Lyman All-American Press

[GSPKurt]

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 [smilie=1: ! Can I use my RCBS and Lee dies with it? It is about 98%. Is it any good? :confused:

[floodgate]

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

[Swagerman]

Here's a picture of mine, great press, extremely strong and durable.

Jim





http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/PA060033C-HLymanpress.jpg

[GSPKurt]

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.

[GSPKurt]

Thanks for the replies, BTW, and a very Merry Christmas!

[GSPKurt]

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



http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid221/pd76093be91a5a8c12ada844447357576/eb77308e.jpg

[Swagerman]

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

[GSPKurt]

Swage-
It turns, but it is stiff. I'll disassemble and relube. No instructions. Can you copy yours and send them to me, please???????

[Swagerman]

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

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/P7110026LymanAApress650Xrtp.jpg

[GSPKurt]

I was wondering how to catch spent primers!

[kywoodwrkr]

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

[floodgate]

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

[Swagerman]

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. :mrgreen:

Jim

[floodgate]

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

[Swagerman]

Thanks, floodgate. PM sent.

Jim

[woody1]

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

[BruceB]

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).

[floodgate]

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

[BruceB]

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).

[KCSO]

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.

[Swagerman]

floodgate, I think its the color of the old Lyman presses, that orange mezzmerizes us, we gots to have it. :mrgreen:

And I bow to your trump, do you wear a hair piece, is your first name Donald.

I've had to fight the compulsion to buy another AA press, a few months back could have picked up another one much cheaper than the first one. It even had the primer swing arm...but I was able to resist it because it was still that awful puked-out faded red. :mrgreen:

But a new one in a box looks pretty cool. :drinks:

Jim

[GSPKurt]

Thanks, all, for a TON of useful information. I have the shellholder adapter AND the priming post dealie, both in new, sealed packages. I disassembled the top, cleaned out all the old grease, which was like cement. I regreased, and reassembled. In reviewing, though, I will tighten the top cap more, as I left it pretty loose. I have no experience with multi-station presses, except for MECs, so I will probably use it as a single-stage with multiple stations.

[Swagerman]

Kurt, I adjusted my AA turret plate pressure so it was comfortable to rotate by hand...but stayed in station securely to operate without movement.

And watch out for that pressure on the ball indent spring when you remobe the turret...BOING! Gone to never land before you know it. :mrgreen:

Jim

[floodgate]

Guys:

I recently got a box of loose parts off a couple of Lyman All-American presses, which I needed to get a pair of "stripped" ones working again. Among the "stuff" I do not need is one of the special Lyman adapters to fit the shotshell die station on the AA-Turret and also used in the single-station AA-"Comet" to adapt them for standard 7/8" x 14 tpi dies.. This bushing is threaded outside to the nut-ball Lyman 1.100" x 28 tpi thread, and NOT the much more common 1-1/4" x 12 tpi used by RCBS, Hornady and others for this purpose. "Bubba" has kissed the knurling lightly with pliers, and there are a few spots of a blue-green "foreign" paint, but it is perfectly serviceable and the threads are in fine shape. First PM from someone short of this part gets it for the cost of postage.

There are also a few of the pivot pins, links. etc., if anyone is short of these.

floodgate

[Swagerman]

floodgate, I sure could have used the shotgun bushing a few years back when I first got my AA press from a gent up in B.C. Canada.

Its fourth hole was the dreaded huge shotgun die hole on the turret. None of the bushings available on the current market would fit it because it had that Lyman mickey mouse 1.1 X 28 thread.

I also could not find anyone who had such a tap and die to make a bushing for the great AA press.

Kenjunndo, (Jim) came to my rescue as he asked me to send him the top turret and he would make Lee bushing fit it, so I could use standard 7/8X14 dies in its weird hole size.

He did a fantastic job, bored the shotgun hole to take the new Lee thread, and even threw in a free Lee bushing.

The man's generousity is over wellming in these difficult times of trying to make something work, I really appreciate what Jim did for me, as I now have an AA press that can utilize all four die station holes.

So, some luckey guy is going to get an AA shotgun bushing because floodgate also has that overwellming generousity as well.

Sure are a lot of really decent individuals on this forum. :-D


Jim

[GSPKurt]

All my holes are 7/8-14, so I won't need it either. Very kind of you to offer, though. Thank you.:drinks:

[ihguy]

Hi,any chance i could get a copy of those instructions for the AA press also,thanks from IHGUY

[LUBEDUDE]

Welcome to Cast Boolits ihguy.

I don't know if noticed or not, but this thread is over 6 years old. I don't know if these guys even hang around anymore or not. Fortunately though, not too long ago, there was a thread on the Lyman AA. So with interest fairly fresh, maybe someone will catch this and respond. Or you may want to start new thread of your own.

Good Luck

[Pressman]

I just checked the index and I do not have instructions for the All American. Surprised me.
Ken

[ihguy]

Thanks for the reply, i noticed it was old but you never know,I see Pressman below checked for the instructions,thanks to both of you,i think i will enjoy this site,my kind of people :)

[SGTM9]

I may have a scanned copy of the instructions. Will check and let you know.

