Different eBay swaging dies

[MOcaster]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/224-6s-ogive-3-die-bullet-swaging-set-/271250669632?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27ccc040

http://www.ebay.com/itm/De-rim-die-to-swage-22LR-into-bullet-jackets-/271249334148?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27b85f84

What does everyone thing of these dies? The bullets look soooooo much better than the bullets from the other guy. There isn't a picture of the actual dies but the de-rim die looks pretty good. What say you?

[reg293]

You can see the dies on his web page hgfirearms.com

[Utah Shooter]

Well if you contact him and his name happens to be John I think you will be in good hands. He has been around for a while building Custom Rifles and has been making Custom Bullets as well.

Last time I talked with him he was not only making dies for bullet making but dies for reducing jackets as well.

Joe

[MOcaster]

Thanks guys. I don't know why I didn't Google them and go to the website. Guess I should have thought of that. What page are the pictures on? I saw the de-rim die but still couldn't find the others.

[DukeInFlorida]

You know.......... who's the guy who has been here for a LONG time, toiling and sweating to create first class tools at fair prices?
Who has supported THIS forum, and this discussion area over a long time with information?
Who has proven himself, over and over and over again with regard to first class customer service?

There's nobody who has gone further to assist us, as has the one person who is the name that is the only answer to the above questions:
BT Sniper

Brian Thurner has worked hard for the business.

And, you guys find some new offering and just jump right on it? Wow...........

Brian Thurner's prices are exactly in line with the eBay guy's. And, is the eBay guy providing you with all of the other accessories that make .224 and other size swaging a breeze? I don't think so. Wow. I can't believe that you would even consider anyone other than our own BT Sniper for tools of this sort.

Then again, I am old school. I support companies and people who demonstrate that they have worked hard for my business. I support them with my wallet, and am always impressed with the results.

Why do I spend some much time supporting BT Sniper verbally? Because he has EARNED my respect and business with his unwavering service, quality, and product.

Off my soap box now. You buy whatever you want to. Let us know how that works out for you.

[garandsrus]

Duke,

I think that Brian does great work, but the reality is that people have been waiting for up to or over a year for their dies with no definite delivery date. Why wouldn't they look somewhere else also?

I wish Brian nothing but success. The sheer number of orders he has received have been his Achilles heel. He simply can't keep up with demand, which causes people to look for other options. Apparently no different than one or both of the Corbin brothers.

[blltsmth]

I recently broke my Corbin point forming die for my old silver press. Guess it was metal fatigue because I had over 100,000 rounds it built for me. The Corbin Brothers were of little help, as they say they are both back-logged for about 2 years. I wanted a replacement for my dedicated swaging press and found John. Not only is my die set on the way, but his turn-around time was less than 2 months! Larry Blackmon is also behind for about 9 months, so there ya go. The rest of my die set (the de-rimmer and core seater) were also out of spec due to use, so wound up ordering the whole set. Review to follow after receipt of said dies.

[MOcaster]

Duke,

I don't have anything against Mr. Thurner. I have the 40 cal swage die from him and it is excellent. It just comes down to availability. And HG Firearms is a little cheaper. The basic kit from HG is $550 and includes a de-rim die, core swage die, core seat die, and the point form die. Again, I like Mr. Thurner and don't have anything against him, but is there anything wrong with asking a question? Isn't asking questions and sharing information what this forum is about?

[customcutter]

Good looking bullets and dies from a company with 30 yrs experience in the gun/shooting industry. But the best part of the whole deal is they are in stock and available. I know I've already spent over $200 for materials and tooling. But I wanted to learn how to make my own set. Hopefully this fall when I'm only working every other week I'll finish them, if not before. Still working on the ogive/radius cutter when I get a chance.

If I were going to order a set and have to wait, I'd order from BT for the obvious reasons. If I needed them right away, there's only one game in town.

CC

[Utah Shooter]

You know.......... who's the guy who has been here for a LONG time, toiling and sweating to create first class tools at fair prices? Do you call 4 years or so a long time compared to Mr. Blackmons and apparently H-G Firearms operations of at least 20+ years each, a long time?



Who has supported THIS forum, and this discussion area over a long time with information? Do you mean the best place to promote selling your Bullet Making dies and you have not seen any of the other fore mentioned gents here?




Who has proven himself, over and over and over again with regard to first class customer service? You mean the guy who originally said Christmas at the latest being the delivery date for his .224 dies?


