Difficulty in reloading w 32 H&R Mag Dillon Dies

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have some 327 Mag cases which I am attempting to reload in 32 H&R dies and I am encountering severe difficulty when attempting to run them thru the decapping/resizing die.

I called Dillon and got a grumpy old fart "Greg" . He was not helpful and got an attitude together. I bailed and called back and got "Dennis" was was very helpful and worked with me to resolve the issue.

This die was sizing down the diameter of the casing from .340 down to .328. Looking at the specs for the casing in my Lyman manual they call for the casing to be .337 in dia. A fired casing measured .340 prior to sizing and when done has a wasp waist just above the rim.

It also was very very difficult to run thru and needed both hands and me standing up and applying all my strength. I am not tiny at 5'9" and 225#.

Turned ou that Dillon put on a standard knurled device on on the decapping pin and that was why it was so hard to work. I ended up with brass shavings inside the dies body after working 20 cases. Additionally they may have installed the carbide sizing ring upside down and they was why it was sizing so small?

I believe that they put in the wrong sized sizing ring but will not own up to it.

In either case they gave me an RMA # and asked me to send it to them and they will send me a new one.

I have no beef with Dillon. They hve always stood behind their products but sometimes you can get a CSR who is having a bad day........so call back and get somebody else that will work with you.

Dan

[Dale53]

Obviously, you have a REAL problem. I DO believe that Dillon will solve it for you.

Please keep us up-to-date on the resolution.

Dale53

[Crash_Corrigan]

Dale: I agree. I will send back the offending part and I expect a new one ASAP as they have always been fast cuz it ain't far from Scottsdale to Vegas.

I just wonder how much damage I have done to those cases on the inside. Plenty of brass shavings inside the die body.

I just cannot believe that the resizing dies were designed to take down a fired casing from .340 to .328?


The specs for a loaded round call for a case diameter of .337 so why would a die take it down to .328? They said it was because the carbide ring was installed incorrectly! Maybe the wrong size I believe is what was installed.

Time will tell.

[9.3X62AL]

That's way too small of an OD for any 32 revolver cartridge on the S&W Long/Magnum/327 Federal pattern. .337" has been the standard for over 100 years. Sounds to me like SOMEONE took the "327 Federal" nomenclature as gospel for nominal. "Coke-bottled" straightwall brass is an annoyance, and likely doesn't do much for brass life longevity. And it's not like 327 brass grows on trees in big groves, either.

Sorry to hear this, El Tee.

[exile]

I have not reloaded for my SP-101 in .327 Federal yet, either .32 H & R mags or,327 Federals. But, I do all of my decapping in a Lee Universal decapping die prior to cleaning my cases. I realize that is not practical for someone with a progressive press, but I thought that given the scarcity of .327 Federal cases it might be worth the effort. If you already have a single-stage press lying around, the Lee Universal decapping die is only ten bucks.

I called Starline a couple of days ago and they said they have no plans to make .327 Federal brass yet this year. I also called Midway to see if they had any from Federal yet and they said no. I also check with "brassworld"daily and have not found any once fired brass. That stuff is precious. Hope you get your problem solved to your satisfaction.

exile

[Dale53]

I still have a bone to pick with Federal for their treatment of their .32 H&R customers when it first hit the market. I bought a Smith 631 and within a year added a 16-4 Smith. Right after I got the guns Federal stopped selling components to their customers. Further, their factory loads had really bad brass. It was typical to lose four or five every time I loaded a box of fifty. In fact, I went entirely to .32 S&W Long brass and for a couple of years that is what I shot. Then Starline announced that they would be making .32 H&R Brass. I pre-ordered a couple of thousand and Starline delivered excellent brass exactly when they said they would.

I absolutely will not play into Federal's new .327 as it appears that they are pretty much doing the same thing with the .327. I will not be interested at all until Starline starts producing brass.

Of course, I really do not need a .327 as I am perfectly happy with my three (now since I have added a Ruger Sp101) .32 H&R's.

Dale53

[Crash_Corrigan]

Fed Ex came by Friday with the correct dies from Dillon. They are fast.

Sunday I will try to reload those 60 odd 327 Fed Mag cases that I have. However I will be using a light to medium target load under a RCBS 32-98 alloy bullet.

I will not be trying to duplicate any Mag load in the revolter. I will use factory mag ammo for carry and use my loads for plinking and a decent walk through the desert gun.

I have no beef with Dillon but people being human you may get a person on the other end whose agenda does not match yours. Ask for somebody else and deal with them. Anybody can have a bad day.

Dan

[jeff423]

When I broke the decapping pin on my .32 H&R die I called Dillon because I could not remove the stub. They said they would immediately send me another. I asked if I could use one from a different Dillon die. He said that they made a special rod or nut (I don't remember which) that holds the decapping pin for .32's.
He did say that all the other pistol dies used the same size rod or nut, but that it is too big for 32's.

It sounds like you had one for a different caliber.

I believe they sent me the whole rod assy. that screws into the top of the sizer die.

Jeff