Herter's Rifle Dies ---

Prince55 · June 21, 2015, 11:51 PM

I purchased some used Herter's .30-06 dies a couple of years ago
and just got around to working with them for a Rem. 7400.
I thought I'd use a slight crimp for the auto and backed out the
seating stem & then finally removed it. I can't get it to crimp
at all & the die is touching the shell holder . Is it possible that
it was made without the crimping feature inside ?
It says Herters & Mark 2 on the side.
Thanks

Clark · June 22, 2015, 07:52 AM

I have here a 25-06 Herters seater die that takes a 0.290" pin gauge as a go.
0.290" is the SAAMI max diameter of the case mouth, so no roll crimp there.

I have here a 243 Herters seater die that takes a 0.278" pin gauges as a go.
0.276" is the SAAMI max diameter of the case mouth, so no roll crimp here.

F. Guffey · June 22, 2015, 09:32 AM

Prince55, I have Herter die sets, I do not crimp bottle neck cases. I also have a Herter catalog. Digging it out has been a thankless job that has resulted in making more enemies than friends. Herter sold economy dies, a small detail ignored by most was the assumption the economical die did everything, not so, the economy dies only neck sized. There were reloaders that never recovered, they never understood why a die would turn a case into one ugly mess.

If you adjust the die down to the shell holder without the crimp portion of the die touching the mouth of the case your die does not crimp.

Quote:

I can't get it to crimp at all & the die is touching the shell holder

F. Guffey

condor bravo · June 22, 2015, 02:22 PM

I still use a Herter's '06 sizing die but can not locate the seating die and do not recall if it had crimping capability. However, easy to find out. Remove the seating stem and look through the mouth of the die and see if there is a shoulder some distance up the die. If so, that is the crimping shoulder and the die has crimping capability. But with no shoulder, no crimp. But what if there is a crimping shoulder but the case mouth cannot reach the shoulder with the case fully inserted into the die? There is a solution that I have had to use on other seating dies and the solution is easier than it might sound. The die must be shortened by grinding off some metal at the die mouth until case mouth contact can be made with the crimping shoulder. Should you have a small grinding wheel that can be attached to an electric drill, the grinding will take less than five minutes. Using a file will take a little longer. All my leftover handgun Herter's seating dies have crimping shoulders.

Prince55 · June 23, 2015, 12:14 AM

Thanks for all the help and info.
Time to get some other dies - I recall that old saying -
" You get what you pay for".

hartcreek · June 23, 2015, 03:36 AM

Watch what you buy as other companies also made dies with no crimp. Lee for example has a line called Pace Setter does not crimp.

Jimro · June 27, 2015, 01:24 PM

I have Herter's 6.5x55, no crimp.

A Lee factory crimp die would be the way to go for Prince55.

Jimro

10-96 · June 28, 2015, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Time to get some other dies

Prince55- Have you tried NOT crimping? I don't have a 7400 or any of it's relatives- the lightest '06 I have is an M1 which might negate some of the recoil and need for crimping. I have to date, never found a need to crimp. Just curious.

Prince55 · June 28, 2015, 03:29 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. I had thought about the Lee FCD
as I've used them in other cals.
I'm going to try with no crimp - actually I've never fired it.
It was a project that someone else had tried to refinish & I
bought it to fix up. It had a lot of small pits on the outside
of the barrel from being carried & salt from fingerprints.
It turned out beautiful but I wouldn't want to go through
all that labor & metal sanding. Finally got a pretty high gloss
finish on the receiver & barrel - about time.

Thanks Again

June 21, 2015, 11:51 PM	#1
Prince55 Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2007 Posts: 472	Herter's Rifle Dies --- I purchased some used Herter's .30-06 dies a couple of years ago and just got around to working with them for a Rem. 7400. I thought I'd use a slight crimp for the auto and backed out the seating stem & then finally removed it. I can't get it to crimp at all & the die is touching the shell holder . Is it possible that it was made without the crimping feature inside ? It says Herters & Mark 2 on the side. Thanks

June 22, 2015, 07:52 AM	#2
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I have here a 25-06 Herters seater die that takes a 0.290" pin gauge as a go. 0.290" is the SAAMI max diameter of the case mouth, so no roll crimp there. I have here a 243 Herters seater die that takes a 0.278" pin gauges as a go. 0.276" is the SAAMI max diameter of the case mouth, so no roll crimp here. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

June 22, 2015, 02:22 PM	#4
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	I still use a Herter's '06 sizing die but can not locate the seating die and do not recall if it had crimping capability. However, easy to find out. Remove the seating stem and look through the mouth of the die and see if there is a shoulder some distance up the die. If so, that is the crimping shoulder and the die has crimping capability. But with no shoulder, no crimp. But what if there is a crimping shoulder but the case mouth cannot reach the shoulder with the case fully inserted into the die? There is a solution that I have had to use on other seating dies and the solution is easier than it might sound. The die must be shortened by grinding off some metal at the die mouth until case mouth contact can be made with the crimping shoulder. Should you have a small grinding wheel that can be attached to an electric drill, the grinding will take less than five minutes. Using a file will take a little longer. All my leftover handgun Herter's seating dies have crimping shoulders. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with?? Last edited by condor bravo; June 22, 2015 at 03:08 PM.

June 23, 2015, 12:14 AM	#5
Prince55 Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2007 Posts: 472	Herter's Dies --- Thanks for all the help and info. Time to get some other dies - I recall that old saying - " You get what you pay for".

June 27, 2015, 01:24 PM	#7
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	I have Herter's 6.5x55, no crimp. A Lee factory crimp die would be the way to go for Prince55. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

June 23, 2015, 03:36 AM	#6
hartcreek Junior member Join Date: April 22, 2014 Location: Washington Posts: 1,549	Watch what you buy as other companies also made dies with no crimp. Lee for example has a line called Pace Setter does not crimp.

June 28, 2015, 03:29 AM	#9
Prince55 Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2007 Posts: 472	Lee FC Die --- Thanks for the suggestions. I had thought about the Lee FCD as I've used them in other cals. I'm going to try with no crimp - actually I've never fired it. It was a project that someone else had tried to refinish & I bought it to fix up. It had a lot of small pits on the outside of the barrel from being carried & salt from fingerprints. It turned out beautiful but I wouldn't want to go through all that labor & metal sanding. Finally got a pretty high gloss finish on the receiver & barrel - about time. Thanks Again

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