Your pal might have a point about sticky handloads. Experienced handloaders can get into trouble when they load for someone else. Their dies tend to be locked into place so the brass is resized the same amount each time so it cycles reliably through their rifle, and so they don't have to take the time to properly adjust the die each time they resize. The trouble occurs when they load for another rifle which has a tighter chamber, and the ammo doesn't cycle properly. I always set up my dies prior to resizing a batch of brass, rather than returning to a previous setting, and I don't even keep the set screws in the lock rings. My hunting rifle ammo is usually made to minimum dimensions, because I demand absolute reliability before any other consideration, including case life, and because occasionally my handloads end up being used in more than one rifle, sometimes in one I don't own.
When loading for someone else, you can start with new brass and this should resolve any issues with cycling through tight chambers. But remember that despite promises of returning fired brass, they probably won't, so you might not want to give them brand new brass, and better yet insist that they supply any brass they want loaded. When loading for the other guy with used brass, it is important to ensure that the shell holder is the correct one for the die set. Choose the wrong number, and even if the brass fits in the shell holder, the shell holder might be too thick to allow the brass to fully resize.
Twice I've given .30/06 handloads to other people where there have been complaints about cycling; once through a Remington 760 pump and again with a Tikka T-3. I gave the guy with the Remington, ammo I had previously loaded and checked through my rifle, but when he tried it the bolt of his pump wouldn't lock into battery. Running it though a Redding .308 body die set to very slightly nudge back the died shoulder resolved the problem. A year or so ago I donated some .30/06 ammo that was loaded with 180 gr XLCs to a friend of a friend with a Tikka T-3. I had cycled this ammo successfully through my wife's rifle (it was going to be her bear load) but I had since switched to TSXs for her, so the loads were put aside for practice ammo. The guy with the T-3 said it wouldn't cycle and returned the ammo. I did the .308 body die trick to minimize the case dimensions and again he said it wouldn't cycle! I called BS and said I wanted to see the rifle. He sent the rifle and the ammo and it fed like butter, so to this day I don't know what his issue was or if he even tried the ammo after I tweaked it.