DL-300 Refurb!

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thought I would start this thread as I have a DL-300 Shotshell Loader that I am working on.

These loaders come with the DL insignia and the Pacific or "P" on the front.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say they were actually made by Harley Bair? (Pressman????)

Anyway this loader was the first progressive that Bob Deitemeyer invented/produced.

As you can see from the pics this loader was USED by someone and I would suspect it has loaded THOUSANDS of shotshells in it life.

This is one of my favorite loaders and I even prefer it over it's grandson the Hornady 366!!!

[MarkP]

The story I always heard was that Harley Bair machined the castings and other components for Pacific when they were located in Lincoln NE. All of a sudden Bair loaders appeared and were identical to the Pacific loaders.

[Sam Casey]

Now that's a heavy duty shot shell reloader. Like to see it when you are finished.

[44Vaquero]

It will look like it's brand new when Seagiant finishes his work! Looking forward to seeing the finished product in operation.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks Mark, You are probably right, but I don't know how the work was split up!

Bob Dietemeyer was suppose to be a character, which a few of the people involved in different areas of the "arms industry" were!

Thanks 44, I am doing this one at work so don't have everything like my shop at home but hope to make it better than it was.

Will have to wait to make the powder/shot tubes and hardware later.

Will probably make another bronze powder/shot bar like my other also!

This will of course be made to take the Hornady powder bushings!

This loader came with a number "2" powder/shot bar.

The OEM bars came with fixed powder and shot cavities from what I can tell!

[seagiant]

Hi,
Found this Russian site with a LOT of refurbished Pacific/Bair Shotshell reloaders!

Be patiant and give the page time to load, a lot of pics!

http://guns.allzip.org/topic/329/1167325.html

[W.R.Buchanan]

Bronze is nice,,, I used Blue UHMW Plastic for mine on my DL266. I need to make another one soon for my .410 DL266 as the stock one leaks H110 everywhere. The plastic bar works so much better than the Cast Aluminum one it is criminal. Nice smooth feel moving in and out. :mrgreen:

I made a fixture plate to hold the bar while machining the angles on the sides. That's where the critical fit is, and if you get them right the rubber seals keep the powder in the hole and not all over the charge bar like the stock one does.

They sent me the production drawings and then I made my own just so I could be clear on what needed to happen. Much easier to make parts off a drawing than freehand. That way you can plan your sequence of events so you don't make mistakes.

Randy

[seagiant]

Hi Randy,
Been waiting on a Shot Show review from you!

On the charge bar you lost me with the "angles on the side"!

If there is a trick while machining the charge bar, that will help powder spillage, I'm all ears!

I used bronze because a buddy of mine gave me a 5' peice about 20 years ago!

Admittedly my bar does not leak but I'm using "fluffy" powder!

A pic learning to use my boring head!

[Skunk1]

Here is the Harley Bair version. The Polar Bear 600. When I get some new tubes it pretty much be new with a little wear where the hull gets sized. Have a few Bair and Pacific products and parts around. They were manufactured close and yes they all had a hand in each other's business at one time or another. Harley just passed a few years ago and my daughter has played softball a few times on a field named after his wife.


159131

(Sorry for the mess, trying to thin my hoard)

[seagiant]

Here is the Harley Bair version. The Polar Bear 600. When I get some new tubes it pretty much be new with a little wear where the hull gets sized. Have a few Bair and Pacific products and parts around. They were manufactured close and yes they all had a hand in each other's business at one time or another. Harley just passed a few years ago and my daughter has played softball a few times on a field named after his wife.


159131

(Sorry for the mess, trying to thin my hoard)
Hi,
Nice press, but not the same.

Yours has a primer feed and a swing out wad guide.

I think Bob Dietemeyer was a champion shotgun shooter and figured he could make a better loader...which he did.

As far as a businessman/boss, maybe not that good.

Heard he would come in to work after a "hard" night and fire everybody!

Then later in the day realize his mistake and hire everybody back!

Sounds like my kind of guy!

Heres a press like yours off that Russian site I linked to above!

Looks like they do good work!

Notice the custom made shovel handle!

[Skunk1]

The only difference I see between the Pacific and Bair are the bases and maybe wad guide. The 600 I have does not look like the above. First difference is the 600 sizes inside the guide rods for the plate assembly. I have seen that one before but the model/maker are not coming to me right now. Maybe an early version.

Once again excuse my mess but here is an early Bair. I thought was a Hornady prototype but a local gun shop owner turned one up and gave me the long story of Bair/Dietemeyer/Pacific story. He insisted its an early Bair. He's more knowledgeable than I.



159141

[Skunk1]

Looked at the site. This is closest to mine.
159142

[Skunk1]

Lol. After closer inspection it's a Bair 600. Sizes on the inside with the swing out wad guide.

The dl300 has no primer tube/assembly.

