on obtaining one-hole groups from a production rifle and the Remington Model 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader. The Ruger Precision Rifle will be my next one.

To answer the question about what's wrong with Lee dies, I bought one set maybe seven years ago only because none of the "better" brands could be found in .38 Super anywhere at that time and a call to my media relations guy at RCBS resulted in learning that dies in .38 Super were not on the production schedule for at least the next three months. Beyond that, he could not guess so I bought that set of Lee dies.

I loaded exactly 50 shells with them and decided that since I have arthritis and was considering a progressive loader for my handgun rounds anyway, I bought a Dillon 650 with five complete tool heads and attempted to sell the Lee dies. It took four auctions on GunBroker with a Buy Now price of $24.00 plus $6.00 shipping to move them and then, the eventual buyer called me and I agreed to twenty bucks shipped just to be rid of them. No one would even pay $30.00 for the things! That tells you something.

I lied. Someone did buy them early on but returned them so when I relisted them, it was without a return option.

It's obviously been a while but as I recall today, I struggled to keep the sizing die adjusted and just wasn't thrilled with the finish on and in them. Please understand, at $37.95 for carbide dies, they were attractive from a price standpoint. Functionality however was in keeping with their cost which was about half what the other brands would have cost.

Ed

I have bought 7 sets of Lee dies. Every one of them scratch the cases everywhere. Sold all of them at a gun show for $10.00 each and was happy. I only buy Redding now.

I use RCBS primarily. I have one set of Forrester, Lee, and Herters each. Lee I can pass on.

I somehow lost the old-style expander ball on my RCBS .223 dies and couldn't find a replacement. Called RCBS, explained my problem and asked if they could help me locate a replacement. Guy said sure--and sent me a new decapping stem--the new style--and a package of decapping pins, all at no charge.

Hard not to stick with them after that.

Very strange, I have 9 Lee sets, both rifle and handgun, and have had no problems whatsoever with any of them - aside from the aforementioned set for the .303 Savage, in which the FL die had a small interior burr which scratched the cases. More cosmetic than anything. Lee sent me another .303 FL die immediately when I reported it. Did you contact Lee about your defective dies? They certainly would have replaced them.

Have had great luck with Dillon dies.
In the process of replacing Hornady handgun dies with Dillon.

Very strange that when it comes to dies the Dillon Fan Boys are not crying as much as with presses,

All the Big Name dies will work, depends on your "brand Loyalty" Do you load for big time long distance matches, hunting ammo?

What brand do you like?

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Still Running Against the Wind

Only Lee dies I have used were my first set in 44 Mag with a carbide ring.
I used it for a couple of years before getting Redding.
I then discovered the "profile" of the Lee carbide ring was a little sharp and left a definite ring at the bottom of the case.
I still use the expander occasionally but mostly go with the Lyman "M".
Don't have much experience with Hornady dies but do use quite a few RCBS.
They are good and so is the customer service.
Redding is better and so is the customer service.
Example: I requested seating stems for the Hornady 44 FTX bullets from both companies.
RCBS wanted money for theirs (I sent it).
They don't have one for their older dies with the narrow stems.
Redding sent me one for free!

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NEMO
"Everything 44"

Have RCBS and Lee,no complaints.

When I can I use Dillon dies. If it is a caliber that they are not offering then I am replacing my old RCBS dies with Reddings.
Same reason for both....they simply are outstanding.

Randy

My only RCBS die is their lockout die. I started out with Lee dies, and have mostly switched over to Hornady. I have no complaints with Hornady. I like Hornady lock rings better than both Lee and RCBS. I bought extra lock rings for both the lockout die and the few remaining Lee dies I'm still using.

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Common sense isn't so common.

I use RCBS X-Dies in every rifle caliber they make them in that I reload for, and regular dies for the rest. My first carbide sizer was a Lyman because I bought it before RCBS made them. Every pistol die since has been RCBS.

I load 26 different calibers, using Lee dies exclusively. Years ago I had some nickle plated .45 Colt cases that had the nickle come off and it scored the dies. Lee replaced them at no charge even though it was not their fault.

My ammo looks pristine (no scratches as previously mentioned) and it all shoots just fine. The dies work fine, even with my mild arthitis in my hands.

Seems to me Lee bashing is more of a Chevy vs. Ford thing, initiated by people who drive a Lexis (cheep japcrap BTW).

Maybe brand X or Y is better, but since i'm a satisfied customer I'll never switch.

I prefer RCBS anything for reloading, and that is the only brand I have.

However, the Lee factory crimp die is awesome.

I usually use my RCBS dies then follow up with a Lee FC die at the end.

Ford or Chevy?

I have RCBS, Lyman and Lee. They all work fine.

I am a big fan of the Hornady Lock N Load Conversion Kit. I have conversion bushings on both of my Rock Chuckers and Lock N Load die bushings on all my active dies.

I use RCBS dies, have for 40 yrs

To be honest, I've only ever used Lee dies in the past few years and can't say that I've have any big problems with them. I do like the separate seat and crimp option with their FCD when it's provided. If I had to voice one complaint it would be that, in many cases, I wish the bullet seating dies would accept my cast bullets a lot easier. I find the abrupt shoulder on the seating dies gives me problems with getting many cast bullets started. Yes, I do flair my cases, but not to excess.

Do RCBS, Hornady or others have a better way of handling this? Always willing to learn.