There's nobody who has gone further to assist us, as has the one person who is the name that is the only answer to the above questions:
BT Sniper Yep you are right!


Brian Thurner has worked hard for the business.Again, where is the best place to promote the Bullet Making Dies besides here?


Brian Thurner's prices are exactly in line with the eBay guy's. And, is the eBay guy providing you with all of the other accessories that make .224 and other size swaging a breeze? I don't think so. Wow. I can't believe that you would even consider anyone other than our own BT Sniper for tools of this sort. No, his prices are not in line. Yes, I am sure that John can make those, as well Mr. Blackmon can do it the same for less.


Then again, I am old school. I support companies and people who demonstrate that they have worked hard for my business. I support them with my wallet, and am always impressed with the results. Thanks for the insult.... None of us here obviously fit that description. :rolleyes:


Why do I spend some much time supporting BT Sniper verbally? Because he has EARNED my respect and business with his unwavering service, quality, and product. Good for you! I like it when people support who they like for a business. I will continue to support Mr. Blackmon or H-G Firearms as long as the quality and price point are there.

Your Myopic and Verbal (typing) opinion has helped me (and at least 5 others) talk ourselves away from BT Snipers products. It is ok to express you opinion. But scolding verbally (rather through type) is not gaining BT any business.



Off my soap box now. You buy whatever you want to. Let us know how that works out for you. Mr. Blackmons Dies. Yes load developement. The 3rd group I ever shot with 7s ogive bullets from Blackmon Dies through a Predator Pursuit AR-15 modified with only a Walmart bought Centerpoint scope. Yes the first is a 5 shot group.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1080375_zpsa2557381.jpg

Brian.... I have to tell you Duke is hurting your business. I can buy from you or the next guy. The next guy however does not have a soap box promoting, narrowmindedness gent who can barely see past his nose.

I guess though bad publicity is still publicity!

[R.Ph. 380]

Including the core mold and the auto ejection included in Brian's set, I added up the amounts Dr. Blackmon is advertising and came up with 785.00 for equivalents that I received from Brian. From Dr. Blackmon's website:(by the way, his website is new and wasn't set up a year ago last June when I ordered from Brian. I actually tried to get in touch with the Dr. and only found a phone number at that time. My call was never returned.)

I am completely satisfied with Brian's die set and the other ancillary equipment I ordered. I'm actually astonished by the quality built in and feel the price he charges is well deserved. I just don't understand the "Hate btsniper" threads that show up in the swaging forum. Why don't we just discuss the quality of the dies and hold off on the attacks on the Vendor sponsors and other posters. I learn more from people's info on how they use their dies and the best way to use their dies than from any attack posts.

Bill

[Utah Shooter]

Lets stop with the "Hate BT Sniper Thread" myth right now. No one do I know of hates Brian. Nor have I heard one talk c-rap about his quality either. What most do talk c-rap and get sick of is Duke's attitude toward anything open source that is not BT related.

Here yet is another thread turned into talking about BT Sniper. The thread was started (as are most along the lines) about someone elses dies. Is this not free minded? Can we not talk about anothers set of dies without bringing BT into the mix?

[newcastter]

Including the core mold and the auto ejection included in Brian's set, I added up the amounts Dr. Blackmon is advertising and came up with 785.00 for equivalents that I received from Brian. From Dr. Blackmon's website:(by the way, his website is new and wasn't set up a year ago last June when I ordered from Brian. I actually tried to get in touch with the Dr. and only found a phone number at that time. My call was never returned.)


I am completely satisfied with Brian's die set and the other ancillary equipment I ordered. I'm actually astonished by the quality built in and feel the price he charges is well deserved. I just don't understand the "Hate btsniper" threads that show up in the swaging forum. Why don't we just discuss the quality of the dies and hold off on the attacks on the Vendor sponsors and other posters. I learn more from people's info on how they use their dies and the best way to use their dies than from any attack posts.

Bill
WOW even if your math is correct BT's prices are up over $1000 for everything you need, and where is BT's website again? I also have been in touch with Mr. Blackmon on several occasions in the last 6 months so not sure why you had any trouble there. but then again I swear I've seen a thread called unaswered PM's??? I also have .224 projectiles made by both BT's and Blackmon dies and the Blackmon in my opinion exceeds in quality and performance, and tell us again what was your promised ETA and when did you actually receive your completed set?
Hey Joe, I don't know if I was included in your figure of 5 others but I am one who has been pursuided away from the BT set by Duke's narrow minded opinions.
I hadn't seen any of these ridulous post in a while so I actually thought he got his act together but apparently he couldn't help himself again, maybe it's an addiction I've heard Anthony Wiener has a similar issue with something else.

