Redding Pro Series

[downfall]

Looking for some advice from those whom have been there done that: I am looking to separate my seating operation from the crimp operation on my press when loading 45 ACP, is the Redding pro series a good seating die? or should I just pony up for the competition die and save myself the aggravation and time?

[huckberry668]

I specifically bought a Redding Comp seating die for my 45 and 9mm to accommodate different bullets on my Dillon 550. excellent dies. the micro meter adjustment is dead on repeatable and accurate.

[Bill Steele]

Redding, never a wrong choice...

Looking for some advice from those whom have been there done that: I am looking to separate my seating operation from the crimp operation on my press when loading 45 ACP, is the Redding pro series a good seating die? or should I just pony up for the competition die and save myself the aggravation and time?

First let me say that all my favorite dies are Redding, coincidence? Perhaps.

On the Comp die versus the Pro. I use a number of different bullet types for .45 ACP. An adjustable seating die (with a knob on top of the die) is a nice feature. When changing from a 230 LRN to a 200gr XTP, it is nice to be able to change the seat height without having to loosen the lock ring. On the other hand if you are loading the same bullet all the time, to my way of thinking, there would be no benefit to the Comp die.

Now the heresy, if I were assembling a set of dies for .45 ACP from scratch, where I wanted the flexibility of the knob adjustment on the seat die, the best size/decap die available and also a top quality taper crimp, I would get a Lee seat die (knob adjustable), Redding dual ring size/decap die and a Dillon taper crimp die. For about the same money you will spend on the Redding Comp set you can buy the above and have the best of all possible worlds (from my perspective). The only downside I see with the above setup is the Redding dual ring size/decap die has a small mouth, so it will hangup occasionally with some progressive presses.

Good luck, have fun!

[Justintoxicated]

First let me say that all my favorite dies are Redding, coincidence? Perhaps.

On the Comp die versus the Pro. I use a number of different bullet types for .45 ACP. An adjustable seating die (with a knob on top of the die) is a nice feature. When changing from a 230 LRN to a 200gr XTP, it is nice to be able to change the seat height without having to loosen the lock ring. On the other hand if you are loading the same bullet all the time, to my way of thinking, there would be no benefit to the Comp die.

Now the heresy, if I were assembling a set of dies for .45 ACP from scratch, where I wanted the flexibility of the knob adjustment on the seat die, the best size/decap die available and also a top quality taper crimp, I would get a Lee seat die (knob adjustable), Redding dual ring size/decap die and a Dillon taper crimp die. For about the same money you will spend on the Redding Comp set you can buy the above and have the best of all possible worlds (from my perspective). The only downside I see with the above setup is the Redding dual ring size/decap die has a small mouth, so it will hangup occasionally with some progressive presses.

Good luck, have fun!

whats wrong with the redding taper crimp die? It works excellent!

My Friend says the Hornady 45acp sizing dies sizes a bit farter down on the case than his redding dies so he prefers it. I have the hornady set + redding taper crimp die. I think it will really come down to if you want that micrometer or not between the two.

You want a re-sizer, expander, seating die and taper crimp die.

Are you loading on a progressive?

[downfall]

yup, on an rcbs pro 2000 currently using rcbs die set and thought there has to be an easier way to get the seating depth setup. I saw the Redding comp die and it seemed like the way to go until I saw the $$$$ for it.