Noobi Questions - Lyman "All American Press Turret"

[mahlmann]

I am so happy to have found this forum! Many of my questions have already been answered in previous posts, but not all. I know as I get deeper into this I'll have more.

First, a little background info. I inherited this Lyman All American setup from a family friend who used it for many years (decades?), and then it sat unused for a few more. Everything cleaned up nicely and seems to be functioning quite well. It seems to be very robust and well made. I want to start with pistol loads (.45 ACP, 9mm, and .357 Magnum) and then work my way up to .257 Weatherby Magnum.

Now for some questions:

1. Where can I find user instructions and a parts list for this press? I found many OLD links to sites that are no longer active, but none that actually had the information in down-loadable format. Can anyone help me out with this?

2. Should I remove the spent primers before or after I tumble/polish the shells? Is there a possibility of enlarging or damaging the primer pockets during the tumbling process if I remove them first?

Thanks for any help folks!

[Eliminatus]

Welcome.

1:Best bet would honestly be to just contact Lyman themselves.

2: Personal preference. I used to prefer to deprime as a separate stage, then wet tumble to get super clean primer pockets. Now, I just tumble, deprime and use a case prep station to clean the pockets. Or if lazy I just tumble and deprime as one of the stations on my progressive. There is no real right way to do it IMO. The only consideration to me is if I need to swage the primer pocket at all. Then I will do my first method listed.

Have fun!

[Walter Laich]

1. several posts when I googled it was to call Lyman and they would send you one

2. some folks will remove primers before tumbling, others will proudly say they never have. Mostly a matter of preference
I do it because I wet tumble and am anal-retentive about it. But really not necessary unless you're going for bench rest then there is a bunch more to deal with

best of luck

[ulav8r]

3 days ago I pulled out a bag of 380 brass, an 8x57 sizing die, and a shell holder from a set of 223 dies. I deprimed all the brass, but had issues with several that would have been a major problem if doing it on a progressive. The issue was that some of the primers stuck and pushed the depriming rod up into the die. By tapping the rod down the primers were pushed out but if had been in a progressive press the stuck primer would probably have locked up the press. The brass had been purchased as range pick ups, the same cases may not be a problem after the next firing.

[Paper Puncher]

Welcome

The PDF copy of the manual I have leaves a lot to be desired. IM me your email address and I will send it to you.

The All American is a good press in my opinion. I bought mine in the 1960's and it is still going strong. It uses "J" shell holders. I think Lyman still sells an adapter so you can use "regular" shell holders.

If the cases are dirty I run them thru the tumbler. Really dirty (range pick up etc) brass gets a wash and rinse with water first.

I like to deprime with a Lee Universal priming and decapping die first (cost about $14). That way if I miss a berdan primed case I don't break a decapping pin.

Then resize and expand the neck. I use case lube even with carbide dies (every 3rd to 5th case).

Then into the tumbler with some corn cob grit to degrease.

I don't use the press to prime. I use a hand primer to prime the cases.

I would start with the .45ACP or the .357 first. 9mm can be a bit more challenging.

[Green Frog]

I have a tendency to set up presses more-or-less devoted for a specific caliber. I have my All American pretty much permanently set up for 327 Fed Mag, which means I can also use it to FL size 32 S&W Long and 32 H&R as well.

The J-type shell holders for any but the most common caliber/head size families are getting pretty thin on the ground, but as Paper Puncher mentioned above, the shell holder adaptor will take care of that... be sure and buy the "Special T" Priming Punch at the same time. You'll lose a little reach with the adaptor in place, but still have plenty for all but the longest of shells/cartridges.

Other than the shell holder and primer punch, about everything else on the late AA presses is just about the same as any other turret press. If you have an early one, there will be one die station drilled and tapped oversize so it can be used with the Lyman Shotshell conversion set when the step-down bushing is removed. With the bushing in place, you just have the standard four 7/8 X 14 stations. If you can make a turret press by anybody else work, you can handle a Lyman All American with no problems.

Regards,
Froggie

[jhlanzillo]

enclosed copy of copy of all american press turret instruction manual

[rbuck351]

That is a great press. I prime on the press but don't like the Lyman AA primer feed set up so I put primers on the punch by hand. If yours doesn't have the adapter and longer primer punch to use normal shell holders, get them. It's a very stout press with great access to the shell holder and the primer punch. It's still one of my favorite presses and I have a bunch of different presses.

