Need help with a "PR 3" press I.D.

[3006guns]

I'd like to I.D. my first reloading press that I purchased used back in 1970. It's a cast iron single stage C press with a rather small throat opening, so it's only suitable for pistol or .30 carbine. It accepts standard RCBS shell holders and 7/8" dies. Although I repainted it, the original color was a light shade of brown.

The only marks are the raised letters "PR3" cast into one side. Now, I was poking around Ebay and to my astonishment found another one! The Ebay press had a metallized adhesive tag (missing on mine) on the side opposite the raised letters that said "Precision Reloader" and a serial number, but no manufacturer's name.

I've had this press for over forty years and still have no idea who built it. Does anyone have a clue?

Here's a link to the Ebay press. The only difference is that his is marked "PR2", but it's identical to mine.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200625084914&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Pressman]

3006, yours is a PR3 the one on eBay is a PR6. The PR7 was an O frame design.
You truely have a rareity. There are only 3-4 known PR3's. I have one and two others in rough shape were sold out of an estate 3 years ago.
They were made by Precision Reloader of Paradise Ca. About 25 miles from Orovile - and Buzz Huntington denies any knowledge of them. Hmmm. For certain they are NOT connected to RCBS in anyway.

The PR3 is a great little press for priming and handgun calibers, what it was intended for. It was only made in cast iron but an aluminum frame model was in the works, I have the unfinished frame casting. Also an O frame was being worked on.
They date from about 1959.

There are three other known names for the PR6-7 presses though none made it commercially.
The PR founder was Richard Holcombe who died under somewhat questionable circumstances.

I have most of the sales flyers for the PR line.

Ken

[3006guns]

Thank you Pressman for chiming in...I was hoping you would. I suspected the time frame was from the late 1950's based on my past experience, but couldn't positively identify the maker. Now I know.

Since the press is somewhat of a "rarity", the first thing I did (of course) was to repaint it a lovely hammertone gray. I really should strip it and repaint, but it looks so nice I think I'll just use it. My son suggested that I build a nice little custom shelf and display it but mechanically it's still excellent, so it's going to see some more action.

It served me well for several years before being loaned to a friend over thirty years ago. I'm glad to get it back.

I do have one last question though. Aside from being dirty, the press was missing the retaining spring for the shell holder. I don't remember what it looked like but suspect it was a simple circular music wire clip. Do you have any brochures that show the shape of that spring?

[Pressman]

3006 it is a simle spring as you said. There are a number of rams that used that system and finding a replacement should not be too hard. Or you can get music wire spring material from Brownells and make a replacement.

It is a neat press for handgun calibers. A friend had asked me sometime back why no one ever made such a press. He was amazed when I showed him mine.

Ken

Ken

[3006guns]

Thanks again for your help Pressman. I'll get that spring replaced and treat this little press with the respect it deserves.

[Pressman]

China man said a picture is worth a thousand words so here is the little PR-3 press.
Cute little critter.

[Pavogrande]

I had a couple of shell holders from "precision Reloader" -- As I recall they were only marked with the number but not the complany name. They came in a plasitic bag containing holder and card with company name and shellholder number.
I believe a friend of mine, since passed on, was involved with the company for a while -- my source of the shellholders.
After thought: a couple of the shelholders are marked "P R" but I sort of presumed that meant priming tool - perhaps not --

[Dblaron]

Here is a few pics of my PR3 and PR6 presses. They do exist! I inherited them from my great uncle, he used to gunsmith at a hardware store back in the good ol' days. They are my first presses and i am just starting to get into reloading. Hope you all like the pics

P.S. The Serial Number is on the PR3. 65843. Does anyone know any decoding info for the Serial Numbers?

[Pressman]

It looks like your uncle treated his equipment well, they are nice. You will get years of good relaoding from them. They are as good as the RCBS presses of the same style.

As for the serial numbers, I do not know of an order to the numbers. It is doubtfull that more than a few hundred were ever made.

Thanks for shareing them.
Ken

[ErikO]

Neat, it looks like a short Junior 3.

[rsrocket1]

Thanks for the history on the company.

Does the PR3 work on the upstroke instead of the downstroke of the handle?
I bought an old PR6 a couple of years ago for $30 and it is in great shape. A pretty good bargain for such a sturdy press. It didn't come with a priming arm or a primer catcher, but I simply fabricated a catcher from a 2-liter soda bottle. It's now spending its life as a crimp swager and soon to be boolit sizer.

[Pressman]

The PR3 is also a down stroke. It is just half the size of the PR6 or RCBS JR2.

Ken

[STP22]

With all my early catalogs, manuals etc. I`ve hoarded over 20 years...that`s the first time I have laid eyes on that one.

Thank you!

Regards,

Scott

[Pressman]

STP, you need to go back an additional 20 years to find info on them. And good luck as they were very short lived with very little info published.
Ken

[scrapcan]

So both presses used standard x type shell holders?

[Pressman]

Precision Relaoder was made in Paradise CA. About 25 miles from RCBS but neither of the Huntington brothers claim any knowledge of them. They were made for a short time by a guy named Holbroke who disapeared. Three other presses were made after that using the large PR molds. The little PR3 was never made by anyone other than Precision.
More will be coming about them in the ARTCA newsletter, when floodgate gets his small presses article finished.

Yes, Jeremy, they use regular dies and shellholders.
Ken

[scrapcan]

Well I guess I need to get on with helping Floodgate with the third instalment of the little presses article. so I can learn more about PR!

Learned a bunch about them already. If they used the x style or universal shellholder, then they are never than some of the older rcbs presses that used dedicated rams? Is that correct?

[Pressman]

RCBS ntroduced, and never patented, the snap in shellholder in 1955 along with the Model A and B press. The PR presses are from 1959 and a few years later. By then most everyone had switched to the new snapin shellholders.

floodgate is busy with his new toy, a Frankford Arsenal powder measure I bought for him to review. More on that later also.
Ken