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Thread: Lyman All-American Press

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy GSPKurt's Avatar
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    Talking Lyman All-American Press

    I found a like-new Lyman All-American 4-Hole press in the box in the back room of the gun shop I just got a part-time job at. He said I can tell him what it's worth and pay him for it if I want it ! Can I use my RCBS and Lee dies with it? It is about 98%. Is it any good?
    Kurt H.
    I'm out of my mind, be back in a minute...

  2. #2
    Boolit Master and Generous Donator
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    GSPKurt:

    This is a fine, compact and sturdy press; the only problem is it takes a non-standard shell-holder, but Lyman sells an adapter (Cat. No. 7095762, $10.95) to take their standard RCBS-compatible shellholders. Their semi-automatic priming system, though, was pretty "Mickey-Mouse" and the priming stem adapter to use with the extended shellholder adapter is no longer in stock at Lyman. Personally, I prefer to prime separately (and clean out and inspect the primer pocket at the same time), so that is not a problem for me. It sits next to the old crackle-finish RCBS "Rockchunker" I use for serious case-bending. Bruce B. has and likes this tool, and has used it a lot more than I have. I like it, because none of the press extends below the bench, and does not block access to drawers or shelves. You can set it for up-stroke or down-stroke operation; as Bruce has noted, one very minor problem is that the handle can be swung well past the "top-dead-center" position, but it is easy to cure this: I put a couple of roll-pin stops in the frame that stop the operating links just past TDC; Bruce mounted his so the handle hits the bench edge and stops just past TDC on the down-stroke. Price? If complete and with a solid turret and minimal wear, maybe $50 - $75; extra if dies are included with the matching old-style "J" shell-holders and "T" priming punches. I paid a bit over $100 for my second, complete and new-in-box example with all the fittings and am happy to have it. Does that help?

    floodgate
    NOV SHMOZ KA POP?

  3. #3
    Boolit Master At Heavens Range 2008 Swagerman's Avatar
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    Here's a picture of mine, great press, extremely strong and durable.

    Jim






  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy GSPKurt's Avatar
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    It has the shellholder adapter, and I prime separately (Lee Auto-Prime), as well. What powder measure are you using? Will my Lee bench-mount powder measure fit? Standard 7/8-14 threads for die compatibility? Does the plate to which the dies attach do the rotating? Mine doesn't.
    Kurt H.
    I'm out of my mind, be back in a minute...

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy GSPKurt's Avatar
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    Thanks for the replies, BTW, and a very Merry Christmas!
    Kurt H.
    I'm out of my mind, be back in a minute...

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy GSPKurt's Avatar
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    Thumbs up

    Here is a pic of the press- It appears unused.



    Kurt H.
    I'm out of my mind, be back in a minute...

  7. #7
    Boolit Master At Heavens Range 2008 Swagerman's Avatar
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    A very nice find, remarkable in fact.

    If your turret doesn't rotate, its because the hex screws are tightend down too much on the top black knob, or the turret plate that holds the ball indent is tightend down too much. I believe there is another hex screw on the underside of the turret plate...check them all.

    There is no reason the turret shouldn't operate properly if you get that adjusted right.

    Isn't there some instructions in the box it all came in...read that.

    It certainly doesn't look like it has a rust problem.


    Jim

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy GSPKurt's Avatar
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    Swage-
    It turns, but it is stiff. I'll disassemble and relube. No instructions. Can you copy yours and send them to me, please???????
    Kurt H.
    I'm out of my mind, be back in a minute...

  9. #9
    Boolit Master At Heavens Range 2008 Swagerman's Avatar
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    Sorry, I didn't get any instruction sheet with mine, it was from Canada.

    I'm sure you'll get it smoothed out after you put some litheum grease on it, and properly tightend down.

    My powder measure is an old antique Herter's No. 40 model, serves me well working up loads, but I have many other models to work with if I need them.

    Here is primer catcher I developed, made from a cut off pill bottle and some brass shim. The aluminum knurled knob holds it in place, just remove when you want to do some priming.

    Jim


  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy GSPKurt's Avatar
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    I was wondering how to catch spent primers!
    Kurt H.
    I'm out of my mind, be back in a minute...

