"I'm not that weird. I don't test dies."
Understand that! But, after I got my concentricity gage I had to see if all I thought and heard about which brand of dies were made to tighter tolerances, etc., were true.
(I don't mean to hi-jack the thread but it seems this certainly addresses the original question about "recommended reloading equipment", at least so far as the dies go.)
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Some things I learned from a concenticity gage:
I found that no one makes the "best" dies, consistantly. Why do I say that? Well one long, cold winter several years back I borrowed as many dies as I could and started testing, something like fifty sets in addition to my own 35 sets. Many were of the same brand and cartridge. It took awhile to do the tests. What I found is that dies all dies are pretty good but they vary as much within a brand as they do between brands, both sizers and seaters, with a very few specific exceptions. I'll explain them.
Forster's BR sizer dies do tend to make for straighter FL sized necks due to their exclusive raised expander button system. But, on average, no other brand of FL sizers seems superior to others. They all meet SAAMI specifications, no more, no less.
I found NO average advantage to any conventional OR bushing neck sizer dies for producing straightest necks, even compaired to most FL dies. BUT, the Lee Collet Neck Sizers DID consistantly maintain straighter necks than any other dies I had to test.
I found no short sliding sleeve seaters, such as the Hornady or RCBS (exensive!) "Competition" types, to be consistantly better than conventional seaters, but they ARE easy to use!
I found that only the Redding and Forster full length body sleeve "straight line' seaters are consistanly better than any others. (And even they can't seat straight in crooked necks!)
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That's basically what I found, just wanted to hear what you might have learned.
So, I now load much like B.B., with either an occasional FL size as needed and a Lyman "M" expander die OR a Lee collet neck sizer, both followed by a Forster (for me) BR seater.
My "body dies" are an -06 for .270, a .260 for .243, and slightly neck bored conventional sizers for my .22-250, 6mm International and 30-06. (I had to grind down carbide bits to bore the sizers so I could get to the right diameter. I'm just too cheap to pay what Redding, et al, wants for "real" body dies!)
Now I buy any new dies I need and work with them. If I find either the sizer or seater lacking, I'll buy another set,new or used, and test them. Keeping the best of each, sizer and seater, I'll sell or trade the others, repeating until I can find the best FIT to my rifle.
" I take advice from people who have demonstrated that they know what they are talking about."
Seems buying dies by brand is a hit or miss thing with any of them! Anyone wanting to say his favorite brand is better than others needs to come with some values other than opinon or reputation.