Description
We have been seriously playing with the .224 Grendel for years and have always lamented that there were no good dies out there that didn’t require bushings to get them sized where they need to be. Well, we decided to start making dies about a month before Hornady announced the .22 ARC. They are basically the same dimensionally so this die set will work with any of the original .22 ARC chamberings (.22 Predator, .224 Grendel, etc.)
Our die set is unlike other die sets in that the sizing die is hardened A2 tool steel. Each sizing die is hand polished after hardening to ensure the brass doesn’t get scratched and won’t get stuck in your die. Then it gets polished again after it goes through the coating process. We took a long time and spent a ton of money to make sure these dies are the best dies you can get for making .22 ARC ammo. Here is a link to a video of me using our sizing die to size down 6.5 Grendel to .22 ARC with just one pull of the handle. And I did it with NO LUBE! You should use case lube with our die, but I just wanted to show how well our hardened die and polishing works. It should be kinda hard to get a stuck case, but don’t try it.
Our die set also comes with a mandrel die. The mandrel in the die is hardened and precision ground and will give you a very consistent case mouth diameter if you are someone that really needs to get the most out of your ammo. The mandrel is a .223 mandrel. If loading for a gas gun it is recommended that you don’t use the mandrel as it will not give you enough neck tension for feeding in semi-auto. It is pretty amazing for the bolt guns though.
The seating die is designed to ensure that the bullet seats as straight as possible, plus we included a redding micro seating stem. We tested pretty much all of the bullet profiles with the seating stem and didn’t have any issues with bullet deformation.
Lastly, our die set comes with a heavy duty powder coated steel stand/hanger labelled 22 Grendarc. This first run of dies we weren’t able to label the dies themselves so be sure to keep the dies with the stand so that you don’t forget what they are for. If these sell well, we will likely be making other popular caliber offerings and new runs will have labelled dies. The next die we plan to make is for .223/5.56 but it will really depend on how well these sell. We know they are priced a bit higher than the big name companies but I assure you the amount of labor and time that goes into making these among the best dies you can get makes them a bargain.
****Most of our testing with these dies was done with Starline 6.5 Grendel cases. However, we tested them with Lapua, Federal, Remington, and PPU and they sized down correctly and performed fine. We really like the Starline cases and they don’t have the dreaded doughnut that you sometimes get from sizing down cases. Lapua cases seem to be a little thicker and may get a little doughnut but it fires out. We haven’t had to trim them though so they seem to be good to go.
Julian Gunney (verified owner) –
I was on the fence with these dies due to the cost. I purchased a set of Lee dies and should have saved the money and just bought the RMR dies in the first place. I was resizing Starline Grendel brass which, no matter how much or what brand of lube I used, crushed the case 80% of the time. Finally ordered the RMR and against their instructions I sized 8 cases without lube, perfect. I then did a further 8, reloading tray is in 8’s 🙂
I sprayed up 50 more with Hornady 1 shot and resized them all without problem. The bullet sizer works great and the micrometer takes out the guess work. I am still waiting on a bolt rifle so I haven’t really used the mandrel die for a gas gun, other than to set it up and verify it works.
The dies came with minimal instructions for a dummy like me but I set them up. For piece of mind I gave them a call and left a message. RMR called me back that day to clarify set up and talk about shooting. Great customer service, they also sent me 250 bullets for free!!!
Great dies, great company. Highly recommended
Carlo Tomasulo –
That’s Jake and the crew at RMR.
They go above and beyond as a normal, daily procedure.
Can’t wait for the .223/5.56 dies to come out…
Shane –
Just wanted to say they need to get 223 and 308 dies in the mix, I’m already rmr fan boy just need the dies to go with their bullets.
Jose Mato (verified owner) –
Great Dies – Better than the current dies out there for the 22 ARC.
David Alexander –
These are great dies! Well made, smooth as butter to use. I had been looking into ordering a set of dies from Redding – but they are still in the “custom” category and fairly expensive. When I became aware that RMR was making dies in .22 (GREND)ARC I stopped by to learn more after watching a video online. They were very friendly – took me out into the shop to their reloading station and gave me a number of pieces of new and 1X fired 6.5 Grendel brass to let me try the dies out. I was amazed how smoothly they resized brass to .22 ARC – without any lube at all. Bought a set, brought them home and proceeded to size 200 pieces of brass – all but one without lube of any sort. (I had to try one with lube…..) Amazing – no lost, crushed, or stuck cases – I’d never believe it if I hadn’t done it myself. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Aaron –
Best dies on the market. Using these dies to convert lapua brass and starline brass. I also got free bullets ! You guys rock!
Aaron