Hornady dies

[OldSchoolShooter]

Anybody ever user them? What are you thoughts? RCBS was the only game when I was younger.

[Robinhood]

They are OK. I noticed a lot of bullet run-out In a press that had a little slop in the ram and threads. That's to be expected right. A high end seater die fixed the problem. I'm going to say if you need match grade ammo, get something else. If your hunting or plinking, good enough.

[Ted_Feasel]

Anybody ever user them? What are you thoughts? RCBS was the only game when I was younger.I think hornady is the best of the more affordable dies.. definitely better than Lee nowhere close to LE Wilson or forster

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[Ted_Feasel]

Anybody ever user them? What are you thoughts? RCBS was the only game when I was younger.If you want ultimate in precision seating than look no further than LE Wilson inline chamber dies, they are around $60 and the k&m arbor press around $100.. cheaper than Redding and Forster.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190331/c95e45319fa12969afa33fc89bab14dc.jpg

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[OldSchoolShooter]

Thanks all for the input. Good information.

[Ted_Feasel]

Thanks all for the input. Good information.For example... this is me only, others my disagree but I bet most will agree.. no one set has it all.. for me the best results I've found for all my rifles I reload, is Forster FL resizing die, hornady bushing neck/shoulder die for neck sizing only, LE Wilson inline seating dies, Redding factory taper crimp die and LE Wilson precision case trimmer. Not the fastest for case trimming but it is I think by far the most precise which is extremely important when using a taper crimp die like I use for AR rounds.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190331/72442bf81a29cb28e97d391e9c618ffa.jpg

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[big honkin jeep]

Never tried them.
Been using Lee equipment My wife bought me as a gift with a few other odds and ends of other brands that I picked up along the way for 25 years. I don't shoot professionally/competitively or pay a whole lot of attention to microns or the expansive amount of internet hearsay, but have managed to consistently load some darn fine ammo with the Lee Deluxe die sets and case length gauges, along with Lee Safety scale and Lee presses. All I know is I'm satisfied when I find a load my rifle likes and I can cover 10 shots with a dime or put 5 through the center of a quarter at 100 yards from a factory rifle especially a spray painted sporter. Though their may be ways to make loading easier or faster, in my experience really good ammo seems to be a product of the basics and putting the puzzle together with the right combination of components, weights and seating depth.

[bc160]

I've used several sets. I have enjoyed them. They have produced good enough ammo to place in the top 10 in a few local prs club matches as well as making darn fine hunting ammo for as far out as one would care to shoot

[jpx2rk]

I use LEE for the most part, and the ammo shoots better than I do past the 100 yd line. At 100 yds, my groups are .5moa so I'm satisfied in that respect. I just need to practice more at the longer distances. Range buddy uses LEE dies, and he shoots in the .3's at 200 yds on a regular basis. He does have high $$ guns but uses LEE dies almost religiously. One of my FV12's seems to prefer the RCBS FL sizing die over the LEE FL die, it seems to shoot just a hair better with it and use a LEE bullet seating die. Go figure.

[Ryfulman]

When I first started reloading it was a means to an end for me because I was tuning a custom load for a rem 700 I had,well a couple of them anyway. I was chasing consistency and learning really fast just how poorly constructed many of the supposed “staples”can be in the art of reloading.
So I started testing out die sets and brands,and quality in comparison to cost. I quickly learned that quality and price when it comes to die sets weren’t really connected. Meaning very high quality die sets can be had nexpensively.
I measured run out as it was a primary indicator of the die sets ability to achieve a consistent seating depth.
So of the middle of the road die sets lee gave me under 2 thou run out,or less,in every die set I tested. NO OTHER BRAND can match lee consistency. I’m referring to the 3-4 die sets,not the RGB line up.
In fact I bought a Redding die set for my 260 as it was the first rifle I ever put together and since the shilen barrel is cut with a match chamber reamer so I wanted to test a higher end brand vs Lee.
I still have the Redding set but I did buy a 260 set from lee.
My 22-250 is a 7 twist shilen. 26” long slinging 90 grain smk or the 90 grain bergers. It’s a target rifle,well for me it is. I don’t shoot competitively. That rifle consistently prints sub 1/2moa on its worst day. I’m on my second barrel with this cartridge twist combo. Started off using rcbs. After measuring run out I switched over to lee.
My 308 is just a simple model 10T. My tuned reloads using lee dies nets me 1/2moa or better from a 100% factory made rifle,for under 800 Canadian dollars,which is insane.
Point being you can pay more for high end micrometer seating dies and spend hundreds of dollars per die,all so you can optimize consistency.
Or you can buy lee,pay less,and
in the end manufacture a more consistent cartridge.

