Pressman
11-07-2015, 09:32 AM
Grasslander contacted me about posting a picture of the Dunbar powder measure. He had known that it existed. It is not commonly seen but its counterpart, the Herter's Model 39 is very common.
Who made the measure and where is still an unknown. I seriously doubt that Dunbar made it as they sold just a single model. Herter's sold it for years, even after they dropped their Model 9 H press. They also sold two models, the 39 and the 243 also pictured here. The same basic measure using a B&M type drop tube was also sold by Herter's as the Model 41.
It is the proliferation of Herter's variants that lead me to think that Dunbar bought theirs, as did Herter's from a third party source.
They are good measures, the powder chambers are smell in diameter but I have found them to be very accurate and repeatable. The base is held on with two #12 machine screws making it easily removed. The Dunbar base is designed to clamp to the front edge of a shelf. It is a well thought out design that appears to be a fore runner of some of today's more popular measures.
Herter's never offered this base. Preferring instead a massively over engineered casting that clamped to the front edge of the bench. The 243 pictured below was made to fit their Model 243 turret press.
So, who, what, where, and when still remain to be answered. Nothing seems to be in print in the older catalogs, magazines, Gun Digest that mentions this measure. It only deepens the mysterious connection between Dunbar and Herter's in the early days.
Ken
152774152775
Who made the measure and where is still an unknown. I seriously doubt that Dunbar made it as they sold just a single model. Herter's sold it for years, even after they dropped their Model 9 H press. They also sold two models, the 39 and the 243 also pictured here. The same basic measure using a B&M type drop tube was also sold by Herter's as the Model 41.
It is the proliferation of Herter's variants that lead me to think that Dunbar bought theirs, as did Herter's from a third party source.
They are good measures, the powder chambers are smell in diameter but I have found them to be very accurate and repeatable. The base is held on with two #12 machine screws making it easily removed. The Dunbar base is designed to clamp to the front edge of a shelf. It is a well thought out design that appears to be a fore runner of some of today's more popular measures.
Herter's never offered this base. Preferring instead a massively over engineered casting that clamped to the front edge of the bench. The 243 pictured below was made to fit their Model 243 turret press.
So, who, what, where, and when still remain to be answered. Nothing seems to be in print in the older catalogs, magazines, Gun Digest that mentions this measure. It only deepens the mysterious connection between Dunbar and Herter's in the early days.
Ken
152774152775