Learned something today!!

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74man

74man

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I had about 80 plus .270 Win empties, had powder, had bullets but didn't have dies to reload them with. I didn't want to buy dies cause I don't hunt with it anymore, maybe my boys will in the future. I ended up borrowing a set of RCBS 270 dies made in 72 and the friend I borrowed them from has been loading for years so I just assumed they were already set to go, WRONG. I started to reload and loaded all the cases with powder. Then the bullets just fell into the cases. I learned to resizethe cases and reset the dies for what you are reloading, I backed off the deprimer pin and resized all cases and necked the cases. Then put in the powder and used the seating die and destroyed about 4 cases because I assumed it would do the job as is, wrinkled the necks so I ruined 4 cases, learning experience. Once I got my length correct the rest went uneventful. All my ammo i cleaned and installled primers, Removed the old primers with a RCBS heavy duty decapper but never sized the cases, LIVE AND LEARN. I learned a lot today at the press.
 
The first thing I do is deprime/resize then gauge the case. If it fits move on to the next step. Any problems need to be addressed as soon as they crop up to prevent the problem you experienced.

One thing my dad told me many years ago that has always stuck with me, live and learn, just don’t forget to learn. He also frequently reminded me to learn from others mistakes as it was cheaper and easier in the long run. He was a very wise man.
 
74man said:
I had about 80 plus .270 Win empties, had powder, had bullets but didn't have dies to reload them with. I didn't want to buy dies cause I don't hunt with it anymore, maybe my boys will in the future. I ended up borrowing a set of RCBS 270 dies made in 72 and the friend I borrowed them from has been loading for years so I just assumed they were already set to go, WRONG. I started to reload and loaded all the cases with powder. Then the bullets just fell into the cases. I learned to resizethe cases and reset the dies for what you are reloading, I backed off the deprimer pin and resized all cases and necked the cases. Then put in the powder and used the seating die and destroyed about 4 cases because I assumed it would do the job as is, wrinkled the necks so I ruined 4 cases, learning experience. Once I got my length correct the rest went uneventful. All my ammo i cleaned and installled primers, Removed the old primers with a RCBS heavy duty decapper but never sized the cases, LIVE AND LEARN. I learned a lot today at the press.
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MY suggestion for you going forward is, whenever you borrow a set of dies, take them apart, completely (with the owner's permission) down to the last nut and bolt and clean them. First with acetone or mineral spirits and then surface lubricate them with Ballistol, sewing machine oil, 3-in-1 oil, or some kind of non-paraffin light mineral oil. Then when you put them back together, they are "like new" and you can set them up for your cases, your press, your chamber. You do that and you'll never have this problem again.

upload_2022-3-10_11-14-21.png
 
I have a habit of checking every die setting whenever I put them in my press. I haven't had to borrow any dies, but it's just a habit to make sure settings are correct. I even checked my settings when swapping turrets with dies installed. (Not bragging just sharing my "old fa**'s techniques)...
 
GeoDude, Like I said I learned something!!! I have always taken new dies apart and cleaned them, then started my reloading process. Since I didn't have any .270 Win dies, I decapped them with a heavy duty decapping die so I forgot that I didn't size them and that is another lesson I learned. Except for a couple of wasted casings, I learned a lot about my reloading techniques and usually don't forget. I even back off my loading dies so when I have to reload I reset everything up again the right way. Won't happen again. something else might happen but not assuming the dies are already adjusted.
 
kalielkslayer said:
I know reloading for many is primarily about saving money.

Me? I always buy dies for anything I reload. That’s just me.
And if I can’t find RCBS I will compromise.
But they’ll be my dies, in my press,
Maybe it’s just me.
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I would tend to agree but the OP did say he was only going to load this cartridge the once because he no longer hunts with it. Nothing wrong with borrowing a set of dies once. I have no done it but I usually intend on loading that cartridge much more than the once.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
I would tend to agree but the OP did say he was only going to load this cartridge the once because he no longer hunts with it. Nothing wrong with borrowing a set of dies once. I have no done it but I usually intend on loading that cartridge much more than the once.
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I don’t disagree with you.