Polar Bair 600/Pacific 366 included the auto primer.

Along came hornady with bought them all and added the auto indexing she'll plate.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I like that early Bair, reminds me of the Pacific-266!

Here are some pics of my press clean up in progress.

Most of what was chromed, the chrome just flaked off when I went to remove the rust.

I guess they had to build these to a price point, but the early DL branded are what...55 years old or more???

For those interested to get the finish on the bright parts, I started with 100grit, then 220, then 320 and finally 0000 steel wool to get a matt type finish.

I guess to do this completely right you would rechrome everything then have the casting powder coated.

Actually IMO I think the loader is worth that, as it really is a tank and a pleasure to use!!!

[varmintpopper]

159171I Have a Bair 600, Haven't used it in years, Still have the operators manual and all the parts that go with it.

[Skunk1]

The Bairs are nice machines. I've had pacific and Bairs of all kinds. This is the only one mounted to my bench. Would like to find another some day but there getting harder to find, even on eBay.

[seagiant]

Hi,
You guys might of seen this before, this is my other DL-300.

It has the upgraded shot/powder tubes, with the 1/8" thick tube walls instead of the OEM 1/16" tubes.

You can also see the custom bronze charge bar, that has minimal clearance and runs smooth as silk!

I need to break this one down and re do it all the way.

The idiot that put it on Ebay put the bright work on a quickie wire brush wheel to make it look better to sale it.

No permanent damage, but that is not the way you do it!!!

Admittedly I'd rather use a DL-300 than even a brand new Hornady 366 (auto)!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Greg: The charge bar on a DL266 is tapered on both sides to fit the Powder/Shot assembly casting. There are two rubber washers that look like garden hose gaskets in counterbores in the underside of the casting that ride directly on top of the charge bar and seal it so that the powder doesn't leak out. With fine grained powders like H110 this can be a problem as it gets everywhere and jams up the works.

The bar needs to be .998-1.000 thick which is the length of the bushings. The depth of the slot the bar rides in is a little deeper than 1.000 and that's where the hose gaskets come in. They take up the slack. The gaskets push the whole bar assembly down into contact with the bottom of the assembly.

On my machines the charge bar is tapered on the sides. It looks like a trapezoid from the ends. The actual dimensions are,,, the base leg is 1.270 and the top leg is 1.200,,, sides are @2 degrees. (I bought a tapered end mill form MSC) Getting the thing to fit in the hole as tight as possible and still be able to move freely is where it is at. I made a fixture to hole the Bar while I milled the tapers on the sides. I did one side and then crept up on the width from the other side, and the fixture allowed me to remove the part from the mill to test it and then put it back in the same place.
It's just a piece of barstock that has a step milled on it. I chuck it in the vise and then clamp the plastic to it with clamps on either end. Simple, easy.

If you measure the groove where the bar fits, and make the bar a few thou smaller. It doesn't sound like your machines have a tapered cavity for the charge bar to sit in, so you'd just do the same thing with a rectangle and fit the bar to the groove.

I made mine out of that plastic because a buddy gave me the chunk. I had to fly to Denver to see him recently and I made sure I got another chunk from him for my other machine. This type of stuff always gets made from stuff laying around the shop.

Nice boring head!

Randy

[DonMountain]

Wow! What a job you guys are doing. I have a collection of Bair and Pacific shotshell presses including a DL-120, DL-150, DL-260 (Bair version) and a DL-350. It would be nice if I could restore them like your presses, but I bought them to use. As I prefer the non-automatic priming on all of the older presses. I loaded 150 12 gauge shells on that Bair DL-260 last night. The question I have is, the DL-120 I bought recently to have as a representative sample of each of the shotshell presses that Pacific shows in their 1964 catalog, was missing the powder/shot tubes and the blue colored tube caps. Does anybody know where I may purchase a set of these tube caps and the tubes? I know the other tubes off my more modern Hornady powder measures also take the same tubes, so I suppose I could buy one of the 24" long 366 tubes and cut it in half. But I am still missing the caps?

[Skunk1]

I have found some rigid tubing that is the right size on eBay I'm going to buy. It's 6' long so I'll have left over for future projects. I know I have a set of pacific caps but they are black not blue. That would probably be the easiest place to find. I need to find a primer tube for a 155 I have. Garage sale/flea market/auction time of year is coming around here, probably find a few more this year..




Wow! What a job you guys are doing. I have a collection of Bair and Pacific shotshell presses including a DL-120, DL-150, DL-260 (Bair version) and a DL-350. It would be nice if I could restore them like your presses, but I bought them to use. As I prefer the non-automatic priming on all of the older presses. I loaded 150 12 gauge shells on that Bair DL-260 last night. The question I have is, the DL-120 I bought recently to have as a representative sample of each of the shotshell presses that Pacific shows in their 1964 catalog, was missing the powder/shot tubes and the blue colored tube caps. Does anybody know where I may purchase a set of these tube caps and the tubes? I know the other tubes off my more modern Hornady powder measures also take the same tubes, so I suppose I could buy one of the 24" long 366 tubes and cut it in half. But I am still missing the caps?

