Using an Antique Pacific Black C Reloading press?

I have acquired an antique black painted Pacific "C" type reloading press, of course with no instructions for disassembly. I would like to take it apart and clean it, but am not sure how the retaining shafts need to be removed. It looks like I can take the C clips off of the shaft that the lever rotates on and slide it out, and then most of the press moving parts come out the bottom. How is the vertical shaft separated from the flat plate that moves it up and down? I have a few other shafts with shell-holders cut in them with a shaft across the bottom that is tight in the hole and can't be moved easily. They may be rusted in some. What might be the best way to remove that shaft? Anybody know where I might find a manual for this old press?

Hey Don, you might try the libraries at http://www.antiquereloadingtools.com but I truly doubt they have much. I think ya just have to MacGyver it.

Most of the pins need to be driven out with a brass drift and a hammer

You should be able to pull the bottom lever pin out and slide the whole works out of the bottom of the press. The pin between link and ram should come out easily, since it is held in by the press frame in use. Change out ram, replace pin and slide the assembly back into the press frame. Replace lever pin.

I would clean and lubricate all moving surfaces but would not mess with the lower link pin unless it is damaged in some way. There is nothing to keep it in when the ram is down except the press fit in the lever block. Drifting it in and out will eventually loosen it until it starts hitting the frame of the press.

The lever pins on my two old Pacific Cs are knurled with cotter pins in the other end. They were made to be pulled out routinely for ram changes. A pin with circlips is an unnecessary complication, IMHO, if the ram is also the shellholder. If yours is like that, you might best install the aftermarket ram that takes the snap-in shellholders, and use that one permanently. I find that circlips that pop off shafts fly into the Sixth Dimension, never to be seen again.

Yes, these are real simple gizmos. Remove clips drive out pin and drop out handle and linkage. Drive out pin to remove shell holder ram. You can continue to drive out pins is you like. On the very early pre-war presses the handle is a press fit, so don't remove it. The later pre-war and all post-war pressed had screw in handle, so just unscrew them.

No manual needed to disassemble these simple gizmos.

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Originally Posted by Char-Gar

Yes, these are real simple gizmos. Remove clips drive out pin and drop out handle and linkage. Drive out pin to remove shell holder ram. You can continue to drive out pins is you like. On the very early pre-war presses the handle is a press fit, so don't remove it. The later pre-war and all post-war pressed had screw in handle, so just unscrew them.

No manual needed to disassemble these simple gizmos.

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Thanks everybody for your help. I am trying to get the press apart for cleaning and lubrication before I set it up to use on my reloading bench. I suspected what all of you have written me about as far as disassembly, but was just making sure about driving out the pin holding the shell-holder ram in. So, now its off to the shop to finish taking it apart and cleaning and lubricating it. I am going to set it up for my wife to reload a 9mm Luger pistol she wants to use.

What should I use for lubrication on the ram and pivot shafts on this press?

I just use patch with gun oil on it for the ram. I have never lubricated a link pin, but a drop of two of oil would not hurt.

Those old presses work OK for straight pistol and small rifle cartridges. I had a Bair C press with the cobra shaped gussets on each side of the frame an it would spring open .007 when resizing USGI 30-06 brass.

A very small amount of case lube on the ram and pins will lubricate them for a long time. Too much will attract dirt; use just a very small amount.

It's about all I use the old case lube (the kind for pads) for any more, now, I've gone entirely to Hornady One-Shot Lube for the shells.

If you haven't taken it apart yet and you have a digital camera/smart phone take photos of any linkage/parts so you have your own reference for re-assembly, especially if you are interrupted during cleaning.

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Originally Posted by EDG

Those old presses work OK for straight pistol and small rifle cartridges. I had a Bair C press with the cobra shaped gussets on each side of the frame an it would spring open .007 when resizing USGI 30-06 brass.

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I would like to know how you measured that?
please describe your method.

I got the press all apart, cleaned up pretty good, lubricated, and put back together without any problems. Moved one of my old Pacific DL-150 shotshell presses and that gave me a lot more room on my reloading bench to mount my "new" antique black, Pacific C press. I mounted a set of new 9mm Luger Pacific made dies I had bought 25 years ago and never opened when I discovered semi-automatic handguns throw all your brass away, when I converted to shooting revolvers. It took me a little while to figure out how to keep the old primers from falling down the ram into the gap in front of the priming lever, and getting stuck there. But now I have a system of reloading all worked out and it does a good job on the 9mm Luger rounds. But I am not sure due to the lack of leverage that it will handle easily any type of rifle round. So, I think it will stay set up and running as my "smaller" pistol caliber reloader and leave my Pacific 00-7 and RCBS Ammomaster presses for the bigger stuff. This press only came with a Lyman primer arm with just the small primer cup in it. I am looking for a large cup to fit it now. Although I might have to buy a whole new primer arm with the set of them to go together. The shaft that holds the existing primer arm in looks to be driven in and was made of brass, so I don't think its original. So, I am also looking for an original that is removable to put in a new primer arm.

I use a Brown and Sharpe Best Test dial test indicator mounted on a magnetic base with a fine adjustment.
You stick it to the base of the press frame and place the indicator contact on top of the machined surface that the die lock rings contact. The indicator is zeroed with no load on the press. When you size a case the press will spring open changing the distance from the base of the frame to the top of the frame. The indicator can read this size change easily. This size change is only the stretching of the frame. This does not include any compression (or stretching) of the press ram and linkage.

A RCBS Rockchucker will spring open about .002 when you first size a case. Rotate the case and size it a second time and there is almost no spring. That is an indication that the case is yielding an additional amount to the pressure from the press with the second stroke.
This springing of the press frame is the source of some of the mysterious cases resized by handloaders that do not chamber even though they were sized like the rest of the lot. The variations are due to variations in the size of fired cases from oversize chambers, lubrication variations and speed of sizing.
Send me a PM if you need more information.

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Originally Posted by ascast

I would like to know how you measured that?
please describe your method.

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