S&W Loading Tools

This is a pretty obscure topic, but I thought I’d cast my net here to see what I could snag. I have been able to track down and acquire the two major types of bullet moulds in 32 caliber and last night on flea-Bay just won the seater dies and stems for both 32 S&W Long and Short. I’d really love to find any info about (or other parts for) these truly Vintage Reloading Tools. I’ll post pix of the “set” so far as soon as the latest stuff comes in. :idea:

FWIW, this set works on the same principle as the later, better known Lee Loader. It would appear that this simple style of reloading was popular all the way back to the earliest days of cartridge ammo. 8-)

Does anybody want to share? :coffeecom

Froggie

Frustration! I take off for a weekend and get notice my package has arrived. [smilie=b: I know it is safe at home but I can’t hold it in my hands and fondle the individual parts... I even have some once fired brass in both sizes to try out the dies... oh well, another reason to drive carefully so I can get to play with them. ;)

Froggie

That's almost as bad as staying home to receive a package, and looking out the window to see the delivery truck pulling away. No knock, no door bell, just a note on the door saying he'll come again tomorrow. So then I have to take another day off from work to sign for a package.

There is a French firm making a tool similar to the Lee Loader and it is made in calibers like the .32, 38, and 41 rim fire cartridges. it just might work for the later center fire cartridges also but I am guessing on that. There is an article in the latest issue of Guns of The Old West magazine and the address given on the company is -- hlebooks.com. Might be interesting for those with older revolvers. james

I've had a few of the old 'peanut handle' molds, and have one that's virtually pristine. It casts a RN bullet and a round ball, it also has a primer seating hole and nub. (for rounded primers)

I look forward to seeing the photos of the loading tools

NZ, I was originally planning on selling my early (pre-peanut handle) S&W mould (for a single RN bullet) but it dawned on me that this is probably the correct mould for the set I’m assembling, so I’ll probably keep both. These s/c Smith moulds show up occasionally and may be reasonably priced if you watch for them as they seem to always be unmarked. I’ll try to post detailed pix Sunday nite or Monday when I have the ability to put all of my S&W realoading stuff together.

Froggie

Mr Frog Person Sir, you really need to plan on making a trip to Denver for the Colorado Gun Collectors show, held this weekend each year.
If you need old tool parts, it's here. This is a real collectors show, no modern or in production stuff allowed. About 1000 tables full of treasures.
I love it, my financial manager does not.
Ken

Thanks for the kind invite Mr Pressman, sir, but Colorado is an awful long swim for an old amphibian like me, and everybody knows frogs don’t fly... we bump our butts on the lily pad when we try! I guess I’ll just have to enjoy this event vicariously through my e-friends here and on the ARTCA Forum. :coffeecom

Froggie

OK,here’s a picture of my S&W “set” I’m assembling. Note that since 32s came from Smith in two lengths at that time, there are both lengths of seating dies present. Still need the mallet, decapping pin, and wooden “mushroom” to compress powder.

Great set you're assembling; or, rather, reassembling.

Those S&W tools are elegantly, no other word for it, simple and petite. KISS, taken to an art form.

Well, with help from posters on both the S&W and ARTCA Forums, I now know that both cylinders and plungers are used in loading the 32 S&W(“short.”). The shorter tube and plunger is used to make sure the case is round and the mouth is flared slightly, then the second one is used to seat the bullet and remove the flare. There is no crimp per se. I’m still missing the decapper and the mallet but have substitutes for them.

Froggie

Update: :coffeecom The information has been coming in and I now know that the “wooden mushroom” thing I mentioned in Post #9 is the decapping device (along with the wooden mallet) and that the later sets had a steel rod very similar to the one I “borrowed” from a Lee set. Everything I showed in the box in Post #9 seems right for about a mid-to-late 1890s set for 32 S&W (“short”) with the possible exception of the brass powder measure that would throw a pretty stout charge of BP for the little 32 “short” case. :shock:

I’m currently putting together a fairly extensive article on the subject to be posted in the members’ journal for the Antique Reloading Tool Collectors’ Association and will post an excerpt or two here when finished. :coffee:

Froggie

Froggie,

Those pics are your own special bufotoxin that leaves your victims helpless to elegantly, simple, little loading tools. You're one dangerous frog.

I just bought a partial, somewhat later, 38 S&W M set of these S&W tools: and I'm looking forward to learning more via your article.

Landy88Attachment 222910

They're here,

Attachment 223033

and they nicely loaded a trial round.

Having a fixed seating chamber, they'd work easier with the old-fashioned round nose from a matching mold, of which I had none; but a little improvising let them cope with the shorter and blunter bullet.

SCORE!! :mrgreen: