Der Gebirgsjager
08-31-2019, 01:23 PM
Seems like this testimonial would fit in several sub-forums, but since it involves a reloading die....well here goes:
Once again, Lee has come through for me. This is kind of a long story, but I'll try to condense it to the bare essentials. I purchased an antique Remington Rolling Block carbine from a fellow forum member. It was known to be in .43 Spanish, but no ammo accompanied the rifle. This put me on a search for brass and reloading components and tools.
I did a little research and found that Track of the Wolf sells brass for about $3.35 a case. Apparently they have had this case re-created to specs that they derived from making lots of measurements of original cases. Their website contains a very nice essay on the cartridge and what conclusions they have drawn about reloading it. It is well worth visiting and reading if interested. They recommended purchasing a custom set of Lee dies as slightly modified with a couple of other items made by RCBS to make the job easier. I made the purchases, including 20 cases.
When I began the loading process I first discovered that the sizing die wouldn't quite size the necks of the new brass enough to retain the bullet (.440), and that the bullet could be easily moved back and forth in the neck with two fingers. It appears that the original Spanish brass may have had thicker walls. The next disappointment was that the seating die could not be made to crimp the cases, possibly having been made for the longer rifle version of the case rather than the shorter carbine version. After a lot of thinking I decided that a Lee Factory Crimp Die was needed, but it is a special order item. It requires the customer to send in one piece of brass and $27 plus postage. The brass is not returnable.
Over the course of this learning process I contacted the Customer Service Dept. at Lee via e-mail several times, and always received prompt, courteous, and informative answers. I sent in the piece of brass and the cost of the die, and then was asked to also send in the die set. There are two Lee employees that I dealt with, Peter and Jim.
Yesterday I picked up a package from Lee at the post office. Enclosed were my die set, my brass (I guess when I told them what it costs they relented on sending it back! I had sent two pieces.), and the new .43 Spanish Factory Crimp Die. Very nice workmanship, and they had crimped a bullet in one of the cases to show that it works. The mystery to me is how they can turn out a custom crimp die for $27 as the machinist's wages must be more than that.
So, kudos to Lee Precision, and a special thanks to Peter and Jim for taking the time to get it right and make it happen. :D
247615
Once again, Lee has come through for me. This is kind of a long story, but I'll try to condense it to the bare essentials. I purchased an antique Remington Rolling Block carbine from a fellow forum member. It was known to be in .43 Spanish, but no ammo accompanied the rifle. This put me on a search for brass and reloading components and tools.
I did a little research and found that Track of the Wolf sells brass for about $3.35 a case. Apparently they have had this case re-created to specs that they derived from making lots of measurements of original cases. Their website contains a very nice essay on the cartridge and what conclusions they have drawn about reloading it. It is well worth visiting and reading if interested. They recommended purchasing a custom set of Lee dies as slightly modified with a couple of other items made by RCBS to make the job easier. I made the purchases, including 20 cases.
When I began the loading process I first discovered that the sizing die wouldn't quite size the necks of the new brass enough to retain the bullet (.440), and that the bullet could be easily moved back and forth in the neck with two fingers. It appears that the original Spanish brass may have had thicker walls. The next disappointment was that the seating die could not be made to crimp the cases, possibly having been made for the longer rifle version of the case rather than the shorter carbine version. After a lot of thinking I decided that a Lee Factory Crimp Die was needed, but it is a special order item. It requires the customer to send in one piece of brass and $27 plus postage. The brass is not returnable.
Over the course of this learning process I contacted the Customer Service Dept. at Lee via e-mail several times, and always received prompt, courteous, and informative answers. I sent in the piece of brass and the cost of the die, and then was asked to also send in the die set. There are two Lee employees that I dealt with, Peter and Jim.
Yesterday I picked up a package from Lee at the post office. Enclosed were my die set, my brass (I guess when I told them what it costs they relented on sending it back! I had sent two pieces.), and the new .43 Spanish Factory Crimp Die. Very nice workmanship, and they had crimped a bullet in one of the cases to show that it works. The mystery to me is how they can turn out a custom crimp die for $27 as the machinist's wages must be more than that.
So, kudos to Lee Precision, and a special thanks to Peter and Jim for taking the time to get it right and make it happen. :D
247615