Dies to keep or pass along to the kids . NFS

[Harter66]

Like so many of us I've had many sets and brands often of a single cartridge. I don't know how many but I still have an as new set of 44 mag/ special Lachmiller after sending at least 4 sets on their way in Lyman , Lee , RCBS . I don't even want anything in 44 that's why I have the ability to shoot 6 45s .

I've recently received a set of 38/357 Pacific Durichome dies . I'm very tempted to send the carbide RCBS on their way to the kids box sets of tools . I don't see me loading over another 4-500 of each , I only have Grampa's 47' M10 and the Sec 6 , eventually I'll get the JM 1894C and the 5-5/8" RBH 3 screw back but I have 1k each factory or jacketed reloads put back and haven't fired a box in them combined in probably 8-9 years.

30-30 , 06' .
Same choices here but it's Herters vs RCBS .
The Herters has emotional significance but no parts available. I don't expect to see the kids in an 06' unless it mine and Grampa's . It is nice to have the extra sizer set up for each rifle but I have 3 sets of 06' and the Savage is tighter than the NEF but easily cams in shared 30-30 and the Savage brass plunks in the NEF. I neck size with a Lee 308 and it's .310 expander .

45 ACP , AR , GAP
4 cylinders,1 carbine . 2 loads , 1 OAL with 200 or 230 gr SWC . The Smith has tight chambers so no need to set up 2 sets . The Lyman has emotional significance. Plus Forster taper crimp die . I don't us the roll crimp in any of 3 sets .

25-06'
Dad had both RCBS and Pacific for his 25

All in equal condition . I don't have any particular brand favor I have 11-12 brands .
38/357 Pacific or Carb RCBS .
30-30,06' Herters vs RCBS
25-06' RCBS vs Pacific.
45 ACP, AR , GAP . Lyman vs RCBS all carbide.

Emotional attachment aside what's your choice ?

[Bigslug]

Seems obvious to me:

What are you producing YOUR ammo with?

What are the kids shooting?

What would the kids have a hard time getting?

What would the kids have a hard time finding spares for?

What has been "upgraded" with nonstandard parts that the kids might have a hard time figuring out?

What can do you want to kick down the road and not deal with?

I can understand an emotional attachment to these tools, but ultimately, they are the secondary tools that keep the primary tools shooting. It's a question of logistics.

[Three44s]

I like Pacific Durochrome dies but aren't you considerably better off with the RCBS Carbide sizer over the Durochrome?

I do not let go of much of anything tool or die wise. Dies in particular can have different diminensions and you just never know when you come to a point where you need a different "square peg" to try.

Three44s

[Harter66]

My thing is that among other things I'm the only one that has the ....... whatever it is that makes this whole endeavor logical. My daughter has a rifle, pistol,and shotgun along with a 22 rifle . The 3 will take care of everything short of a zoo break rampage and few exotics in Texas. I mean a 308 will do in a cape buff but I don't want to be the guy that tries to shut it down right after it flipped a couple of trucks over cause it was walking there . The boy has a couple of pistols and a 223 .

Enter me I load 17 cal , 5 ga , 3 grooves so far over spec their just small on the next caliber up and I have no fewer than 8 die sets I'm not likely to ever have a cartridge to fit them . It'd be awesome to ream the type 38 Arisaka to 6.5-257 AI but the .270 groove ....... Well there's the 277 Fury or 270 I guess . Then there's the 7.92×58J in the Type 99, it's a .3165 groove ...... Good news the 8×57 neck die is perfect with the .312 expander ball . The spare 308 sizer is perfect for the 30-30 neck die . So the 6.5×257 die gets the 257 decapping rod and is perfect for the .260 dia cast in the 257 Roberts and 25-06' . Because my 45 S&W 1917 S&W was chambered with a 45 ACP reamer the RCBS 45 Mag die set is almost perfection vs using the Lee 45 S&W set . Of course I keep a set of the 45 ACP set down for GAP .

The kids aren't likely to take this past refilling a few cases . The carbide dies make sense for them .
My Big Max to squish 6.5 CM down to 6.5×50 SR necked up for a .727 paper patch.......not so much . They can negotiate over the RC,&RCII when I'm gone . There's 4-5 presses they can have that are completely serviceable and there aren't any bugs on the RS and 008 Hornady red Pacific marked press.

I'm probably never going to build the 25 ACP revolver and companion rifle so I should probably just dump those dies , brass , bullets , and ammo . The 25 cal in general is a dead horse anyway. I don't know why I have 7×64 Brenke and 280 Rem/7mm Express dies when I don't have either one but do have a 280 reamer just in case I shoot out the throat of a 7×57 ....... Which is why I have the 284 Winchester set to use as a neck die for the 7×57, that and it was less to buy a whole set than just a neck die . I have a 256 Win set to use as a step die from 223 to 222 ....... I only have one set of 223 dies and a spare sizer for 3 rifles , while I have a FL dies added to the 222 neck set and another Lee 3 die set .
There are 4 sets of 45 Colts and at one point I had 6 , there are only 8 chambers ...... 6 in the pistol .
Aside from the Arisaka and the .3165 x39 the only thing in 32 US/8mm is a 32 Rem with just a set of CH black box dies . Everything else including the 7x6.8 has at least 1 extra die or multiple sets . I don't have any presses that index or hold full sets , just one at a time .

Most of my arms are just work horses. Even the made all the "Best XX of all time" arms are just average working arms .

I get the keep the RCBS dies because warranty.
I get "your keeping Dad's cause they were Dad's" .
I get the dies that just fit this or that better .

I'm really assembling kits for the kids that are likely to actually use them some day and keep the stuff I'm using.
If I shoot another 200 rounds of 06' in the next 10 years it'll surprise the heck out of me .
There was a time when I shot a lot of 38 ,357 , and 9mm . Unfortunately the 47' M10 , High Power clone , Moms OM 3 Screw unfixed BlackHawk , and to a lesser degree the SS Sec 6 are to valuable to carry so the XD40 stepped up . The 45s are high value also even the Bubba 1917 ..... nobody's carrying a 7.5" BlackHawk or 5.5" N Frame around town .

So the question stands which sets go in the kits ?