Why I'm never buying Hornady dies again

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Geezerbiker

New member
I've been having problems with a Hornady .300 Blackout sizer die. I would either stick a case or get lube dents. I've been reloading for over 30 years and I consider both of those beginner mistakes.

After awhile of dealing with it, I took the die apart and flushed it out with Ed's Red and went to poke a paper clip into the vent hole only to find there wasn't one. I eMailed Hornady with no reply. I also did some research to find that Lee and RCBS .300BLK dies have the vent hole.

I waited another week for Hornady to reply to my eMail and I called them today. The gist of it is they think that the .300 BLK sizer doesn't need the vent hole. They told me I didn't know what I was doing and that's why I'm having problems. I told the guy that was pure BS and that I would never buy their dies again.

Both of the other 2 sets of Hornady dies I have (.17 Hornet and .22 K-Hornet) have the vent hole. So both of the reasons the tech guy gave me are BS. He said the small shoulder and short case were the reason the left it out. I think they cheaped out and expect us to just deal with it...

Tony
 
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1

1100 tac

New member
I had a set of .223 New Dimension dies that the sizing die would set the shoulder back .020 if the shell holder was set to touch the die, and it was the stickin'est durn size die in the known world, no matter what I used for case lube.

I'm sticking with Forster from here on out...
 
B

BOOMST1CK

New member
Can you drill your own vent hole? I know if it needs it you should not have to do it yourself, but.. Just curios.
 
G

Geezerbiker

New member
It's normally drilled to match the shoulder angle and goes from the outside of the case down to the shoulder. All sizer dies for bottle neck rounds should have it. It's not needed for straight wall cases.

I think the dies are hardened after machining but don't hold me to it. I wouldn't attempt it without milling machine anyway. I'd probably muck it up and only make it worse if I tried to fix it. Buying a set of Lee dies has solved the problem for me. I would have gone with RCBS but their .300BLK dies cost way more than other RCBS dies.

Tony
 
P

precision_shooter

New member
I bought some Hornady dies in 6.5 Creedmoor recently. Got them home and opened the box to inspect them. Read how to set them up in the instructions, looked them over and just didn't like them. I've been using Lee and RCBS dies for all of my reloading thus far and only bought the Hornady because that is what was in stock at the store I was at and impulse that I needed dies now... Took them back and ordered the Lee Deluxe 4-die set on Amazon and feel much better about them as they are familiar to me...
 
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GlenF

New member
I'm with Nathan

Not all have a vent hole.

I know that Dillon 223, 308 and 30-06 don't and they have worked just fine for a looong time.
 
R

reynolds357

New member
I hate vent holes. All they are good for is gouging brass when necking down.
Are you bumping the necks back .0015 or are you adjusting for camover? Brass fired in autoloaders do not like excessive sizing.
 
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papershotshells

New member
In 20+ years of reloading and using a LOT of Hornady dies I've never had a single problem with the dies OR their customer service (contacted on occasion for questions or wear and tear parts). Not saying that everyone else has experienced the same, just my $0.02 worth based on my experience.

Having said that, I checked ALL of my considerable collection of reloading dies for bottleneck cartridges from all the major manufacturers (Hornady, Lee, RCBS, etc) and they ALL definitely have a vent hole at/near the shoulder area. I'm at a loss as to why Hornady wouldn't think that the 300BLk would need one.

Seems odd to me.

Papershotshells
 
C

Clark

New member
I have 25-06 and 6.5-06 Hornady dies, but I have not used them yet.

OK, I sized down a fired 270 case to 6.5-06 and then to 25-06.

Seem like nice dies to me. Same wrenches as used to get rid of Lee expander balls.
 
