Buying reloading dies in calibers for which you don't have firearms

[langss]

One of my wife's friends got a divorce a few years ago. Her ex left a bunch of stuff in a box in the garage. She wants to empty the garage and ask if I want this "Junk" in a wooden box. It turns out its an old Lyman press and dies,some 30-30 brass and bullets,and a several pounds of different powders all unopened. Also some assorted other cartridges. I don't have a 30-30, but if I come across one now I have a good start.

[Patrick Chadwick]

I think many of us suffer from the "It'll come in handy one day" syndrome". Hamster genes, I suspect. But I often get to try out and evaluate rifles for other people, and if you do come across an oddball rifle to be tested, then it is no use having to wait for months for an exotic die set to be delivered. Apart from which, the new sets can cost more than the rifle -. have you seen what, for instance, an RCBS die set costs for an Egyptian Remington?

In many cases (or should that be for many obsolete cases?) I use die mixes to reform brass for which no die set is available in a reasonable time at a bearable price. Like using 40-65 and 38-56 to make a first approximation for 9.5x47R. Good enough for fire-forming, after which all my cases are only neck-sized anyway.

So I too tend to buy unusual sets if they are cheap - after all, they may come in handy one day!

[jmoore]

have you seen what, for instance, an RCBS die set costs for an Egyptian Remington

I've found CH4D a better source for odd calibers, in fact I like their quality overall better than RCBS, but they don't have a big retail presence.

[RCS]

S&S Firearms, 74-11 Myrtle Ave, Glendale NY 11385, had the Spencer center fire conversion breech block which is complete, also you need a blunt face follower in the magazine. They have the outer magazine tube too and 50-70 brass to cut down and form

[ireload2]

I thought everyone started out with a miniscule bargain that caused them to buy a rifle. In my case a number of rifles.
About 40 years ago I started attending gun shows and seeing bargains on boxes of components especially for those in calibers I did not own.
My thought was if it was cheap enough buy it anyway. So I bought bullets rifle bullets when they $1 to $3 a box and brass was $4 to $8 a hundred. My thought was if I got a rifle in every caliber I could at least shoot up the bullets. I even bought 32-20 brass for $63/1000.
I bought a set of 8X57 RCBS dies and some once fired brass. I later got a Hakim 8X57 to go along with it. Then a Turk 98, a Turked Gew 88 and two mint Persians 98/29s. The then I found a set of Forster 8X57 Benchrest dies and I have no 8X57 with a scope.....

[Patrick Chadwick]

So I too tend to buy unusual sets if they are cheap - after all, they may come in handy one day!

In the course of my BP experimenting I picked up a cheap set of .41 Swiss dies a couple of month ago.

Last week I found a Swiss Peabody in superb internal condition. It will be banging again soon.

Cunning planning eh?

[jmoore]

Drat! You "said" Peabody!

ETA: Subject for a different thread...

[Patrick Chadwick]

ETA: Subject for a different thread...

Watch this space. Or, to be more accurate, the blackpowder forum. I will need a week or two to make a few rimfire cases. When you see the photos, you will understand why this example is not going to be converted to centerfire.

[Patrick Chadwick]

This post illustrates exactly what I mean by "it might come in handy"

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread....229#post259229

Very creative!

[Sawfish]

Anytime I can buy a die set in any caliber for a bargain price, I will grab it. In addition to being useful for loading other calibers, or as an excuse to buy a new gun, they are an invaluable source of spare parts. Check out the prices of new decapping rods, expanders, bullet seaters, etc.. The cost of new often exceeds the cost of a bargain die set. Not to mention the not insignificant cost of the obligatory shipping/handling fees. Many die parts are generic i.e. they will fit multiple calibers. A number of my late night reloading projects that would otherwise have been halted by a broken die part have been saved by my die "salvage yard".