RCBS reloading Dies with Window cut in it
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MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Yes to both your questions.
FearNoWind
Well-Known Member
I can give you good news and bad news on these dies. The good news is the seating die is very universal . I have one for a 308 and it works all the way from 308 to a 300 rum. Everything about the die feels like high quality until you run your bullets over the run out gauge. Haven't quite got it figured out which bullets it likes and which ones it doesn't .....it did real good today when I did someone Hornady eld x bullets..... but with many other bullets including lead tip and Accubonds its been absolutely horrible.
I emailed RCBS is customer service about this to see if they had any ideas and they thought I needed a different seating stem for a whopping $28. That seems a little excessive to me.... just a tiny little seating stem for more money than some die sets sell for. If you check the reviews over at Midway you'll find that a lot of people are having the same complaint I've got.
I emailed RCBS is customer service about this to see if they had any ideas and they thought I needed a different seating stem for a whopping $28. That seems a little excessive to me.... just a tiny little seating stem for more money than some die sets sell for. If you check the reviews over at Midway you'll find that a lot of people are having the same complaint I've got.
can't find just the competition seater die alone.. I see them on rcbs website but can't find a part number for it and all the other places i look have the competition die set..since it just seats the bullet has it got to be for a 300rum or is it a unversial 30cal..I see some of the RCBS Gold Medal Match Series Bushing Seater Die with the window cut out but not sure what the bushing part means and if it's the same thing as the competition, just has diffrent bushings for diffrent size bullets.. what are the bushings for?...The brass i am reloading is just going to be run throught the same gun, won't be reloading for nothing but the same gun. Is there any benifit to using the neck resizer and do they have the window cut out?
thanks
thanks
so if i get one of theses dies and get it for a 300rum you're saying it will do pretty much all 30 cal. cases? I can't seem to find just the one die, can just find the set. I got a regular set of rcbs dies i like the knob on top for easier adjustment and i like the window cut out.. Has your box got a part number on it so i can search for that particular die?
Thanx
I bought the 308 complete set. I don't have a 300 rum but I read it goes that far. I did check my die all the way up to my 300 Weatherby and it worked fine.
I would only be guessing if I said you should buy a 300 rum set and it would work all the way back down but I think it probably would.
I think the bushing sets that you're looking at would be bushings for neck sizing and would have nothing to do with the seating. Look hard when you're shopping because some dies are full length dies that use bushings up in the neck portion so you can control sizing and some dies are just neck dies that have bushings up in the neck for just neck sizing.
I would only be guessing if I said you should buy a 300 rum set and it would work all the way back down but I think it probably would.
I think the bushing sets that you're looking at would be bushings for neck sizing and would have nothing to do with the seating. Look hard when you're shopping because some dies are full length dies that use bushings up in the neck portion so you can control sizing and some dies are just neck dies that have bushings up in the neck for just neck sizing.
Ok thanks Kranky. I've always had RCBS dies and think they'll probally last me long enough to pass them down to my son, they're good quialty dies but I do own 1 set of the older weatherby dies for a 240 whby i have and they really don't have the quality RCBS does but i do like the window cut out and the knob on top for adjusting. To me the RCBS are a little bit of a pain with the lock nut and flat screw driver blade when I'm trying diffrent bullet depths and diffrent bullets. Wish I knew about the competition seater dies before i bought the good ole regular dies that i've had for the last 25 years..
woods
Well-Known Member
There are 2 different RCBS seaters where you can drop the bullet in the side, The Competition and the Gold Medal
The differences are small but there are some worth mentioning. The Gold Medal is closer to the Redding and Forster whose claim to fame is that they support the case body (or at least enclose it) while the bullet is being seated.
1. Both the Gold Medal and the Competition have a shoulder that fits the shoulder angle of the caliber it is bought for. With the Gold Medal the shoulder angle breaks and comes down onto the case
the Competition only has the shoulder angle inside the die.
2. When you drop the bullet in the side of the Gold Medal it will stop and not drop through the bullet collet, with the Competition it will drop through so you have to have the ram raised enough so the mouth of the case will catch the bullet before it passes completely through the collet. Don't ask me how they do it but that is what happens
3. The seating stem on the Gold Medal floats up and down while the Competition is fixed. Don't know whether this has significant benefits or not
I also have Redding Competition Seaters, regular RCBS seaters, Lee seaters etc. but most of my calibers I will procure an RCBS Comp Seater if available.
Just like the ease of dropping the bullet in. Besides liking the ease of use, I also like that the bullet starts with less stress when it is perfectly aligned with the neck, noticeably.
I used to chase run out and concentricity assiduously and could not find any additional runout difference between my RCBS Comp seaters and those seated with the Redding Comp seater
IMO the shoulder angle of the die matching the shoulder angle of the case causes the case to center in the die, much like the shoulder angle of the chamber will center a case in the chamber when firing. If you are using a die made for a different caliber than that which the die was made for, then that may the cause of additional runout.
The differences are small but there are some worth mentioning. The Gold Medal is closer to the Redding and Forster whose claim to fame is that they support the case body (or at least enclose it) while the bullet is being seated.
