Steel handle 310 tools

[bb07]

I just picked this handle up. It's in very nice shape but unfortunately it's marked up on both sides, but from what I have no idea. Too bad really as it appears little used otherwise.
I know the steel handles were stamped by caliber, (except for the holy grail-steel with threaded adapter die) but what I find odd about these are the fact that they're marked with both .270 & .30-06. Was this common?
These things are addictive;)
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j376/oldbushrat/shooters/IMG_3837_zps771e90dd.jpg

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j376/oldbushrat/shooters/IMG_3836_zps87c22922.jpg
The other set of handles I have is marked .30-06 only.
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j376/oldbushrat/shooters/IMG_3840_zpscc953a3a.jpg

[Bent Ramrod]

Apparently, Lyman would stamp handles with specific calibers, and then if they ran out of a given caliber (i.e., .270), rather than making the customer wait until the next run of handles, they would sensibly pick out a set with the same base, head and rim size which would handle the similar length of shell, and add the new caliber to the marking. Naturally, they would always have a bunch of .30-06 handles around, and they would fit the .270 dies with no problem.

The users sometimes bashed the handles around, using them as hammers, wrenches or pliers. The traces of these human simians will be with us forever.

[Green Frog]

bb07, back in the days of the nickel handle sets, it was fairly common for them to be double stamped or overstamped if they had been altered. I haven't seen that many of the "blued" ones so treated, but obviously they exist. Some may even have been sent back to the factory to be reworked when somebody changed guns. :arrow:Of course you know that the single caliber marked ones can be used for whole families of cartridges like your 30-06 for 243, 270, 25-06, etc and the 30-30 for 25-35, 32-40, etc, but apparently sometimes they felt it necessary to let the customer know![smilie=s:

I have a set of 32-40 marked and a set of 45-70 marked that I prefer when loading those calibers and can use for those "families," but I searched high and low [smilie=2: until I found both a large and a small set of the steel handles for interchangeable calibers. :mrgreen: O course now I have to find a complete set of the adaptors! [smilie=b: I may just get them one at a time with die sets I buy. :idea:

The steel handles probably don't load the cartridges any better than the newer aluminum ones, but they just "feel right" to me when I use them, so I felt like it was worth the effort to find fixed caliber ones for the main rounds I load and a pair of the interchangeable type so I can load about anything (if I can find the dies, of course! ;))

Regards,
Froggie

[bb07]

Apparently, Lyman would stamp handles with specific calibers, and then if they ran out of a given caliber (i.e., .270), rather than making the customer wait until the next run of handles, they would sensibly pick out a set with the same base, head and rim size which would handle the similar length of shell, and add the new caliber to the marking. Naturally, they would always have a bunch of .30-06 handles around, and they would fit the .270 dies with no problem.

The users sometimes bashed the handles around, using them as hammers, wrenches or pliers. The traces of these human simians will be with us forever.

Thanks for clarifying the double caliber stamp. It makes perfect sense. And I certainly agree about the human simians. It actually hurts to see how carelessly some of these beautiful old tools have been treated:cry:


bb07, back in the days of the nickel handle sets, it was fairly common for them to be double stamped or overstamped if they had been altered. I haven't seen that many of the "blued" ones so treated, but obviously they exist. Some may even have been sent back to the factory to be reworked when somebody changed guns. :arrow:Of course you know that the single caliber marked ones can be used for whole families of cartridges like your 30-06 for 243, 270, 25-06, etc and the 30-30 for 25-35, 32-40, etc, but apparently sometimes they felt it necessary to let the customer know![smilie=s:

Yes, I did know that but thanks for pointing it out as I'm sure there are many people using these tools that don't realize how versatile they are.

I searched high and low [smilie=2: until I found both a large and a small set of the steel handles for interchangeable calibers.

I envy you:awesome:

Regards,
Froggie

[Catshooter]

bb,

I'd bet a dollar that the marks on that fine set of handles was caused by someone clamping them in a vice, and then put enough torque on the handles that they turned in the vice jaws.


Cat

[bb07]

bb,

I'd bet a dollar that the marks on that fine set of handles was caused by someone clamping them in a vice, and then put enough torque on the handles that they turned in the vice jaws.


Cat

I think you're right. I was just looking at them again, scratching my head over what might have made the marks, and believe you hit the nail on the head. What I can't figure out though is why anyone would do that:confused:
Those marks jump out at me every time I pick them up. In fact, they irk me something awful. It'll be a long time before I forgive whoever did that:-)

[Catshooter]

I'll bet another dollar as to why he stuck it in the vise: I think in adjusting the belling die he went too far, belled the case enough that it wouldn't come out of the die and thus the handles.

Three guesses why I know that can happen . . . and the first two don't count. :)

I own a vise with smooth jaws for a reason.

Cat

[cdet69]

The dimples can be from someone trying to knock the case out of the depriming die. You see a lot of this on the older style tools but usualy not the 310.

[Green Frog]

The dimples can be from someone trying to knock the case out of the depriming die. You see a lot of this on the older style tools but usualy not the 310.

I thought about that possibility for about 3 seconds... then I noticed the regularity of the pattern... kinda like it was twisted across the serrations of a vise jaw, doncha think? :-?

Hey Cat, you can also use some of that lead sheeting you've been hoarding up for making alloy to make some temporary soft jaws for your vise. Then when they get too tattered they go into the pot! ;)

bb, if you take it into consideration that folks thought of these as consumable tools, the damage they made makes sense. Who woulda thunk that 50 years later some crazy folks would be trying to collect them in pristine condition? "Oh what tangled webs we weave..." [smilie=s:

Froggie

[KCSO]

In actual practice the 30-06 marked ones can reload any 06 case head size. I have used mine for 243, 257, 280, 270 30-06 and 35 Whelen with the right die sets.

[1Shirt]

Yep, like KCSO says, great tool. Great for survivalists, doomsday prepers, etc as well.
1Shirt!