Reloading .308 about dies

[guns4funca]

Hi I was wondering if you have match ammo do you still have to buy match dies? I have 308 brass remington 168 gr matchking bthp and Federal Premium Gold Medal Ammunition 308
I also have brass Remington Express Core-Lokt Rifle which is not match Ammunition what is your thought on the dies Hornady makes to load the 308? I bought the Hornady Lock-N-Load Auto Progressive a few months ago back I started with pistol rounds now I want to reload rifle rounds. I hope some one can point me in the right direction.

[Witch Hunter]

You can make very accurate ammo with standard dies. I would recommend to start off that way until you learn if you want bushing dies,. Bushing dies are very adjustable, but you should concentrate on loading consistent ammo fitted to your rifle. Use whatever brass you have, pick one brand and work up a load with it. Experiment with different bullets, velocity and seating depth. Each rifle like a certain velocity, bullet, powder etc. I know, crazy, but true. I like the Redding micrometer seating dies. they make a repeatable seating depth with different bullets. It is especially nice when working up loads with different bullets and seating depths. Spendy, but worth it.

[Pauliedad]

Second on the Redding Competition Seating Die.
Very consistent and easy to tweak for different bullets.
Was encouraged via this forum only a few months back.

[J-cat]

You can load match ammo on standard dies, but making adjustments is easier on match dies.

[maxx03]

You can make accurate ammo using standard dies, but you will get more consistent hand loads on a single stage press loading each charge by hand.

[krwada]

Get a regular standard full length sizer along with a standard seater. You can make very good ammo with these. Do the basics 1st. And ... if you wish to get the ultimate in accuracy ... Well ... it will take much much more than purchasing match grade dies to do this.

[OldShooter32]

The Forster competition dies are the best IMHO.

[JMP]

It ain't the brass. FGMM uses the FC stamped brass, same as the American Eagle. It isn't great, but it'll do the trick. For "match" ammo, while it's too big a hassle to not have a seater without a micrometer to adjust OAL, that's not necessary, especially if you use the same bullet. For "match" ammo, you are looking for uniformity. It's the consistent and appropriate neck tensions they'll give you. Get the Redding Type S sizing dies. Generally, you will want to set the inner neck diameter to .306" +/- depending on other factors like seating depth, bullet, gun, etc. You need a ball micrometer to measure the thickness of the brass, then a standard micrometer to measure outer neck diameter to get it right. For new brass, you generally size .001" small since it tends to spring back after resizing, but as it ages, it hardens, which is why you need to measure exterior neck diameter since it changes over time. For .308, you'll probably want bushings .332" to .338" (if you need to go to .332", might as well get .331" for neck sizing 30-06 since it tends to have thinner neck brass). Of course, that's if you want to spend the time to do it right, which is a PITA. It depends on your application. Consistency is the most important thing, so if you use crap dies like Hornady, just use the same brass with the same number of firings. Your neck tension will be wrong, but it should be consistent, which is more important.