So I have concluded, in my very limited experience, that a nice seating die is truly worth the price. And so now I am looking for a nice 260 seating die. What I'd like to hear opinions are on the following dies:

Redding Competition
Whidden Micro Seating
RCBS Matchmaster
Forster Ultra Micrometer

I for sure LOVE seating dies with the built micrometer and consider it a must. My 308 (the thing I've relaoded the most by far) is a used rbcs match. I have a forester 223 seating die that i really like too.
Basedon price alone it looks like it would be Whidden + Redding tied, RCBS and then Forester.

Just looking for any and all, general or specific opinions.

The seating die you select isn't as important as the seating stem inside the seating die. I use Redding Comp and Hornady dies mostly. The Hornady A-max and A-Tip seating stems will fit inside the Hornady seating dies as well as the Redding Comp seating dies. With the VLD, Hybrid and ELDM style bullets now, a standard seating stem won't fit on the ogive of the bullet properly. A standard RCBS seating die will not work when seating an A-Tip, Berger EOL or hybrid style bullet. The tip of the bullet makes contact inside the top of the seating stem, and seats the bullet on the tip. This causes tip damage and will seat the bullet crooked. This is why I like the Hornady and Redding comp seating dies. You can add the A-Max and A-Tip seating stems to them for a few dollars extra.

Converting some dies to seat these bullets is expensive. The micrometer adjustments are nice and I like using them. I prefer the Redding one's over the Hornady, but not by much.

Wilson and an Arbor press

If you're in a hurry probably Redding or Whidden

I've got several Reddings, a few Hornadys, and 1 Whidden. I prefer the Redding. Now, if you want to go full tilt, the Wilson die with an arbor press is the best. I use these on my 6CM and 6.5CM.

I have been using the SAC seater and so far it’s worked great. It has worked with most every cartridge from 308 size down to 6mm BR so far. Last night I loaded a bunch of 6mm Creedmoor.
Pretty pricey but well made and if you are not too deep into a bunch of dies already then well worth the money as it will do so many short action rounds.

I said I would never mess with bushing dies again but I bought one of the SAC sizers for the Creedmoor family and again so far it has worked as advertised.

I use the Redding Premium and it does not seat on the tip of the 162 A-Max but it does leave a visible mark on the bullet shown here. It is visible but can not be felt with a fingernail. I have not noticed that mark with the Redding Competition on the .260 with 140g Matchburners which are a softer bullet I think. Both seaters have the micrometer and both work well, but the competition looks/feels nicer.

The RCBS MatchMaster works well for me and I really like having the micrometer, it allows me to seat each bullet a little long and then adjust individually for OBTO (I know, a bit anal).

This ring thing on the bullets is something that has been an issue for me and it really annoying! I'd like to resolve this issue moving forward on future expected projects.

Chad, as usual LOTS of info! Thanks. If I'm reading it correctly, Hornady stems will fit inside a Redding die. But will Redding stems fit inside a Hornady die?

WP, this is the exact combo (alpha brass + 140 match burners) I am running so for the immediate answer here I'm now leaning towards the Redding Competition 260 seating die. The basic/cheap rcbs fl set seater is definitely leaving that annoying ring.

Midway occasionally runs the competition die set on sale cheap. You then measure the neck of the brass on a seated bullet and order a collet .002 smaller. That’s for the full set. On sale collet and all you come in around $175-185 if memory serves.


Edit: just looked, that set is not on sale right now. $288

90% of the time the ring is not having the correct stem, the other 10% of the time it's got too much neck tension...my experience.

I agree with Buzz and Fitz...wilson/arbor if you want the utmost consistency. Otherwise, your list in the order you have them is alright.

I respectfully differ with you. I don’t think you need to spends gobs of cash on dies to get accurate rounds. My favorite setup is a Hornady custom grade die with the micrometer attachment. I’ve used it to load ammo that has produced groups in the .0’s and .1’s.

I have gone to Forster die sets because their resizing die stem more often produces less runout than Redding dies. Being able to use the stem in the resizing die avoids needing to use a mandrel to straighten. I still use Redding too, but Forsters are now my go to choice. The Forster seaters are excellent quality. As Chad mentioned make sure to order a VLD stem for any seater.

Producing straight brass out of the sizing die is a must have. Seating dies cannot work any better than the sized brass going into it.

I bought one set of Hornady and preferred Forster.

Have not used RCBS in a very long time, so cannot comment on their current quality.

Whidden produces top notch obviously, just never needed to drop that amount when Forster and Redding meet the need.

KR, remember Alpha brass has less powder capacity, so, load accordingly.
I use their 6.5 Creedmoor LRP brass, no special reason, maybe cuz it comes in a sexy plastic box

You're welcome. On my Redding Comp micrometer seaters, the Hornady seating stems fit perfect into the Redding comp seaters. I have multiple of these- 28 Nosler, 6.5 CM, 308, 300 WM, 260 Rem, and many more. I have not put the Redding stems into the Hornady dies.

On your ring, like Judd said, it's most likely an incorrect seating stem for the bullet you are shooting. If you take apart the die, take a bullet and see how it fits up into the seating stem. See if it sits properly in it. Also, the brass needs to be able to accept the bullet smoothly. I VLD chamfer all my brass before loading. This gets rid of any burrs on the case mouth, that can easily catch and cause the bullet to seat firmly and scratch the sides of the bullet. Also, some brass, like Lapua, I will run the necks over an expander ball or neck sizing mandrel to open up the necks and/or straighten them out. Lapua brass is VERY tight and often very firm when using virgin brass. If the inside of the necks are not prepped right, you can have an issue of tight necks and hard bullet tension during seating. This will cause an even greater pressure the seating stem puts on the bullet, and can lead to seating rings. The worst bullets I've seen for this is the Nosler LR Accubonds. They are a PITA to work with. They are very soft and the actual diameter of the bullet is under sized (about .261-.262" for a 6.5mm/.264 and about .281-.282" for a 7mm/.284 bullet).

The last year, I have ran into some really tight case necks out of the box.

.280 A.I. with an I.D. of .268"
.300 Win Mag with an I.D. of .300"

Buy premium brass, and you still have to run the necks through an expander.

I’ve noticed that Lapua brass has tight necks. I don’t usually size before loading, and the once-fired brass isn’t so tight in the neck. Maybe I’ll run the next batch of new brass through a Lee Collet Die. As for dies, most are RCBS, but the 260 dies are Hornady Custom, and I get great accuracy. That said, great accuracy can be a subjective matter.

I’m gonna set up to load this afternoon. I think I’ll look and see what dies I am using for various calibers. I’ve been doing this so long that I just screw em in and use them and pay no attention to who made them.

AGREE on expander, just another step

I lied. Well was wrong anyway. That ring was left by my RCBS dies on the dummy round I made when I got that barrel before I got the better dies. I just loaded with the Redding and there’s no ring.

we'll forgive you

You can always make the stem fit the bullet you wanna primarily load for. Valve grinding compound and a drill and about 3 of the bullets you wanna shoot.

I have never had a vld stem with a wilson seater leave a mark with the proper neck dimensions.

U do not speak for all us. Somethings are just unforgivable. Haha.

Hmmm....good idea. I've often thought about epoxy bedding a bullet to a seating stem to get a perfect fit. Just a thought that goes away after another bourbon.

I use RCBS competition seating dies. I like the micrometer adjustment & loading the bullets from the top.

Not if you are running a VLD style bullet, and the tip of the bullet is already making contact with the inside of the seating stem. You can't grind that out. I'm a fan of redneck engineering, but for this application, I think a $6 seating stem is a better investment.