I graduated from a Lee hand loader (38 sp.) to a RCBS......way back in 1968
I graduated from a Lee hand loader (38 sp.) to a RCBS......way back in 1968
Redding "C" press given to me in 1969 by my wife to be. Still use both.
RCBS Partner press.
Still have it and use it occasionally, as it is dedicated to a RCBS Strip Primer tool
First press was a new Rockchucker in 73 or 74. It replaced a Lee Loader and a 310 tong tool.
After paying my dues for a few months with the Lee Loader ( whack-a-mole) Classic , I realized this was going to be my hobby for a while. And I wanted an easier way to do it . I saved every nickel I could earn, beg , borrow or find ( sofa mining) or was given as gifts (visiting my grandmother was always good for a dollar.) and in no time ,
a 1967 Lyman Spartan single stage "C" Press and dies were promptly purchased . That was press #1.
Gary
Now that is impressive ! ATTABOY !!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer in NH
Pacific “Super Tool”. Dad bought it used in about 1960, I was the only one that used it, so he gave it to me in 1968, I used it until I bought a used Co-ax in about 1990. It loaded some of the most accurate hunting ammo I have loaded, frame flex and all.
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A Lee pro 1000 in 45 ACP.
I started with a Lee Wack-Em .30-06 for about 2 years. I graduated to a Lyman Spartan and moved on to a Rock Chucker 10 years after that. I still use the RC and wouldn't trade it for anything!
Herter's Model 3, C-type press, purchased 1972. Very stout but required proprietary Herter's shellholders, which was OK until they went out of the reloading business. There were some adapters available for awhile so RCBS shellholders could be used. Graduated to a Bonanza Co-Ax in 1978, which I still use often. Herter press was sold to a fellow member here who collects Herter memorabilia.
I started with a Lee Loader in 7.62x54R in 1986. I lived with my brother and he went out and bought a Lyman T-Mag press. At the time it seemed like it would be a weak design to me so I bought a RCBS RS-5. I still have both presses and used them today. Along the way I picked up a Rockchucker and a Lyman Spartan, both of which I love and use. I think my brother made the best call way back then but I'm never going to admit that to him.
Following the Lee Loader I purchased a used Lyman Spartan from a S.O. Deputy. Still have it, along with other presses, and still use it primarily for .38 Spec.
In 1965 reloaded my first (222 Rem. Mag.) rounds on a newly purchased Herter's Super 3 press. Still have the press sitting on the shelf with some others from the past.
My first "press" was the old Lee Loader. The kind that you had to use a hammer with. I eventually graduated to a Lyman 310 tool, but my first actual press was a Lyman Spartan which I still have and use occasionally. We're talking mid to late 70's here.
started with a lyman 310 tool then went to a used liberty. still have the liberty have replaced the pins a few times. loaded a lot of hand dipped 358429's both light and skeeter skelton loads in .38 cases. because .357 cases were hard to come by.
I jumped in and went whole hog. My 1st was a Lee Loadmaster along with a Lee 4-20 Furnace, dies for my .38's, Lee 6 banger molds in .38 cal of the wadcutter and SWC design, Lee scale, micrometer, calipers, Lee hand primer (hand grenade), Lee primer dies, shellholder in .38/357 variety, case gauge in .38 and 357 Mag, a kinectic hammer (for the mistakes), a small paint brush (spilled powder), some case preparation tools including a large Lyman Vibratory Tumbler, flux and other assorted goodies to get me started on the right foot. I also bought my first copy of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook which I still have and use.
The Loadmaster was a beast of a machine and required constant adjustments and do overs. The main issue was the priming system. It was never able to run thru a box of 100 primers without having to dissemble it and reassemble it after fixing the stoppage. I learned to clean and deprime my brass after I bought a Lee Universal DePriming die before I primed my brass by hand using the Lee Hand Grenade. If I removed the decapping pin from the sizing die and ran primed brass thru the Loadmaster it ran like gangbusters. It had an automatic case feeder system and an automatic device that would place a projectile on the mouth of the case in the seater die. It was fiddily and fussy buy I could make it sing.
With this clackety clack Lee Red monstrocity I assembled thousands and thousands of accurate and inexpensive .38 and 357 rounds for about two years.
Then I went to my first gun show held here in Las Vegas @ Cashman field. There I discovered that I had been severely handicapping myself when casting all those 6,000 boolits over the last two years. See :http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-top-this-NOPE Here I explain how I finally really learned something that I should have been doing all along. Basic Stuff. However I did not know about this site at that time and I did not have a clue. I did not even have a computer.
Today YouTube will be an excellent source of current information on anything about reloading or casting boolits. Yes there is a lot of **** on there but there are enough serious people who put out excellent information and show a noob what to do. After I bought a set of handles for my Lee six banger I was inspired to obtain a Dillon 550B press and a Dillon Swager for those nasty military cases I kept on finding at the local range.
I was very happy with the Dillon and I had such a distaste for the Lee Loadmaster that I dissembled it completely and scrapped the metal at a local scrap yard and forgot about it. Then I obtained the first of my three Dillon Square Deal presses. One is dedicated to .45 ACP, 45 Colt/454 Casull and ..44 Special. Along the way I obtained about 23 more firearms over the years along with a Dillon XL 650 for my 9 MM's & .41 Magnums, a Rockchucker, a Lee Classic Iron Turret press, a Lyman Spar T turret press, a Lee challenger single stage, a Frankford Arms single stage and a Lee hand press.
I originally got into reloading and casting boolits to save money and allow me to shoot more. I am still awaiting the saving part. I have given up golf totally as it takes too much time and money to achieve any decent score and guitar playing since I seem to lack the dedication to practicing and learning how to read music. I must also say that I have a total lack of rhythm at all. I can't dance nor sing worth a lick. So I sold the Golf clubs and two excellent Guild Guitars and bought more gun related stuff.
I recently relented and bought a very nice Martin guitar at a very discount and maybe I will do better as I age gracefully.
I had bought a Thumbler Tumbler for cleaning my brass with SS pins dawn, lemi shine and water and it does a wonderful job. Then I had to buy a magnet to save the pins. Recently I got into powder coating my boolits and it shows great promise. Also I got into lubing and sizing my home cast boolits and I first bought a Saeco lubersizer. Then I added air to push the lube along with a Lyman heater base. All went well for a few years and I obtained a Winchester 50-90 Sharps BPCR rifle. This got me into paperpatching and dip lubing. Then I discovered a Star lubersizer and that caused me to have to buy a buncha sizing dies from Lathesmith, one of our vendor members. I have relegated the Saeco to a back drawer and I still use the Star just to size down my PC boolits some but without lube.
The more I try to save money the more I spend on tools to help me save money. I am still awaiting the saving part but it has been a wonderful road and I have met some very decent people along the way who have helped me along and I also have recruited some people into the shooting sports and reloading world. There is more to learn.....anybody know a decent loading for a 327 Fed Mag using a 50 GR solid copper boolit?
In 1983 I purchased a Rockchucker that is still bolted to my bench and used as needed.
Mec 600 jr....1980
RCBS Jr.
Three44s
1982 Lee turret press. I bought it and some other equipment from a friend. I gave it, and a Lyman 500 scale, back to him in 2012. He wanted to start loading again. I still have the Lyman mould handles, autodisk measure, autoprime, and Lee carbide 357 mag dies that I got with it. It is probably the best purchase that I ever made.
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