Thinking Outside the Die Box

[NVcurmudgeon]

I have loading dies of several makes, mostly RCBS. The last two die sets I have bought have been three-die Redding sets for rifle cartridges. I look forward to using the Reddings because they are easily the best looking dies I have ever seen, and seem to operate a little smoother than others. (That may be a subjective impression.) Recently, I was gifted a sample of Saeco 352 boolits for trying in my .35 Whelen. This boolit has a flat point and the seating punch in the Redding die, which has always worked well for spitzer and roundnose bullets/boolits, could not seat the 352s to a consistent depth. I looked at the punch and realized it was a big, fat,1/2"-13 thread. That is SAE, available at any hardware or auto parts store. My "machine shop" consists of a 3/8" drill and a good Baldor grinder. I got lucky and ground and filed the threaded end of a bolt down to .400 (reasonably centered) so it would enter the die, and hacksawed it to length. This made a flat point seating punch, good enough to seat the trial boolits consistently. If I decide to add a Saeco 352 to my mould collection, there will be time to order a proper punch from Redding, but the Tru Valu bolt got the job done. Lyman also uses 7/8"-14 threads for seating punches.

[MT Gianni]

Clarification are not the lyman dies the standard 7/8 x 14 thread for the die body and not the bullet punch? Gianni

[creekwalker]

So how'd the boolits shoot in your rifle? The rest of it's a non issue because you took the time to do some creative problem solving and find a simple fix. Good going and great post.

creekwalker

[EMC45]

Looking to get some 7/8in. tool rod and play around on my uncles lathe. There is so much that can be done if you have an imagination.

[NVcurmudgeon]

So how'd the boolits shoot in your rifle? The rest of it's a non issue because you took the time to do some creative problem solving and find a simple fix. Good going and great post.

creekwalker

Weather permitting, I'll know Friday.

[Buckshot]

Clarification are not the lyman dies the standard 7/8 x 14 thread for the die body and not the bullet punch? Gianni

Gianni, normally yes but Bill has the "Acme Extra heavy duty high speed, low drag" dies. These (in case you've never seen any) are threaded 3-1/2 - 4, and DO take a 7/8-14 threaded rod for the a"M" die, and boolit seater. :-)

................Buckshot

[MT Gianni]

That makes more sense. I thought he must have bought your Asperly. Gianni

[NVcurmudgeon]

That makes more sense. I thought he must have bought your Asperly. Gianni

I never was worth a hoot with fractions in school. Now decimals are different. The fraction I meant was .500 12.

[spurrit]

NvCurmudgeon,

I, too LOVE the Redding dies. I started with RCBS, but once I got the Reddings, I wondered why the HELL RCBS bothers making dies. I bought another, more expensive set first, but they sucked, so I bought the Reddings. Now, I ONLY buy Reddings, Pacifics, or Hornady dies.