[dragon813gt]

Wow, I don't come into this forum often. But I thought it was about swaging? Not about one particular vendor? There are many vendors that produce swaging products. And I will honestly tell you it's the wait times that have turned me away from trying it out. Not from any particular vendor but the wait from all I found is high. And this was before the current mess started. Just giving an opinion as someone that has no allegiance to any one vendor.

[newcastter]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/224-6s-ogive-3-die-bullet-swaging-set-/271250669632?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27ccc040

http://www.ebay.com/itm/De-rim-die-to-swage-22LR-into-bullet-jackets-/271249334148?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27b85f84

What does everyone thing of these dies? The bullets look soooooo much better than the bullets from the other guy. There isn't a picture of the actual dies but the de-rim die looks pretty good. What say you?

Back to the OP's question. This looks like another good option especially for someone who doesn't want to wait as long as alot of the other respectable die makers are taking now, I have never seen or heard of him but he obviously has the endorsement of some respected members here.
If I was thinking about buying I would just call to confirm stock and/or lead times but the product definetly looks good. I am referring to his website not the e-bay pics

[Reload3006]

He says that he will make dies for a walnut hill press I am seriously considering trying him out. From everything I Can find out he seems to have an excellent reputation.

[Lizard333]

Man, the price sure is right, and his bullets sure look nice in the pics. 575$ plus your choice of press is not a bad way to get into swaging.

[plus1hdcp]

Man o man. I really liked how this thread started but am disappointed by the path which it has taken. We have what I consider to be a unique group of like minded guys and more importantly, well intentioned. First and foremost - competition is good for all of us. I cannot attest to HG-Firearms dies and look forward to hearing a report on this board to their quality. From a distance, they look good. Also, I cannot attest to Blackmon's or any other dies has I have not used them, but I will say they look good and those who use them here seem happy. To me, that is a great recommendation for others to consider. I can tell you, I have a set of BT's dies for the 22lr->223 and am pleased with them and Brian has helped me learn along the way. I appreciate his patience with me and thank him for his assistance.

What is important here is we have a way to share our experience to allow others to decipher for themselves to make the best possible decision for themselves. It would not be prudent for me to not consider one vendors products due to how someone else reviews and/or supports the product. Please make the best possible decision for yourself for the right reason. In this case - BT dies might be right for you or another vendor may be better suited for your needs. In my opinion, we all win in the end (at least I do) when our learning experiences are shared.

I have made numerous mistakes in the past and often times it is buying a product twice and this usually occurs because I didn't but the right product in the first place. Sometimes saving a dollar or two on the front end is a costly mistake. My advice is to ask yourself
* Am I buying a quality product
* Am I getting a good value for my money
* Will I be able to get support if/when needed

I will also add that I am appreciative to what Brian has brought to this forum and my learning. I will also add the Corbin has a great website which has also added to my learning curve and interest. But I think I have learned most by reading the posts on this sub-forum.

I will get off my soapbox now, hope that we return back on-topic, and will add that HG looks like his dies make a good bullet.

[DukeInFlorida]

For those of us looking to make more than one caliber.........
BT Sniper is virtually the ONLY ONE offering options.

I have his:
.224
.308 (Brian tells me that this is shipping soon!)
.40
.44
.45
.500

I don't see all of those offerings from anyone else.

If you're looking for only .224, OK, lots of options.
Looking for all the calibers I listed (plus a few additional calibers that others have bought)........... only one active guy to get them from.
Just saying, and it's worth saying.

[perotter]

I the interest of truth, H-G offers almost any thing you want. I communicated with John last week about this.

http://hgfirearms.com/SWAGE_PRICES.html

[TheCelt]

Wow, I don't come into this forum often. But I thought it was about swaging? Not about one particular vendor? There are many vendors that produce swaging products. And I will honestly tell you it's the wait times that have turned me away from trying it out. Not from any particular vendor but the wait from all I found is high. And this was before the current mess started. Just giving an opinion as someone that has no allegiance to any one vendor.

