SmallCaliberCentral

I was wondering about the two items listed above. First question is; are the competition full length sizing dies worth the extra money? I bought a set of standard RCBS dies for $27.00. The competition dies are close to $100.00 are they worth the extra money?
I have always sized and trimmed new cases that I bought from either Remington or Winchester. I noticed while reading on the Nosler site that there brass comes sized, trimmed and chamfered. Is this accurate? Do you still have to size and trim these cases when you buy them new?

darchell: 1. "Are the comp dies worth the extra money?" I only use the Redding Comp Seater Die, neck, F/L dies are 'standard', and for many years, this has proven to be producting very accurate ammunition. In my precision rifles though, I do use bushing neck dies, but only for custom chambers. Standard neck or F/L dies are completelly adequate for factory chambers. So IMHO, the Redding Competiton Seating Die really IS worth the extra expense. Some prefer the Forester or RCBS Comp Seater, but from what I gather, I'm not alone in greatly favoring the Redding.

2. Nosler brass: You should always neck size new brass, no matter what brand. Every other prep has been done to the Nosler cases with the exception of primer pocket uniforming, which I've found to be needed to ensure proper primer seating depth in the pocket, but they are not sized. You should also always check new brass in the chamber it will be used in to make sure you don't have to F/L size it. That would be rare, but it's just a good practice. There is another recent post here about sizing new brass....check it out before you get started.

I started with a (Hornady) standard die set and shortly added a (Hornady) neck only die. Mistake #1.... the neck only die design did not support the body of the case and was sizing the neck okay, but when I checked the cases for concentricity they were off. I ended up buying a Redding Competition seating die first and now ordered a Redding Competition bushing neck die from Redding. I have these for my .223 and several others; the only reason I went cheap is I own a T/C Encore .204 Ruger and did not expect great accuracy from it. But when I bought my Savage VLP in .204 Ruger I decided to do the right thing. You get what you pay for, and if in addition to good quality dies, you also go thru the additional effort of prepping brass you will be surprised at the difference you will get in accuracy. I should have known better from past experience; going cheap may end up costing you later. Makes a person wonder how many rifles have been sold off when the ammo they were fed was the real problem.

Just thought of another item to add after reading the above post; don't check case concentricity with new brass, weather sized or not, as the body of the case will most likely show more TIR than it will after it's been fired in your chamber. Brass right out of the bag has been tumbled by the factory in large lots, almost guaranteeing excessive runout.

Once it's been fired, then check the TIR if you want to ensure the neck is running minimal runout, or check with the seated bullet, as that will show any abnormal TIR right away. If you are seeking peak accuracy from your rifle, then a concentricity gauge should be on your loading bench.

Rick is correct, and I was checking cases that were previously fireformed and was neck sizing them when I discovered that the neck die was not supporting the body of the case. I use a Sinclair concentricity guage to measure runout for loaded as well as neck runout. Semper Fi

You could neck size Nosler brass if you wish. I don't bother, they're ready for the first fireforming shot right out of the box.
I got an estimated 27 reloads out of my last batch of Nosler brass before quilt set in. I did anneal them a few times.
The next 150 pcs from a lot purchased 2 years later mic out exactly the same as the first in both headspace and length.
Redding is the way to go in dies.

Thank you for the information. I am finding I am not doing what I need to when I reload. I have always reloaded to save money, only a few years now, and not for the purpose of gaining extreme accuracy. With hunting rifles 1" - 1.5" groups suffice. Little tall and fuzzy's don't care if you hit them one inch to he right or left. They drop just as fast. With that said, the new rifle, Savage VLP 204, I am looking to get the most accuracy out of it I can. I know I will learn a lot with this next bit of info but here it goes. Tear it apart as you may, this is how I will learn. This is my typical reloading practice, starting with new brass..

Full length size them
Trim them
Chamfer and debur
Check the primer pocket for burs then prime
Add powder and seat bullet.
I do at least use a comparator to measure from the ogive on each.

What steps am I missing?
What could I do better.

New Nosler Brass

Well they think that you can load them right out of the box, so I chambered several of them and the went in nice and easy, primed 20 for my Win 748 test loads. Shooting them tomorrow, with 39gr Sierra's. Started at 25.5 and worked up to 27gr. Dr p

Dr P

JMO and Hornadys also. Those are some light loads for W 748. It functions best when pushed hard.
Using Audette ladders I found the top node for both 35's and 39's centered on 29.2gns.
This is roughly a Hornady max charge for 35's and a smidge over max for 39's.

Keep an eye out for blow by on your low starting charges.
Shoot up what ya got and if your not satisfied slowly go higher. Use thick primers.

I know that the Redding comp. dies are more expensive. But you WONT regret them once you buy them. I now have the full comp. sets for my .204, .223, and my .308. Once I used them, after buying both RCBS and regular Redding die sets for both my .204 and .223's I didn't even bother buying anything else for my .308!!! Also get the titanium nitride bushing for neck sizing I think it is worth the little extra moolah for it also. I also have the Competition carbide sizing button on my .223 die and I like that. -dan