My father just passed his reloading dies to me, and I cannot identify them. I have no knowledge of reloading--I can't even tell you what each of these dies does--but I am interested in learning. Each die has a three-digit number stamped on it, but I cannot find any reference on the web for using those numbers for identification. Does anyone have a resource I can use to identify these and start my foray into reloading?
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Identifying Lyman Dies
- Thread starter Von Hayek
- Start date
I agree you should start with more modern equipment, but do not by any means get rid of "that old Lyman stuff." That's something that links you to your father and days of olde. There was a time when that equipment was state of the art and it would be nice to one day use it again. So continue your research, and after you've learned the ropes of reloading on more modern equipment you may wish to try it out. Do you have any of his old guns?
A bunch of them. My father is still alive, and at 95 is old enough to be my grandfather. He is still active and still likes to shoot, but he is divesting himself of most of his things.
The rifle that I treasure the most is a deer gun he built in 1952, and I know the date because the FN Mauser is stamped with it. He had always wanted a Steyr Mannlicher but couldn't afford one, so he built something similar. He had a friend visiting Europe purchase him the FN action in .30-06 with matched barrel and a Pecar-Berlin scope. Dad carved the full-length stock himself. He hunted with this gun for decades.
The other prize possession is his father's nickel S&W Model 37. The finish is not very nice but I don't care.
My only suggestion would be to ask around of forums with "retro" interest, cast bullet forums, old single shots, cowboy shooters etc.
I had gotten a couple from someone, along with some old molds. Hard to know what they're for or if they're all there when you don't even know what you're looking at. lol I know someone somewhere would want them, I didn't want them to go in the trash, so I stuck them aside (and then forgot about them). Stumbled across them just the other day and there's a lot less than I remembered, so maybe I culled some of it.
I had gotten a couple from someone, along with some old molds. Hard to know what they're for or if they're all there when you don't even know what you're looking at. lol I know someone somewhere would want them, I didn't want them to go in the trash, so I stuck them aside (and then forgot about them). Stumbled across them just the other day and there's a lot less than I remembered, so maybe I culled some of it.
Some resources that may be of use:
I have my dies color coated so I know which is which easily.
He was shooting specials in his magnum for reduced recoil, like shooting .38 Special in a .357 magnum.
