Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Back to Redding.

First case in a brand new set of dies, new unfired case too.

Going back to Redding on my dime, hope they make it right and go above and beyond.

223, body looks heavily tapered and no real body to shoulder angle, kind of a long radius.

I guess my question is has anybody dealt w their customer sevice and if so were you satisfied?

Not real happy I am paying return shipping as I now have an extra amount of $$ tied up in something that for being a first time customer I am already doubting my purchase.


Rant over.

With a standard die set there should be no question other than the min/max SAAMI spec thing. The brass pictured does look funky, but it could be the camera. Did you take before/after measurements rather than just eye-balling? New brass is usually on the small side, what does it do with fired?

I own many sets of Redding dies & have been happy with them, so bought a set of Ackley Imp. dies. These were Group D dies so not real cheap. They had the correct 40* shoulder angle but sized the body almost back to standard 06 taper which pretty much negated the improved thing. I returned them with 3 fired cases. They "polished" the sizer but it didn't change the over-sizing noticeably. The seating die worked fine. Redding's CS said I would need to pay for custom dies if I wanted them to fit my chamber. Unimpressed to say the least, they still sit in a drawer somewhere.

I contacted CH by mail (pre-internet days). One evening the owner called for more details. Sent 3 fired cases to CH & the result was about perfect at a better price, but it took a while. Still using the CH dies. Good folks, good dies.

C&H make supurb products, excellent customer service!

It is clear to the eye there is no true transition from body to shoulder.

Here is a new unfired case next to the new unfired sized case.

Let us know how their customer service responds. I have a few sets of their dies and have been pleased.

New thought, going to try one more case.

I am wondering if when I got the case hung it started back down and stretched the case out which would explain the reason for no shoulder.

Got to thinking about this when I noticed the sized case was a good bit longer than original.

10gaugemag: From the pictures you posted it appears you got a set of mis-marked 223 Weatherby Ackley Improved dies.
Naw just a feeble attempt at humor there.
I have several dozen sets of Redding reloading dies (and various other reloading implements!) and have never had a problem with any of them.
I am sure that the stand-up people at Redding will correct what ever in the heck caused that to occur.
Good luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Looks like a set of 223 H&H dies

My thoughts too. Looks like a mini-300 H&H.

My latest project is putting a 17 Fireball barrel on a Savage action...

I looked at a die set from Redding....$90. from Graf or Midway...

For a 2 die set of Lee dies... $31.00...

even at the same price I prefer LEE...

No decision of which set I will order, and wait for them to come in...

Much better picture. It doesn't look right. Explain "when I got the case hung".

I always chuck new die expander balls in a drill to round the top edge & polish the outside of the ball.

Stuck case. Pulled rim off.

Problem is/was me. The more I thought about the situation the more I realized I stretched case when I was lowering the ram or pulling the stem.

No die issue.

Nothing wrong on Reddings end.

This is my first set of Redding.

Have 1 set of RCBS, 1 Hornady and the rest are Lee.

Bizarre circumstances

Thanks for sharing the resolution with us. I was wondering about that from looking at your picture. I own dies from just about everybody and have more Reddings than the rest hands down maybe 20-30 sets. Everone in the industry has treated me well but Redding has always gone above and beyond my expectations. One thing I have noticed about brand new Redding dies is even when lubed with the extra good stuff they pull hard for maybe30-50 cases and then on their own go glass smooth on the press handle. I've been using them so long I've come to expect it so I go pretty cautious on a new set.

Seafire I'm not bashing Lee but they leave something to be desired on product support. I know they are extra busy right now just like everyone in this industry but you can't ignore customers and hope they go away.

When you get your 17 Fireball up and running please share your results with us. I've been shooting a Mach 1V for a long time so I know you will enjoy it.

Maybe just me and I do use and like Redding dies. On the other hand, I found there CS to be lacking in the one instance that I dealt with them. Have a set of .300 Weatherby FL dies. Sizer works fine but could not even think about seating bullets deep enough. Yes some were newer generation tipped bullets. But a new factory unfired loaded round would not go deep enough into the tie to even touch the seated bullet on the factory round. I spoke with CS and they wanted me to send the dies back on my dime with the 3 sized cases routine. Maybe I am off but my experiences with RCBS have been a lot less of a pain and no issues in getting parts or whatever sent with no questions asked and normally at no cost.

