Lee 300 blackout dies are in

[rsilvers]

True.

But back to runout - one good test would be to size and seat 100 cases and bullets with each of the dies sets, and then check runout and post statistics. Still, this would only be for your exact set, not necessarily the brand.

If gun magazines did this kind of thing, they would be much better than the puff testing they tend to do.

[jmart]

It isn't just runout, though that is one consideration.

In my experience, the lock ring/rubber O-ring system tends to lose adjustment easier.

Easier than what? Dillon rings break in two, that's happened to me before. I've used Forster, Redding, Lee, Hornady, just about everything except RCBS. They all have their idiosyncracies. I've found the Lee rings work fine, just screw them down consistently, and they're easy enough to remove that you don't perturb the setting. You don't have to turn them down so tight that the o-ring squishes flat, just snug them up and they'll stay put.

The decap pin likes to creep upward unless one really bears down on the decapper clamp with a wrench.

OK. So tighten up the decapper clamp. It aint rocket science. And the fact the rod will eventually give way is a better feature IMHO than one that stands, fights like a man, and breaks in two.

As far as a direct comparison example, I have both Lee and Redding dies in 6.5 Grendel. When necking down 7.62x39 brass, I lost several cases to Lee dies due to the shoulder collapsing.

Kind of points out the need to anneal necks when case forming. Not a die problem IMHO. And not a problem if your not engaging in case forming.

I also had MANY rounds with visibly crooked necks (they would still chamber, fortunately). When I switched to the Reddings, these problems went away.

Did you measure them on a concentricity gauge? How did they group on target? My Dillon/Lee resizer combo results in ~.001 runout max, over a fired and unsized case. My other dies results are about the same. Runout is a function of how the die is machined and your die/ram alignment in your press. It's not all in the die.

Lees are also known by several (not my own experience because I switched early on) to overwork brass. Not a big deal if you're leaving much of it on the range, but if you're paying $.70/case, that's not desirable.

Mine don't overwork my brass any more than other brands. The worst offender in my stable is my Dillon trim die. That baby squeezes the necks way down, so much so that I have to run the case back over an expander ball to bring them back up. I use my Lee resizer for this, backed out to only touch the neck, and I even had to polish the mandrel/expander a bit to get my targeted .003" neck tension. The stock mandrel only provided .001", so it's hard to claim they overwork brass.

I do like that the Lee dies are very affordable and that they come with a shellholder. I also like the Factory Crimp die very much.

Ditto.

If I am likely to only load a few rounds a year, I'll buy the Lee dies. If, on the other hand, I'll be loading a few hundred or thousand rounds, I'll get Redding. Or at least Hornady, RCBS or Lyman.

Regardless of how much I shoot any particular cartridge, I spin my resized cases on a concentricity gauge. If any resizer die, regardless of mfg, would induce big run out numbers {given that this on a press that I know laods them concentric with other dies}, then I'd return them and get a replacement. I wouldn't care if they were Lee or Redding or Forster, I wouldn't care whose sensibilities I might offend. If the dies are screwed up, return it/them for a replacement.

IMO, it's very akin to DPMS, etc. versus BCM, etc. One "tier" is for casual use. The higher tier is for more hard core use.

IMO any mfg can produce a bad die. Luckily, in my experience, they've all been good. Manufacturing methods are pretty tightly controlled, and I believe it's the exception when you get a bad one.

The only area where I deviate from this belief is with seaters, and it's not so much a mfg issue as it is a design issue. For min run out/max accuracy, get a BR style seater that has a floating sleeve that supports the bullet during seating. The only two mfg's that I'm aware of that have this feature are Redding and Forster, and those are in their premium lines (you pay extra for those seaters). Conventional seaters aren't as precise, but again, that's a design issue, not a manufacturing issue.

In the end, like most things, this is Ford vs Chevy. Use whatever you think is best and gives you confidence.

[Edward78]

I bought a set of dies and used the coupon code as well I think Lee dies are the best value out there for the dollar but everyone is entitled to there own opinion.

Ed

[148259]

100 units sold out in 2 days...must be pretty crappy.

[skyugo]

The Lee dies are on my list. I spend quite a bit less time mf'ing the decapper on theirs vs my RCBS set...

i've made about 2000 rounds of 223 and 10,000 9mm with lee dies. they're fine. I'd like to go carbide once i get back into rifles again... but overall they've treated me well.

[tommyh]

100 units sold out in 2 days...must be pretty crappy.

i would attribute that more towards price compared to the other sets than quality. its a lot easier to swallow $30 than $130 for a set of dies, and it sure piqued my interest to see that cost. makes buying into the platform a heck of a lot easier!