You guys that have the skills and machines to make your own reloading tools are my heroes. A significant percentage of my reloading kit consists of dies and spuds made by Buckshot, and to run castings properly in mass-produced rifles requires tooling that the mass-market toolmakers do not offer.
I need to point out that the enthusiast does not need to be a master machinist or have top of the line tooling and machinery to craft custom tools or parts.
I would never consider myself the equal of some of the masters on this and other sites but I do try and emulate them and even though my self-made tools are not as polished they do get the job done. Even though I can program and use the CNC machines at my disposal I typically just use my old mini lathe or mini mill to make the parts needed because of habit and stubborn pride, old school Dutch characteristic.
I stand in awe at the custom mold makers, such as Tom @ Accurate, and don't know how they can afford to deliver their top-notch products at such an affordable price. As the prices of even the utilitarian Lee molds have sky rocketed the decision to spend a little more to get a top-notch mold that matches your specifications becomes a no-brainer. I used to be in the camp of spending a lot of effort to modify Lee, and other, molds to fit my needs but the custom molds are the cheaper option unless your time is free.
I frown upon the opinions in threads regarding what lathe or mill to start with or buy that insist that the minimum entry level meets a much higher level or price than what could be purchased from places like Horrible Fright.
The builders of the Ark were amateurs and the Wright brothers were not aeronautical engineers...
