Smithjdsr wrote:So, in answer to my first question, “Which dies” the answer would be ‘Hornady’, right? I was at a gun show today. The guy who sells reloads uses almost all Dillon equipment and he recommended the Dillon dies for my single stage press. He said to stay away from Leedies. I won’t be using a Blue Press, I have the RCBS that pre-dates the ‘Rock Chucker’ by one model- it doesn’t have the leverage-advantaged under carriage. But it’s what I have and I think it will load 450 B just fine. So Hornady dies? How much should I expect them to cost? Does about $70 seem right?
What about shell holder? Length gauge? OAL gauge?
This is the best price at the moment
Link.
The shell holder is the same as .30-06 and 308 parent calibers. IE probably the most common one out there. I use a caliper to measure case length and COL. Every reloader should have a set of calipers and a micrometer. A good case length gauge, like the one
Tromix sells is also good for checking to make sure the cases are't too fat to pass the "Thunk Test", without having to chamber every one. After repeated reloads, especially if you load them hot, the cases can slowly get fatter down beyond where the die resizes and eventually they get stuck when chambering or won't extract. If you have a caliper, you can also check them for fatness.
Hoot