Lachmiller Bench Primer!

[seagiant]

Hi,
I just recieved a new to me Lachmiller bench primer (Thanks Pete!) and was wondering if anyone else used one. I was very surprised today when I first used it as I have the RCBS Auto Prime with the tubes and was expecting the same type of "feel" but this primer uses a cam that is cut so no matter how fast you work the handle it is only going to push the primer in at a set speed so to speak! Very nice primer!

Taking an idea from my RCBS primer I made a primer ram holder so I did not lose anything. This Lachmiller has the RCBS conversion so it will use RCBS large and small primer rams and will use regular snap in shellholder! A nice bit of kit as my Brit friends say!

[LUBEDUDE]

Very sharp!

I bought one from Pete as well.

Still waiting.

[Pressman]

They are great tools. My favorite for priming. RCBS offered the tool for a few years with a different base. They bring big bucks on eBay. Lachmillers only if they have the conversion.

Yours is the post 1955 version. The pre 55 uses a different linkage and has the ability to use an auto primer feed.
Lachmiller shellholders work best in them though Herter's can be used if necessary.

Ken

[BCall]

I have one of the older ones, but it is missing the primer feed. Been trying to figure out how it was supposed to work to see If I could make the parts necessary, but haven't figured it out yet.

Thanks much for the lit. you sent me Pressman! It helped alot with the shotshell dies. Much appreciated, Billy

[Pressman]

Billy, I am thinking the primer feed never worked and for that reason they are hard to find today. I have one and when I tried it I could not get it to work correctly.
I'll have to post pictures of the thing.
Ken

[seagiant]

Hi,
Doesn't Kevin have one???

[Pressman]

The auto primer feed tube and push button. The operation has a flimsy feel to it.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks for the pics! That does not have the cam action either. Glad I have the one I have!

[Pavogrande]

I also have the old model with primer feed --

It requires two primer tubes, one each for large and small primers.
It works fine, but does take a bit of fiddl'n' to put the primers in the tube. You put primers in a tray, compound down, and push the tube down over the primer --
The tube has four slits at the top, this constricts the tube bore slightly to prevent primers from falling out while loading tube. It all sounds worse than it is.

The shellholders are slotted (grooved) at the bottom to allow the primer to be fed onto the ram.
Yes, herters shellholders will work fine but require cutting a slot if you want to use the primer feed.
There are several primer rams as they also accomadated both flat and round primers.

My tool was bought used about 1960 and is still chuggin' along although it is getting a bit of slop in the links.
Even so, I expect it will see me out. :-)

[totallycustom]

I have always wanted to try one. I have a lachmiller press as an extra and it works great and is very well built. But finding one of those primers is next to impossible at least one thats "affordable" (my wife will shut me down on almost any more reloading purchases with our first baby on the way) I like the idea of a bench mounted primer. I also like the vintage reloading tools from the 40s 50s 60s. I really admire lachmillers products. I may have to just fab my own using a ram prime for parts.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I'd like to ask a question from someone that is using one of these with the "cam" wheel in original condition. Mine has the RCBS conversion,but what did these have originally? Did it still use the rams like mine and the RCBS Auto Prime? Is the only difference the shellholder? Some pics would be nice. Not a lot of info out there! Thanks!

[Pressman]

Tottaly Custom there is one on eBay right now with the conversion, 6 days remaing.

Sea Giant, the originals like yours use a seperate little ram with the upper portion the same diameter as the primer. A spring, simaler to a ball point spring slips over that portion of the ram. It is the spring that returns the handle.
There are two types of Lachmiller shellholders that will work. The statndar one for the press and another with a full diameter shank and a small divot in the front for the set screw. The primer hole in Lachmiller shellholders is just primer diameter, no bigger. For that reason they will fit a Herter's press but you cannot prime on the press. And vice-versa, Herter's shellholders will fit the bench tool but the primer hole is too large creating an issue with getting the primer correctly aligned with the case.

Ken

[seagiant]

Hi,
Years ago I had a few of the Herters presses and I remembered that I had ordered a shellholder converter from Vega Tool. I thought I would try this with my Lachmiller as they are suppose to work and they did! Now this was with the RCBS conversion primer seater/rams! I have no original rams so don't know if this would work with them. The RCBS conversion from Midway is close to $40 and the Herter's shellholder converter is about $20. This might(?) be a way to get something a little cheaper going so you can use regular shellholders????

The pics below show the RCBS conversion on the left and then the other two show the Herter's on the primer tool.

[GLL]

Pressman:

Notice the eBay tool has a $39.00 "shipping fee" !

Jerry

[Pressman]

Wow! I did not see that. Obviously the seller has an inflated sense of value and worth. I have been seeing a lot of that on eBay lately. Sad.

Ken

[totallycustom]

Pressman, Thanks for the heads up but if I bought one more thing my wife would kick my you know what. I just bought a lyman spar-t to match my spartan and have the lachmiller press also. With our first little one on the way she has shut me down. I need to find a local guy with a big heart to help me out. But...

I am handy and have lots of materials and time to build something. So I was thinking that if somebody could take a few measurements of their primer tool with the camming action I can replicate the geometry in my shop. I was working on it with few drawings and paper models and couldn't figure out the proper movement/size of the cam.

If someone could help me with the proper measurement I would be greatly appreciative.

Thanks,
TC

[Kevin Rohrer]

,Doesn't Kevin have one???

Yes, I have the one shown in Pressman's picture. It came w/ only the large primer tube and a 30/06 shellholder. And yes, due to the thin spring, it feels flimsy, but works fine. I fill the primer tube using Dillon tubes.

[seagiant]

Hi TC,
I popped mine apart and can give you a tracing and all the height deminsions if you want but will have to send it snail mail as I'm not set up for scanning.

Actually it does not look to hard as the cam action is imparted by an off center hole in mine anyway. You could do a weldment pretty easy. I might try one myself setting it up like mine using the RCBS rams. Let me know if you really want to do it!

[totallycustom]

Seagiant, PM sent last night did you get it? Thanks, TC

[seagiant]

Hi TC,
Info is in the mail! Not much really but not much needed, if you need more info just let me know. The height from cam pin to bottom of shellholder is for using the RCBS primer rams. That measurement and the offset hole in the cam seems to be the only critical measurement. The rest is probably up to your imagination!

[totallycustom]

Thanks a ton! One more question for now. Does the ram ride directly on the cam or is there a separate lifter in the cylinder that holds the ram?

[seagiant]

Hi,
Yes the ram rides on the cam. I chucked my rams in the lathe and polished the outside and the bottom with some 1500 grit paper!

[totallycustom]

Great. I think that because I am going to use my ram prime setup for guts of this press I will use a "lifter" setup anyway especially because I can trim the lifter if needed to achieve the proper lift height and I don't have to worry about the cam riding the bottom of the ram prime post and wearing it.

I think this is going to be a fun project.

[totallycustom]

Seagiant, Got your letter today. Thanks a bunch. I will be getting metal/supplies on Monday. I will keep everyone posted when I get this figured out.