Hornady Offers Custom Dies
How would you like a full-length sizing die perfectly fitted to your fired brass? At one time that required you to purchase a die blank, a special undersized reamer (a chamber reamer is too big), and send the work out to a skilled gunsmith. You could expect to have $250-$350 tied up in your custom die when all was said and done.
Now Hornady’s custom shop offers a much less expensive alternative. For roughly $75-$90, plus shipping, Hornady will produce a custom-made die based on your reamer print, spec sheet or fired brass. You can either order a conventional non-bushing FL die, or a FL die that uses bushings to size the case-necks. To order, we recommend you send 3 or 4 fired cases along with a reamer print to Lonnie Hummel at Hornady Mfg., Box 1848, Grand Island, NE, 68802. Give Lonnie a call first at (800) 338-3220, ext. 208, to discuss design details and get an estimated delivery date.
Lonnie and his team of skilled machinists have produced custom dies for many top shooters. Scott Parker had Hornady produce a custom full-length die for Scott’s 6BRX. Scott reports: “The die is great. I’m very impressed. The die is a perfect fit for my brass and the sized brass has very low run-out.” Past F-Class Champion John Brewer has a set of Hornady custom 6-6.5×47 Lapua dies on order currently.
In addition to reamers, gauges, and miscellaneous cutting tools, MidwayUSA carries Dave Kiff’s Gunsmith’s Book of Chamber Prints. This 425-page, spiral bound resource contains a huge collection of chamber prints for many of the reamers that PTG makes (circa 2002). Complete mechanical schematics are well drawn and all required measurements are provided. This reamer book is a great place to start if you are choosing a special caliber for your next rifle, or considering building your own wildcat cartridge. Dave Kiff will send out reamer prints on request, but the book offers them all in one place for a reasonable price: $47.99 (Midway item # 347655).