+1 with what Dragon813gt said. I've been reloading and casting for over 40 years and have wanted to get into swaging several times but have been sidetracked every time by cost, availability of tools and lack of discretionary funds. Seems like every time I have the $$$ tools are not available and I wind up buying a thousand 55gr A-Max bullets (which will last me a year and a half easy). At my age, a year is a significant chunk of what I got left to wait for tools and money to line up so I reckon the "make my own jacketed bullets" hankerin I get will follow me to my last days!!!

[Randy C]

Man o man. I really liked how this thread started but am disappointed by the path which it has taken. We have what I consider to be a unique group of like minded guys and more importantly, well intentioned. First and foremost - competition is good for all of us. I cannot attest to HG-Firearms dies and look forward to hearing a report on this board to their quality. From a distance, they look good. Also, I cannot attest to Blackmon's or any other dies has I have not used them, but I will say they look good and those who use them here seem happy. To me, that is a great recommendation for others to consider. I can tell you, I have a set of BT's dies for the 22lr->223 and am pleased with them and Brian has helped me learn along the way. I appreciate his patience with me and thank him for his assistance.

What is important here is we have a way to share our experience to allow others to decipher for themselves to make the best possible decision for themselves. It would not be prudent for me to not consider one vendors products due to how someone else reviews and/or supports the product. Please make the best possible decision for yourself for the right reason. In this case - BT dies might be right for you or another vendor may be better suited for your needs. In my opinion, we all win in the end (at least I do) when our learning experiences are shared.

I have made numerous mistakes in the past and often times it is buying a product twice and this usually occurs because I didn't but the right product in the first place. Sometimes saving a dollar or two on the front end is a costly mistake. My advice is to ask yourself
* Am I buying a quality product
* Am I getting a good value for my money
* Will I be able to get support if/when needed

I will also add that I am appreciative to what Brian has brought to this forum and my learning. I will also add the Corbin has a great website which has also added to my learning curve and interest. But I think I have learned most by reading the posts on this sub-forum.

I will get off my soapbox now, hope that we return back on-topic, and will add that HG looks like his dies make a good bullet.

:shock: I agree it is time to get along, there are to many good people here for this.

[MOcaster]

Okay everybody, I am going to bite the bullet(Pun completely and totally intended), and buy a set. Once I get them I do a write up.

[customcutter]

Sounds great. Looking forward to your review.

CC

[303british.com]

It didn't seem too long ago that Blackmon and Corbins were the only games in town for dies and equipment, other than BR. I had no idea about HG. ebay and the WWW weren't around. Unless a fellow could afford to advertise in F&S for example, he was unknown.

I for one, am glad that there are more people in the game. It makes everyone stronger. As for me, the only stuff I own is from Richard and Dave Corbin. I hope to be able to try stuff from BT Sniper, HG and any others that offer a quality product.

If I can add one more thing. Most of the things the US members here take for granted are not easily available outside of the States. Living in Canada, ITAR threw a wrench into jacket supplies for example, when they became a controlled good. I'm not chastising anyone, but everyone should be grateful that you can get pretty much whatever you need.

Be happy.

[Prospector Howard]

Totally agree with you 303. The more quality manufacturers in the game the better. I think the idea of waiting a year or (alot more in most cases) to get tools you've ordered is a big turn off for most people. Can you imagine how many people would be swaging if it would be as easy to get swaging dies as it is to get ordinary reloading dies? I'm still a little new here, but I'm kind of surprised there isn't a sticky thread that is dedicated for people to comment on the different manufacturers swaging dies. Everyone could tell their likes and dislikes about the dies they own by manufacturer, including how long it took to get them; etc. This could also save on the bickering and toe stepping on the threads that don't apply, if you get my drift.

[Reload3006]

well I pulled the trigger and sent him an order for a 243 8s boat tail lead tip set for my walnut hill. I will let you all know in about 12 weeks His estimate.

[Cane_man]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/224-6s-ogive-3-die-bullet-swaging-set-/271250669632?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27ccc040

http://www.ebay.com/itm/De-rim-die-to-swage-22LR-into-bullet-jackets-/271249334148?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27b85f84

What does everyone thing of these dies? The bullets look soooooo much better than the bullets from the other guy. There isn't a picture of the actual dies but the de-rim die looks pretty good. What say you?

those look very good, hard to beat for that price and they have them now... guy has a 100% ebay rating so give them a try and if they dont work out send them back... let us know what happens

[303british.com]

Sometimes - and you have to email to find out - Dave or Richard have dies and equipment that someone backed out on or refused. There's nothing wrong with them, and they go up for sale. Those of you that get Dave Corvin's year end calendar and specials mailer will know what I mean.

