Which is the best 45acp seating die

[Murph]

I am curious to hear opinions on which seat in die for the 45acp JHP 185's is the best. also, is that same die also the best for SWC lead bullets.

[Trooperjake]

Murph
It's not so much the die,
It's the seating stem that supports the head.
You would need one for the JHP and another for the SWC.
The more the stem supports the head properly, the straighter the bullet
will be in the case.
I believe it was Steve Bathe that made my SWC stem.
I never experimented which die body would support the case any better than another.
Marty

[gitkrunk]

For jhp I run the redding competion micro adjust seating die... why bother running lead?

[Isabel1130]

For jhp I run the redding competion micro adjust seating die... why bother running lead?

This is the one that I use also. I used to use the Dillon with the Steve Bathje insert, but was getting not quite as consistent results as I wanted.
I reload both lead and jacketed bullets.

It is also very important that your press is perfectly level. The moving parts and not binding, and the tight parts are tightened down.

If you don't already have one it is really good to get a strong mount, or another after market base to mount your press to.
It will take a lot of the play and rattle (and inconsistency) out of your reloading process,

[gitkrunk]

i also use this for my 550b...not sure if it really does anything.. but for the cost ill take the piece of mind.


http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1230

[Murph]

I use a Hornady 5 station Lock N Load press. My seating die is the 4th station. 5th is a Lee factory crimp die. I decided to buy the Redding comp seating die as it seems like a great choice for the 185 JHP's. I called Redding and spoke with a tech guy for a bit and he explained why this is a great choice. The tolerances are tighter. The design is superior to others. The one guy I know using this die.....his ammo looks like it was loaded at the factory,...just smooth.

[Misny]

I use a modified seater plug on my Dillon for all lead SWC bullets. It only contacts the shoulder of the bullet and not the nose. Any SWC bullet can be loaded without having to adjust the seating stem.

[Trooperjake]

I use a Hornady 5 station Lock N Load press. My seating die is the 4th station. 5th is a Lee factory crimp die. I decided to buy the Redding comp seating die as it seems like a great choice for the 185 JHP's. I called Redding and spoke with a tech guy for a bit and he explained why this is a great choice. The tolerances are tighter. The design is superior to others. The one guy I know using this die.....his ammo looks like it was loaded at the factory,...just smooth.

Does the Redding micro die work for both JHP and SWC without using a custom seating stem?

[Rover]

A roll crimp is best. The seater must fit the bullet shape (at least half ass).

Don't think that the case will headspace on the case mouth and use a taper crimp. The cartridge should headspace on the bullet.

[RandomShotz]

https://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/ ... &tocid=970

'Nuff said.

[tenx9]

I love these blogs where everyone gets super accurate and super technical. I don't know ( and this is not an insult or some slight), if the bloggers are trying to prove how smart they are, or are they really that analytical?, BUT, after 30 years of competing and reloading. Its a shock, wait for it .................It makes no difference. I've been using the same Dillon seater for just about forever. As long as the semi--wadcutter seater stem is in there, you can load just about everything. Just keep it clean, if your shooting lead. Crimping is so much more critical. Use a .45acp gauge, make sure the round goes in and goes easily and that the nose of the bullet isn't too long, eg ..fits in the magazine. Try it off bags or a Ransome rest for yourself. Practice and shooting matches gets you there not worrying about what stem is in the die or what powder measure you use.

[Isabel1130]

I love these blogs where everyone gets super accurate and super technical. I don't know ( and this is not an insult or some slight), if the bloggers are trying to prove how smart they are, or are they really that analytical?, BUT, after 30 years of competing and reloading. Its a shock, wait for it .................It makes no difference. I've been using the same Dillon seater for just about forever. As long as the semi--wadcutter seater stem is in there, you can load just about everything. Just keep it clean, if your shooting lead. Crimping is so much more critical. Use a .45acp gauge, make sure the round goes in and goes easily and that the nose of the bullet isn't too long, eg ..fits in the magazine. Try it off bags or a Ransome rest for yourself. Practice and shooting matches gets you there not worrying about what stem is in the die or what powder measure you use.

This is absolutely true for pistol. And for those of you loading only one caliber and type of bullet, lock that press down, set it, and forget it. Just weigh the charges every once in a while.

But if you load many different bullets on the same press, the Dillon seating die, in my humble opinion, is a PITA to adjust. The Redding Seating die is both easy, and quick (and better).

[gitkrunk]

I love these blogs where everyone gets super accurate and super technical. I don't know ( and this is not an insult or some slight), if the bloggers are trying to prove how smart they are, or are they really that analytical?, BUT, after 30 years of competing and reloading. Its a shock, wait for it .................It makes no difference. I've been using the same Dillon seater for just about forever. As long as the semi--wadcutter seater stem is in there, you can load just about everything. Just keep it clean, if your shooting lead. Crimping is so much more critical. Use a .45acp gauge, make sure the round goes in and goes easily and that the nose of the bullet isn't too long, eg ..fits in the magazine. Try it off bags or a Ransome rest for yourself. Practice and shooting matches gets you there not worrying about what stem is in the die or what powder measure you use.

This is absolutely true for pistol. And for those of you loading only one caliber and type of bullet, lock that press down, set it, and forget it. Just weigh the charges every once in a while.

But if you load many different bullets on the same press, the Dillon seating die, in my humble opinion, is a PITA to adjust. The Redding Seating die is both easy, and quick (and better).

+1

[Murph]

I agree with many of these replies. I had previously "set it and forget it" and had loaded thousands of rounds, all of which were shooting great. My Hornady seating die broke when a JHP loaded crooked. Hornady sent me a new part (free) to repair, but since the press was down, I began to micro analyze the seating part of the process. I do load SWC and JHP. I went with a new Redding die to only do the JHP heads and I will use the Hornady die for the SWC's. They change over in in a few seconds and retain the setting.

So, back to "set it and forget it" and to loading every piece of brass I have to get ready for this season.

[gitkrunk]

one thing i like about the micro adjust bullet seat and crimp dies is that when i switch cases. i can adjust the seat or crimp with a quickly adjustment.