I have a rifle chambered for a 270 cal 257 roberts ackley improved with 40 deg shoulder or if you would prefer a 6.8 x 57 AI. Problem is I need a set of dies. Anyone have a set they would part with ? or know where I might find a set. Thanks for any help

Redding has made a couple die for me. I think there quality has been lacking with the neck sizing dies.

If you could find a set of dies for a .277 ICL Flying Saucer they would work. It is the same thing but with a 45* shoulder.

I get all wierd dies from CH4D; I have not checked for these.

Thanks for the input guys. I have checked with CH4D and they do not have this cal. Redding makes them but I have to buy through one of their dealers in Canada. Trying to go that route but the dealer I'm dealing with claims it will be 6 months or more getting any products. ICL dies are likey more rare so the chances of finding a set of those is not that good . So I'm still looking.

COA 3: Order a die reamer from Dave Manson. Make your own.
Seaters are made from chambering reamers but there are other ways to do that. FL dies need their own.

Can't you just send off a couple of fired cases to Redding or RCBS?

Or Lee too. As I recall the price for one set of custom dies is astronomical and light years of lead time. If you order several sets it is more economical....
Making the die is the easy part; the hard part is the reamers. Which is why some makers use, or used to use, body reamers and neck reamers.
You could CNC bore them and hone them.

Thanks for your suggestions .Not as easy as it may sound. Lee is not accepting any custom orders. RCBS is not making custom dies anymore. Huntington doesnt have any in stock. Ordertime from Redding is in excess of 28 weeks. I might die of oldage before they come. In the meantime Im still looking

That is a shame. It sounds like a nice wildcat. Unfortunately your best option might be to re-chamber or re-barrel. A 7X57 wouldnt really be much different.

I would have it rechambered to what ever, perhaps a 25/06 if it will clean up, something that will clean up the existing chamber with a factory round..these are trying times and one wonders if the day of the wildcatter has come to a close...

25-06 will not clean up an ackley chamber, even a shorter one.
Making dies is easy for anyone with a lathe and $175 for a reamer. I have made them. However, yes, by the time you finished a set of custom dies, you just paid for a new barrel.

How about a 257 Improved bushing die? When you buy the die, it doesn't come with a neck bushing, that's separate. Grafs has bushing dies and bushings, probably a few other sources, too. Some by Hornady, Redding and RCBS. Then use the chambering reamer to make a seating die, a piece of threaded rod should work for that. The de-capping/expander spindle for a 270 is out there, too.

This rifle is built on a Tikka model 55 action.so re chambering to a longer 06 case is not an option. It is also shooting 130 gr bullets into 5/8 inch at 100 yds @ 3100 fps. So I have a light (6 3/4 lb scoped) rifle that is accurate and delivers 270 Win factory performance. Nobody is changing anything on this little sweety. I have 100 rds cobbled together with other dies but I was hoping to find a set of dies in this calibre so there would be less dicking around.

I found out this week that this little 270/257 Rob AI is not only cute to look at its a KILLER. One shot into a 4x4 whitetail at approx 120 yds.The buck took about 2 steps and fell on his nose. About the only thing a 270 Win could do better is make more noise

Lacking a proper .270/.257 AI die, could dies be made by shortening a .270 Win die, then re-cutting with a .257 AI die reamer?

Sure, after annealing, but you still have to fork over the $175 for the reamer. So back to just making the die. Just like making a barrel. Thread and chamber. That was my suggestion to do just that. Then you can make all the dies you want for your friends.

Would a .257 AI reamer be easier/cheaper to acquire, or just as problematic as the .27/257? I was thinking it would be more available. My thought process was to use the .270 Win die for the neck and ream the body out with the .257 AI.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Sure, after annealing, but you still have to fork over the $175 for the reamer. So back to just making the die. Just like making a barrel. Thread and chamber. That was my suggestion to do just that. Then you can make all the dies you want for your friends.

No; same availability because they all are custom ground to order. Not like a common one like a 308 that they keep on the shelf. You still need a die reamer, which are not stocked as there is no demand for them. No matter how common or unique.
None of this process is problematic; just simple straightforward machining with the right tooling. Any machinist can make dies; they just cost when you are only making one.
Unlike some problems, this one has an easy solution; Just a matter of $. Dave Manson will make any reamer you want or spec dimensions to him for.

https://www.whiddengunworks.co...stom-reloading-dies/

Not cheap, but excellent dies, and a quicker turn around.

quote:

Originally posted by pointblank:
https://www.whiddengunworks.co...stom-reloading-dies/

Not cheap, but excellent dies, and a quicker turn around.

And, there's no guarantee that the rifle will shoot worth a damn. I think the $400 for a set of dies would be better spent on a rebarrel, rebore, or rechamber job. Unless of course you just can't live without a totally off the wall wildcat.

I would like to thank those who READ this post and honestly tried to help. Those who really didnt read much but offered their knee jerk reactions........well you have provided some amusement . A gentleman from Redding actually E-mailed me and told me Redding has a set of these dies in stock and appologized they are about 4 months behind in shipping product. He also provided the part number and a list of Canadian dealers that I must order through. So by next spring I should see my new dies.A couple of the most amusing comments include the suggestion to rechamber a 270 cal 257 AI wildcat to 25-06 ??? I hope someone else sees a problem with that. I did mention that the rifle was shooting 5/8 inch groups at 100 yds. Someone doesnt think I should buy custom dies because theres no guarantee the rifle will shoot worth a damn. Exactly how small a group does it have to shoot to be worth a damn ?? Have a good day

I READ your post but MISSED that the rifle shoots 5/8 GROUPS @ 100yds.

4 months to ship an in stock product ? Lame.

Good shooting !

I can rechamber your rifle to 25-06, today. Bring it over.
Note; brass may swell a bit upon firing but can be sized back down. Ok, more than a bit.
Wrap brass in duct tape first to prevent swelling.
Groups might open up a bit too; just stalk closer. 25/27; that's pretty close isn't it?

I can certaily relate to the Wildcatters idea that he has just come up with the neatest idea since sliced bread. I had all kind of great ideas in the 70s + early 80s, then discovered Parker had already done that. Don't let that dissuade you however, we all have things + ideas that although may be impracticable are just a desire to try. Photographers spend a fortune on lenses, etc (I know I have), so what is the difference on spending your money on your wildcat dream?