S

skizzums

New member
I bought the Lee 300BLK die set not without it's own issues. I had to grind the shellholder down because it wouldn't put the shoulder deep enough, cases would always stick in chamber. Took me awhile to figure it out, I thought I was overcrimping or not properly sizing my lead bullets. all it took was the micrometer and some factory ammo to figure it out. but it does most certainly have a vent hole and since taking the holder down about a 1/32, all is well, and they were pretty cheap considering the competition, but it was still a pain and I had a bunch of bullets to pull
 
B

Bart B.

New member
Never heard about a vented die hole inside edges scraping cases when they're sized. Bust be a damaged hole edge on the inside of that die. I've never seen any problems with my vented .30-.338 die sizing .300 Win Mag cases setting their shoulder's back 2/10ths inch to make the Keele long neck version.
 
H

hartcreek

Moderator
If the RCBS 8mm Mauser dies that i am using to resize 30-06 brass did not have a vent hole I would be out of luck trying to size the brass. I even use the extruded grease to lube cases to be sized.
 
G

Geezerbiker

New member
This is the first I've heard of vent holes causing problems with forming brass. I've used my RCBS dies to form '06 brass to 7.7mx58 Arisaka. I must have formed several hundred cases for me and a few friends that shoot these old rifles. I've never had a scrape mark on any of them.

I'm with Snyper, I think they did it to cut cost and the person that came up with the idea probably doesn't reload... It's pretty chicken **** if you ask me...

Tony
 
N

Nathan

New member
Because some engineer showed them how much money they would save by NOT drilling that hole
Click to expand...

Engineers don't do that! Bean counters ask. Engineers prove whether it is needed or not.....often without decisive results or with numerical results that only engineers understand.....then the design gets modified by management! Get it right!;)

Have you considered speaking to a Hornady technician and following their advice? That has never failed me.

They told me I didn't know what I was doing....
Click to expand...
that was the exact wording the technician used?
 
F

F. Guffey

New member
I had a set of .223 New Dimension dies that the sizing die would set the shoulder back .020 if the shell holder was set to touch the die, and it was the stickin'est durn size die in the known world, no matter what I used for case lube.
Click to expand...

I will never understand how some reloaders can be so lucky, it seems they have all the luck. If I had a die that was cut short from the shoulder to the base of the die by .020" I would have the perfect die for short chambers.

I am forced to use the companion tool to the reloading press, the feeler gage. I use the feeler gage between the deck of the shell holder and case head when forming cases for short chambers.

Then there is forming cases, the perfect forming die is 'the short one'.

F. Guffey

I have to add, .020"! with the RCBS shell holder I am limited to .012". maximum.
 
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F. Guffey

New member
Have you considered speaking to a Hornady technician and following their advice? That has never failed me.


Quote:
They told me I didn't know what I was doing....

that was the exact wording the technician used?
Nathan is offline Report Post
Click to expand...

Yes I did, they told me I made too many mistakes, it was nothing for me to do but go for a visit. I reminded them I took their advise and purchased their tool, I reminded them they had the tool more than I did because it did not function as design. They then blamed their heat treating contractor. I suggested 'WE' go talk to the heat treating contractor, after all I was already there. They then informed me they fired the heat treating contractor.

I replaced their tool with a RCBS tool, there is nothing to ware out on the RCBS tool. But JIC, I purchased 40 pounds of reloading equipment for $20.00, in all of this equipment was another RCBS tool completer for doing the same job. I do not anticipate a problem with the RCBS tool but 'just in case'!

I did enjoy my visit. I ask another question about forming cases, the response started with "All you gotta do is etcetera, etcetera, etcetera". Then I said "You have never formed a case to fit this chamber from 30/06 cases, have you?" and he replied "No".

F. Guffey
 
C

Clark

New member
Nathan
Because some engineer showed them how much money they would save by NOT drilling that hole
Engineers don't do that! Bean counters ask.
Click to expand...

If you want to know what goes on in an engineering department, read Dilbert cartoons. Businesses may start out in some guy's garage, and that company may be well run as long as he is there. But once the company is big, with layers of non technical management that do not trust anyone, then the insanity starts.
 
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