I have never used them in reloading for any of mine. I have several dies. Redding .223 body die, a Forester bushing bump die. For my bolt rifles I use my Wilson dies. Forgot the 223 FL bushing die I use it the most with the AR's.
Depends... If I use once fired 5.56 or .223 brass from other chambers I use my RCBS small base body die, then neck size. If new or fired in my chamber I use my RCBS .223 F/L die. I also use a Redding Type B, F/L die that base sizes much like my RCBS small base die.
No to the small base dies mo. What are you looking to accomplis?
Also, have you considered how your relationship may change if there is some issue caused by your reloads? Reloading is a fun & safe pastime, but problems such as poor accuracy, poor feeding all the way to blown up rifle or death aren't unheard of..... just something to consider.