Small base dies size a little further down, and iron out bulges near the base for the best reliability, and ammo that is closest to factory specs, especially using brass fired from loose and mil-spec chambers. The downside is that the dies take a little more effort to size the thick case web and head, and a stuck case is more likely, requiring careful attention to lube practices.
Standard dies are well, standard, they size just fine for most rifles, especially if the brass is going to be reloaded for the specific rifle it was fired in. They are a little more forgiving if you under lube the cases a little, and take a little less muscle to size, especially in light duty presses.
Stick with standard dies unless you have a real reason to switch like Ar feeding issues. I use Lee dies for my Ar reloading and have never had one single issue with them and I've used some machine gun brass just to test it.
Stick with standard dies unless you have a real reason to switch like Ar feeding issues. I use Lee dies for my Ar reloading and have never had one single issue with them and I've used some machine gun brass just to test it.
Agreed, only use small base dies if you have issues as described above, small base dies "work" the head of the brass too much, and sometimes will shorten the life of the brass, early case head separation, a ring around the case head. Also with some of the issues with Federal and some LC brass after just being fired once. Standard dies work fine here also, i have never had an issue with any so far whether it be 5.56mm / 7.62nato / 30/06, AR, M1A, or Garand. I haven't tried the RCBS X-Dies yet, some say there is no difference. My own experience is to adjust the dies correctly, I also load dummy rounds no primers, powder then try for functioning in that weapon, cycling them through the action, and if I load for different weapons, whether handguns, rifles with different cartridge OAL, I have something to set the Bullet seat die to quicker. Also we can get into chambers of barrels .223 / 5.56 Nato / Wylde. Anyway that's a whole different thing.