What dies to choose?

[andrew678122]

I have just recently been given a reloading press and I've been giving a lot of thought to dies.

Let me say initially that I will be loading only for my .30-30 464 SPX. The cases will all be fire-formed to my chamber so there is no reason to subject them to a full-resize. Just the neck will have to be done. That said, I will be checking and trimming cases to the correct length using the Lee case conditioning kit plus the .30-30 case length gauge. And I plan on starting to anneal the necks soon, since that will be a consideration if I reload the same cases a lot of times.

I have been giving serious consideration to the Lee Collet Die set since it only resizes the neck and therefore my cases will last up to ten times as long (according to Lee's advertising blurb). If they last that much longer then the extra cost of the Collet Die set is worthwhile. BUT the Collet Die set does not crimp the cases. In order to do that I'll need to get one of Lee's Factory Crimp Dies in .30-30. The Collet Die set is adjustable for bullet seating depth so if I run the loaded cases through the crimper, they should be ok.

Does anyone see a problem there?

 

[nitesite]

I see no problem with your plan. The collet neck sizing die merely bumps the shoulder back to original spec and resets the case mouth for holding a new bullet. I think that the Factory Crimp Die would be a fine idea. The speed advantage of not having to lube every case for full-length resizing is huge.

You can most definitely make some damn good ammo with the three Lee Dies (collet neck size, seating, crimp).

 

[andrew678122]

Okay thanks nitesite, as soon as I can afford it I'll get the Lee dies, maybe then I won't be popping primers.

I loaded another 40 rounds this evening and I had 1 primer go off. This time I meticulously cleaned the primer pockets and made sure the pockets were chamfered. They seemed to go in a lot better, easier. Having the loading press will take care of the primer problem.

Have a good one...

 

[nitesite]

May I ask what press you are upgrading to? I'm very interested in your progression!

I don't have any fancy-dancy presses, so maybe you'll be teaching myself and others real soon!!!!!!!!! But honestly I know of no brand of single stage press, which is pretty basic, that makes less than stellar ammunition. Single stage presses are hella cool. :geek:

 

[andrew678122]

Well...

I belong to a few other forums and after talking about the Lee Classic Loader, I had someone send me a message saying that they had an old RCBS Partner and it was mine if I wanted it. I don't know what the correct nomenclature for the Partner is, progressive? single stage? it's definitely not a turret. In any case, he followed through on his very kind promise, so I now have a press. I had no intention of buying a press, at least not for a year or two.

So far I've reloaded 100 rds using my $25 Classic Lee Loader kit and I will continue using it until I can acquire the other pieces I need for the Partner, namely the dies and it's also missing the little piece that seats the primer. Overall it appears to be in good shape, as though someone bought it and very quickly decided to upgrade. It looks like it's perfect for me, old, slow and reliable.

I count myself very lucky, and I thank my benefactor...

p.s. I'm retired living off a too-small income, which is why I started reloading in the first place. The gift of a press is... to me, amazing. When I can afford it, next month, I'll buy the dies, and hopefully have it operational.

This is the kind of pastime that is learned, including a lot of on-the-job-training, but also a lot of mentoring (that's you nitesite). I'll be able to grasp some of the knowledge needed to do what I want, but I'll never be at your level...

 

[andrew678122]

Since I am reloading for just one rifle, my 464 SPX .30-30. I decided to go with the Lee Collet die set since all it does is resize the neck with a built in mandrel. That means the cases are fire-formed to my rifle's chamber and never get sized back to 'standard' .30-30 case specs. This will give the longest case life. I supplemented the Collet die set with Lee's Factory Crimp die. I have been using both die sets with my RCBS Partner, for a few months and they work great, I think they were a good choice.

This is my loading bench, it's small but it handles everything I need to do. The bench came from Harbor Freight, about $27. I mounted the RCBS off to the right side so I had as large a work surface as possible and I'm right handed:

 

[oli700]

very nice

 

[nitesite]

Andrew, you probably make better quality ammunition than someone who has over $1,000 dumped into a Dillon 1050 with all the doo-dads and whistles.

When you get to finding the sweet spot for powder charge and O.A.L. for your rifle you'll just be amazed! But for now you are doing incredibly well, better than some long-time reloaders I can think of.

I seriously like that little bench. And it's on my list of one of those things that I want to get for myself!

 

[257 Shooter]

That's a nice little set up. I've loaded thousands of rounds through the years using a single stage press. If you don't need large volumes of ammo in a short time, it's the way to go. Like was mentioned, your ammo quality will be as good or better than that loaded on a high end Dillon or other progressive station machine.

Have fun!