hardened dies or not

[massmanute]

Are Lee dies hardened or not? I am wondering about the possibility to ream the throat of a die from .311 to .358 caliber.

I should add that the diameters referenced above are the bullet diameters, not the actual throat diameters, which would be somewhat larger.

[Ranch Dog]

Are you asking about a bullet sizing die? If so, Lee has told me that they are hardened. When I was in business, I had stacks of sizing dies waiting to move through the hardening process but the employes and equipment was occupied by other parts.

After JES rebored/chambered a 30-30 AI to 405 JES for me, I tried to make my own dies with the appropriate reamers but I don't remember which die set I started with. I could not do it with with a pretty good drill press so I gave up and bought the CH dies he offers. Should have done that from the start.

I had a .432 sizing die that was cutting .431". I cast up a small amount of pure lead bullets and coated them with lapping compound and pushed them through it. I would push one through, clean it, out and then send the real bullet through. It took about a dozen lapping bullets but it did a very uniform job of getting it to cut a .432" bullet. When I see one that is sizing small in the future, this is how I will dress it.

[62chevy]

Good info RD I'll have to remember that trick. Lapping seams to work for mold too.

[massmanute]

I am interested in possibly reaming the throat of a Pacesetter full length resizing die.

[Ranch Dog]

I am interested in possibly reaming the throat of a Pacesetter full length resizing die.

Like I noted, I could not do it.

[massmanute]

Are the case resizing dies hardened?

[Ranch Dog]

Are the case resizing dies hardened?

Yeah, I tried to cut a 38-55 Win to a 405 JES and could not do it with a heavy drill press. Once cut, they would need to be treated again.

I have had Lee make me a bunch of special order dies. They are very reasonable.

[massmanute]

Are the case resizing dies hardened?

Yeah, I tried to cut a 38-55 Win to a 405 JES and could not do it with a heavy drill press. Once cut, they would need to be treated again.

I have had Lee make me a bunch of special order dies. They are very reasonable.

Thanks. I wonder if they are surfaced hardened or hardened through the body of the die.

[Fyodor]

I guess they're they hardened, usually that's easier on those small parts. But you would have to cut one and measure to be sure

[massmanute]

Now I am wondering if the neck of a die can be ground to a larger diameter rather than cut. I am thinking about a series of rods of increasing diameter with a slight taper at the end of each rod. I imagine the parts could be mounted on a mini lathe, and a slurry of abrasive powder could be placed on a rod. This could be used to grind the diameter of the neck to a larger diameter, and the next larger rod could be used the same way to successively enlarge the neck. The rods could be first machined to different diameters using the minilathe.

This is just another one of my hair-brained ideas.