Just saying I wouldn’t do it.

Not saying I wouldn’t have problems with getting the dies set up correctly. But once set, I would be good to go…..until I changed bullets
 
74man said:
GeoDude, Like I said I learned something!!! I have always taken new dies apart and cleaned them, then started my reloading process. Since I didn't have any .270 Win dies, I decapped them with a heavy duty decapping die so I forgot that I didn't size them and that is another lesson I learned. Except for a couple of wasted casings, I learned a lot about my reloading techniques and usually don't forget. I even back off my loading dies so when I have to reload I reset everything up again the right way. Won't happen again. something else might happen but not assuming the dies are already adjusted.
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Sounds good. I think maybe the biggest lesson here is, if you have a process that works, don’t change it.
We all make mistakes. Thanks for sharing so other folks can learn from this.
Be safe.
 
kalielkslayer said:
I know reloading for many is primarily about saving money.

Me? I always buy dies for anything I reload. That’s just me.

And if I can’t find RCBS I will compromise.

But they’ll be my dies, in my press,

Maybe it’s just me.
Click to expand...
That's pretty much me, kalielkslayer, except I have two presses and I've been known to buy a set of dies (usually RCBS) for a new-to-me cartridge before I've gotten the gun that uses it out of lay-a-way. I ♥ handloading.;)
 
GeoDudeFlorida said:
I just learned something, too: @lordpaxman is really @SithLordPaxman and is the same species as Yoda!

It's a good exercise to reset your dies every once in a while and reset them from scratch. It's a skill that needs to be honed. If you set everything up once and never touch it, that skill gets rusty.
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You just have to keep adding new calibers.:cool:
 
thump_rrr said:
You just have to keep adding new calibers.:cool:
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And new dies for existing calibers. ;)

I just ordered three more Lee seating dies for .32H&R/Federal, .357Mag/Max, and .44Spl/Mag so I don't have to make quite so many adjustments to my existing seating dies for longer/shorter cases. I know, lazy bones that I am...
 
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GeoDudeFlorida said:
And new dies for existing calibers. ;)

I just ordered three more Lee seating dies for .32H&R/Federal, .357Mag/Max, and .44Spl/Mag so I don't have to make quite so many adjustments to my existing seating dies for longer/shorter cases. I know, lazy bones that I am...
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I have 2 die sets for any caliber that I reload on the progressive. One set for the progressive and another for the single stage.

I also have added Redding Custom Competition dies for my “precision” rifles.
 
.308 Norma said:
That's pretty much me, kalielkslayer, except I have two presses and I've been known to buy a set of dies (usually RCBS) for a new-to-me cartridge before I've gotten the gun that uses it out of lay-a-way. I ♥ handloading.;)
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EXACTLY!!!

I may condition my barrel with factory. But I usually already have the brass, bullets, powder I’m gonna try before my state’s 10 day “waiting period” is over.

I love accuracy more than reloading, and the way I shoot sometimes, I need all the help I can get
 
Only issue I've had with using someone else's dies is to find they have a burr inside and scratched my brass. Lesson learned is to inspect dies closely inside and out before using, cleaning and setting up like I would the first time used to try and avoid these types of errors. Like previously stated, even my dies set up in turret plates, I feel more peace of mind checking before use to make sure they are set where I want them.
 
74man said:
Since I didn't have any .270 Win dies, I decapped them with a heavy duty decapping die so I forgot that I didn't size them and that is another lesson I learned.
Click to expand...
I always put a slip of paper in with my empties, indicating exactly which steps in the process have been completed, even if I don't think it will be that long before I continue with them. Too easy to get sidetracked by life and forget where I was. I also indicate how many times they've been reloaded and trimmed.
 
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