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BPsniper
Posts: 1,961 Senior Member
Hornady - New Dimension Dies. (Any experience?)
BPsniper
Posts: 1,961 Senior Member
I have two sets of Hornady 'Custom Grade' - New Dimension Dies. One set in .375 Ruger and one set in .404 Jeffery.
The reason that I have these dies is that, they were the only ones that make them in these chanberings or that I could find.
I've had issues with both sets of dies in regards to the resizing die and spindle and was curious if I'm the only one.
On both occasions, I had the expander ball stick in the case mouth and pull the spindle out of the die. Talk about re-rigging something! You gotta hold your tounge right and use 3 hands to get a case with an expander ball and spindle sticking out of it, BACK in the shell holder and the spindle THROUGH the die. The, screw the locking lug back down over the spindle and get the spindle seated to the right depth to extract the expander ball. It's a pain, believe me.
What I learned is that you MUST use two wrenched to tighten the locking lug down on the spindle. One wrench doesn't seem to work and the spindle will rip out.
The other thing I learned, is that you have to lube the cases more than you would with other dies when using them for the first time. Even with extra lube, sizing the case is a MOTHER!!!!! I mean, I had to start the size, back out, size it a little further, back out, size it further, back out, size further, back out, etc until I could get the whole case sized!!! It was so hard to pull the arm of my press I was afraid I was going to stick a case in the die.
I assume that once the inside of the die has enough lube on it, it starts working better because after about 5-7 cases, they start sizing with some sense of ease. More so like other dies but still not as easy.
Anyway, anybody else use these dies and have this experience? Or am I just all thumbs? With all the trouble I've had with these dies, I don't expect to buy anymore of them. Glad I only have 2 chamberings that are Hornady specific. Good Lord!!!!!
The reason that I have these dies is that, they were the only ones that make them in these chanberings or that I could find.
I've had issues with both sets of dies in regards to the resizing die and spindle and was curious if I'm the only one.
On both occasions, I had the expander ball stick in the case mouth and pull the spindle out of the die. Talk about re-rigging something! You gotta hold your tounge right and use 3 hands to get a case with an expander ball and spindle sticking out of it, BACK in the shell holder and the spindle THROUGH the die. The, screw the locking lug back down over the spindle and get the spindle seated to the right depth to extract the expander ball. It's a pain, believe me.
What I learned is that you MUST use two wrenched to tighten the locking lug down on the spindle. One wrench doesn't seem to work and the spindle will rip out.
The other thing I learned, is that you have to lube the cases more than you would with other dies when using them for the first time. Even with extra lube, sizing the case is a MOTHER!!!!! I mean, I had to start the size, back out, size it a little further, back out, size it further, back out, size further, back out, etc until I could get the whole case sized!!! It was so hard to pull the arm of my press I was afraid I was going to stick a case in the die.
I assume that once the inside of the die has enough lube on it, it starts working better because after about 5-7 cases, they start sizing with some sense of ease. More so like other dies but still not as easy.
Anyway, anybody else use these dies and have this experience? Or am I just all thumbs? With all the trouble I've had with these dies, I don't expect to buy anymore of them. Glad I only have 2 chamberings that are Hornady specific. Good Lord!!!!!
Replies
That will be my first and last set of those dies. I love some of Hornady's tools, but the ND dies do not fit in that category.
I'll admit, the two wrench use on the locking lug over the spindle was probably a newbie mistake. I mean, they have a place on the die and the slots on the locking lug for just that reason. I just thought I could grip the die and turn the lug with a wrench to get it tight enough. WRONG!!!
But, the lube/sizing thing...........don't think that is the fault of my brain. Did everything the same as I do with other dies right out of the box and never had a problem. But with Hornady dies................CRIMINY!!!!!
Edit: Maybe its the cases and their dimensions. I don't know.
My thoughts exactly.
I wanted Redding or RCBS dies for both these cartridges. Like I said though, without going custom or spending a butt load, Hornady was my only choice for these two cases.
Well, yes - those, too. I have loved the accuracy from their V-Max and Interlock bullets for years. Their brass is also very stout, for sure.