[salpal48]

I have 4 set up On my bench. try not using the shell holder adaptor. To me it does not work well as original. "J" holders are Cheap to Buy on ebay. Use them. . If you have the push button Primer feed. is better. if it is set up correctly . it will be a Flawless operation. most people who do not like the primer feed, have not set it up correctly.All my 4 have primer feeds

[richhodg66]

enclosed copy of copy of all american press turret instruction manual

Thanks for posting that. I have one I need to get set up. Cool old press.

[Wayne Smith]

I always deprime before polishing, but this is because the primer dust has lead in it. I prefer not to breathe that when I dump out my polisher. I do dry polish, if you wet polish I guess it doesn't matter - you are not about to drink that water!

[Ozark mike]

I have 4 set up On my bench. try not using the shell holder adaptor. To me it does not work well as original. "J" holders are Cheap to Buy on ebay. Use them. . If you have the push button Primer feed. is better. if it is set up correctly . it will be a Flawless operation. most people who do not like the primer feed, have not set it up correctly.All my 4 have primer feeds

Wow you look like you may be in a position to donate a few of those for a good cause

[Green Frog]

I have 4 set up On my bench. try not using the shell holder adaptor. To me it does not work well as original. "J" holders are Cheap to Buy on ebay. Use them. . If you have the push button Primer feed. is better. if it is set up correctly . it will be a Flawless operation. most people who do not like the primer feed, have not set it up correctly.All my 4 have primer feeds

I’m curious, salpal48; of the four AAs you have, how many have four 7/8 x 14 holes and how many have the one odd, larger hole for loading shotgun shells? Have you ever tried the shotgun setup for the All American?

Mine came to me with a 16 ga shotgun setup and no adaptor to use 7/8 x 14 dies in that 4th hole. I finally got the adaptor by purchasing a Comet press, the only other Lyman product to ever use it if I’ve read the catalogs correctly. Anyway, when I built Project 616, my AA became more or less dedicated to loading 327 Fed Mag. I like to hand prime off press, so although I have a NIB set for primer feeding, I’ve never even thought of installing it.

Froggie

[Pressman]

Mr. Frog person sir, we can just see three of Sal's presses so I can say that he has at least one with the shotgun bushing. The quick wat to tell is the handle, wood has the odd hole, bicycle grip is all four 7/8x14.

[rbuck351]

Mine has the wood handle and four 7/8x14 holes. I believe the guy I bought it from was the original owner.

[too many things]

well ken not always i have had 3 with the wood that all 4 are 7/8 have one on the bay now
the wood handle had a 11/16 steel and the plastics had a 5/8in the handles dont interchange
i dont use the primer arm, as have had many over the years flip and you dont see till you put in a box or load.
in rifle you can miss one

[Pressman]

rbuck351 and too many things Thank You for sharing this, it's great to know. I have never seen a wood handle press that didn't have the shotgun die station.
I am just now in the beginning of researching the turret press for an article, and it looks like it's going to be a daunting task.
I may have more questions later.
Ken

[ascast]

my $0.02 - DO NOT TUMBLE MIXED BRASS AT THE SAME TIME the 9mm will get stuck in the 45's and you spend an afternoon sorting that out. and MANY other bad combinations. If you decap 1st, you might get the pockets cleaned a bit, but you will have to check them all before loading as media gets stuck in the pockets. Pockets will not be damaged by standard medias. Do you have the "shot gun" hole in your press?

[gwpercle]

If your Lyman All American takes the special J-type shell holders that screw in ... you can get an adapter from CH4D that will allow the use of regular snap in shell holders .

Mine came with the J-shell holders for 38/357 magnum and 30-06 and no others but the adapter let me use all the snap-in shell holders I have . It also has a wood handle and a bushing in a larger hole .

Right now the A-A is my dedicated 38 special / 357 magnum loading press , I will check and see if the J-type shell holder is in place for easier/better operation ... thanks SalPal48 for the Tip !
Gary

[salpal48]

I have Checked my 4 machines . Only one with the wood handle has the shotshell adaptor. The other with the wood handle is 4 die holes 7/8x14 . the other 2 are all 7/8x14
SalHave you ever tried the shotgun setup for the All American?

Mine came to me with a 16 ga shotgun setup and no adaptor to use 7/8 x 14 dies in that 4th hole. I finally got the adaptor by purchasing a Comet press, the only other Lyman product to ever use it if I’ve read the catalogs correctly. Anyway, when I built Project 616, my AA became more or less dedicated to loading 327 Fed Mag. I like to hand prime off press, so although I have a NIB set for primer feeding, I’ve never even thought of installing it.

Froggie[/QUOTE]