Neck die bushings, who's best?

[powderbrake]

Whose die are you using

I have used Redding, and Whidden dies, went back to Redding for better concentricity.

 

[Dolomite]

Price wise SAC (nitride coated) $35 each then Whidden and Redding about the same price and Forster being the cheapest.

Quality wise SAC then Whidden and Redding/Forster. But everyone has different opinions or results.

Whidden sells the kits per caliber and its hard to beat for the price and quality.

Whidden dies worked out great for me and I used their bushings which are very good quality in my experience with low run out about .001-.002.

I bought some SAC bushings to see what the hype was about and was impressed with concentricity being about .0005. Do you need that little run out and is the cost worth it is up to you? If you got the money to burn get the SAC. SAC will not size all the way down the neck it leaves a portion unsized towards the base even if you screw the bushing all the way down.

Everyone has different experiences some good and some bad, best of luck choosing.

 

[sapper299]

I make 'em out of 1/2 inch drill rod. I don't even bother to harden 'em.....they work fine.

12 inch piece of drill rod makes a lot of bushings and the exact size you need is always sittin' in the drawer waitin' to be made.

Rick M.

And I know 100% that my bushings are concentric and on size by making them myself.

 

[BoydAllen]

The thing about the SAC bushings that seems to be overlooked is that their superior performance is not so much about dimensional correctness, but rather a result of a unique design, in the area where the fired neck is introduced into the bushing. I have had an extensive discussion withe the owner/designer, and was quite pleased that his design corresponds to an idea I had several years back, but was not able to get manufactured. If you have a generous shooting budget the straightest brass come from sizing with a one piece die that has the correct ID of the neck part of the die. I have one that has a runout at the end of the case that is hard to measure, less than a third of a thousandth.

 

[Bill K]

Seems like I have a few from each mentioned. Personally I can not tell the difference between each.
So, take your choice and be happy.

 

[rwj]

The thing about the SAC bushings that seems to be overlooked is that their superior performance is not so much about dimensional correctness, but rather a result of a unique design, in the area where the fired neck is introduced into the bushing. I have had an extensive discussion withe the owner/designer, and was quite pleased that his design corresponds to an idea I had several years back, but was not able to get manufactured. If you have a generous shooting budget the straightest brass come from sizing with a one piece die that has the correct ID of the neck part of the die. I have one that has a runout at the end of the case that is hard to measure, less than a third of a thousandth.

They are definitely tapered. Discovered that when measuring the ID. If you have to seat deep into the neck (which I do sometimes), the bullet’s pressure ring can be beyond the cylindrical portion. Those groups were not good for me so I switched back to Redding.