[Ted_Feasel]

When I first started reloading it was a means to an end for me because I was tuning a custom load for a rem 700 I had,well a couple of them anyway. I was chasing consistency and learning really fast just how poorly constructed many of the supposed “staples”can be in the art of reloading.
So I started testing out die sets and brands,and quality in comparison to cost. I quickly learned that quality and price when it comes to die sets weren’t really connected. Meaning very high quality die sets can be had nexpensively.
I measured run out as it was a primary indicator of the die sets ability to achieve a consistent seating depth.
So of the middle of the road die sets lee gave me under 2 thou run out,or less,in every die set I tested. NO OTHER BRAND can match lee consistency. I’m referring to the 3-4 die sets,not the RGB line up.
In fact I bought a Redding die set for my 260 as it was the first rifle I ever put together and since the shilen barrel is cut with a match chamber reamer so I wanted to test a higher end brand vs Lee.
I still have the Redding set but I did buy a 260 set from lee.
My 22-250 is a 7 twist shilen. 26” long slinging 90 grain smk or the 90 grain bergers. It’s a target rifle,well for me it is. I don’t shoot competitively. That rifle consistently prints sub 1/2moa on its worst day. I’m on my second barrel with this cartridge twist combo. Started off using rcbs. After measuring run out I switched over to lee.
My 308 is just a simple model 10T. My tuned reloads using lee dies nets me 1/2moa or better from a 100% factory made rifle,for under 800 Canadian dollars,which is insane.
Point being you can pay more for high end micrometer seating dies and spend hundreds of dollars per die,all so you can optimize consistency.
Or you can buy lee,pay less,and
in the end manufacture a more consistent cartridge.I promise mikulek, the army marksman ship team and a whole host of others would disagree that Lee are anything more than glorified fishing sinkers.

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[Ted_Feasel]

I promise mikulek, the army marksman ship team and a whole host of others would disagree that Lee are anything more than glorified fishing sinkers.

Sent from my SM-N960U using TapatalkThat should be "and are nothing more than glorified fishing sinkers" they are fine probably if 100yards is all your shooting. Didnt really notice difference besides horrible bullet runout until I started shoot long distance, it was then I realized the inferiority of Lee

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[Ryfulman]

That should be "and are nothing more than glorified fishing sinkers" they are fine probably if 100yards is all your shooting. Didnt really notice difference besides horrible bullet runout until I started shoot long distance, it was then I realized the inferiority of Lee

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and yet my experience with lee gear is the exact opposite.
Not only that but my lee dies currently press up tuned reloads that print consistently in the 0.2s with my 260 and 22250,both are sporting shilen SS tubes.
My 308 is just a basic model 10T. I’ve got hornady “match” dies in 308,the rcbs green box in 308,Lyman and lee as well. And of them all lee presses up sub 1/2moa loads using literally any hornady hollow point match bullet or amax from 155 to 178 grain,and the 185 grain berger juggs.
And not a single example of my lee dies seat a bullet with more than 2 thou run out. Which appears in my experience to be the norm,not the exception.
Up

[Three44s]

I have a Rem 788 in 22-250 that before the barrel went south put five Nosler 55 gr. Ballistic Tips into .420” @100 yds day in and day out!

The dies?

Lee collet neck sizer and the Lee bullet sizer.

If that’s what “bad dies do, I can hardly wait to measure groups from ammo fired after being loaded by really good ones!

I have some of the Hornady New Dimension sets. One of these are in .22-250 now and after building a Savage bolt gun in that caliber I have settled on the Hornady FL die, the Lee collet die for neck sizing and the Hornady New Dimension seater.

