Lachmiller equipment

[salpal48]

At this time I would like to share with some Younger member a very good addition to any loading Bench lachmiller was a 1960's 70 loading co. these sometimes are overlooked by today's loading as thing Of the past. They are very strong, compact and smooth. although they do not Take Current shell holdes. The Herters adaptor. will work. Lachmiller made several types of shell holder as the Co evolved.
The first Photo is the Lachmiller 100 . early One's are Grey Later one's are Blue. They are also Called The Big Grey monster The last One was refitted with a RCBS primer catcher
The second Photo . Is the Lachmiller 400 . This looks the same But It is a Little Heavier and has swaging capabilities with a slotted Ram and holes in the side of the press.
On the resale market. they seem not to bring much.Money
Some member Here had a couple for sake and They were Passed up. some comment were . What Is It,
If any member are able to Pick one up @ a reasonable price Don.t pass them Up.
Most Don't have the primer catcher. That was an Option?. Most Loader Then and Now are Cheap. My self Included. . They did not Prime on Press . There was a bench tool for That. another good Tool
In the back ground Of Photo #1 there is the powder Measure. These are Very accurate with a Visible powder drop. . accurate for pistol and rifle powder. This is a bench measure
Thanks for reading and Viewing
Sal

[HGS]

Thanks for the pictures Sal, old tooling in good usable shape is a pretty sight to see.

HGS

[country gent]

I like the tubular desighn of these as it should help limit flex and stretching. A nice solid compact desighn that should last several lifetimes.

[LUBEDUDE]

Very nice collection Sal! Thank you

There was a 400 on eBay fairly recently, with shipping it was close to or may have passed the $100 mark when I passed on it. I don't know what the final was.

[bedbugbilly]

Very nice Sal! Thanks for sharing! You've got a nice collection! I am not in to collection presses . . . too old and too little room . . . but they sure are interesting and I love it when folks post photos of the vintage presses.

I wanted a set of Lachmiller dies "just 'cause" . . . dies take up less room than presses . . LOL . . I picked up a set of nice 38 spell. and a set of 44 special Lachmiller dies just so I had a set or two. They are very high quality dies and interesting designs.

Enjoy this presses and equipment . . . it's nice that someone preserves them and enjoys them . . . and the history of the companies are as interesting as their presses! Thanks again for sharing . . . you can be proud of those!

Jim

[W.R.Buchanan]

Yes Lachmiller tooling was another product of the Aerospace Industry in the San Fernando Valley of California in the 1950's.

At one time the best machinists and toolmakers were there and any not involved directly in Aerospace spun off into many other similar industries. Gun Making, Reloading Equipment , Hot Rods, Motorcycles, Oil Fields and other related technologies all had their roots here.

My Mother and I moved here in 1956 from Lansing MI. It was the best thing that could ever have happened to me, as I was exposed to the latest technology much sooner than any other place in the country.

Lachmiller made lots of nice tooling for reloading. I have a 12 ga. Shot Shell Deprimer and Resizer that I consider to be a much have tool. I have had reloading dies and bullet moulds and their Bench Top Priming Tool is one of the best ever made and a highly desirable tool which is scarce to say the least.

The good thing about all of these tools is if the paint is a little dull they can all be refurbished and look and work good for another 50 years. RCBS bought a lot of Lachmiller's designs and tooling and spare parts when the company closed.

Another part of history kept alive by people like us.

Randy

[Pressman]

The Model 400 has a cast steel frame compared to the 100's cast iron frame, making it a lot stronger than the 100. 400's are not so common. I too passed on the 400 recently on eBay, going for another tool instead.

Lachmiller is the pattern for the Herter's Model 3. I don't know if there was a connection or Ol' George just copied them. Lachmiller was on the market for a year and a half before the Herter's Model 3.

There is a third Lachmiller press though it is thought that none ever made it to market. An "O" frame design using the RCBS linkage. It is pictured in one of the Gun Digest's. RCBS bought out Lachmiller at the time the press was ready to sell so the design was dropped. If any were made by then they would have been scrapped. I keep hoping that one will turn up in a basement in Oroville.

Ken

[salpal48]

The lachmiller Power House Is difficult. . After RCBS Purchase . It was Not made But later reintroduced as RCBS Big Max several Years Later

[W.R.Buchanan]

By the way Rustoleum makes a really nice Sky Blue Hammertone Paint that is a nearly perfect match to Lachmiller's color. I used it on my Shotshell Sizer and it came out really nice looking. See Pic above.

Randy

[Pressman]

The Model 400 mentioned above did not sell on ebay. It is relisted ad a far lower starting price. I may go for it, unless one of you deep pocket folks gets there first.

Ken

[salpal48]

In 1965 Lachmiller introduced a New press that was an innovative design. Some have said it was a cross between a C and an O . It has a Triangular Pyramid shape top . with 1/4 steel all sides.. It's compact and fit on the bench. This will handle any size cartridge. Mag included. All the pressure is absorbed in the triangle.. set up with universal primer arm and standard shell holder.
This was short lived . and few were made. Only have seen them in Blue . and Never the same Blue. another worthwhile Purchase .. Mounted correctly will form Brass. with no stretch The only Thing Missing would be Now Compound Leverage

[LUBEDUDE]

Sal, those are nice specimens you have there!

I have only seen a picture of one of those in a 1968 catalog. I believe it was called the Model 707 if memory serves me. I guess they made some changes from 65-68?

[salpal48]

Yes your Right My mistake . The old Eyes Playing Tricks again
Sal

[LUBEDUDE]

Ok then, no changes. I understand the eye thing. I struggle at times even with glasses! :)

[fatelk]

Interesting thread; thanks for posting! As probably countless others, I started out decades ago with an old Herters Super 3, and some Lachmiller dies.

The only problem I had at one time, was with some Lachmiller .25-06 dies. With some brands of brass the sizer wouldn't size the necks enough for proper neck tension (you could pull the bullets out with your fingers). An old timer told me years later that it was likely because those dies were made back when .25-06 was a wildcat, and reformed 30-06 brass had thicker brass in the neck!

[Pressman]

There are two colors for Lachmiller. The original gray and blue. Blue came with ownership by Penguin Industries. RCBS got Lachmiller form Penguin, I think. I have heard bits and pieces that there might be a convoluted ownership bunny trail from Penguin to RCBS but have not been able to pin it down.

Ken

[Teddo]

For years as I was told by Jim Bill that he was a principle in the Lachmiller Engineering CO.and he sold Lachmiller to RCBS. Jim and I were very good friend and shooting partners for over 12 years and I never heard him exaggerate or stretch the truth. I do know Jim came to RCBS after the sale of Lachmiller and became their plant manager and brought many prototypes with him some of which were put into production others I ended up with when the family had me help with the liquidation of his estate. He was a Guru of lead and I ended up with a few of his experimental molds and dies which I cherish today.

I don't know the whole story behind Lachmiller but I do know his name is on some of the patents that were issued to Lachmiller so he had some interest in business whether he was the only owner or a part I do not know. I do know he was a teacher with a wealth of knowledge and a true gentleman and that I was proud to be called his friend..... Tedd

[3006guns]

I started out with a Lachmiller lubersizer back in 1970..........and I still have it. God knows how many lead projectiles have been squeezed through that stout thing or how many times I've cleaned it out. Still looks as good as the day I got it, including the label. I notice that RCBS took over the exact design, so parts aren't a problem either.

As for their presses, I've never owned one but my gunsmith buddy in Oregon does and it's the only press he's ever needed. I value his judgement quite highly, so yeah, if a Lachmiller press can be had reasonably....go for it. You won't be sorry.