Ordering dies

[ammohead]

Hello Ammohead here,
I have been hanging with this crowd since it was called Shooters back in 1999. BruceB, Buckshot, Curmudgeon, Duke and I founded the Nevada Cast Boolit Shoot in 2000. In 2 weeks we will be having the 25th annual NCBS in Winnemucca, NV.
I am a retired maintenance machinist with a small shop that I use for personal gunsmithing and die making. I am not a commercial shop just a old guy with a lathe, mill and some other tools. When Buckshot stopped making dies he gifted me much of his unused blanks and lots of tooling. Lately I have been getting lots of requests for Star/Magna dies. Here is a price list and helpful hints on how to order.

I make lube/size dies and short size only dies for powder coated bullets. You can have them hardened for hard commercial use, or unhardened for hobby use. I can't imagine a hobby caster ever wearing out a unhardened die, but you can bugger one up. I don't know exactly how hard the hardened dies are on a rockwell scale but on a McGill, Nevada scale they are damn hard. I also make punches and locknuts with set screws. If you order a die/punch combo the locknuts are free. I also offer custom lube hole spacing. Most customers want a standard 3 rows with 3 holes staggered 60 deg, each row spaced .125" apart. You plug the holes you don't need with lead shot. But if you have special lube hole spacing needs, we can do that too. I spec +.0005 -.000 please remember you are not dealing with NASA here, but I get good reviews.

Lube dies unhardened $55
hardened $70

Short dies unhardened $45
hardened $60

Punches $25
Locknut with set screw $5

I am currently working on a design for a die removal tool. More on that to come.

For die/punch/nut combos add $25 to price of die.

I pay USA shipping for orders over $40. PM me to place an order, and you will get put on the list along with a million other things I have going on, garden, fishing, shooting etc. I am usually finished in a week or 2. Lately things have been ganging up on me, but I should be caught up soon. When your order is complete I will send you my address, you send me yours and the $$ and dies can cross in the mail. Check or MO please.

[Rickf1985]

Bruce, glad to see your dies made the grade for all these people, I pretty much figured they would. Those prototype dies you made for me are working perfectly and size right on what you say they will using clip ons.
I do have a request that you may or may not be able to fill. My old SAECO lead pot has a little drip that was mostly my fault. I saw an article about using valve grinding compound to "seat in" the stem in the valve. Yea right, then I had more leaking. I took the stem out and noticed that instead of a taper it had a sharp edge and then below that it tapered a little to center it in the spout. So I chucked the stem up in a drill and ran a file on it to restore that sharp edge and it has stopped leaking for the most part. This makes a lot of sense since lead can have all kinds of stuff in the bottom of the pot that will get caught between a tapered pin and a matching tapered spout. With the weight of the liquid above it you will certainly have a leak. But with the sharp edge it is going to be real hard to get a piece of dirt jammed on that sharp edge. So, what I am looking for is someone to machine me a new rod/stem for that pot but also the same design for my lee pot. I will bet that stops the Lee from leaking. IF this idea works that is another product you could add to your stocks. If you can stop Lee pots from leaking that would be a big seller.

Rick Faunce

[ammohead]

Bruce, glad to see your dies made the grade for all these people, I pretty much figured they would. Those prototype dies you made for me are working perfectly and size right on what you say they will using clip ons.
I do have a request that you may or may not be able to fill. My old SAECO lead pot has a little drip that was mostly my fault. I saw an article about using valve grinding compound to "seat in" the stem in the valve. Yea right, then I had more leaking. I took the stem out and noticed that instead of a taper it had a sharp edge and then below that it tapered a little to center it in the spout. So I chucked the stem up in a drill and ran a file on it to restore that sharp edge and it has stopped leaking for the most part. This makes a lot of sense since lead can have all kinds of stuff in the bottom of the pot that will get caught between a tapered pin and a matching tapered spout. With the weight of the liquid above it you will certainly have a leak. But with the sharp edge it is going to be real hard to get a piece of dirt jammed on that sharp edge. So, what I am looking for is someone to machine me a new rod/stem for that pot but also the same design for my lee pot. I will bet that stops the Lee from leaking. IF this idea works that is another product you could add to your stocks. If you can stop Lee pots from leaking that would be a big seller.

Rick Faunce

Thanks Rick. My plate is pretty full right now, so the valve is a no go at present. First I have to come up with a design/process for a die remover. Right after I catch up on die orders.

[Rickf1985]

I kind of figured you were going to get real busy real fast. LOL. I hope you still make time for fishing!

[ammohead]

I kind of figured you were going to get real busy real fast. LOL. I hope you still make time for fishing!

Lately it has been all about getting the garden planted.Nevada CastBoolit Shoot in Winnemucca this weekend.

[Lance Boyle]

Nice! I wondered if someone would pick up the Star lube die gauntlet!

I have made myself custom expanders for RCBS cowboy dies for my extra deep grooved high wall .38-55 ammo.

I am no real machinist, just a hack with a lathe.

[PNWMLB]

Thanks for all 16 custom dies for my magma! They turned out great as did all the additional tooling. The die removal tool is better than the original that came with the magma lube sizer, especially on the larger diameter dies. I would highly recommend this tool for anyone using a Star or Magma Lube Sizer. If I run across others looking for sizing dies, they will be sent your way. Good luck on your elk hunt!

[skeettx]

Great!!!

[Ausglock]

G'day... Looking for short, hardened sizer dies for a Magma Lube sizer onlyused for HITEK coated bullets.

.3565 .3575, .358
Postage to Australia.

Thanks.
Regards, Trevor