Redding bushing materiel. Titanium or steel

Buying a set of bushing dies. Which one should I get? The steel or nitride?

Both are way harder than brass so, to me it doesn't matter.

I'd save the money and get steel. I believe the nitride is applied to reduce friction.

I have used the titanium nitride bushings without lubricating necks without issue.

Your results may vary

Good luck and shoot straight

Bob

I could tell an immediate difference with the titanium

I've been using the steel bushing without lubricating the neck and it works fine..

Get the ones from Whidden there alot more consistent size wise.

Most cases do fine with either Type if lubed. The Wild cats with 35 or 40o shoulder angels will sometimes crush the neck in the shoulder if not Lubed. The Titanium Nitride coating helps prevent this.

With the Titanium Nitride bushings and case lube, you stand a better chance of not damaging the brass and the fact that they are normally polished also helps.

Used on standard cases with 20 to 30o shoulders coted bushings are not necessary but can make the process easier and the use of Lube is always recommended no matter what type of bushing is used.

I would also recommend that the same brand of bushings as the dies be used for best fit between the dies and bushings.

Just My opinion

J E CUSTOM

Redding said, lube both for best results.

I have used both with the same results and experience no difference in longevity between them as long as the case necks have lube on them. It is possible to scratch a titanium bushing especially if an un-lubed, newly annealed case is run through them. Given this, I currently use the steel bushings with lube.

There are other benefits to lubing all cases when sizing (Neck or full length). When sized without lube the Press stretches a few thousandths more than normal and case length is different than when using lube. The friction between the die and the case Stresses everything more and the outcome is always different.

I know this because I didn't like lubing every case because of lube build up in the dies. So I devised this method of lubing one case and then sizing cases until it became harder to size (Normally 2 to 3 cases without lube).

If the 3rd case was noticeably harder to size (Bigger cases reach this point in 1 or 2 cases without lube) I just cut back on the un lubed number.

I really though I had cut a fat hog because there was no more lube build up in the dies and dimpled case shoulders. (Wrong)!

I always do minimum sizing whether neck or full sizing to get the best fit, so I was surprised that some of my cases would not chamber as they should. After measuring some of them from the neck/ shoulder junction to the case head, I found that some were longer than others.

So I went back to the beginning step and size some once fired cases
with this new procedure, checking length as I went. What I found surprised me to say the least. I have a very strong press and good dies
but found that the first case with lube was the shortest (Measured at the neck shoulder junction giving me a better handle on case size than Case overall length).

The first un lubed case was only slightly longer and the second case without lube was several thousandths longer. By the third case with out
lube the case length had become very tight in my chamber.

The lesson I learned from this was, Which ever method you use be consistent and don't screw around and change in the middle of a run. and also use sizing lube sparingly to prevent build up in the dies.

I understand why some prefer not to lube there cases, but the benefits
far out weigh not lubing and not having to clean up the cases before loading in my opinion. And the sizing consistency with lube is far better and easier on your equipment.

J E CUSTOM

I have so much money tied up in rifles, components and range travel that I wouldn't try to save $10 on a bushing that never wears out and can be moved from die to die if needed. The only down side to the bushings is that occasionally you need an extra size or two to optimize the amount of neck tension on a new lot of brass.
I have all Ti-Ni bushings and lube my cases with Imperial sizing wax.
So far - so good.

TiNi coated bushings... I have some steel ones, and they work just as good, but require lube. I use Redding Imperial Sizing Wax. Works great.

Looks like I'll be getting the TiNi. Thanks for the info.