Anyone heard from john @h-g firearms?

[Sitzme]

The die holder for the Lee Classic Cast that he made for me has threads that are so bad that they start to lock up after a little pressure is applied. I had already made my own so his is in the scrap box. Same rounded bottom on the threads. The first parts were oversize so at least I could run a die down them and clean it up. Threading is not that hard and he shouldn't have shipped this stuff.

[BT Sniper]

I don't want to add gasoline to the fire but outfits like this (and ones previous) are giving legit die makers and swaging in general a black eye. Did anyone ever see any bullets "John" at H-G firearms made from "his" swage dies before a purchase was made? How about a quality up close picture of his press? his dies? loaded rounds with his bullets? accuracy potential of his bullets?

If I may make a suggestion to those of you looking to potentially invest in a swage die provider with questionable background and/or abilities.....do your research! If no reviews of the equipment is available from other customers you should at a minimum request

1. up close and quality picture of the dies
2. picture of the bullets made from the dies next to a similar commercial bullet to compare
3. picture of the loaded round and possibly the gun that shot them
4. picture of the accuracy potential achieved from these bullets on target at a typical distance (100 yrds rifle 50' pistol)

This is just a bare minimum in my opinion. Even when new comers to the swage die business take these steps customers have still been burned ie. Edge Dies llc.

Corbin, RCE, Blackmon, and myself have established reputations. These are the die makers I recommend to all my potential customers when they inquire. Of course there are a few top end die makers for benchrest out there too that get top dollar for there talents and skill. There may be a couple others I may have missed but again do your research and invest with caution in those new comers to the swage die business. This is the third case of a new comer to the swage die business that has left a black eye on the industry.

Swaging your own bullets is a great investment in your shooting hobby and a heck of a lot of fun too, yes it is a substantial investment but I certainly hate to see anyone get burned and loose money because I know that customer is less likely to invest in swaging again in the future.

I hope those of you that are at risk of loosing your money with this latest challenged set of swage dies are able to reclaim your investment. To those of you looking to start making your own bullets and looking for a quality set of swage dies... There is certainly no better time then now to make your own bullets, you can break free from those that attempt to regulate our shooting needs but for goodness sake.... invest wisely in who you choose to provide your expensive dies.

Good shooting and swage on!

BT

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Wow. I can't believe he would even ship that.

[Sitzme]

"It ain't bragging if you done it"

I bought from a new guy and while my dies work, they didn't work straight out of the box. I wound up waiting just a little less time to have everything than if I had bought from the established vendors. What I bought was supposedly done and ready to ship. It took from early August to sometime this spring for my "ready to ship" gear to be useable. Many polite inquiries followed by some not so polite got sent.

There is plenty of room for new vendors but they need to prove themselves by producing a product that is acceptable to the client, ship it in the promised time, and stand behind it. The promised time can be years if that is advertized. Promising a short time or in stock items and then taking a long time will be unacceptable. Quality is somewhat subjective but the dies had damn well better screw together.

BT gives away a lot of free advise and information, seems to put out a good product, and his wait time doesn't suck any worse than anyone else's. The good vendors have products that are in demand and have proven themselves. There is going to be a wait. Guaranteed. The quality and service is also likely to be guaranteed. With the new guys you roll the dice. Some will be good, some not.

Those of us who tried the new guy and came away either unsatisfied (lucky ones) or totally burned probably all would agree with the advise that BT posted. Note that he mentions several of his competitors by name and urges people to search out others. Sorry, but I see sound advice not some rooster crowing. If I ever scratch up enough for .308 dies, I will pay the price and wait for one of these established vendors to produce them.

[Bonz]

The waiting time is the real killer… I've been on a waiting list for a year now and I hope to get my swaging die sets before the end of 2014, which will be about a 1 1/2 year wait. The problem seems to be a lot of demand for the swaging dies and too few skilled "tooled up" people making them.

[BT Sniper]

Don't forget a couple more of our local vendors to research too. Red River Rick with KAL Tool and Die in Canada knows what he is doing and makes excellent tools from what I have seen. I also here good things about Laufan's work with A L Floyd swaging products.

link to our local vendors

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/foru...endor-Sponsors

I'll stop interjecting my words of advise now and let the topic get back to H-G Firearms.

Good shooting and swage on!

BT

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

[303british.com]

I don't think your link works. I clicked on it and got this: Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator.

You're welcome.

[marten]

An apt quote;

When I was a youngster over 50 years ago, I would occasionally tell my father how well I had done at something. His reply from long ago applies very much.

“Son, self praise is no recommendation.”

[marten]

Regarding the deletion of posts.
The swaging forum is so polluted nowadays that any one willing to post useful info does not appear to bother any more, I wonder why.
Anyone wanting info from me regarding die making / engineering can ask via PM!

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

If you don't like the forum and think it is polluted you have the right the go elsewhere and share your vast knowledge with members on other forums. BUT, for the time being, I think we are really lucky to have an experienced die make producing QUALITY dies that have a proven track record right here on our own forum. Not only is he quick to help members with questions, but his customer service is top notch. I am not a BT Sniper super fan, as I own and use Corbin, Lafaun's, and UP North's dies/equipment as well.

[plus1hdcp]

Regarding the deletion of posts.
The swaging forum is so polluted nowadays that any one willing to post useful info does not appear to bother any more, I wonder why.
Anyone wanting info from me regarding die making / engineering can ask via PM!

I would hate to see anyone remove themselves and their contributions from this forum. I still consider myself a novice swager and learn from those who post here. I welcome your insight. As to this thread, I do not like to hear from members they have received sub-standard equipment or no equipment at all. We can all learn from our successes and failures and if these members can steer new customers in a direction which they will have a better outcome, our whole community is well served. I do not know about posts being withdrawn and cannot comment upon that but I will vouch for BT as I am pleased with my purchase. Again, to be on topic, I hope those members find someway to find a way out of their predicament.

[Prospector Howard]

This is about all I have to say, except I'd like to see less thread hijacking around here.

[303british.com]

The tone of the board is different these days. The explanation I got was that many of the mods left after the site changed hands last December. A percentage of the long time members feel the place has changed, and not for the good. Some have left for greener pastures. I am told that a bunch have taken up residence at the Cast Bullet Association website.

WRT HG Firearms, I believe that he is a one man operation. The danger inherent in small shops is sickness, too many orders or becoming disillusioned when the work overwhelms you. Most die makers are one man shows and tend to fade away over time. Some of the vendors here would be advised to take notice of this.

[gmike81]

Ok I have been trying to get in contact with him for a while his phone is disconnected and website is abandoned no replays to emails. Does anyone have any info on this guy I need info on him for legal action and if anyone is doing the same thing please contact me !! Thank you

[Sitzme]

It looks like his stuff is gone from eBay. Don't know if it sold though. He had about 3 sets on there a few weeks ago.

[Rainier]

[mactool]

I got it to. Just wondering if the new Company will pay me the custom fees, because i dont think the shipping contract with E...bay is valid anymore

[Rainier]

That's assuming there really is another "new company" - just saying...

[Theditchman]

I have never heard such BS in my life....this is just a stalling tactic to sound reasonable and gain a few more months...he will come up with all kinds of reasons to delay this so called merger and because most are hoping to get a few bucks back they will believe him hoping that its true....well my friends don't be naïve and see this for what it is...You will not get your money back unless you go get it through the law..Good luck to you all !!!


and see it for what it is