1. Both the Gold Medal and the Competition have a shoulder that fits the shoulder angle of the caliber it is bought for. With the Gold Medal the shoulder angle breaks and comes down onto the case
the Competition only has the shoulder angle inside the die.
2. When you drop the bullet in the side of the Gold Medal it will stop and not drop through the bullet collet, with the Competition it will drop through so you have to have the ram raised enough so the mouth of the case will catch the bullet before it passes completely through the collet. Don't ask me how they do it but that is what happens
3. The seating stem on the Gold Medal floats up and down while the Competition is fixed. Don't know whether this has significant benefits or not
I also have Redding Competition Seaters, regular RCBS seaters, Lee seaters etc. but most of my calibers I will procure an RCBS Comp Seater if available.
Just like the ease of dropping the bullet in. Besides liking the ease of use, I also like that the bullet starts with less stress when it is perfectly aligned with the neck, noticeably.
I used to chase run out and concentricity assiduously and could not find any additional runout difference between my RCBS Comp seaters and those seated with the Redding Comp seater
IMO the shoulder angle of the die matching the shoulder angle of the case causes the case to center in the die, much like the shoulder angle of the chamber will center a case in the chamber when firing. If you are using a die made for a different caliber than that which the die was made for, then that may the cause of additional runout.
Dang Woods... you do the best tutorials around. I figured you had just showed me where I was screwing up using my 308 seater on my 30 odd 6. I took the top off my competition die and slid the sleeve out that according to you would hug the shoulder of a casing. I wanted to check the relationship between actually a 308 the way it's designed and my use on 30 odd 6. Maybe there's been a change in dies but mine does not come down to the shoulder ....it stops right at the case mouth and is machined there to do so. And my sleeve is not marked to be cartridge specific it just says RCBS 30 Cal. So maybe the buggars got cheap as time went on and cut a corner knowing they could make one die and throw it in about six different die sets?
I just picked up this die set so it's probably pretty new production..... so far my experience has been that my cheap good old Hornady new dimension dies smoke these RCBS competitions concentricity..... and that's pretty sad for what they charge for them.....ouch!
I just picked up this die set so it's probably pretty new production..... so far my experience has been that my cheap good old Hornady new dimension dies smoke these RCBS competitions concentricity..... and that's pretty sad for what they charge for them.....ouch!
Thank you very much for the great info Woods. That's exactly why I want to get the competition or gold die... for the more user friendly side of it more than being more percise, although I'm pretty sure the percise part should probally come first, but if there's a easy button I will usely be the first to press it...Just get tired of the balancing act when putting the bullet on the top of the neck to be pressed in the case. And also as a reloader always looking to better things so I find myself trying diffrent bullets at a lot of diffrent depths and having to use the 7/16 wrench and a flat blade screwdriver as a adjuster ain't real efficient as a matter of it's a right smart pain... Anyways you explained it great and the pictures are a big help and put the iceing on the cake as far as me buying the dies but not real sure which of the 2 is the best to get..In your opinion are you saying that the gold are built better but you like useing the competition better?...I did call RCBS today to be sure I had the right part number for the comp seater die rcbs 37838 because i couldn't find anything that said for sure 300rum for the comp seater.. they told me i had the right part number but said unless i shot nothng but basicly blunt round nose bullets it would work great but if i shot long slender type bullets they would have to make me a custom seater bushing to fit that particular bullet at $28 a pop.. I told him i have been useing the plan jane rcbs dies for about 25 years and have never had a problem..he was amazed so then said he thought i would be alight..Do you use diffrent seater bushings for every type bullet you use???There are 2 different RCBS seaters where you can drop the bullet in the side, The Competition and the Gold Medal
The differences are small but there are some worth mentioning. The Gold Medal is closer to the Redding and Forster whose claim to fame is that they support the case body (or at least enclose it) while the bullet is being seated.
1. Both the Gold Medal and the Competition have a shoulder that fits the shoulder angle of the caliber it is bought for. With the Gold Medal the shoulder angle breaks and comes down onto the case
the Competition only has the shoulder angle inside the die.
2. When you drop the bullet in the side of the Gold Medal it will stop and not drop through the bullet collet, with the Competition it will drop through so you have to have the ram raised enough so the mouth of the case will catch the bullet before it passes completely through the collet. Don't ask me how they do it but that is what happens
3. The seating stem on the Gold Medal floats up and down while the Competition is fixed. Don't know whether this has significant benefits or not
I also have Redding Competition Seaters, regular RCBS seaters, Lee seaters etc. but most of my calibers I will procure an RCBS Comp Seater if available.
Just like the ease of dropping the bullet in. Besides liking the ease of use, I also like that the bullet starts with less stress when it is perfectly aligned with the neck, noticeably.
I used to chase run out and concentricity assiduously and could not find any additional runout difference between my RCBS Comp seaters and those seated with the Redding Comp seater
IMO the shoulder angle of the die matching the shoulder angle of the case causes the case to center in the die, much like the shoulder angle of the chamber will center a case in the chamber when firing. If you are using a die made for a different caliber than that which the die was made for, then that may the cause of additional runout.
He's pretty dang good ain't he kraky!..Don't think it's his first day on his new job..I believe he's done this before lol