  11. #11
    Boolit Master kywoodwrkr's Avatar
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    Shell Holder

    Does this use the same shell holder as the Tru-Line Jr?
    They are on e-pay quite often.
    I bught a box full of them last year for very little.
    If they are the same I can furnish you a list of numbers and calibers.
    DaveP kywoodwrkr

  12. #12
    Boolit Master and Generous Donator
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    GSPKurt:

    Leave it pretty tight, after working some lube into the rotating joint; it will hold alignment better. In fact I set mine to the tightest position and stamped the turret "S" - for "size at this station" - at the front in that position. It would probably be better to do one operation on all cases, then rotate to the next station, rather than use it as a "manual progressive loader", to minimize wear. Yes, stations are all 7/8" x 14 tpi, EXCEPT that on most of these, one station is threaded to a nutball shotshell loader size (not the same as RCBS', Hornady's, etc. thread!), with a screwed-in 7/8" x 14 tpi adapter.

    As to catching the spent primers, see Swagerman's tip above. BUT, if you have no priming post in the socket in the base, drop a short (1/2" long x 1/4" diameter) machine screw into the hole; otherwise, primer grit will drop onto the bearing surface of the horizontal operating shaft, and eventually will eat up the aluminum bearing surface in the press base.

    Dave:

    Yes, the AA-Turret (and the matching single-station "Comet") use the "J" shell-holders of the Tru-Line Sr. and Jr. - BUT, there are innumberable variations of these (I have heard of a couple of collectors who specialize in these alone, and I find myself reluctantly heading down that route; I have at least six or eight variants - aside from about 30 case head sizes - in diameter, length, set-screw hole location, material and finish, plus a few with odd gates and slots for the Mickey-Mouse primer feeds Lyman fooled with), and - while most will work OK with the AA-T, some will not. If you want to "unload" that box, I'll be happy to take them off your hands, sort out any that are new to me, and pass any extra "standard" ones on to other folks here to use with their T-L's and AA's. Below are a few of these variations:



    Doug Elliott
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails J's 045.jpg  
    Last edited by floodgate; 12-25-2006 at 06:59 PM.
    NOV SHMOZ KA POP?

  13. #13
    Boolit Master At Heavens Range 2008 Swagerman's Avatar
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    Dave, shellholders are the same for both model Lyman presses. I've got them both that's how I know.

    I once had three True-line Jr. presses at the same time, over kill, sold two of them. Had two No. 55 Lyman powder measures, sold one of them and have the other mounted on my remaining TL Jr.

    I think I'm more of a reloading equipment collector these days than a loader.

    Jim

  14. #14
    Boolit Master and Generous Donator
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    GSPKurt, Swagerman:

    PM me your s-mail addresses, and I'll make and send a copy of a reprint of the original instructions for the AA-Turret and its priming accessory (the latter evidently designed and written up by one "M. Mouse"!).

    floodgate
    NOV SHMOZ KA POP?

  15. #15
    Boolit Master At Heavens Range 2008 Swagerman's Avatar
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    Thanks, floodgate. PM sent.

    Jim

  16. #16
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by GSPKurt View Post
    Swage-
    It turns, but it is stiff. I'll disassemble and relube. No instructions. Can you copy yours and send them to me, please???????
    Be careful when you disassemble. The detent ball is under spring pressure. The first time I took a Lyman turret apart to clean, the ball and spring were stuck with hardened grease. I set it aside and later heard something hit somewhere in the shop. Still haven't found that ball! Regards, Woody
    Take a kid along

  17. #17
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    A few things, based on FORTY YEARS with my All-American (bought new, winter of 66-67).

    The machine is DESIGNED to use the bench edge as its handle-travel stop. Just position the base where the bench edge stops the handle when the linkages "break" slightly out of straight-up-and-down toward the operator. I seem to recall that the forward edge of the base is 2.75" from the bench edge.

    The rear pillar has an adjustable stop-bolt to support the rear of the turret under heavy loads applied under the front of the turret, such as resizing. The adjustment can be set to be REALLY tight, immobilizing the turret from rotating. If my requirements are that severe, I just perform the chore on my Rockchucker instead. Allow a few thousandths of clearance between post and turret. It won't do any harm.

