Dillon Dies or Redding Dies?

[Paul-the new guy]

I have been loading .223 for a few months and have been using Lee Dies, The area of the case where it gets neck sizes get some groves in it from the die. I spoke with Lee and they said send it back with some sized cases but i would probably just rather just replace it with something a little higher quality. I have a redding taper crimp die for my .40 S&W and it is fantastic. I have no other experience with redding dies and none with Dillon. What do you guys think would be the better choice? I would be getting the Redding competition dies set or the Dillon regular. I am loading on a 650 and am trimming the cases with a RT1200 Dillon trimmer.

[DinosaurMikeGolf]

I use the Redding Small Base Full Length die for a match chambered barrel.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=466853

[g56]

I can tell you I got some Redding dies a couple of years ago and it puts those linear scratches on the case necks, the next die set I bought was an RCBS and it did the same thing! They just don't polish the inside of them like they used to, NONE of my older dies do that! Both those previous sets were for calibers that I don't intend to reload in quantity, but a couple of years ago I decided to load 223/5.56 in quantity on my Dillon RL550, so I got the Dillon dies, the Dillon dies don't do that, so at least at that point Dillon was still polishing dies nicely, while Redding and RCBS had both cut back on their polishing of the dies, a distinct lowering of the quality standards for both companies.

[whistlepig]

For semi autos, I load both .223 and and .308 on Dillon progressives and use the Dillon Dies. Great performance. In precision bolt guns, I load on a single stage press and use Redding Bushing Dies (I think they call it the S die) Again, great performance..... Diff applications. For mass production on a progressive, I am very pleased with the Dillon Dies.

[Paul-the new guy]

I can tell you I got some Redding dies a couple of years ago and it puts those linear scratches on the case necks, the next die set I bought was an RCBS and it did the same thing! They just don't polish the inside of them like they used to, NONE of my older dies do that! Both those previous sets were for calibers that I don't intend to reload in quantity, but a couple of years ago I decided to load 223/5.56 in quantity on my Dillon RL550, so I got the Dillon dies, the Dillon dies don't do that, so at least at that point Dillon was still polishing dies nicely, while Redding and RCBS had both cut back on their polishing of the dies, a distinct lowering of the quality standards for both companies.

Wow, I can't believe they don't polish the dies better.

After a couple of hours of reading on here I am getting the feeling that I don't need a sizing die anyway. I Just got the RT-1200 case trimmer and I was running the cases through the Lee sizing die to size and de-cap and then through the Dillon sizing die for the trimmer. What I am reading is that I don't need to size them except with the die for the trimmer. So, all I need is a universal decaping die.

[Boxerglocker]

I run a FL Dillon sizer at station one and RT1200 sizer/trim set-up to match with a case gauge at station four. The actual sizing is done at one along with the decap or the spent primer. The RT1200 sizer is set up to perfectly match so it does not rework the brass. So far so good, I'm really happy with they speed, 300 cases the other day in a tad over 10 minutes to case gauged perfection.

[Shadowrider]

I can tell you I got some Redding dies a couple of years ago and it puts those linear scratches on the case necks, the next die set I bought was an RCBS and it did the same thing! They just don't polish the inside of them like they used to, NONE of my older dies do that! Both those previous sets were for calibers that I don't intend to reload in quantity, but a couple of years ago I decided to load 223/5.56 in quantity on my Dillon RL550, so I got the Dillon dies, the Dillon dies don't do that, so at least at that point Dillon was still polishing dies nicely, while Redding and RCBS had both cut back on their polishing of the dies, a distinct lowering of the quality standards for both companies.

Wow, I can't believe they don't polish the dies better.

After a couple of hours of reading on here I am getting the feeling that I don't need a sizing die anyway. I Just got the RT-1200 case trimmer and I was running the cases through the Lee sizing die to size and de-cap and then through the Dillon sizing die for the trimmer. What I am reading is that I don't need to size them except with the die for the trimmer. So, all I need is a universal decaping die.

Some people do it that way and it's probably fine. But I'm a little too OCD, I guess. I still like to run a full length die AFTER trimming so I get neck expansion. I just back the die body off a 1/4 turn or so, so as not to size the outside any further since the trim die has already done it in the trimming.

[Paul-the new guy]

I can tell you I got some Redding dies a couple of years ago and it puts those linear scratches on the case necks, the next die set I bought was an RCBS and it did the same thing! They just don't polish the inside of them like they used to, NONE of my older dies do that! Both those previous sets were for calibers that I don't intend to reload in quantity, but a couple of years ago I decided to load 223/5.56 in quantity on my Dillon RL550, so I got the Dillon dies, the Dillon dies don't do that, so at least at that point Dillon was still polishing dies nicely, while Redding and RCBS had both cut back on their polishing of the dies, a distinct lowering of the quality standards for both companies.

Wow, I can't believe they don't polish the dies better.

After a couple of hours of reading on here I am getting the feeling that I don't need a sizing die anyway. I Just got the RT-1200 case trimmer and I was running the cases through the Lee sizing die to size and de-cap and then through the Dillon sizing die for the trimmer. What I am reading is that I don't need to size them except with the die for the trimmer. So, all I need is a universal decaping die.

Some people do it that way and it's probably fine. But I'm a little too OCD, I guess. I still like to run a full length die AFTER trimming so I get neck expansion. I just back the die body off a 1/4 turn or so, so as not to size the outside any further since the trim die has already done it in the trimming.

Do you de-prime them first or do you trim them with the primers still in them?

[Mike Morcillo]

Tumble the dirty brass,resize the brass , ream the primer pockets, trim to length. Tumble again in clean media when done. Oh, the RCBS dies did the same scratch on the case necks. Used a dowel, some 600 grit paper and polished the neck area of the dies till scratches stopped.