Die and pin manufacture

[abolter]

I am wanting to get a custom die made and a couple of spare decapper/expander pins. Lee have suspended order taking AGAIN so I was wondering, given that I have the reamer etc how complicated is the die maufacturing process? For the pins, what metal is used as I can see no reason why someone with the appropriate copy lathe could sort them out if the metal is available or soft enough

[pork chop]

try giving Steve kershaw a ring he told me once that he made his own dies

[1967spud]

i have die blanks here if you need one

[jcampbellsmith]

You could try someone like this? http://www.whiddengunworks.net/reloadingdies.html Regards JCS

[baldie]

Making dies is not hard, though it is expensive using good blanks. I use Newlon. The reamer you have will be the one the gun is chambered with ? If so, you can only use that to make a seater die. You need a resize reamer which which is 0.003" undersize from the chamber reamer to make a full length, or body die. This is where it starts to get expensive.

[Ronin]

I use Newlon Blanks, same as Dave, I also use Wilson, though its just as easy to make my own from a piece of barrel..

 

I only do dies if asked as part of a build, using the same reamer (seater or NK die, or resize reamer for FL sizing)

 

Any custom made die is not going to be cheap,

 

Though ammunition will be matched to your chamber in the case of a custom build...

 

 

Decap, die - I use a universal recapping die for all my brass

[abolter]

Thanks guys.

 

Ronin, are you suggesting I could get a neck die from the reamer I have? (I think you are)

 

In terms of decap, thats simple but most decppers have an expander bulb, I have assumed that is necessary?

[baldie]

You can also use the reamer to make a neck die. What are you going to do when they need full length or shoulder bumping ?

[abolter]

I have a full length die but am worried about what happens if I "break" it. If I had a neck die then I would need the full length one much less often

[flyingfisherman]

You can also use the reamer to make a neck die. What are you going to do when they need full length or shoulder bumping ?

Forgive my ignorance but i assumed that bumping shoulders would be achievable with a die cut with his reamer as thats altering the heaspace and not the diameter of the neck or case body? I thought you could just set the die up to bump the shoulders by altering the die depth in the press?