    There's a heavy steel collar below the turret proper, containing the ball-detent which acts as a locator for the turret in its rotation. The collar is locked in position by an Allen setscrew. The turret is placed on top of this, and the big knurled cap on top is screwed down until the turret is judged to be properly adjusted in the vertical. Then the setscrew in the knurled cap is tightened. Don't get carried away in making this too tight, since it makes rotation difficult and can lead to excessive wear. The turret should rotate easily and smoothly. It may take some trials before it gets to where you think it's 'comfy'.

    I don't worry a bit about spent primers, as it's dead easy to catch them in an open palm as they drop....they then go right into my trashbarrel under the bench in front of me. This is accomplished in a FRACTION of a second, and has become second nature in my routine. I dislike the flimsy primer tubes used in the push-button feeder, so I discontinued using it decades ago. It functioned fine when adjusted correctly, but wasn't a very safe design. My primer flipper tray sits in a very strategic location close to the press, where my hands don't have to grope for it. With the exposed location of the priming post, it's also easy to single-feed primers without slowing things up.

    I do NOT interrupt the loading sequence once a case enters the press. It's sized/deprimed/reprimed, the turret is clicked to the next station for mouth-expansion, then clicked to where the RCBS Uniflow measure is mounted in the turret for powder charging, and then one more click to the boolit seater. If dacron is being used, the case leaves the shellholder for that installation after the charging is done, and then goes right back into the press for the finishing step.

    Even including dacron installation, my cast-boolit rifle loads usually come off the press at well over 100 rounds per hour, INCLUDING adjustment of the powder measure every ten rounds (in most cases). If producing batches of a single rifle load, not needing charge variations, the rate goes up to the 150-plus rounds per hour. Handgun loads without filler generally run close to 200 rph.

    This is a fine press, and I too wish they still made it (with a few modernizing touches...but danged few).
    Last edited by BruceB; 12-26-2006 at 12:24 AM.
    Regards from BruceB in Nevada

    "The .30'06 is never a mistake." - Colonel Townsend Whelen

  18. #18
    Boolit Master and Generous Donator
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    Bruce:

    I bow to your vastly greater experience with this press. But I need to repeat that, although Lyman still sells the shell-holder adapter, they no longer list the longer replacement priming post needed for in-press priming with the RCBS-type shell-holders. I checked with Karen and they have none left in stock, nor does the person to whom they sold the "floor sweepings" from the old stock-room. They do turn up on eBay fairly often, though; I may have a spare or two, and so may Randy at the 310 Shop.

    A real "oldie but goodie"!

    Swagerman:

    I'll trump you with my FOUR Tru-Line Juniors, two each with the old- and new-style linkages, two of them as-new-in-box! PLUS two Tru-Line Seniors, one pre-war, one post-war, but still missing some of their weird and wonderful die parts. And I'm STILL NOT a collector.....

    floodgate
    NOV SHMOZ KA POP?

  19. #19
    On Heaven's Range

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    Floodgate, pard;

    That's useful information about the Special-T priming punch.....sad, but useful.

    As others have mentioned, the J-style shellholders are very common on Ebay, and (I think) the Js are numbered the same as the X-type shellholders, are they not? I mean, a J-10 would fit the same cartridge case headsize as an X-10, es verdad???

    I reckon they finally decided that they'd been supporting these long-out-of-production machines for enough years. It shouldn't be difficult to find the most-common of the "J" shellholders, and I often see them on Ebay in groups containing many assorted sizes. Might take a bit of patience (and willingness to pay the price needed, too).
    Regards from BruceB in Nevada

    "The .30'06 is never a mistake." - Colonel Townsend Whelen

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Midway still had the priming posts as of 3 mo ago, you could try there. I have some spare J's if you let me know what you want to load i might have one. I shopped and got a complete set. My AA is set up for 45-70 and this is what I make all my target loads on. At one time I had 2 Jr's, a Spartan, A Spar T and and AA, and 14 Ideal and 310 tools, but I cut back and gave a Jr to my Son in Law.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check