Anyone here make custom H&I dies

[RickinTN]

Hello There!
Does anyone on the site make custom H&I sizing/lubricating dies? I am in need of a .351" die.
Thanks for any help and direction.
Rick

[KenT7021]

S&S Firearms will make custom dies.Buffalo Arms may offer them as well.

[725]

Don't know if he still does it, but;

ammohead@castboolits

[georgerkahn]

Hello There!
Does anyone on the site make custom H&I sizing/lubricating dies? I am in need of a .351" die.
Thanks for any help and direction.
Rick

I hope this is not a "bad direction" ;) -- but if you can get your hands on a .348 H&I die, which is a standard offering, perhaps .003" enlargement -- about the thickness of some human hairs -- might be accomplished with a small lathe, if you have; or, I'd think you'd not need "mortgage the house" to perhaps have a local machinist to do this for you?

[15meter]

This:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?160-Lathesmith-s-Custom-Dies

Unless he's retired, but I don't think so.

Never mind, just went to his page, as of 11-30-22 he's joined the leisure class. Good for him.

Bummer for us.

He made nice sizers. Guess I procrastinated a little to long on getting a couple that I need ordered.

[Willbird]

This:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?160-Lathesmith-s-Custom-Dies

Unless he's retired, but I don't think so.

Never mind, just went to his page, as of 11-30-22 he's joined the leisure class. Good for him.

Bummer for us.

He made nice sizers. Guess I procrastinated a little to long on getting a couple that I need ordered.

I talked to him a bit before he made the announcement that he was going to stop offering the service. I have been lining up tooling and raw material to make custom Star dies and offer then for sale. The H&I dies should be if anything simpler than the Star dies IMHO. My intention is to purchase a vendor sponsor section.

Bill

[tja6435]

I talked to him a bit before he made the announcement that he was going to stop offering the service. I have been lining up tooling and raw material to make custom Star dies and offer then for sale. The H&I dies should be if anything simpler than the Star dies IMHO. My intention is to purchase a vendor sponsor section.

Bill


You should also look at offering custom Dillon powder funnels, I’ll order 2-3 if you do.

[Willbird]

You should also look at offering custom Dillon powder funnels, I’ll order 2-3 if you do.

My plans were to make anything feasible that customers want. I have a few Dillon die sets of my own to look at as examples. I have made some custom Lee powder through expanders for somebody here on the board and that went well. Planning to offer what the customer desires and not dictate to the customer what they should want ;-).

1983 to 2008 my career was cnc and manual machinist so making parts to blueprint or designing simple parts was a big part of that.

Bill

[Reverend Recoil]

I ordered a 0.368" die from S&S Firearms yesterday. I will let you know what I get when it arrives.

[tja6435]

My plans were to make anything feasible that customers want. I have a few Dillon die sets of my own to look at as examples. I have made some custom Lee powder through expanders for somebody here on the board and that went well. Planning to offer what the customer desires and not dictate to the customer what they should want ;-).

1983 to 2008 my career was cnc and manual machinist so making parts to blueprint or designing simple parts was a big part of that.

Bill


I wish you were my neighbor

[RickinTN]

I don't remember which day last week I ordered a .351 die. I have already received an e-mail that it has shipped.
Thanks all,
Rick

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Bill, I am also a machinist. Are you planning on running these on a cnc lathe? If so I could help you out with any design, drawing, or programming (g code). I have a Mastercam seat at work and can draw solid models and spit out programs if needed. They may have to be tweaked as my posts are for Okumas and Doosans. Let me know if you need help.

[Willbird]

Bill, I am also a machinist. Are you planning on running these on a cnc lathe? If so I could help you out with any design, drawing, or programming (g code). I have a Mastercam seat at work and can draw solid models and spit out programs if needed. They may have to be tweaked as my posts are for Okumas and Doosans. Let me know if you need help.

I would be doing it purely manual. CNC would be the quickest way and easiest way to get really consistent results with the least amount of operator skill. But the cost per hour is also a lot higher. One past job the whole shop was equipped with Mazak lathes that all had sub spindles. All of these types of parts would be super easy that way, but their shop rate was $125 an hour in 2002 as well so many folks would not want to pay the price. We also had cnc and manual OD and ID grinders, and a half dozen sunnen hones that again would be helpful, but expensive to support :-).

Thanks for the offer to help though :-). I used BobCad quite a bit for CNC mill to generate complex tool paths, I never bothered with POST...I would just hand write the beginning and end. Used lots of subroutines where the same tool path was used for rough and finish...just wrote for a 0" dia tool and inserted a larger dia offset for roughing profile.

Bill

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Understand completely. That’s about what our shop rate. I program and run a Doosan with a subspindle and live tooling. It keeps me busy lol.

[Reverend Recoil]

The 0.368” die from S&S came in. Sized bullets measured 0.3685”. That will work for me.

[yeahbub]

Doesn't Lathesmith make sizing die as well? I thought I read some posts last year that he does that. I guess he'd be the one to ask whether he does that kind of work.