For pistol cartridges either brand is great. For rifles like the mentioned 25/06 I choose Hornady for two reasons. First is that it has a floating seating stem that self alignes the bullet and keeps things concentric during seating. Second, Hornady will send you 100 bullets as a rebate when you buy Hornady dies, but only with the custom grade dies which run about $40.00.

I have used and owned RCBS, Redding and Dillon. Most of mine have been RCBS.

For a single stage I like using the RCBS with single die for seating and crimping. All of the Redding I have used were one die for seating and a second for crimping. With a progressive I prefer to have separate seating and crimping.

Honestly I would rate the Redding and the RCBS pretty much equivalent and have no problems using either.

When I bought a Dillon XL650 recently I bought a set of the Dillon 9mm dies. After setting up the press I ended up replacing the Dillon seating die with the RCBS seating/crimping die. I raised the RCBS die enough so it didn't crimp and use it just for seating. I like the fine thread adjustment on the RCBS bullet RAM instead of the fixed RAM on the Dillon with the adjustment of the much coarser larger die body threads. Unless you are using a Dillon progressive I see no reason to buy Dillon dies.

For the most part I use a Lyman "M" expander die for revolver cartridges.
Unless a bullet is way oversized, like .433 or bigger in a 44, you can set the die to just accept the bullet and it holds itself straight.
This I do by hand right after pouring in the powder to minimize any accidents with the open case full of powder.
Most cast bullets I use have a flat nose.
I seat them using the flat stem.
Another, more complicated, method to seat bullets perfectly coaxial is to use a collet bullet puller backwards.
Press the brass up against the bullet so it goes in maybe 1/3rd the way then finish in your seating die.
Once you try this you will find out how little tension it takes to hold the bullet and yet seat it in a bit.
I got this one from reading old Handloader mags again.

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NEMO
"Everything 44"

I found a local guy that had bought RCBS, but never used them.
Cost me $30.

I have .223 rcbs, and hornady 6.5 grendel, and now rcbs 25-06.
All of my handgun dies are rcbs, except for 32 H&R, which are Lee (couldn't find any other brand at that time).
The old 25-06 hornady dies were leaving a ring around the bullet after seating. I borrowed a 40 + yr old set of rcbs 257 Roberts dies to finish, and there was no ring on the bullets. Also the decapper was bent, and the inside of the sizer dies had rust on it. I sent them back to hornady, but because of the rust they wouldn't warranty them. They tried to sell me new ones for $29 + $6.75 shipping, but no free bullets. Then I found the RCBS listed on a local classified site, and the rest, as they say is history.

Also I've mixed and matched shellholder and die brands for 25 yrs, and don't know any different. I'd usually buy whichever was cheaper.

The old Ruger 77RS 25-06 will put 3 100 gr nosler solid base, and 3 85 gr ballistic tip in the same 3/4" group at 100 yards. (6 shots, 3/4") good enough for me! That was with the old Hornady dies. Time will tell with the Rcbs.

Thanks you thoughts everyone.

I only load 38 and 9mm and I use Lee dies. I like how they have a 4 die option that comes with the crimp die. I crimp seperately. Never had any scratching on my brass.

Just be careful if you have multiple shell holders of the same number as they may not be exactly the same as far as overall height. I have over the years accumulated several RCBS #3 shell holders and learned that I had to adjust my sizing die if I used a holder for which the die was not adjusted.

Ed

It's the same old story, "You get what you pay for". Quality costs a little more, but is cheaper in the long run. I will say that the ONLY die I ever stuck a case in was a Hornady, (twice). I no longer own those dies.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

If a die does the job then it does the job no matter what brand or price point. If it is consistent, which it should be since it is a 'fixed' adjustment then it is good. There is probably more variables in case length, bullet length, tensile properties of fired brass than die variables input. Thousands of bullet loads later in single stage loading with my inexpensive Lee presses my Lee dies and Lyman dies have served me well. Of course just my opinion from my experiences.
Karl

rcbs or redding

Redding is my favorite but for the Dillon progressive I use Dillon of course. RCBS is fine and I guess Hornady too but I only have one set of them...7.5 Swiss...Heck I even have an old set of Herters I use..made by CH I think..many many years ago and one set of Lee in 33 Winchester as that is all I could find at the time. I just bought a set of Redding for .401 Win SL

Redding followed by RCBS.

If you can find '70s RCBS dies on ebay, then RCBS > Redding.

My experiences with Hornday dies hasn't been great. The 'titanium nitrade' on a set of .44 dies didn't survive their first use on 400 new Starline cases. Hornady replaced it, but I had bought Redding dies by that point and the replacement is in a box somewhere.

Also, a set of Hornady .223 dies went into the trash. New dies, cleaned and very lightly lubed with imperial sizing wax stuck a lubed case after about 4 cases. Removed the case, re-cleaned and re-lubed the dies, stuck another one about 3 cases later.

Trip to the store for Redding dies, followed by a trip to the trash can. Problem solved.

I will say that I really like the Hornady seating dies.

Today the modern units have all the "Bells and whistles" that anyone can want. Just a matter of deciding on what unit you think is best for you from the basic to the auto machines.

I started back in the 60's so I have only had the old style RCBS single stage as my do all unit. Fast enough for me............and it has not missed a stroke in over 50 years.

Only RCBS dies right now but I did pick up a new fandangled super coated, no need um gel/lube die in .357 Magnum a few years back.