I know brand loyalty tends to run deep. But in reality are forester or redding really that much better than Lee? Is it really worth double for a 2 die set?
So, you are going to get all kinds of responses here that say yes/no/maybe. My answer is that IMO it solely depends on your intended use of the rounds. If you are shooting Bullseye at 50m with your 1911 and are in search of High Master, yes/maybe, if you are pplinking at the range and shooting for shear enjoyment then no. If loading for a hunting round you will get adequate accuracy from LEE and do not need to spend the additional money on the other brands. PRS at 600m or longer then the high dollar sets MAY be better. Primarily you simply need to cook those recipes to the point that you are happy with the bullets performance, THEN if you feel the need......
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There are other brands ... don't forget Lyman and RCBS. I've got a little bit of everything, including some you won't find any more. I won't buy Lee and I won't buy Hornady New Dimension. The old Hornady dies were fine, and I own several of them. If you are strictly a casual shooter/reloader, any of them will probably serve you OK.
A forester sizing die is designed differently than the others and I think it is worth the extra money. The location of the expander ball is higher on the de-priming stem, placing the ball higher locates it where there is more leverage on the press requiring less effort to pull the ball back through the neck of the case. I believe the higher location of the expander also results in less run-out at the case neck because the resize ball is not hanging out at the end of the de-priming spindle where it is easier to deflect.
Forester:
RCBS:
I believe the design of the seater die also results in less run-out in the seated bullet which can also be detrimental to accuracy.
None of this is going to make a huge difference if you are shooting 100 yards and are happy with a 1.5"-2" group......and I'm certainly not saying you can't assemble very accurate ammunition on a set of Lee dies.....just saying the Forester dies, in my opinion, are worth the difference in price. However, on straight walled cases, I would not necessarily spend the extra money for forester dies.
Forester:
RCBS:
I believe the design of the seater die also results in less run-out in the seated bullet which can also be detrimental to accuracy.
None of this is going to make a huge difference if you are shooting 100 yards and are happy with a 1.5"-2" group......and I'm certainly not saying you can't assemble very accurate ammunition on a set of Lee dies.....just saying the Forester dies, in my opinion, are worth the difference in price. However, on straight walled cases, I would not necessarily spend the extra money for forester dies.
Buzzgun I hope you have a forester die for .308 and can measure it for me.
My lee sizer die if I measure the Expander portion that actually expands the neck it's bearing surface is .100"
From the base of the deprimer pin to the bottom of the expander area it is 1.615" this is the first area into the neck.
1.715" to the top ot the expander bearing surface.
Deleted this sentence because my brain was on vacation.
I get sub MOA ammo from all my Rifles with Lee dies.
Heck the Lee wack-a-mole field loaders made sub MOA ammo and that is some crude way to make ammo.
My lee sizer die if I measure the Expander portion that actually expands the neck it's bearing surface is .100"
From the base of the deprimer pin to the bottom of the expander area it is 1.615" this is the first area into the neck.
1.715" to the top ot the expander bearing surface.
Deleted this sentence because my brain was on vacation.
I get sub MOA ammo from all my Rifles with Lee dies.
Heck the Lee wack-a-mole field loaders made sub MOA ammo and that is some crude way to make ammo.
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swamprat, you post really doesn't make much sense.
I do have a Forester .308 sizer die.
What is it, exactly, that you want me to measure??
Moving the mandrel up higher in the die has nothing to do with partial neck sizing. The amount of neck that is sized is based on how far the case is run into neck sizing portion of the die.......that has nothing to do with the position of the mandrel/sizer ball??
I do have a Forester .308 sizer die.
What is it, exactly, that you want me to measure??
Moving the mandrel up higher in the die has nothing to do with partial neck sizing. The amount of neck that is sized is based on how far the case is run into neck sizing portion of the die.......that has nothing to do with the position of the mandrel/sizer ball??
You are correct Buzzgun.
Can't move the mandrel up and partial size you must move the die up. My mistake.
In Fact you can barely resize a case with the expander mandrel moved up in the lee die.
Barely as in it won't resize. Way too much pressure needed to make it happen.
My brain must have took a break on that statement. I knew that.
The measurement I wanted would not make any difference as the decapper pin could be longer and any comparison would be moot.
Now that I think about it.
Can't move the mandrel up and partial size you must move the die up. My mistake.
In Fact you can barely resize a case with the expander mandrel moved up in the lee die.
Barely as in it won't resize. Way too much pressure needed to make it happen.
My brain must have took a break on that statement. I knew that.
The measurement I wanted would not make any difference as the decapper pin could be longer and any comparison would be moot.
Now that I think about it.
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