If I can save enough money for a .38-55 Shiloh rifle , whats the best die set.
There´re so many different. Lee pacesetter is the cheapest. And from RCBS are three differant in produktion. Standard, Cowboy and the Legacy set. Redding standard or competition "pro". With Hornady dies I have not the best experience. And Lyman I never saw here in Germany.
Hmm....

Thanks, Martin

Hello Martin,
I suggest that you study the SAAMI specification for the .38-55 and potential for the cartridge to be larger than the chamber.
From this you need to determine what the manufacturer is going to deliver. If a rifle manufacturer just says to the SAAMI standard you don't want it.
If Shiloh manufacturers a reasonable chamber I would get the RCBS Cowboy set.
Some of the Redding seaters have really rough threads and may disappoint you. However if you get a Redding set with nice clean external threads you will probably have the best dies set since the seater is far superior to anyone else's.
You will probably require a custom expander plug to match your groove and bullet diameters. This is where there can be a lot of variation in the required die because there can be a lot of variation in the .38-55 groove diamters. The groove diamter can be so large that a bullet that diameter seater in a standard case will not fit a standard chamber.
This can happen with a .379 and larger groove diameter.

If anything does not clear let me know I am in your time zone now and my internal clock is off.

Thanks, Ed.

The cowboy die set. Hmmm... this one is not so expensive, with ~65.-€. I will thinking about it.
But first, I need the rifle. This winter, I will drive to the Shiloh dealer and look about the Sporter #1.

Martin

I see that the dies are more expensive after import into Europe. I think the US price is high so I try to buy 2nd hand on Ebay or at a local gunshow. That way I can spend more on the rifles...or at least that is my excuse.
Good luck with your .38-55 search.
I am in Stuttgart to night. I saw the Porsche Museum today. It was nice. The cars make me think my shooting habit is not so expensive.
I have a 45 year accumulation that is not worth one Porsche.

if you dont shoot cast bullets out of that gun ill fly over and slap you silly. just kidding you can do what you want but you'll get the most fun out of casting your own bullets and loading black powder cartridges. its also a lot of fun to smoke everyone out at the range. remember to get a mold with big deep lube grooves. there were 2 case lengths for the .38-55. im assuming anything of new production is going to be of the shorter version unless its custom. i believe the case length is 2.085 inches off the top of my head. nice load, managable recoil and cheap to load with cast slugs. have fun.

quote:

I see that the dies are more expensive after import into Europe. I think the US price is high so I try to buy 2nd hand on Ebay or at a local gunshow. That way I can spend more on the rifles...or at least that is my excuse.

My dad is gunsmith, so I pay not the list-price.

quote:

Good luck with your .38-55 search.

Thanks.

quote:

I am in Stuttgart to night. I saw the Porsche Museum today. It was nice. The cars make me think my shooting habit is not so expensive.
I have a 45 year accumulation that is not worth one Porsche.

Yea. Porsche. In the ´90 I nearly had bought an old Porsche 911SC, from the seventies. The price was ~15000.-DM. But I was intelligent, and bought an used ´91 Audi 80, for the same money. This car I´m still driving. Today, Porsche is toooo expensive. The old and the new ones. My dream is allways a 911 Turbo from 1977. Prices are at the moment at ~50k€. Dreams.

quote:

if you dont shoot cast bullets out of that gun ill fly over and slap you silly. just kidding you can do what you want but you'll get the most fun out of casting your own bullets and loading black powder cartridges. its also a lot of fun to smoke everyone out at the range. remember to get a mold with big deep lube grooves. there were 2 case lengths for the .38-55. im assuming anything of new production is going to be of the shorter version unless its custom. i believe the case length is 2.085 inches off the top of my head. nice load, managable recoil and cheap to load with cast slugs. have fun.

Thanks craveman,
but BP-shooting is in Germany too difficult. We have not much shooting ranges for black powder ammo. So I only load smokeless propelant. I planned to buy a bullet mould in the 300grs+ class. Like the RCBS 312grs spitzer or the Lyman 335grs round nose. I like to cast my own bullets. It´s a lot of fun, and a satisfied feeling, to see, what you have made with your own hands. Especial the results on the paper target.
Unfortunately, I haven´t had much time for this, this year. But next year I will improve me.


Martin