Just my one experience, take it for what it's worth.

Still going to send em back.

Stuck another case last night. It seems that I really need to lay the lube on heavy. These are the first cases I have stuck in years. New unfired cases too.

I am wondering if they just need polished or are a hair on the tight side.

I’ve had issues with Redding dies, those 22, 20 and 17 cal. I can not get the lube right. Either I get dents in the shoulders or I pull the rim off the case and it’s stuck in the die. I’m buying only RCBS these days. I’ve not had issues with 24 caliber and larger.

I have 10 sets of Redding dies from .223 to 340 Wby Mag. No problems.

Redding makes good dies but my favorite are Forster; especially their fl size die. Redding copied Forster/Bonanza’s seater design. I’ve worn out a couple of 223 die sets. The Lee dies are softer than the others. I only got a couple thousand rounds out of those. I've contemplated the carbide Dillon sets, but I’m not doing the volume I once was.

dale06, same issue here, with one set of Redding dies. No matter how I lube (always sparingly) I get dents. I've used wax, body of case only, One Shot, and some old Lee water soluble lube. Shoulder dents no matter what I do. I think (no, I am not sure) that the die/cartridge combination traps air during the sizing process. I gave up on them, went back to RCBS with a vent hole. No problems.

Exactamundo^^^^ One POS somb that supplies AR barrels and wildcat chamberings insisted on only using Redding competition dies. I asked if they had any other options. Their answer was basically pound sand, we know better. I sold the barrel and said good riddance and went to a different AR barrel and cartridge that is supported by RCBS.

If by Redding competition dies you mean the type that use bushings for the neck section then the vent hole issue would be moot.

I've been a user of RCBS dies lately until now.

I had a set of RCBS 44Mag dies that the sizing die was undersized and would not accept a case new or unfired. Returned it to RCBS and they replaced it with a carbide sizing die as the previous one had been steel only.

Bought a set of RCBS 6.5 Creedmoor dies that were scratching the sides of new cases and were also undersized. I would have to stand up to apply enough pressure to size the once fired brass with enough lube to get some shoulder dents. I sent the sizing die back to RCBS with a note about the two problems and received the same die back with a note "polished die". Using the dies again for the second time found that the scratches on the brass were gone but the sizing die was still under sized. Sent the dies (both) back to RCBS and told them this was the second time the same die had been returned and the sizing problem still existed. Losing my patience I told them to replace the set preferably with a carbide sizing die or keep the damn dies and don't send them back.

Haven't heard from them now after 11 days so I bought a set of Hornady dies for the 6.5 Creedmoor to go along with my other Hornady dies in 6.5 Grendel. I am through with RCBS dies going forward and loving the Hornady.

Their customer service and support has always been great. I’ve broken some parts, called them, and they just send out whatever I needed no charge.

If there is a problem with the die, they will make it right.

Call them and discuss.

This exactly. Only time I ever had questions or needed service, they went way out of their way to answer all questions and sent me some free spare parts to boot!

I own RCBS, Hornady and Redding dies. RCBS are functional but my least favorite, Hornady is better than you might expect. Any time it counts for precision, I only buy Redding. I really like a separate neck and body die for precision stuff, and you’ll never get dents with that setup being separate. Not saying they’re better than Forster or Whidden or arbor press dies like Sinclair, but my experience with them has been great.

Same here Do not care for Redding dies on AI cartridges with no vent

I run a few different Redding die sets and have no issues. Did have a mixup on my end purchasing the wrong sizing die once, called them and they exchanged it free. Another time I needed a vld seating stem and they sent it free of charge. Always been happy with Redding stuff.

Problem dies for me were .260. I've a set of .223 Redding dies that never give shoulder dents. I just got a set of RCBS dies for .260, and the problem went away.

I have about half Redding and half RCBS. I like the Redding a little better.