Lyman 310

[bigted]

got the large handles for my 45-70 310 nut cracker loading ... great fun!

question I have is ... do the pistol dies have the same thread pitch as the rifle dies have? in other words ... can I just get the pistol dies and use em in my large handles without having/needing to obtain the small handles?

[bedbugbilly]

310 dies (in general) should all be pretty much the same . . . if I remember right, there are some that are different though but I don't remember on what particular dies. As far as using pistol dies in the large handles . . it depends. I have both but have never tried it. But . . . as an example . . . if you put a pistol die that is intended to be used in a set of small handles in a large set . . the die will set out further from the casing adapter ring unless there is enough thread on the die to adjust it down into the large handles.

I have both large and small tongs as well as some of the steel tongs made for particular calibers (30-06 - 8mm, 30-30, 38 spl.). Because of that, I've never tried my pistol dies in a large set of handles if they are intended to be used in a small set.

If you keep your eyes open for a set of small tongs, you can eventually run across a set at a reasonable price. Keep your eye on them on flea bay - sometimes they go pretty reasonable.

You may want to post this question over in the casting/reloading hand tool section if somebody doesn't come along who can answer specifically what and if any pistol dies can be used in a large set of tongs.

I enjoy using the 310 sets . . . as you say . . lots of fun! Plus . . they are addicting!

[bigted]

thanks for the reply. I will post over there as you suggest. maybe more folks there that have done experimentation with different dies in both handle sets.