Question about a vintage "C" type press from C H Tool & Die

[Sixgun Symphony]

I got a vintage "C" type press made by C H Tool & Die for a very low price and gave it to my cousin to get him started in reloading. Thing is that when I gave it to him, I looked at the ram where the shell holder goes and am wondering if it will require a propietary shell holder. Did C H always use the universal type shell holders that all manufactuers use now or does it require an older style shellholder?

[C.F.Plinker]

The C=H press I had ack in the early 60s used the universal shell holders.

[jimkim]

I think this might be the same one from Facebook. Unless I'm mistaken they used a ram that had the shellholder built into it. You bought the ram that matched the round you were loading. I think for a while they used "Hollywood" style threaded shellholders too. IDK when they started using what we call "universal" shellholders.

A ram that takes standard shellholders can be found on their website.
http://www.ch4d.com/
Click on "presses" then "universal 'C' press ram".

[TNsailorman]

Back in the late 1950's at least the C-H "C" press used the head size specific rams and you had to buy extra rams to get a different head sizes to load. I had one until just recently and sold it. Later the same press was made with the "universal" ram that would take any of the modern standard shell holders. C-H still makes a replacement "universal" ram for all those early presses, including C-H, Pacific, Lyman and others. I thinks it runs around $20.00 give or take a dollar or two. James

[Iowa Fox]

C & H does make a universal ram to update the old presses. I got one for my C & H H mag press. Works slick, shell holders snap in and out like the new presses now. Check their website for a price.

[Kevin Rohrer]

Sixgun: Did you get the help you needed?

I deal w/ CH fairly regularly and can give you additional help if needed. It would help if you posted as pic of it.

[1hole]

Several of the older presses had rams that would directly swap - Lyman, RCBS, Pacific, CH (for the maker's name, it's not C-H, C&H, etc.). If you can find any of the older presses and take a few measurements you should be able to get something that accepts today's universal shell holders.

I smile at the occasional comments about how 'springy' old C presses are. They are by no means as springy and is commonly presumed, nor are O presses nearly as rigid as is generally presumed. It's amazing what a fellow can learn if he has a precision dial indicator and a magnetic base to hold it! I learned that my 'rigid' old cast iron O type Rock Chucker springs much more under the pressure of FL sizing .30-06 than my two little Lee C type alum alloy presses do! :)

[Kevin Rohrer]

I found the same thing with all my presses. I am FL resizing some 7.62mm brass that was obviously fired in a MG and wanted to go to a particular shoulder measurement. The only way to do it was to install the tie bar to my Hollywood Senior Turret and screw it down until there was no flex and I got desired measurement.

It seems like die bodies are too long. I am looking for a machinist with a particular type of precision grinder to take .010 off one of my dies and see if that solves the problem.

[Pressman]

Kevin, I have had problems in the past with different brands of dies that would not fully resize the base of a rifle case (243). I see you are partial to Hornaday, maybe see if you can borrow an RCBS or Redding die. There could be a big difference.

Ken

[Kevin Rohrer]

Ken,

I tried Redding and there was no difference.

[Sixgun Symphony]

Sixgun: Did you get the help you needed?

I deal w/ CH fairly regularly and can give you additional help if needed. It would help if you posted as pic of it.

Pretty much. :)

I have already given the press to my cousin, so it will be awhile before I can post a picture. I will bring a shell holder the next time I visit to test it out. I hope it works!

[Green Frog]

I'm bringing this thread back to life to restart discussion on the CH presses. A member here, new to reloading, has been PM-ing back and forth with me. I hope this will stir up a little helpful discussion on the aluminum and cast iron C presses and the H presses as well. :coffeecom

The CH in the name was the owner, Charles Herkimer(?) who was in business from some time about 1940 until he merged with Dave Davison to form CH4D (much abbreviated version of story). While some of the older tools such as plated dies may have reached the point of worn out, the presses were virtually bomb proof. Both companies used proprietary shell holders early on, but switched to universal type later and now CH4D makes upgrades.

Consider the pot stirred! :bigsmyl2:
Froggie

[Strummer]

I'm bringing this thread back to life to restart discussion on the CH presses. A member here, new to reloading, has been PM-ing back and forth with me. I hope this will stir up a little helpful discussion on the aluminum and cast iron C presses and the H presses as well. :coffeecom

The CH in the name was the owner, Charles Herkimer(?) who was in business from some time about 1940 until he merged with Dave Davison to form CH4D (much abbreviated version of story). While some of the older tools such as plated dies may have reached the point of worn out, the presses were virtually bomb proof. Both companies used proprietary shell holders early on, but switched to universal type later and now CH4D makes upgrades.

Consider the pot stirred! :bigsmyl2:
Froggie

Thanks for bringing this back up . And helping me out . Here is a new to me CH press . It seems to be in very good shape. It has a #1 shell holder in it . https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230122/a4b534e9b4c407041fc33b11dfe8c38b.jpg
Looking forward to learning more about what I have and how to use it .

[Mk42gunner]

While I've not used a CH C type press, the single stage that I most enjoy using for reloading is an old blue Pacific Super C.

Loads of easy access to feed cases or projectiles. I do prime off the press with an RCBS hand priming tool.

My ram is cut for the now universal shellholders, but they don't just snap in, they are retained by a tiny little set screw. This keeps the slot oriented the direction I want it, no spinning around at odd moments.

Robert

[ascast]

several companies use the same. Also offered by several compnies was/is the modern update "universal" that will take modern standard shell holders. Lyman, RCBS and C&H 4D will have them.. C&H will have them in stock. Call them. around 25-30 $