SOLD/EXPIRED New RCBS reloader 5 press and regular or RCBS dies

[rangerdanger]

What kind of difference in accuracy should I expect to see by using a RCBS special five reloading press and regular or RCBS dies versus a Forester press and Forster dies if all of the same components are used?

 

[Sully2]

All things being equal....not 1 iota of difference..

 

[kyron]

but things are not equal Forster dies at least the seating die is much better

 

[Jeff32]

Not a whole lot, I do a fair amount of reloading and don't put a tremoundous effort into it, I don't have any of my 20 rifles I own with me reloads that won't shoot less than 3/4 Moa and several that shoot 1/2. I find that more of the equation is in the bullet. I have had tons of powder I inherited and have used up. I don't use the best powder for the bullet weight and caliber, I use what I have.

All guns are stock off the shelf rifles and I only own rcbs dies and press. I have also found that almost every load I've done tends to be more accurate at a low powder charge untill I loaded last month for a 3006, that one wants full charge. I did find why it likes a full powder charge and it's because the powder I used was a slower burn compared to the recommended powder.

Now if I was going to competitively shoot then I might upgrade and I would **** sure hand measure every load rather than using my digital powder charger. If you take the time you can work up a load using standard rcbs dies that will shoot 3/4" or better.

One last note I had a Sako 243 that wouldn't shoot anything I loaded, that's crazy because all my other Sako's will shoot any factory or reload. After about a good year or more and 5 different loads I changed scopes and the problem was solved it just shot my reloads at 5/8" last month. For general shooter or hunting that is better than most people's skill

 

[fiftybmg]

Between RCBS and Forster, no difference .

How the presses operate is different, that's about it.

 

[rangerdanger]

I want to load for all of my other guns but I don't want to pay 120 bucks for more Forester ultra die sets right now. But I will just wait and save money for them if I could loose some accuracy and possibly wear out my brass faster with the $35 RCBS die sets.

I don't want to loose 1/4 or 1/2 moa and get less fireings from my brass to save money on the dies. I would like to use the RCBS dies out my RCBS special 5 press because of the short stroke.

The next swamp deer gun on tap is a Model 700 tac 308, 16 inch barrel, Timney flat trigger, tac black HS short sendero stock, lapua brass, Berger, Varget/4064.

If the difference in the Forester and RCBS DIES and presses is only user friendliness and a few thou in Concentricity, I'll go with RCBS. I'll stick with Forester if there will be a noticible accuracy difference and the brass wears out faster.

I don't like bushing or neck dies.

 

[kyron]

Don't buy the Forster die set, just the ultra micrometer seater. lots of people have had problems with the RCBS seater dies. It is hard to find someone that has had a problem with the forster.

For the press, a press is a press. If you want to save money get a Lee breach lock. It is as solid as any other a a lot less money.

The Best suggestion really though would be to find a reloading store near by. Most will have several presses set up so you can easily see and feel the difference. That is by far the most informed decision you can make.

 

[Engineering101]

Like Jeff32 said, I use nothing but RCBS to load for 15 rifles. They all shoot 0.7 MOA or better.

 

[fiftybmg]

I don't want to loose 1/4 or 1/2 moa and get less fireings from my brass to save money on the dies.

No modern die set can cause that much variation in POA, they all have potential to produce the same ammo.

What costs more are the features that make the process easier.

What makes one brand of die work better than the other is the quality present between the press handle and the floor.

The cheapest dies are Lee and they make a great neck sizer, that way you get more firings with the cheapest brand.

And you can't rely on the die set to increase the life of the brass, you have to also anneal.

 

[rangerdanger]

E101- Are u doing that by just fl sizing, length trimming and annealing with the regular RCBS dies? I'll go with the more expensive equipment if it lets me get away with less work. I don't like sorting, outside neck trimming or using bushing dies. Id like to just buy quality components and fl size, length trim and anneal if possible. I was hoping that I could get away with using the less expensive press and dies and not lose out on accuracy and brass longevity.

 

[rangerdanger]

Unfortunately there is not a lot of side by side test data out there but I have found some. It seems that the less expensive dies will get you close to the neck and bullet Concentricity of the more expensive Redding and Forster products but id like to know what that means for me just trying to shoot around 3/4 moa with mostly factory rifles with minimal effort and quality bullets brass powder and primers.

 

[Engineering101]

rangerdanger

Yes that is basically it. However I also use the Hornady concentricity checker/fixer to bend the ammo straight. It can be up to 0.006" off with these dies and process but it just takes a couple of minutes to check/fix a box of ammo - and you can also fix factory ammo with this tool. I know the purists out there don't like that idea but it stopped me from having flyers so I know it works.

 

[Jeff32]

Like Jeff32 said, I use nothing but RCBS to load for 15 rifles. They all shoot 0.7 MOA or better.

Yes sir I agree, .7 isn't bad on any day of the week.

The average shooter isn't capable of shooting any better than what these dies can do. If you get down to 3/4 you are more than good and many factory rifles will not shoot any better than that. Like I said if you are shooting competitively than your gun isn't factory and you obviously want the best dies to increase closing down your moa.