Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Do you remember the first set of dies you bought?

I bought most of what I have now at the same time all at once. Lyman expert kit w turrett press. Dies assortment of all the components to load everything the family shot so we could have ammo. I did it when Hinkley shot Reagan and there was a big push to ban everything gun related. It was a purchase I have never regretted.

RCBS 308 Winchester sometime in the mid or late 70's. Still have and use them.

Lyman 243. Full length resizing die and their standard bullet seating die. They came in a kit with a Spartan press. I got it for Christmas when 16 or 17. I think the whole set was going for about $30.

First was a Lee Loader in .22-250, but it only neck sized. When the brass got too snug in the chamber, I bought a set of Lyman dies and borrowed my uncle's Lyman Spartan press.

Same here.....
My brother had a LeeLoader for his 06’ during the same time frame.

Lee Loader 30-30. Early '80s.

Lee loader for 30.06 and a Redding #1 scale in 76

Lee Loader hand set in .222

RCBS .303 British and .45 ACP (non-carbide), along with a Rock Chucker press and other tools and supplies in 1969, when I was 14 y/o. Saved my yard mowing, leaf raking, coal furnace cleaning, coal skuttle filling, car washing, weed pulling, boat bottom scrubbing, paper route, and other odd jobs money to buy it.

Sold the .45 ACP dies a couple years later and replaced them with carbide dies, after learning about them. Still have the .303 Brit dies.

7mm rem mag rcbs. For the first center fire I bought at 17. A savage 111 package gun. Shot the crap out of that. Sold the gun and tried a hundred plus other rifles in last 20 years. Havnt owned another 7mm mag since but still have the dies. Need to remedy that.

Hanco: I was 12 years old (1959) when I bought my first set of loading "dies" (Lee Loader system) in caliber 30/06.
Taught myself how to reload as family was poor back then, and we could not afford a lot of shells for our lone firearm (sporterized Winchester Model 1917).
Surplus 4831 powder was 99 cents a pound back then and Nosler 165 grain Partitions were $2.99 per 50! Primers were 49 cents per 100 if I recall that price correctly.
Times have changed.
Collected a LOT of pop and beer bottles to pay for that new hobby of mine back then.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

.204 Ruger Redding Deluxe dies the year the .204 Ruger came out was the first set of dies I purchased. That was in 2004, if I recall. I couldn’t get ammo and it wasn’t cheap and we were going dog hunting.

Other than that, had my father’s stuff he gave me; .30-30, 44 Remington Magnum, and I think there was another set in there. I had these before the .204 Ruger.

Herter's for .308 used on an old Pacific press

RCBS 7x57 Mauser

Lyman 243 Win while stationed in Germany.

You've got me beat by about 12 years.

I bought my first centerfire rifle, a Herter's Model U-9 .30-06 barreled action and semi-inleted walnut stock, along with Herter's .30-06 dies, press, and scale.

Did that ever grow into a monster!

Lee 7x57 and .257 Bob dies. 😎

I think the first dies I ever bought were Lee carbide 44 Mag. Still have the dies, but I haven't owned a 44 in years.

Herters (Model Perfect) 38/357

1978 LEE Classic Hammer em in hammer em out, in .280 Remington. I bought an RCBS Beam scale and weighed my powder.
1981 Traded a nice Savage 99C in .308 for an RCBS Rock Chucker Reloader Kit. Picked 7mm RM dies to start.
I loaded for friends, if I didn't have the die, I had them buy the dies/powder/components to load 100rds. I kept the dies as payment
which RCBS were locally available. Anything odd I ordered via catalogs.

'83 bought my first Redding Dies for the 257 Ackley Improved. Sold them with the rifle, cash poor.
Used the RCBS dies I had earned loading for a friends 30-06 (only rifle I had in Bible College)
In '93 bought my first 338WM and ordered a set of Forsters dies. Later on, when Hornady came out with the New Dimension dies, I try to use them. I have used LEE Pacesetter dies just fine. I still use Redding dies for Ackley Improved dies. Old Dawg, slow to learn New Tricks, so have never needed the fancier dies and neck turners/Reamers, I don't measure case heads, nothing fancy. I have never annealed anything, but will try it via candle/mid grip fingers method this year. ( I want to see if it extends my case life enough to warrant my style of shooting.) Plus, brass getting harder to find, so hey. But I do love it so...its great "therapy" for my wearied Soul...:)