R F Wells Reloading Press

[cabezaverde]

Anyone ever hear of an R F Wells press? I have acquired one, and this thing is big and heavy.
It looks like it would be usable today if someone made a shell holder adaptor. Not sure what I am going to do with it, but I have never heard of one and I have been reloading for 30 years.

[No_1]

Do you have any pictures? Especially of the ram and location of the shellholder?
Robert


Anyone ever hear of an R F Wells press? I have acquired one, and this thing is big and heavy.
It looks like it would be usable today if someone made a shell holder adaptor. Not sure what I am going to do with it, but I have never heard of one and I have been reloading for 30 years.

[cabezaverde]

I will work on getting some. The ram looks and works just like a normal Rockchucker or whatever.

[BruceB]

(Blowing the dust from some OLD memories...)

I do believe that "R.F. Wells" was sort of a "house name" for Herters, or had some other tenuous relationship with them. This is exactly what Midway has done by adopting "house brands" for a lot of their stuff...Tipton, Frankford Arsenal, Wheeler Engineering....all Midway names for Midway products (although probably made FOR them by other companies).

I have no doubt that it's an accounting measure designed to reduce costs in some way, but I'm no accountant and my head hurts just thinking about arithmetic, never mind "creative accounting"!

*******************

Boss is interviewing three applicants for an accounting position, one at a time.

Asks each one, "What's two plus two?"

First two guys answer, "Four! What sort of dumb question is that?"

Third guy answers, "Two plus two? What do you WANT the answer to be?"
Guess who got the job........

[No_1]

I understand that, I was just curious of the way the factory shell holders fit the ram and how hard it would be to adapt lyman, rcbs or any other brand. I am sure if you post pics, someone may have an idea for you that could make it work. BUT I guess I should have ask if it came with a complete shell holder set...

Robert


I will work on getting some. The ram looks and works just like a normal Rockchucker or whatever.

[floodgate]

cabezaverde:

I had an R. F. Wells press, the second one I got back in the '60's after unloading a Herter's turret model with a sloppy turret. It was a fine press and "hell-for-stout", virtually identical to the single-station Herters. I suggest you contact "Mr. Herter" at <Herters at netins dot net> for advice on adaptors to let you use RCBS-type shell-holders; tell Ken that "Doug" sent you.

floodgate

[Ross]

Is the ram slotted to accept the Lachmiller-Herter shellholders, or is it female threaded?
In any event, Vega can make you holders, adapters, or a new ram.

Vega Tool Co.
4865 Tanglewood Court
Boulder, CO 80301
ClanLaird@aol.com

[floodgate]

cabezaverde:

I had an R. F. Wells press, the second one I got back in the '60's after unloading a Herter's turret model with a sloppy turret. It was a fine press and "hell-for-stout", virtually identical to the single-station Herters. I suggest you contact "Mr. Herter" at <Herters at netins dot net> for advice on adaptors to let you use RCBS-type shell-holders; tell Ken that "Doug" sent you.

floodgate

[cabezaverde]

Wow, lot's of good advice. I have to decide what I want to do with it. I already have a Rockchucker and a progressive. This thing is stout.

[Buckshot]

...............Bruceb. Midway changed to those names so other outfits could sell them and feel good about it. Ie: no competitors name on it.

.................Buckshot

[1hole]

Herter's was a seller, not a manufactor. And I miss 'em! Damn that GCA of '68.

Not that it really matters but Wells was the actual maker of most of the Herter's presses and at least some of their dies. Wells sold some of their own stuff too.

[TAWILDCATT]

1hole: Shucks You Beat Me To It I Still Have My Herter Press Dies And Shell Holders. I Have A Wells Cat Some Place Here As Well As A Well Worn Herters Cat.i've Been Meaning To Get A Vega Adapter.guess I Will Now.

[hiram]

I had a RF Wells press. It had a brown krinkle finish. I sold it on ebay. a delivery guy dropped it and broke the cast iron handle. The shellholders were the screw on type, not the bases we commonly know today.

[Chunck]

Anyone ever hear of an R F Wells press? I have acquired one, and this thing is big and heavy.
It looks like it would be usable today if someone made a shell holder adaptor. Not sure what I am going to do with it, but I have never heard of one and I have been reloading for 30 years.
I have a model C press and was able to find an a shell holder adapter on eBay it adapts Herters shell holder mount to hold a Lee type holder. The press is really heavy duty and works great. One thing to be careful of is the little detent ball for the lever can get stuck I used a little marvel mystery oil to free it up no problem. You'll enjoy the press also it should last for years . I'm expecting mine will outlast me. mI was lucky as I found mine in a thrift store for $20. I tried to tell them what it was and that it was worth more, but they insisted that was the price so I didn't argue. Found the catalog no. 61 online for a couple bucks.

[M-Tecs]

R F Wells press was the manufacture. Herter's and R F Wells had a falling out but I don't remember the details well enough to repeat it. R F Wells was based in Wells Minnesota.

[lotech]

MY first press in the mid-'60s was an R.F. Wells. Looked identical to a Herter's press; probably the same but marked differently.

[1hole]

Herter's was great; good, solid tools at much lower cost than the "big boys" stuff. But Herter was a mail order marketer, not a manufacter.

I've always hated govey bureaucrats and the silly ways they put George Herter out of business just because they could - at no cost to themselves - still irks me.