Beware Brass2Bullets

[rolltide]

There is a guy selling dies on _bay and on a web site, brass2bullets.com. I bought a 3 die sizing set to size 9mm brass to 308 jackets. First of all, only 1 punch out of 3 would go into my press ram, and I tried them on my Walnut Hill, my Lee Classic Turret, and an old RCBS press. 2 out of 3 punches were a "no go" on any press. The seller's suggestion was to stick them in a drill and sand them to size. Well I did that to the final sizing die punch so I could use it with 5.7x28 brass to make 308 jackets ( it took quite some time even with course sand paper). The brass was supposed to come out .300, which would have been great. The brass actually came out between .3075 and .3085. Of course, since there was no room for the lead and brass to "spring back", every bullet stuck in my RCE point form die. I got a LOT of practice getting stuck bullets out of a point form die before I realized what was going on. To his credit he gave me a full refund on the die set, but it looks like he may be trying to sell the same die set again on _bay (although I notice I don't see them on his web site any more). The only thing different about the new auction description is that he put a caveat of "+/- .005", which should be the first red flag for any die maker. He should have said +/- .008 if it is the same set of dies. The seller seems like a nice enough sort of fellow, but the dies he sent me were just not useable for the intended purpose.

I just wanted to warn everyone here before you waste your time.

[Half Dog]

Thanks for the heads up.

[huntnman]

I had his info on my note pad. That page is now in the trash. Thanks for the feed back.

[GONRA]

GONRA sez: "stick them in a drill and sand them to size" - you gottta be kidding...

[Ehaver]

Well, that's good to know. I think I was just contemplating buying the exact set you are talking about. I looked on his page and thought it was odd that it did not have a tab for the .308 dies.

These have a very exciting price point. But to know the quality is not there makes it not worth it to me.

[runfiverun]

in swage dies you really do get what you pay for.
once you look around and compare the features, lead times, and quality against the price.
you quickly find out that BT-Snipers dies and prices are actually a very good bargain.
there are some out there that cost a whole lot more and some that cost less but his price and quality are right there together.
the cheaper ones are not the quality you need, and the more expensive ones are better suited to bench rifles.
BT's are like the Winchester or Ruger of die sets they do what they are supposed to do and are reliable about doing it. [and they work in your Winchester or Ruger]

[parkerhale1200]

I also almost bought them.
But there was something that was holding me back.
Indeed the +/- of 0.005 and they where i belive lee dies.
And where is the rest? like a point form, core seater?
It isnt on his website. but oke it is a good try what he did!
I hope to hear from bt this or next week

[rolltide]

I just ordered some custom Lee sizing dies. I will let you know how that works out. At $38 per die, it is a great price if their accuracy is good. We shall see. I called the factory to ask if Lee sizing dies were heat treated, and the reply was that the dies are treated and are "file hard." That being the case, they should be durable enough.

Like you, I also got the feeling that this guy, brass2bullets, was just re-packaging Lee sizing dies.

[newcastter]

With all the different quality die makers we have made known to all of you why would one venture away just to save a buck??
SMH

[clodhopper]

Newcaster, you are overlooking the innate nature of reloaders.

We are penny pinchers.

The frugal streak runs even deeper in those who make their own bullets.

"My name is clodhopper, I have tripped over a couple hundred bucks trying to save 20. And not just once."

[45workhorse]

Newcaster, you are overlooking the innate nature of reloaders.

We are penny pinchers.

The frugal streak runs even deeper in those who make their own bullets.

"My name is clodhopper, I have tripped over a couple hundred bucks trying to save 20. And not just once."

That sounds like me!!!
A cheap B#$/tard

[rolltide]

Newcastter,

With all due respect,

1. You will never discover the next quality vendor if you always buy from the old ones. We would not have BT Sniper if people only bought from David and Richard Corbin.

2. There are some parts of swaging where skill and knowledge are more critical than others. i usually try new vendors on the less critical pieces.

3. If I can spend one dollar and accomplish the same thing, why spend two.

4. I have been making and spending my own money since I was twelve. Its my money and I spend it as i see fit. You spend yours any way you like.

Those are 4 reasons why I try out new vendors when I want to. I could probably give you 10 more, but number 4 is really the only one anybody needs.

[Gew]

I ordered his 9mm to 30cal jacket set. It took him a month and a half longer than he said it would so he refunded $50. He even made an extra die at .315 inches because jumping from .330 to .300 took to much force. Using the Walnut press was a must for me in swage mode. I made a 155 grain 6s lead tipped bullet.

[rolltide]

Gew, were you annealing between each step?

[Gew]

Yes I am rolltide.

[JAbee]

Thanks for the heads up.

[rolltide]

Gew, that is good to know. I got a die from RCE that will take 9mm brass down to about .350 in one pass. I ordered a Lee die in .323 and another in .302. I am hoping my WH press will do those steps. I have the dual handles with the roller bar in the middle and my son built a press table out of 1.5" thick wall steel tube. I custom designed the geometry of the table and he welded it up for me. It is a stout arrangement with little flex that allows me to get max leverage on the press. We will see how the steps work when the new dies come. Custom size dies take a few weeks from Lee. With the head area on the brass getting longer and longer as you approach final diameter, I my need to add one more step as well.

[Gew]

Some of the case heads are coming out lop sided, when you size down that far I guess that is the draw back. They are just blasting ammo anyway so I don't expect target bullets but I am going to try to anneal them while spinning them on a loose drill bit and also mess with the shape of the punches.

[rolltide]

I plan on using 5.7 brass mostly for my 30 cal bullets anyway. I use the 9mm brass mostly for 9mm bullets. It is good to know you can use 9mm for 30 cal if needed, especially since it is so cheap to buy. Have you tried using your core seating die and punches with no lead in the case just to true up the case head, then seat the cores once the case heads are trued. It is an extra step before seating, but is might be worth it from an accuracy standpoint. At least you would not need to buy any extra dies or punches. RCE was nice enough to include an extra internal punch with my 30 cal die set to use with jackets with different wall thickness.

[R.Ph. 380]

I plan on using 5.7 brass mostly for my 30 cal bullets anyway. I use the 9mm brass mostly for 9mm bullets. It is good to know you can use 9mm for 30 cal if needed, especially since it is so cheap to buy. Have you tried using your core seating die and punches with no lead in the case just to true up the case head, then seat the cores once the case heads are trued. It is an extra step before seating, but is might be worth it from an accuracy standpoint. At least you would not need to buy any extra dies or punches. RCE was nice enough to include an extra internal punch with my 30 cal die set to use with jackets with different wall thickness.

I use the 5.7 x 28 almost exclusively for the 30-30 rounds I'm building. Whose draw down dies would you suggest to use the 9mm or could I even use the 38 special and how many draws would you suggest, annealing after each? Might be a good use to build the heavier 308 and 30-06.

Bill