I planned on buying some Lee 308 dies soon because that is what I plan on loading. A reloading buddy of mine was showing me some dies he paid like around $250 ....he said they were more precision with those......

My question, is there a vast difference in the two? Input greatly appreciated....

THANKS

No one said you have to use matched sets. I routinely use neck sizing, shoulder bump, seating, and crimp dies from different companies on a given cartridge. Buy what fits your needs, not a specific brand.

As a compromise maybe get a standard sizer die and a Forster ultra micrometer die. They are around 80 and are quality dies that allow you to adjust the seating depth of the bullet

Will your rifle be capable of producing results that can be indicative of ammunition quality? An iron sighted battle rifle will be fine with the lower quality dies. Your fine tuned match grade bolt rifle with high end optics deserves ammo made with high end dies.

I own Hornady, rcbs, Redding, Lee, and Dillon dies. Yes, there is a difference in the resizing and seating dies.

Good advice above but you really need to post better information to get better answers.

This was touched on above but......

What type of rifle (or pistol) will this .308 ammo be used in?

What are your specific accuracy goals?  

Probably one of the best comments above, is your rifle or pistol even capable of taking advantage of any difference the precision dies would make?  

One example: If I was (and did) loading for a bolt action match rifle I would not even bother with a precision full length sizing die because I would be neck only sizing using one of the various neck sizing only options available.

Your needs for a semiautomatic would be different etc.

Motor

Any sizing die (from a reputable brand, of course) will size the case properly if you adjust it properly.  The most "bang for the buck" with rifle loading dies is typically the bullet seating die.  A cheap one will put the bullet in the case.  A better one will keep the bullet straight.  A very precise die will seat the bullet concentrically and to exactly the same depth to +/- 0.00x".

Starting out with Lee dies isn't a problem, but if you shop you'll find that Lee is not that much less expensive than Hornady for .308 dies ($5 - $10 difference depending on where you look).  Oh yeah, you will have to buy the shell holder separately if you go with Hornady, but there are other benefits.

Hornady's stock seater is designed for straighter bullet alignment than with typical rifle seating dies.  Hornady also features a tapered neck expander, which reduces sizing effort.

I'm not knocking Lee's dies, but I recently bought Hornady dies and was really surprised at how much better/nicer the were than the Lee dies I already had.

I wasn't impressed at all with the Hornady 300 BO dies I bought. I especially don't like the fact that I can only thread the body of that  oh so wonderful seating die about 1 1/2 turns into my press because if you go any further you are hitting the crimp feature.

They say it's because of the die body or something being multiple purpose or universal to an extent. Sounded like cost cutting measures to me. Either way it kinda sucks.

That my opinion.

Motor

Quality wise Redding is second to none.  Cadillac so to speak with so many variations!
Forster has the same price point across their line up, very nice dies.  And, will work with you to custom hone FL sizers to suit your needs for a nominal fee.
RCBS is nice stuff, but they are like Chevy.  Big line up of quality product and customer service that is pretty much the benchmark for the industry.
Hornady is like Ford, with a more limited line up.  Durable and adaptable.
Lyman is like Chrysler.  They have their fan boys more for some their specialized dies then their main line up.
Lee is servicable but there re better way better...sort of like YUGO

Redding had many variations
Bushing dies come in three set types Comp Neck( Comp NK Size die - body die - Comp Seater) Type S Match NK (Type S NK Sizer, body die, & Comp Seater) Type S  Match FL (Type S FL Sizer and Comp Seater)
Master Hunter (Comp Seater and FL Sizer) National Match (FL Sizer, Taper Crimp Die, and Comp Seater)  along with Premium Series (2 die and 3 die deluxe) - these come with one decapping rod assembly with a carbide expander ball for the FL Sizer or NK Sizer along with a standard seater with a micrometer Seater plug for standard bullets)

If you intend to become part of the "five shots, one hole" fraternity, then you will need every bit of accuracy and precision you can get.  If you're just looking to punch paper or harvest game at 100 to 200, even 300 yards, you will not notice the difference in the ammunition produced by less expensive dies.

I'll just add my testimony that in 40+ years of reloading, I've used dies from all the major manufacturers (except Redding) and the only brand that has never disappointed me has been RCBS.

The only dies I have ever paid anywhere near that amount of money for were the custom made case forming dies that RCBS made for me to form 30 Carbine brass in to 5.7mm Johnson brass.

One issue I have with the Redding series A .223 die is with the seater plug and vld bullets.

 The bullets are pushed in from the tips. Redding sent me a one caliber up seater plug as a fix and it still is not ideal.

  They are fine for most everything else,  but I'm loading for a 24in 1/8 .223.   I would have done something different had I known.

 Not sure if this would be an issue for .308 and what your doing but it's something to think about.

No, not at all like a Yugo.  More like a Kia: they run, they have good support, and they aren't embarrassing to be seen with.

Lee dies are perfectly serviceable as long as you aren't expecting unlimited benchrest-grade precision.  

I'll point out that Lee's Factory Crimp Dies (rifle, in particular, but pistol as well) are extremely good tools, and their rifle FCDs are about the only way to get a true factory collet crimp.  I don't know of another brand that provides a collet crimp, let alone at such an affordable price.

This sums up my opinion very well.

''Five shots, one hole'' you'll need all the help you can get and you'll need more than just dies for that. It will get real expensive, fast.

If you're happy with 10 shots in a 1'' circle then even Lee dies will do it with good technique and a good rifle.

If you're going to crimp rifle rounds you can't beat a Lee FCD. No chance of crushing shoulders with one unless you try to. I use one for every rifle round I load from .223 to 50 BMG.

I get good results loading with LEE dies.
My .308 rifle build, based on a Savage Axis rifle I paid $250 for, gets 1/2" groups no problem at 100yds, IF I am doing my part. The trigger was upgraded, stock and barrel replaced. Even with the factory 20" barrel, I was getting sub moa with little effort, but with less consistency.

I think more importantly, adhering to proper loading techniques and attention to detail will get you further than just an expensive die.
IMO, to take advantage of an expensive die set, you need so much more equipment and knowledge/time spent than JUST the dies.

More expensive trimmers, neck turning equipment, primer pocket tools, annealing etc.

I get by with a $50 CTS trimmer, blow torch annealing etc.

Here is where you get what you pay for with LEE dies........
I use the neck sizing collet dies for precision bolt action.
They often do not provide the amount of neck tension that I want.
So I chucked my die's mandrel into my drill press and polished it with very fine sand paper until it was the diameter I wanted.
After doing that, it provided the neck tension I was after.

For loading .223, I use LEE dies. With my precision AR15 rifles, there is no problem achieving sub moa. Again, using proper loading techniques and adhering to good procedures, using quality reloading components etc.

I'm not telling you go out and buy LEE dies. I do because I am a cheap ass.
When I get into a new caliber, I always buy LEE dies with intentions of buying more expensive dies in the future, IF I end up liking the caliber and plan on shooting it for a long time in the future.
They end up working well enough for me, that I never end up upgrading.

Ive done the same for all 10+ calibers I load for, save 6.5x47 Lapua, as I knew that was going to require precision from the start. For a couple calibers I've since added Redding or Forster bullet seating dies or RCBS small base sizing dies, after finding the Lee results not up to my expectations.

More times than not they've been 'good enough' for my accuracy requirements, especially in auto loaders, and even if I end us replacing the entire die set, I'm only out ~$30.