Redding competition bushing die set

eric2381 · #1 06-27-2009, 11:47 PM

Hello. Recently I bought a new rifle. A Sako 85 in 300 Win mag. It shoots great with my hand loads, but I am trying to get the most out of it I can.

Would a good set of Redding dies help me out? I'm partial full length sizing with my RCBS set right now. I would like to be neck sizing, but instead of putting money into neck sizing die, I thought maybe I would go whole horse and get the best.

Any help is appreciated, Thanks, Eric

Gene · #2 06-28-2009, 05:37 AM

I load 27 calibers, for both hunting and competition. I have five sets of Redding Competition bushing dies. They are necessary for competition reloading where squeezing the last tenth from group size is important. I don't feel they are needed for hunting rifles. If your rifle shoots great with handloads now, why buy competition dies?

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric2381

Hello. Recently I bought a new rifle. A Sako 85 in 300 Win mag. It shoots great with my hand loads, but I am trying to get the most out of it I can.

Would a good set of Redding dies help me out? I'm partial full length sizing with my RCBS set right now. I would like to be neck sizing, but instead of putting money into neck sizing die, I thought maybe I would go whole horse and get the best.

Any help is appreciated, Thanks, Eric

boomtube · #3 06-28-2009, 08:01 AM

I agree with Gene. You may be able to reduce groups another tenth with comp dies but it's not guaranteed. And, even if it works, to what advantage is that tiny improvement, at what cost?

eric2381 · #4 06-28-2009, 10:13 AM

Thanks for your honest answers guys.

The brass I'm using is Norma. I uniformed and prepped the primer pockets and flash holes. It's trimmed to length, deburred and chamferred.

I measured a fired piece of brass- 0.338"
Loaded shell- 0.332

Does that mean I have 3 thou clearance? I know that the brass has some spring in it, but this is the closest way I can measure. Brass has not been neck turned.

I'm asking this because if the factory neck isn't too badly oversize, the good die set may be beneficial, right???

I understand that I don't need 1/4" groups for hunting, but I'm also trying to work on my reloading tecniques. The quest for more accuracy can bend a guy over a barrel most times.

britz · #5 06-28-2009, 10:36 AM

IMHO the competition die set will give you minimal benefits for a factory rifle. One would be the ability to play with neck tension on the bullets, another would be if you intend to turn your necks. I turned my 22-250 necks on about 150 cases and I don't think I will ever do it again. Lots of guys say that neck turning is for tight neck chambers mainly and I'm inclined to agree with them. IMHO keep a close eye on the number of shots fired in each case and keep them sorted closely. Consider annealing brass after a few firings and forget about the competition die sets for now. They are expensive, but I would also polish the expander ball on your RCBS! They can be rough!

eric2381 · #6 06-28-2009, 11:28 AM

Polishing the ball would give me a bit more neck tension as well, Right??

britz · #7 06-28-2009, 11:38 AM

it would. Consistency is the name of the game. The largest benefit of polishing the ball is to have less impact on the neck runout. A rough ball will be more likely to put uneven pressure on the neck when extracting the case from the die. Take some super fine wire mesh or 1000 grit sand paper and insert to expander ball plug into a drill. run the drill w/ one hand while applying the sand paper/wire mesh to the expander ball just to shine it up. you aren't looking to grind the ball down as much as you are trying to polish it.