lachmiller reloading dies

[oldbear1950]

I picked up a set of lachmiller 30-06 reloading dies. I got the set at a great price, appear to be really well made. Does anyone have setup instructions for lachmiller 2 die set?
Or can I use setup instructions of a general nature, or RCBS setup instructions sense they bought them out in the 60s? I am new to reloading and anything would help.

[Three44s]

Welcome to the forum and to handloading!

I have never worked with Lachmiller dies but if you have a full length sizer from them it should set up like most any other similar die.

First thing I like to do with any die, bought used or new is to dissemble it and clean it up. Be sure to properly lube your brass. With the sizer back in operation set the body of the die for full contact with your shell holder without a case inserted. Have the decapping stem backed off so it substantially clears the shell holder plus the inside of the case web.

If the de-capper fails to push the spent primer out of the case, this is good. Simply run the stem farther down and run case through the cycle again.

In fact I leave the case inside the die while I adjust the stem lower.

As you are removing the case from the sizer die you can tighten the jam nut on the stem under a strain from removal. This better centers the stem in the just sized case.

For setting the seating die take a sized case and run it all the way up with the seater die a few turns above hitting the shell holder. With the case parked at the top of the ram stroke turn the seating die body down until you feel a slight resistance and back the die body up a 1/16 to a 1/4 turn depending on how close to the same length your sized cases are to each other. What you are doing is to set the seater die to not crimp the loaded round.

When you are ready to seat a bullet, begin with the seater stem above your intended seating depth for your intended bullet. Work it down until you get the desired seating point. Then lock the jam nut.

If you desire to crimp the bullet in place, take a representative loaded round and run the round back into the seater die. Lessen the seater stem and slowly turn the die body down until you get the desired crimp. Lock the diebody in the new location and then run the seater stem back down to fully contact the seated bullet.

Three44s

[oldbear1950]

Thank you for your advice Three44s , sounds like good advice. These dies look a lot like RCBS, OR CH dies. Truth to be told, guess I am three 45s, with two 1911 45s, and an Uberti EL PATRON IN 45 colt. I really like the 45s.

[oldbear1950]

If it is ok, am going to try and print this out, but would not do that without asking.

[Three44s]

If it is ok, am going to try and print this out, but would not do that without asking.

You are welcome to print, go for it “Three45s”!

The other suggestion is to buy some relaoding manuals. I have a soft spot for the Hornady manual, particularity for beginners. At the front of their manual they typically have a colorized series of drawings depicting the firing of a bottle neck cartridge and an explanation about head space.

Many shooters and too many hand-loaders do not understand headspace. Not understanding the concept poses a safety issue and also shortens brass life.

I also like to collect older manuals as well as buying manuals that are getting phased out.

Three44s

[15meter]

For a first manual this one is hard to beat:

https://archive.org/details/LymanCas.../n141/mode/2up

And the download is free.

[oldbear1950]

I have the Hornady reloading Manual, the lyman # 50 manual, the Seirra # 14, the Lyman cast bullet manual (the latest one), the ABC'S OF RELOADING #3 AND # 8.
I want to do it right.

[15meter]

I have the Hornady reloading Manual, the lyman # 50 manual, the Seirra # 14, the Lyman cast bullet manual (the latest one), the ABC'S OF RELOADING #3 AND # 8.
I want to do it right.

Nice start on manuals. Don't turn down older manuals if you can get them free or cheap. The older manuals have load data for older powders that have fallen out of the most recent manuals.

If you hang around gun clubs or troll garage sales you may come across older powder that is difficult to find load data for. Old manuals come in handy at that point.

I've acquired 20+ pounds of old powder so far this year. Most of it in sealed cans. Digging through my 5 foot long shelf of old and new manuals, I've found usable data for almost all of the powder that other guys were basically throwing out.

[1hole]

I have the Hornady reloading Manual, the lyman # 50 manual, the Seirra # 14, the Lyman cast bullet manual (the latest one), the ABC'S OF RELOADING #3 AND # 8.
I want to do it right.

That's a great goal. But many people don't grasp that there's a difference between "reloading" and "handloading".

Reloading will produce ammo much like factory stuff; good for every gun it may be used in but ideal for none (except by rare chance). Handloading is much like making custom handmade furniture; the ammo is precisely made to fit ONE particular firearm and even the best loading manual instructions only lightly touch that.

Just remember that instructions in any loading manual is aimed at the novice, they will get you well started in reloading. Book instructions are not absolute rules to apply to every situation now and forever.

[oldbear1950]

I have a couple of guns would like to taylor ammo for. One is an old H & R single shot 45-70, would like to have the chamber lengthened, so could fire really long bullets in. Maybe even paper patch some bullets, and see what happens. Do not want to hot load it just fire some loads like they did in the old days. I understand there are 2 actions H & R used , and this is the old shotgun action, so
does not take hot loads anyway.

[15meter]

I have a couple of guns would like to taylor ammo for. One is an old H & R single shot 45-70, would like to have the chamber lengthened, so could fire really long bullets in. Maybe even paper patch some bullets, and see what happens. Do not want to hot load it just fire some loads like they did in the old days. I understand there are 2 actions H & R used , and this is the old shotgun action, so
does not take hot loads anyway.

Just do a couple of web searches for: "reduced loads for 45-70", "cat-sneeze loads", "mouse fart loads". You will find more that you would believe is out there.
-
I used to do a 4.4 grains of Clays behind a Lyman 457122 boolit.

Just make sure they clear the barrel when you get down in the mouse fart load stuff.

[15meter]

I have a couple of guns would like to taylor ammo for. One is an old H & R single shot 45-70, would like to have the chamber lengthened, so could fire really long bullets in. Maybe even paper patch some bullets, and see what happens. Do not want to hot load it just fire some loads like they did in the old days. I understand there are 2 actions H & R used , and this is the old shotgun action, so
does not take hot loads anyway.

Finally found it, whisper loads.

Last cartridge on the list in this article is 45-70.

https://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/r...-whisper-loads