Are all 310 CMR dies so marked?

[trooperdan]

Was Lyman marking all CMR dies as CMR from the first or is it possible to find CMR dies that still have the number code? I often don't have brass to try out in the sets I have. I really rab=n across an unusual one recently, 6 m/m Lee Navy!

[Bent Ramrod]

All the ones I've seen are so marked. They were made by Lyman in conjunction with the Tru-Line Jr., so they are modern compared to most of the old Ideal nutcracker dies. The ones I've seen are marked LYMAN, the caliber and CMR at the top. Can't be absolutely sure, of course; every time somebody makes a definitive statement about the old stuff, an example that proves the exception comes out of an attic somewhere.

Wow; a 6mm Navy Tru-Line die is a real rara avis. I recently found a RCBS set in that caliber from the estate of someone who must have been one of the crankiest of gun cranks. Do you have the whole set?

You can generally tell the difference, as the Combination MR has both the neck size die and the decapper/expander in the same die. the old Ideals for the tong tools had the muzzle resizer, a universal decapper and a neck expander in three separate dies.

[Green Frog]

Good morning Trooper Dan. I have discovered that with Ideal and Lyman tools it is unwise to use the words “all” and “never” except with modifiers like “almost” or “nearly”. In the days when they were really cranking these tools out, sometimes they didn’t take time to follow the rules we now try to impose on them. Part of the challenge and frustration, I would say.
Froggie