Thus far the Savage is shaping up to out shoot my burnt out Rem 788, .230” vs the Remington’s .420” and my Hornady seater tends to reduce loaded cartridge runout.

Three44s

[Ryfulman]

I have a Rem 788 in 22-250 that before the barrel went south put five Nosler 55 gr. Ballistic Tips into .420” @100 yds day in and day out!

The dies?

Lee collet neck sizer and the Lee bullet sizer.

If that’s what “bad dies do, I can hardly wait to measure groups from ammo fired after being loaded by really good ones!

I have some of the Hornady New Dimension sets. One of these are in .22-250 now and after building a
Savage bolt gun in that caliber I have settled on the Hornady FL die, the Lee collet die for neck sizing and the Hornady New Dimension seater.

Thus far the Savage is shaping up to out shoot my burnt out Rem 788, .230” vs the Remington’s .420” and my Hornady seater tends to reduce loaded cartridge runout.

Three44s

My point exactly. With my inexpensive lee gear my skinny barrelled hunting rifles print sub MOA,my model 10 with a shilen 260 tube prints in the 0.2s and 0.3s. My model 12 22-250 (tel:12 22-250) with a 7 twist shilen slinging 90 and 95 grain sierras print just as good as the 260 and a completely factory savage 10t prints sub 1/2moa.
And not a single one of my lee dies has given me run out over 2 thou. I’ve measured.
Of course there’s always those guys I call the reloading elitists. They believe that quality ammo cannot be loaded with less costly gear.
And they’ve always got “the best” gear there is. And they like to remind everyone as often as possible. It’s funny to watch them in action as they are oblivious to their behaviour

[Ted_Feasel]

My point exactly. With my inexpensive lee gear my skinny barrelled hunting rifles print sub MOA,my model 10 with a shilen 260 tube prints in the 0.2s and 0.3s. My model 12 22-250 (tel:12 22-250) with a 7 twist shilen slinging 90 and 95 grain sierras print just as good as the 260 and a completely factory savage 10t prints sub 1/2moa.
And not a single one of my lee dies has given me run out over 2 thou. I’ve measured.
Of course there’s always those guys I call the reloading elitists. They believe that quality ammo cannot be loaded with less costly gear.
And they’ve always got “the best” gear there is. And they like to remind everyone as often as possible. It’s funny to watch them in action as they are oblivious to their behaviourThere are those of us that shoot 600 to 1000 yards and every little bit of sub par anything shows up at 1000 yards. If your hunting closer ranges or just shooting 100 yards through quality tubes like shilen then I imagine sub standard dies like Lee are fine.. you can probably seat your bullet with a rubber mallet if your only shooting close ranges but when your looking for every fraction of MOA@1000 yards, Lee simply wont do the trick unless you dont mind coming in last everytime

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[Robinhood]

....and this is why you should qualify your questions or topics with "I am shooting Long Range in competition" or "I shoot mostly 100 yard groups and plink around" etc....There are many different opinions based on the requirements of something like reloading. If all you shoot is 100 yards you will never understand the need for extreme bullet concentricity, powder weights to the hundredth of a gram, case weight matching or that type of stuff. I am not knocking 100 yard shooters but there is a difference in a mini van driver and a top fuel driver. :o

[Ted_Feasel]

....and this is why you should qualify your questions or topics with "I am shooting Long Range in competition" or "I shoot mostly 100 yard groups and plink around" etc....There are many different opinions based on the requirements of something like reloading. If all you shoot is 100 yards you will never understand the need for extreme bullet concentricity, powder weights to the hundredth of a gram, case weight matching or that type of stuff. I am not knocking 100 yard shooters but there is a difference in a mini van driver and a top fuel driver. :oSo true. As I got into f class, I had the awaking that Lee or hornady (except their bushing neck size dies) just were costing me so much in extended range accuracy.

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[Robinhood]

Oh yeah, then F-Open. Where the dashers are shooting 1 inch 20 shot groups at 600 in the first relay.

[Ted_Feasel]

Oh yeah, then F-Open. Where the dashers are shooting 1 inch 20 shot groups at 600 in the first relay.I haven't done any F-Open yet only F-Target.. going to try open eventually:)

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