I was in the same boat for the .375 H&H. in that Midway was out of the Redding dies I wanted so I figured, "what the heck?" These were the only other option and I used it as an opportunity to try something new. However, this time it bit me in the a**. I'll be ordering up the Redding dies soon enough. I hope you find a better alternative.
see link
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=FP&prodID=FP011341&prodTitle=Forster Case Neck Graphiter
404 Jefferies-425561. However the Jefferies is a special order item and costs about $ 142 and some change.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I have i guess a dozen sets of the hornady dies. I have had some issues with them occasionally. I bought a a set that came with the spindle locking collet that was not split at the bottom so it would never lock the spindel. Hornady sent me a new collet and new spindle assembly right out, no charge. I once stuck a 22-250 case in their sizing die and pulled the rim off the case trying to lower the rim. It was my fault for not lubing the case adequately, but I sent the dies in to Hornady. They pulled the case, repolished the die body and mailed it back no charge. I have also broken a spindle after running a case into the die that was still half full of tumbling media. Again, my fault, and again Hornady sent me replacement spindle assembly at no charge.
As far as lubing the cases, I have had as much trouble with RCBS dies as I have with Hornadys as far as needing to get a basic load of lube in the die before they work well. But since I have switched to Imperial sizing daie wax, these problems have abated. I will note however that my RCBS 500 S&W dies are the single hardest set of dies to size with I have ever used. I don't care how much lube you use, the first 4-5 cases are dang hard to get in and out of the die.
There is one problem with some Hornady dies I have. My 257 WBY dies load good ammo, very concentric, and repeatable. However, there is a button inside that slides inside of the sliding alignment sleeve. With the longest 25 cal bullets, the button pushes free of the sleeve inside the die. Then when the cartridge is retracted, the sliding button does not drop back thru the sleeve so the next cartridge cant be run into the die until the button is realligned with the sleeve and falls back thru. It slows the process for real. I have called Hornady about it. They gave me instructions about adjusing the die to minimize this, but a simple bevel at the top of the sleeve would fix this problem forever. Happily I have a dremmel, but I haven't gotten around to fixing this yet.
Still, Hornady dies are my go-to brand. I have found their selection of dies to be adequate for my needs, and the quality of loads and customer service have been great.
Oh man! I hope I didn't come across as ranting. I didn't mean to. I don't work for Hornady. I was just trying to show my experiences with them over the years. I started with RCBS, and I have maybe 20 sets of their dies, which I use regularly. My most recent dies are for my new 338 lapua, and they are RCBS because the Hornadys were too expensive. I got the 2 die set of RCBS as well as a neck sizer die for less than the cost of the Hornady 2 die set.
i was just trying to show that I have not had perfect experience from Hornady's dies, but Hornady has worked to make it right even when the problem was my fault. I still buy their dies when I can. The free bullet offer has helped decide on die brand as well :-)
I know you are new to loading, and I have watched your progress here on the forum. I am always willing to offer my experience in an effort to save you some time on the learning curve, and I know there are others here who will help as well. I only posted because I have used a dozen or more sets of their dies, and I hoped my breadth of experience with them over all would ease your mind about the setss you have.
I haven't seated any bullets with the Hornady dies, yet. Just sized them.
I resized the .375 Ruger factory cases that I've fired but haven't gotten any bullets for that cartridge yet.
I have prepped 50 cases for the .404 Jeffery but am waiting to reload for that rifle after I get a scope base for the scope I plan to mount on it.
So, no seating yet. From what you guys are saying, it might change my mind on the Hornady dies. Right now, I'm a little frustrated.
:jester::jester:
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
What kinda lube are you using? IIRC, I had some trouble with pulling the stems, when I was using RCBS lube. I've since switched to Imperial Sizing wax, and haven't had any trouble. I lube the inside of the necks with a Q-tip.
The real answer is, get bushing neck dies, and don't use an expander ball at all. Works the brass too much.
You might try to size one with the expander removed, measure the neck. See if it's too small to seat a bullet in. If it sizes them OK to seat without the expander, I'd ditch the expander all together.
You might consider getting a universal decapping die, that way you don't need to have the expander ball and the decapper in your sizing dies.
This is what I use for .338 to .50 cal. neck lubricant. Works well. 4 oz. will last a looooooong time, too.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=290522
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