herters reloading dies

did herters actually manufacture reloading dies, and did they sell out to someone?
I was looking as some herters dies, and they look an awful lot like CH reloading dies.

 

You are probably correct.

From what I remember, Herters didn't manufacture anything. Products can from all over.

 

so their dies could have been manufactured by CH, And could be why they look like ch dies

 

I have a Herters collet style bullet puller.......was made by Bonanza......now Forster.

 

Herters was the Sears Roebuck of reloading and all things outdoors. George Herter never passed up a good deal to buy and rebrand a product LOL. He was at one time a direct competitor of LLBean.
I wish today that I had one of his .401 caliber powermag revolvers he had made.

 

As I recall from the 60's (50 plus years ago!)! Their dies were a different thread size than the other major players! They required adaptors if used in the other major player's presses. A Google search might tie Herter's to C/H
The sizing rings weren't carbide and all needed lube before resizing any brass!

 

All the dies I have seen had standard size threads but was told their presses required a collar to use . I was looking at a set of 45 acp dies, and they looked just like a set of CH dies I was looking at. Only difference was the price, and were standard steel not carbide.

 

course I have been told the carbide only applies to the sizing die. all the other dies were steel

 

When we first started reloading, sometime in the mid to late 60's, Grandpa started off with Herter's equipment and I'm still using some of it. In my lifetime I've had 2 sets of dies that just wouldn't work and one of them was a Herters set. They just wouldn't size the brass enough to hold the bullet. I have no idea who made them. All of the other sets worked ok, they did the job. All of the sets that we had were the standard 7/8's threads. George had an opinion about everything and was not bashful about printing it! Reading through his catalog was a hoot!

 

All of Herter's products were 'Perfect' - or so their catalogs said...

PRD1 - mhb - MIke

 

And no library is complete without the 1960 first edition Bull Cook and Authentic historical Recipes and Practices by George Leonard Herter and Berthe E. Herter. A collection of BS and recipes sure to amaze. Or something. Nonetheless, I've read my copy cover to cover more than once!

 

I had three brothers, and now 2 are gone, was 6 of us originally and I the oldest. The brother 2 years younger than me was next oldest, and he passed from cancer at the end of March this year. He started reloading when hwas in the 7th grade, worked doing things, cutting yards and other things, saved his money and with Moms permission bought two bring back guns from WWII, a 303 British , and 7x57 mauser, and the two old men taught him to reload with an old Lee loader. He did learn a lot, and eventually progressed to a Hornady lock n load. But he said some of the dies he used in his old rock chucker press, single stage, was Herters and Lee.

 

He started learning to reload his own ammo, because even in 1964 and 1965, that ammo was impossible to find where we lived. That was in the desert in California. Was a different time and different state than it is today.

 

I have two sets of rifle dies 30-06 and 7 X 57 Mauser bought in 1967 - 1970 , 2-dies sets that look like CH plain steel dies . Later about 1975 I bought a set of 41 Magnum dies . 3 die set , steel but chrome plated ... looked like Pacific Dura-Chrome or Bair / Bear ... nice dies and I appreciated the chrome finish .
I think over the years different makers made dies ... but they were servicable ... I'm still loading ammo with them .
I honestly would just as soon have a set of Herter's dies as a set of Lee dies ... not badmouthing Lee dies cause after Herter's went away ...I bought a lot of Lee dies especially Lee Carbide dies ... at one time Carbide dies , other than Lee's ,
were expensive !!!
Gary

 

the brother I talked of started reloading when he was in 7th or 8th grade, and eventually loaded for 41 mag, 30-06, .243, 270 Winchester, 357/38, 9 mm , and 45 acp, he was also into casting his own bullets, something I have not really got into, although I bought all the stuff to get started. I am still thinking of trying that.

 

Not only do I have that one but I also have Professional Guide's Manual Vol 1 and 2. They are filled with gems of wisdom, such as putting manure into a pond or lake to make the fish grow bigger, makes sense!