[salpal48]

Does any one have any unwanted parts for the Lyman AA pushbutton primer system. Slides, Pushrods ,stops or Bushings . If so Please let me Know . I.m trying to put make one complete

[markshere2]

I just acquired a Lyman AA turret press. It looks to be mostly there, including the curved cast primer arm thingie.

I've spent a bunch of time looking unsuccessfully for a manual, parts breakdown, any documentation on this unit.

Does anybody have a link to a scanned manual?

Or can somebody PM me and we can chat on the phone about operating this nice looking unit.

Thanks gang,

[salpal48]

Markshere2 I have pm you

[salpal48]

Markshere2
i have posted a copy of an original instruction manual and a copy of the Push Button Primer feed instruction sheet.
I have no parts Breakdown
Sal

[markshere2]

This fantastic!
Exactly what I needed.

Many thanks Sal!

[Pressman]

Thanks here also, fascinating reading.
Ken

[mattd]

Markshere2
i have posted a copy of an original instruction manual and a copy of the Push Button Primer feed instruction sheet.
Sal

Where?

[salpal48]

Lyman All american Instruction again

[44Vaquero]

Thanks salpal48! Added to my home data base for future reference.

[rbuck351]

I have had one since about 1975 and its my go to press for all my rifle loads and any load development. I also have a Dillon 550 a Lyman Spar-T, a rockchucker, a Herters No3 and a C&H. I gave up on the primer feed and just put primers on my home made primer post that uses RCBS parts on top. It has the RCBS shell holder adapter. It is the easiest press to use that I have for loadig one case at a time.

[mattd]

Thanks for the manual. I got mine mostly apart and cleaned the easy stuff off with soap and a brush. I got the turret off, but couldn't get the ball out. Got the part that goes up and down off, but left the linkages and the big rotating silver part on the main body. There a few bad spots that could use some sanding on the linkages and silver part, but those spots aren't too bad . Got all the other rust off everything else, but the knurled parts. My plan is to hit everything with brake cleaner for a final clean, grease all threads and oil all other moving parts. Sound right?

[salpal48]

I am looking for a push button Primer feed with the swing arms for my other Lyman AA. If anyone has one for sale please let me Know
Sal

[EddieNFL]

Both pieces are listed on Gunbroker. The feed has a buy it now price of $70 which is probably also the reserve. I have a small feed and have would like to have a large, but it's not worth that much to me. Pretty much all I load on it is .45 Colt and I prime on the bench tool.

[salpal48]

The Gentleman On Gun Broker is Dreaming. if someone want to pay that that's his business. . In my area sometimes I see them @ gun shows for $15-$20 .. Sooner or Later I will pick one up very Reasonable
Sal

[mattd]

Got mine all put back together and oiled up. Didn't repaint even tho there are a few scuffs. Took some rust off some steel parts and reblued, but otherwise didn't take a lot of effort to get it back in good shape. Oh yeah, had to make a handle, that took a little work. Now just waiting on shell holder adapter and primer arm.

Are any options for quickly priming on the press? I like my lee safety prime on my single stage. Any thing like that that will work on the AA?

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/mattd1978/93b8a1329125fc216da6997a732cf770_zpse69da435.jpg

[Green Frog]

Mattd, you are probably already aware of this, but just in case you aren't, Lyman still catalogs a conversion set to use modern RCBS-type shell holders (Lyman calls them "X-type") with your press. You will need the conversion shell holder base piece and a set of "Special-T" primer punches if you wish to prime on press. It's a good thing that you have the step-down bushing for the one oversized (for shotgun dies) hole... that is the hardest single part to find!

I'm not sure you're going to have the stability you need in that stool, but I would love to hear progress reports as you actually get it bolted down and in serious use.

Regards,
Froggie

[mwhite49]

Here's a picture of mine, great press, extremely strong and durable.

Jim





http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/PA060033C-HLymanpress.jpg
Hi, what kind of finish is on the Lyman? It looks so smooth I'm thinking powder coated. Nice press.

[Char-Gar]

This thread is like the Lyman AA in that neither of them will die! :-)

[salpal48]

My Lymans , I decided To mount 4 . SP,LP, SR, LR
All fitted with the Push Button Primer system.

[Char-Gar]

My Lymans , I decided To mount 4 . SP,LP, SR, LR
All fitted with the Push Button Primer system.

I feel like a piker only having two. One is Lyman orange and the other is red. Both have wood handles.

[Loudy13]

Glad to see CB has the info I need once again, I just had a friend stop by and give me a AA press, along with some older equipment. I would be interested in an operators manual or information on how to locate one if anyone has that information. I have only briefly looked at due to the fact I am at work so hopefully its not in dire shape. It has a wooden handle if that means anything.

Thanks

[Paper Puncher]

The PDF manual I have is a pretty pathetic two pages. IM me your email and I can send it to you.