243 win Reloading Dies Questions??

mt boy

mt boy

New member
Hi guys ,Before I ask any questions I just want to say when it comes to reloading I am no expert by no standers.I reload for my hunting rifles and have not loaded for any type of match round. Ok i recently bought a 243 ruger m77 markll target in a 243 win with hope of doing some longer range shooting just to see what happens. Am getting ready to order some dies and brass and was wondering what dies you all would suggest for something like this.My reloading set up is a RCBS pretty much the basic stuff.would a regular F/L rcbs die set be fine or is there a better way to go.Also any other reloading tools that would be help full please let me know.
 
A regular full length sizer die would work fine, after you progress as a reloader you may want to consider a neck only sizing die to add to your collection. With a neck sizer you won't work your brass as much, you will get more life out of it and potentially more accurate ammo. You will still want that full length sizing die even then to bump the shoulder back if they need it.

If you plan to reload a lot of bottle neck cartridges you will also want either a trimmer or a filing die to get your brass the right length, bottle neck cases grow when you shoot them and over time they will go too long out of spec and need to be shortened. You can get by with a few loading without it but make sure you measure the overall length after you resize your brass each time, if it gets too long it can be unsafe
 
Some will disagree with this, but I would recommend you buy the Lee deluxe three die set. They are much cheaper than the other dies out there, and still get the job done. Plus the Lee collet neck sizing die is awesome in my opinion. But keep in mind part of the reason Lee is so cheap is because they don't dress your products up for you so you will have to clean them well when you first get them.
 
I buy the Lee Deluxe set for every rifle to get their collet neck sizer die and my shell holders, then purchase a better seater die in each case. I've tried both RCBS Competition seaters (bullet window is a nice feature) and Redding Competition seaters. Both have a micrometer adjustment, but to me... well, I still like the Redding dies better as I can actually read white on black numbers! RCBS=black on black.
 
If you decide to do like sbranden said, and go with the lee collet die, and use another seater die, they do sell the collet die individually, at midwayusa, and midsouth.
 
Thanks for all the info guys,Any one have any good experiance with brass and bullets which would be a good choice to start with
 
Nowadays I get a set of three dies.

A Redding body die for F/L resizing.

A Redding neck die. I replace the original expander with a floating carbide sizer and forget lube forever.
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For bullet seating I really like this RCBS. Raise the ram, toss the bullet in the hole. It's the bees-knees for small bullets with flat bases.
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BTW, +1 for the Lee collet die. I've used the Lee sets, no complaints!
 
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Plus one on the competition seaters if you anticipate using more than one bullet or more than one rifle in .243. If you're willing to spend the money, they are great to make seating depth adjustments. Just recording your settings will allow you to reset and load for a previous bullet/rifle/load.
 
Mt boy, the Bonanza/Forester benchrest set is a very good set of dies with a competition bullet seater.

The Bonanza neck sizer can also be used to "bump" back the shoulder which will keep the full length sizing to a minimum which will save your brass. The Bonanza neck sizer has the shoulder angle already cut in the die, which can be used to push(bump)back the shoulder. When you bump back the shoulder .002, you will cut your full length sizing at least in half if not more. Most 243's shoot their best at or close to a max load for that rifle(not book max).

Dies is not a place to cheap out on. I am still using Bonanza dies that I bought in 1978...they will last your life time if you clean them from time to time.

A step up from the Bonanza Benchrest set is the Redding Competion set at about 2 times + the price of the Bonanza's.

If you are going to take your target shooting seriously, then you must have a way to accuratly measure your seating depth in relation to the lands. I use a Split neck case with the Davidson ogive guage($12) from www.sinclairintl.com. Many folks love their Stony Point gages also.

My buddy has the exact same rifle that you currently have. Send me a PM and I'll give you the loads that his rifle liked.

Good luck!

Good luck!
 
Bullets depend on what you want to do. Different people have different definitions of longer range shooting. To me it means at least 500 yards. I am partial to hornady bullets. The 105gr Amax, and 87gr Vmax both work great for 500 yards. If you are a beginner cases won't matter much, and I would just get Remington, or Winchester.
 
yeah, I got a t'c icon 243 for xmas and could not find RCBS or Redding dies at that time, so I went with the Lee deluxe.
Excellent dies and I will be trying more

 
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