Why are vintage C frame Presses Tilted?

[Hartland]

It appears virtually all the old Pacific, Lachmiller, Herter's, ECHO, etc. single stage C presses are tilted back at some angle. Why is that?

It seems to me that seating bullets is better performed when the ram is perfectly vertical. Since I am looking to buy one of these presses specifically for bullet seating, I am expecting to fashion a wedge for mounting to bring the ram back to vertical. Does this make sense?

BTW, I'm leaning toward a Herter's Super Model 3.

[Old School Big Bore]

I always wondered about that. Dunno if they were tilted for ease of viewing or to retain the shell in the shellholder by gravity or what.

[seagiant]

Hi,
IMO,they were tilted for ease of use and to see what was going on better. There should not be any difference in bullet seating as everything is done inside the die and the alignment of bullet to case is dependent on that!

My 50's RCBS A2 press has holes so it can be used straight up or tilted?

[Hartland]

If the ram is tilted, some bullets would need to be hand guided into the die to keep them from falling off the top of the case. (Maybe it is just me but I end up hand guiding even on my Rockchucker.) I agree that once the bullet is in the die, the tilt should have no effect.

[Rory McCanuck]

The toggle link protrudes out the back a couple of inches during the stroke.
Tilting it aloows mounting on a flush-faced bench.
It has the added bonus of raising the handle height at the bottom of the stroke.

If you build a wedge for it, you may want to raise it up a bit so that you don't have to reach down to your knees at the bottom of the stroke.

101872

[Hartland]

Great picture of your set-up for that CH 205. The elevated wedge I had in mind would raise the shellholder up to near eye level.

Very good point about needing clearance for the toggle linkage.

[44Vaquero]

Like fashion trends through out the ages, the early days of reloading there was lots of "Follow The Leader"! I do not think it really had anything to do with accessibility issues etc.

[LUBEDUDE]

I believe that the tilt back gave the appearance or illusion that one had better access or visibility to the action.
Whether it did or does, that is up to each individual owner.

[too many things]

look at it this way if you were old school you stood up to load. tilted made it easy to see. YOU lazy guys now have to sit down so you can look at it . and with glasses would be hard to tell if it were tilted or not .
Hey the Belding and Mull was flat and many thousands were loaded on them

[Hardcast416taylor]

I believe the reason that presses are straight up now is because it cost so much more to have the angles made.:^)Robert

[DLCTEX]

I built a portable mount for my Rockchucker following plans in some gun rag circa 1979+- that angled the press. This was touted as giving a better view while loading. I dutifully used it for a few years because of portability until I settled permanently and happily mounted it vertical.

[C. Latch]

look at it this way if you were old school you stood up to load.

I don't think I ever once saw my grandfather sit down at his loading bench.

I don't think I've ever once pulled the handle on my press while standing up.

What changed?

[LUBEDUDE]

I guess I'm old school :D- I stand while loading.

[357maximum]

]....as the eons of time have progressed man has slowly stood/sat up straighter, apparently some prefer to remain hunched over and speaking in grunts and snorts[/COLOR].

[uscra112]

]....as the eons of time have progressed man has slowly stood/sat up straighter, apparently some prefer to remain hunched over and speaking in grunts and snorts[/COLOR].

Or have already evolved as far as they care to, and are regressing to a more comfortable position.......

[Springfield]

Chances are we load a LOT more than our forefathers and need to sit.

[44Vaquero]

One look at my bench will tell you I never sit down while reloading!

[Petrol & Powder]

They're not tilted, the surface of the earth was different back before climate change.

[David2011]

I don't think I ever once saw my grandfather sit down at his loading bench.

I don't think I've ever once pulled the handle on my press while standing up.

What changed?

I sit at the single stage presses and stand at the progressives. For me it's easier to push the handle back to prime when standing (Dillon presses).

David

[357maximum]

Or have already evolved as far as they care to, and are regressing to a more comfortable position.......


Ugg tuk took nook, nug narg, grrrrrr hah grunt.

translation:
HEY....I resemble that remark......thanks for the laugh.

[bedbugbilly]

I have both the RCBS Jr2 and Jr3 - and have "wedge blocks" for both of them. I use them primarily for de-priming with a universal de-primer die and for sizing. Although they could be mounted flat to the bench - I find it easier to see and perhaps hand feed the casing in to the shell holder if I have it tipped - at least for what I do on them. Perhaps some of the thinking was that the casing would slide back in the shell holder if tipped? I'm one of those "old lazy guys" who "sit down" when using those presses - I also think the tilting gives me a better view even if it is an "illusion". :-)

All I can say is that the Jr2 and Jr3 presses I have are 1st class all the way regardless of their age and I'm sure they will last way longer than I will!


This is from a 1963 flier . . . . RCBS must have thought owners would like an option?


