Anybody else hate Hornady dies?

[Member 34319]

I have a few sets from them. I'm indifferent on them. I do agree that the bell expander is virtually useless. I do appreciate the bullet seating dies with the little guidance ram.

 

[osprey]

Had a set years ago in 280 rem that I couldn't get to work. Stuck cases, scratched cases, way undersized cases when fl sized. I finally gave them away and got redding dies and the problems went away. Redding has been my go to brand for many years.

Edit. I have a confession to make as the Hornady 458 socom dies have proved to be superior to the Redding's that I have stuck 2 cases in 6 tries with adequate lube resulting in broken decap/sizing button assembly during removal in prep for drill and tap removal. The second incidence was with new assembly sent from Redding CS and adjusted per their advice. I am a big Redding fan but they missed the boat with these 458 socom dies. On the other hand I have had zero issues with the Hornady dies and the fit and finish are top notch. So there it is I will dine on crow lol.

 

[Steve M]

I have a few sets of Hornady pistol and rifle dies and they all work great with no sticking, scratching, swearing, etc. That little alignment sleeve that supports the bullet as it enters the seating die can hang up, but a little polishing with fine sandpaper cures that. They are not the cheapest or the best, but they are good quality and value for the money.

 

[AMProducts]

I'll take hornady over lee dies, but yes, they do indeed suck. I prefer RCBS, Dillon, redding, or CH4D. These are all about equivalent in my experience.

 

[pharmseller]

Lee for neck sizing.

Hornady Custom Grade for FL (infrequent) sizing and seating.

Rifle only, I don't handload handgun.




P

 

[gmerkt]

I have a few Hornady pistol die sets. I like the bullet seating die and how it aligns the bullet to the case mouth. The expander die, I don't care for it. So far as I can tell, the expander isn't removable from the die body. My preference is for an adjustable expander within the die, not complete die adjustment. It's not unknown for me to mix and match dies between manufacturers while reloading pistol cartridges.

 

[MikeInOr]

I have a mix of all the different brands, Dillon, Redding, Hornady, Lee, RCBS. I have never had a problem with Hornady but I have never really used an expander die. My press is a Dillon 650 so the powder measure feed tube is the expander.

I do prefer Lee Collet crimp dies and have them for most every caliber. I prefer RCBS for decapping... because the decapping pins are available at the local store when I run out. For .308 and .223 the Dillon carbide sizing dies are the best thing ever. I think my 6.5x55 and 8x57 sizing dies are Hornady... never had a problem with them. Of all my 25 year old dies the RCBS ones are the only ones that have any rust.