When it comes to choosing sizing dies it’s important to make a distinction between factory SAAMI chambers and custom match grade chambers. There can be a significant difference between the two in terms of internal dimensions. For the guy with a factory rifle I feel the Lee collet die in conjunction with a Redding body die is a good choice...I’ve had success with this combination in a couple hunting/varmint rifles. For the guy with a custom benchrest rifle the Jim Carstensen bushing full length die is a great choice…I have two of them. I think some confusion arises when the guy with the factory rifle convinces himself that the tools and techniques that work best for the benchrest shooters will also work best for him. I used to think that way too and learned the hard way that it’s not always true.
There is a third choice that falls in between these two. You or your local machinist can modify your standard full length size dies to more closely match your factory chamber. I got the idea from this article - http://rickaverill.com/projects-past-and-present/lapping-reloading-dies/
I had my local machine shop modify five of my full length size dies for $150. I then polished the die chambers myself. The project tuned out well and I feel it was worth the expense. This is another option you may want to consider.
There is a third choice that falls in between these two. You or your local machinist can modify your standard full length size dies to more closely match your factory chamber. I got the idea from this article - http://rickaverill.com/projects-past-and-present/lapping-reloading-dies/
I had my local machine shop modify five of my full length size dies for $150. I then polished the die chambers myself. The project tuned out well and I feel it was worth the expense. This is another option you may want to consider.
