The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Sandgroper wrote:I like the the Lee stuff and have to agree with Sim G in this thread of his - http://www.full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.ph ... &hilit=lee

Can anyone show me how a £300 Forster press and a £100 set of Forster dies will produce better results in an off the shelf rifle, than those in the thread dragged from the bowels of the forum, by Grant? Someone can set themselves up loading for a single calibre with everything they need, for half the price of a Forster press.

Even though the results are plain to see IMO, how are we to encourage shooters into reloading when we recommend that the press they buy costs more than the rifle they intend to use the ammo in? Loading is a fantastic hobby in it's own right and can be daunting enough for a novice, but chuck the figures around that some kit costs and they're easily dissuaded.

My own local shop is case in point. They carried next to nothing in reloading. Dabbled in it with the pistols, but never bothered after the revamp post '97. Myself and a few others convinced them to start it again. I was canvassed at what to start with. I went with exactly the same vein as the thread above. We even held little beginners workshops. This has resulted in more and more of the local shooters reloading. In turn, the shop has ended up stocking more and more supplies. The more experienced handloaders can now expand and the shop is making good money on it..... And so on, it perpetuates for the betterment.

But regardless to the building of local business and practice via entry level kit, show me the results of what you're recommending is better. I doubt they actually are....

And badger, no pic, no gun.......

SimG,

Can anyone show me how a £300 Forster press and a £100 set of Forster dies will produce better results in an off the shelf rifle

Are we talking about an off the shelf rifle here? Way I see it Lee dies are fine for the SOWR and such but you aren't going to get 1000 yard accuracy with Lee dies mate. On my reloading bench I have an RCBS and a Lee press, I have Lee dies, Redding Dies, Forster dies and RCBS dies. IMHO the Forster dies are much more consistent than any of the other dies I mentioned.

Way I see it mate it's each to their own, if Lee dies work for you then crack on.

Blu

I have Lee, RCBS, Redding, Lyman and C4H dies, some relatively new and some 40+ years old. Some 15 years ago. the R&D centre in which I worked had a large and well equipped metrology laboratory. When making a die, the only difficicult process is to get the 7/8" UNF thread concentric with the bore, so, out of curiosity I had a sizing die from each maker checked. They were all surprisingly good, but, by a small margin, the best was the LEE. Concentricity is almost impossible to check in a production environment.
Fred

Blu wrote:Are we talking about an off the shelf rifle here? Way I see it Lee dies are fine for the SOWR and such but you aren't going to get 1000 yard accuracy with Lee dies mate. On my reloading bench I have an RCBS and a Lee press, I have Lee dies, Redding Dies, Forster dies and RCBS dies. IMHO the Forster dies are much more consistent than any of the other dies I mentioned.

Way I see it mate it's each to their own, if Lee dies work for you then crack on.

Yep, an off the shelf rifle and yes, I get 1000 yard accuracy with the Lee dies as well! Did a previous 1000yd Benchrest record holder not load his ammo on Lee dies?

The thread Grant quoted showed what I got at 100. Here is a marker disc I was given by one of the blokes who was on butt duty whilst I was shooting. With the same rifle and Lee loaded ammo. Distance, 300 meters (330yds)

And yes, I'm cracking on bud!

One and a quarter inch! :shakeshout:

SimG,

Distance, 300 meters (330yds)

So why isn't there just the one large hole?

Blu

Blu wrote:
So why isn't there just the one large hole?

Blu

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :55:

[/quote]

I get 1000 yard accuracy with the Lee dies as well! Did a previous 1000yd Benchrest record holder not load his ammo on Lee dies?

[/quote]

No! Not in the last quarter century anyway!

The Gun Pimp wrote:
No! Not in the last quarter century anyway!

Well actually, that should be yes and yes again within the last 25 years. In 1993 Robert Frey shot 4.076 inch, ten shot group at 1000 yards, breaking a seven year record, using not only Lee dies but loaded on a Lee hand press!

As I've said before on here it all depends on the rifle, brass and bullets used. I have both SOWR's and modern rifles that will shoot accurately depending on how I load for them. By that I mean some of my SOWR's won't shoot worth a $h1t using certain brass or bullets or dies yet do fine in other rifles. Basically it's all down to whatever works for you.

Sim, Taking nothing away from Mr Frey or Lee dies that record of his didn't stand very long. It was broken again four months later by Frank Weber. Weber's group of 3.960 inches was broken by John Voneida's 3.151 inches. I believe the current record for a 10 shot group is 2.815 using guess which dies. Also lets not forget here that dies of all makes and manufacture have come on a long way since 1993.

Again it's whatever works for you and the gun on the day. Like I said I use Lee, RCBS, Forster and Redding dies, Out of the four of them I find that the Forster dies give me the most consistency for both target and hunting ammo. Thing is Badger here (allegedly) has a super duper new rifle. So great go buy a set of Lee dies and see how they work out. If the don't work out at least they are cheap enough to discard when he buys himself a decent set of dies tongueout

Blu

Blu wrote:Thing is Badger here (allegedly) has a super duper new rifle. Blu

Hmm