Reloading Dies

[Turboman]

Allright lets hear it,Whats your favorite reloading componets for your black powder rifles?Dies?Primers?Cases?Maybe your favorite technique for smokeless and or black powder,Does anyone make custom dies for the big buffalo guns??

[kodiak1]

Wow Turboman this is what I use Redding, RCBS, Lyman, CH4D and Lee.
For certian thing there is no difference somethings it takes a specialty die.
Ken.

[EDK]

Read Mike Venturino's SHOOTING BUFFALO GUNS OF THE OLD WEST and SHOOTING LEVER GUNS OF THE OLD WEST and Randolph Wright's LOADING AND SHOOTING PAPER PATCH BULLETS, A BEGINNER'S GUIDE.

Go to shilohrifle.com/forums and other black powder sites.

I shoot a 50/90 SHILOH SHARPS Long Range Express. I bought LYMAN dies, but now neck size only with a set of MEACHAM bushing type dies. There's a lot of discussion about full length resized versus neck sizing...or no sizing at all, especially paper patch bullet shooters.

Read up, do some listening and research. Then pick your caliber and gun, get a mould and plenty of brass, and start shooting.

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[EDG]

I have 7 40-65 die sets.
1 set- original .406 bullet dia by RCBS probably made in the 1960s
3 sets of Cowboy dies by RCBS
2 sets of Lyman
2 sets of Redding

The Redding dies squeeze the neck way down to .418 like the original RCBS dies.
So does my Redding form die
The Cowboy dies and the Lymans size the neck to .421 to .422.
Based on these numbers I prefer the Cowboy or the Lyman dies for sizing.
I use a .409 expander from Track of the Wolf in a Lee expander body.
Seating is done in a Redding Competition seater. Very convenient to use
If I crimp I have a Lee factory Crimp in 40-65 someone must have had custom made.

[EDG]

I have multiple dies sets for the 45-70 also.
2 sets RCBS
1 set Lee
2 sets Redding

The interior of the1972 RCBS sizer is nearly identical to the Lee die- long neck and no shoulder step
The later RCBS die has a long neck with a little shoulder step.

The Redding has a short 1/2" long neck with a significant shoulder.

I like the later RCBS die with long bullets for sizing
Expand with a Track of the Wolf expander
I don't have a Redding competition sier but use it if I did.
Crimp with Lee factory crimp

[Black Prince]

Allright lets hear it,Whats your favorite reloading componets for your black powder rifles?Dies?Primers?Cases?Maybe your favorite technique for smokeless and or black powder,Does anyone make custom dies for the big buffalo guns??

What do you call a "big buffalo gun?" Would that be a 45-70 or a 50-110?
What do you call a "custom die?" Redding says theirs are custom and so does Hornady.

Loading BP is not something that you can transfer from one rifle to the other as you can sometimes do with smokeless. The powders, primers, cases, dies, and loading tecnique that works for me in my particular rifle probably will not for you.

Sounds like you need to do your home work.

What rifle are you trying to load for? What cartridge? What primer are you using? What case are you using? What powder? What granulation? What bullet? What lube? How long is your barrel? What compression? Are you drop tubing before compression? How long and what diameter is your drop tube? What wad do you use? How thick? Do you use a newspaper sheet wad over the powder wad? Do you use one over the primer? Does your bullet engage the lands? How far off the lands is it? What alloy are you casting your bullets with? What is your groove diameter? What size are you using on your bullets? Do you crimp? Do you FL resize or thumb seat bullets in the cases that are fire formed and not resized? Do you weigh your bullets before loading and limit them to a minimum weight difference?

Uhhhhh, like I said, you have some homework to do. Once you lay some of that out, maybe we can help you find something that will work for you.