101971

[too many things]

hey back when I was a kid shooting if you had to have a bench and a scope you didnt need a rifle. thats why grampa used a shotgun . and if he didnt have 12 ga shells he used 16 and cut the paper "oh that when ALL shells were paper" and put over the 16 to hunt with .
I still have the favorite and still hits walnuts "BUT not often by me"

[1hole]

"It appears virtually all the old Pacific, Lachmiller, Herter's, ECHO, etc. single stage C presses are tilted back at some angle. Why is that?"

Kitchen counter tops and habit. When kitchen counter tops were standardized at 35" it was found that a lot of man's work in motors, making home peojects, etc, that worked pretty good for them. Thus, when reloading grew people stuck with tradidation and they made bench tops too low for easy work without leaning presses back for visual access. Tilt has no detrimental effect on seating or anything else but low mounting required we bend to fully depress the lever. Some of us began blocking our presses higher, then we wanted the rams to be vertical and we got what we wanted.

I like my bench top to be just a tad lower than my elbows when standing; that's 41". I use a yard sale swiveling bar stool to comfortably work at the same height when seated.

My original 1965 Lyman Spartan press still tilts and it sits on a 5" stand. My 1988 RC II sits on a 2 1/2" stand and it's vertical; I don't have to bend with either and my old back appreciates that. At the right height, there's no manipulation or visual advantage to either one.

[seagiant]

One look at my bench will tell you I never sit down while reloading!

Hi,
Hey 44! That bench is way to clean!!! (and organized!)

[44Vaquero]

LOL, Seagiant it is not always so clean. You should see the garage workshop right now! It looks like Sanford and Son's back yard! Warm weather is coming, so things will hopefully change quickly.

[Pressman]

In 1960 there was a company making 12 station turrets for Herter's turret presses and they also offered a wedge block to tilt the press vertical. I have nearly every Herter's press made and really like them tilted. I have tried the wedge block but it, to me anyway, changes the feel of the press to something un-natural. That may be different with other press brands, but for Herter's leave it tilted.
That said I have a friend who made a wedge block for his Model 3 and is quite happy with it.
This is really about different strokes.
Ken

[Hardcast416taylor]

]....as the eons of time have progressed man has slowly stood/sat up straighter, apparently some prefer to remain hunched over and speaking in grunts and snorts[/COLOR].


You obviously have watched me cast and load!Robert

[atr]

I think tilted for ease.....I have one tilted and one vertical and I find the tilted one much easier to use
Just MHO

[357maximum]

You obviously have watched me cast and load!Robert


Nahhhh just figured it was a MIchigan thing :lol:

[danomano]

no tilt for me... Im a happy camper
102328


In 1960 there was a company making 12 station turrets for Herter's turret presses and they also offered a wedge block to tilt the press vertical. I have nearly every Herter's press made and really like them tilted. I have tried the wedge block but it, to me anyway, changes the feel of the press to something un-natural. That may be different with other press brands, but for Herter's leave it tilted.
That said I have a friend who made a wedge block for his Model 3 and is quite happy with it.
This is really about different strokes.
Ken

[MtGun44]

I think to clear the edge of a bench with no overhang.

Bill

[Certaindeaf]

It's to trick you into believing that they seat them vertically. lol

[country gent]

I believe it was also thought to keep some train off the front edge of the bench back in the day.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

They're not tilted, the surface of the earth was different back before climate change. Thank you for that, too funny. I needed that today.

[destrux]

When I quickly process pistol brass I get a few that walk out of the shell holder a tiny bit when the ram is going up (on my vertical RCBS press) and end up crashing the case mouth into the edge of the die. A tilted press would probably help prevent that. Maybe that was the thought behind it?

[destrux]

I have both the RCBS Jr2 and Jr3 - and have "wedge blocks" for both of them. I use them primarily for de-priming with a universal de-primer die and for sizing. Although they could be mounted flat to the bench - I find it easier to see and perhaps hand feed the casing in to the shell holder if I have it tipped - at least for what I do on them. Perhaps some of the thinking was that the casing would slide back in the shell holder if tipped? I'm one of those "old lazy guys" who "sit down" when using those presses - I also think the tilting gives me a better view even if it is an "illusion". :-)

All I can say is that the Jr2 and Jr3 presses I have are 1st class all the way regardless of their age and I'm sure they will last way longer than I will!


This is from a 1963 flier . . . . RCBS must have thought owners would like an option?


101971

Hmm... I might have to build a wedge for my JR3. That's the one I was just referring to that I often crash cases into the die with.

[ColColt]

One look at my bench will tell you I never sit down while reloading!

One look at it and I'd say it's never been used! I'll never be that clean and organized...not in the genes.

I still have an old blue Pacific C-type press I bought around mid 1969 and loaded three calibers using it. I never liked the "give" in a C-press. It seemed to rock more than I wanted. I eventually some years later to abandon it in favor of an RCBS Jr press. That one is mounted on a work bench in the garage and is dedicated to various rifle cartridges.

There's another Lee turret press in another room that's used primarily for pistol calibers as I find I can load more easily and produce better with it. I sit using that one but stand for the one in the garage. I stand also casting bullets. After about 2 hours of that and I'm ready to quit.