Granted, some of it is unusual, but it never hurts to ask for what's available for immediate shipping!

[Nickle]

Now, I like BT Sniper, and I'm not afraid to say so.

Right now, I'd have to say he makes some of the best stuff handily out there, usually for regular reloading presses.

However, I make bullets for more than just me. I manufacture ammo, and needed a back up source in case of another shortage. So, I wanted a dedicated press, and known equipment. I went with Dave Corbin's stuff. I have no regrets. Currently we're doing 224, 264, 308, 355, 357 and 452. 243 is in the process. A 351 bullet reducing die (from 355) is in the process. Hope to add 40 & 429 as well. Going to reduce casting calibers, and replace with swaged lead bullets.

I would go with Corbin again, though I'm likely to go elsewhere for swaging supplies, especially jackets. Service is slow, prices and service better elsewhere.

I may end up making my own jackets. And, I'm not talking about derimmed 22 RF, I already do that as well.

[303british.com]

There aren't many other jacket makers other than the usuals - J4, Sierra and Corbin. There's a potentially untapped market for jacket makers I would think. Heck, there's room for manufacturers of any bullet making equipment and accessories!

[lead chucker]

I shot H&G an email the other night and he replied the next morning. He answered all my questions. His turn a round time and price is good. I'm glad I came across this thread. Sounds like he has credibility. If I read right you can get his 22 cal swage kit pus a swage press for $750.00 I got the cash but I don't think the wife would like it especially after me getting a new gun.

So now I'm not sure if it's safe to make a thread asking about a lyman mold because NOE makes molds. I recently bought a NOE 22 cal mold. I really like it.

[shooterg]

I think there's enough demand out here to keep all the quality makers in business for quite a while. If I was buying now, I'd be glad to get BT's work, especially if I was using a reloading press.
I was very fortunate years back to find a couple used Corbin swaging presses and got Blackmon made dies for 'em that work awesome. Most of these makers are small or one-man shops and the delays have to be expected . Since you hardly ever see a used set for sale by any of 'em, you have to figure all the buyers are happy, happy, happy ! I am.

[1950Hudson]

BTT for updates? Did anyone who ordered dies from this source get their dies yet? If so, were the results?

[MOcaster]

I guess I should do a full review on them sometime, huh? Yes, I got mine a couple of months ago. They aren't as nice as some dies but they still do a good job. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it but now I am making pretty bullets. And they shoot good, too.

[dbosman]

Lack of supply is an opening for someone else.
Currently we're all in the same back order boat for a lot of stuff. Having been a manufacturer and wholesaler, a back log is both a blessing and curse. It can easily put a small company out of business. I called it a plateau. You can live on it, fall off it, or climb to the next level. That next level is nearly vertical if you need to train people to work to your standards. You can't train people while you're scrambling to get product out and you can't get more product out - unless you train people.

[Wolftracker]

I'm sure all of these die makers have more business than they know what to do with. Competition is good for all of us! Just keep the quality up where it belongs and we'll all be happy.

[customcutter]

This is the same Mfg being discussed in this thread. So please do your homework. Looks like things might have changed for him.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?222982-Anyone-heard-from-john-h-g-firearms

[Gunnut 45/454]

bltsmith
Well thats funny- ordered the Corbin 22LR swaggin kit an got it in 1 week? Looked at the BTsniper kit looked great just alittle more money then I was willing to spend.

[Utah Shooter]

bltsmith
Well thats funny- ordered the Corbin 22LR swaggin kit an got it in 1 week? Looked at the BTsniper kit looked great just alittle more money then I was willing to spend.
What Corbin did you get it from?

[GMike]

Stay away form h-g and Jhon worst customer service nothing but pain I have been dealing with him for past 8-9 months and terrible I wish I never got it from him it sounded to good to be truth. I have finally received his 223 set he took forever to get it story after story excuses and they look terrible craftsmanship is bad threads are all messed up looks like bad or dol tools were used I am thinking about sending it back and asking back my money but I know he will never send me money back. And still waiting for a press that he send 30days ago :/. Terrible terrible I am not happy with him at all. I have pics of his stuff and emails if u guys don't believe me terrible person to deal with