herters reloading dies

O

oldbear1950

New member
I was looking at some herters reloading dies, and they look an awful lot like CH reloading dies. Did herters manufacture dies or did they buy from someone else and just label the dies?
 
I have a set of Herter's 6.5x55mm Swede dies that came with a rifle I got in the 80s (and, they were old, then..:rolleyes:). I'm still using them, standard 2 die FL set.

Herter's might have made a few things, decoys or something but most of what they sold, and all their gun stuff was made for them by various actual manufacturers.
 
Herters is the house label for Cabellas/BassPro. Winchester makes the ammo, but I don’t know who makes the dies.
 
Herter's was its own company originally. Cabellas/BassPro acquired the brand after it was gone, but George Herter started it as a mailorder fishing fly-tying supply company in 1935-36, and it became the Sears Roebuck catalog of outdoors equipment and kept that position until it went bankrupt in 1977. The Gun Control Act of 1968 destroyed the firearm mailorder business, and that was a big part of it going under. But the old Herters dies the guys are talking about were made and sold while the old company was still in business.
 
I'm sure the OP is talking about "old Herters" in 1967 when I strated ... there was no internet and one gunshop in our town ... finding reloading gear was hard ... but the Herter's Catalog was our Amazon and you filled out the order form , mailed a personal check and waited .
Most of my gear is Herter's . I have two Die sets that appear to be CH (pre CH4D there was just CH Dies ) these are rifle ... the last set bought were 41 Magnum and are chrome plated ... they look a lot like Pacific Dura-Chrome or maybe Bair ..Bair might have made dies for Pacific but whomever the 41 Magnum dies are chromed ,unlike the plain steel rifle dies that look like CH dies .
I bet , over the years CH , Pacific / Bair (Bear) both made dies for Herter's .

I would like to add that all the die sets from Herter's were good and servicable ... I'm still reloading with them ... !
Gary
 
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"I would like to add that all the die sets from Herter's were good and servicable ... I'm still reloading with them ... !"

I have a set of Herter's dies for reloading the 7x57 Mauser cartridge and they're junk. I ordered them back in 1973 and they looked good. Turns out they were chrome plated and the chrome started peeling off early on. The F/L sizing die way oversize the brass. I still have them but they're stuck off someplace in my shed where I hope I never run again.

I'm not knocking Herters stuff, just that one set of dies. While searching the web for goodies, I came across an ad for five boxes of Herters 7x57 brass, said to be made in Sweden. The price was so low I jumped on it. I have 7x57 Mauser brass marked Herters for reloading. Headstamp says Herters 7x57 Mauser IIRC. I'd have to run out to my shed to double check that. Anyway, after a bit of difficulty I got reliable info that Herters brass was made by Norma. A win win there. This is from the original Herters store way back when. I haven't decided to load them with powder and bullet or leave them be as a part of reloading history.
Paul B.
 
I got a good deal on a set of Herters 3 die set, and purchased a ch tc sizing die, and they look like they could all be the same set. This is in 45 acp. The thread is standard size so should work, and I have been told by Lee and Lyman that the carbide die thing is only for the sizing die, the other dies are basic standard steel dies. I would assume that is the same for all die manufactures
 
I also have herters dies from here and there, mostly they were thrown-in items from buying used equipment. One sizing die was 6.5mm arisaka. It actually works better than the new Lee die. The rifle has oversized chamber. The Lee die sizes it to specs and it over works the brass. The herters die is just right. For some reason the expander stem started to bend. I bought a replacement from nobody else other than CH4D. I'm still using that die to this day.

It is not a product with refined appearance, but it works quite well. Its chrome plating is hard and slick. That perhaps was the carbide die back in the day. I wouldn't mind picking up more herters dies at good prices, when I need dies for a new caliber.

Herters, Hollywood, Pacific, CH. A few brands that have long gone.

-TL

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CH is now CH4D and still in business, I understand Pacific bought out Baer or Bair, and Pacific was in turn bought out by Hornady. Have to be honest and never heard of Hollywood, but came across both Herters and Lachmiller dies. The Herters appear to be identical to CH dies, or at least the ones I have seen, Lachmiller seems to be well made, but they went away
 
I have chatted with people that had all of them except Hollywood, and a lot of people are still using the dies from Herters, Lachmiller, Baer or Bair, and Pacific, and Bonanza. I have inherited a set of 45 acp Herters dies that appear to be identical to CH dies, except not carbide, and I have a set of Bonanza 38 super dies that seem to be awesome, except again not carbide. I added a Lee carbide die, and now all set. And I hear Hornady bought out Bonanza
 
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