[seagiant]

Hi Randy,
Thanks for the blueprint, I saved it as I have a 266 also and might want to make one out of the bronze I have for it!

I checked the bar slide opening on the DL-300 and it is a straight up 1.000" square bar.

I make it a hair bigger on the mill and then come to the exact fit, rubbing it on a piece of sandpaper keeping it flat of course!

Hi Don,
As you can see from my pic of my DL-300 I made collars or bushings so I could get the slightly bigger and thicker tubing to work, then made some caps to match, as Skunk says you have to buy a 6' piece to get a decent price, but usually you will need it for other projects or sale it here for guys wanting some!

I like the thicker stuff but have a lathe to make the conversion bits!

Here's a couple of pics with the bar and new wheel I made for it.

Used steel for the outside to run on the cam and bronze on the inside of wheel for the steel pin it rides on.

The DL-300 I'm working on now had a everyday machine bolt for a wheel pin and the wheel was gone and a piece of plastic tube to replace it???

Doubt that ran very smooth but things you run into rebuilding these presses!

[Ole Joe Clarke]

Here is a not very good photo of my Pacific DL266. Still have all the original parts and 20 gauge kit. Don't use it much any more, but it's not taking up any space. This is an old photo of the then new reloading bench.

Have a blessed day.

http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad123/olejoeclark/Reloading/20150518_151308_zpsvd0cchjw.jpg (http://s928.photobucket.com/user/olejoeclark/media/Reloading/20150518_151308_zpsvd0cchjw.jpg.html)

[W.R.Buchanan]

The DL266 is arguably the best Single Stage Reloading Press Ever made. Both of mine are a joy to operate. I use the 12 ga one primarily to load specialty loads like round ball and buckshot loads.

My .410 version doesn't have the primer feeder since the primers are larger than the punch used to seat them. Had a problem figuring this out and was trying to buy the parts to complete the machine but couldn't seem to find any anywhere including at Hornady. Then the light bulb went on[smilie=s: You have to dispense primers one at a time by hand,,, which is no big deal. It makes perfect crimps everytime as long as you line the crimp up with the External Splines on the Crimp Starter. Before I figured that little fine point out I had about 1 out of ten that would crush the crimp. I'm at 100% perfect now.

I also have a DL366 which is what I have loaded the majority of 12 ga trap loads on. However I recently got ahold of a Dillon SL900 which looks to be a Cadillac, with the all important feature of not dropping shot or powder if no hull is present. I will probably set it up to load the new AA hulls I have and keep the 366 set up for old style AA's. Last ones to go will be the 266's.

Randy

[DonMountain]

I have found some rigid tubing that is the right size on eBay I'm going to buy. It's 6' long so I'll have left over for future projects. I know I have a set of pacific caps but they are black not blue. That would probably be the easiest place to find. I need to find a primer tube for a 155 I have. Garage sale/flea market/auction time of year is coming around here, probably find a few more this year..

I looked at my three Bair/Pacific reloaders and you are right. My DL-260 also has black caps on it as do my Hornady powder measures I bought maybe 25 years ago. I'll check with Hornady and see if they sell them. And I'll look at eBay for some tubes. Do you have an address for that sale? Maybe you could PM it to me?

[seagiant]

The DL266 is arguably the best Single Stage Reloading Press Ever made. Both of mine are a joy to operate. I use the 12 ga one primarily to load specialty loads like round ball and buckshot loads.

My .410 version doesn't have the primer feeder since the primers are larger than the punch used to seat them. Had a problem figuring this out and was trying to buy the parts to complete the machine but couldn't seem to find any anywhere including at Hornady. Then the light bulb went on[smilie=s: You have to dispense primers one at a time by hand,,, which is no big deal. It makes perfect crimps everytime as long as you line the crimp up with the External Splines on the Crimp Starter. Before I figured that little fine point out I had about 1 out of ten that would crush the crimp. I'm at 100% perfect now.

I also have a DL366 which is what I have loaded the majority of 12 ga trap loads on. However I recently got ahold of a Dillon SL900 which looks to be a Cadillac, with the all important feature of not dropping shot or powder if no hull is present. I will probably set it up to load the new AA hulls I have and keep the 366 set up for old style AA's. Last ones to go will be the 266's.

Randy


Hi,
Hmmmm.....And the Spolar Gold?????

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-hxkkZsEJU

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I have a list of factory part numbers if that would help. Let me know and I will scan and post it.

[seagiant]

I have a list of factory part numbers if that would help. Let me know and I will scan and post it.

Hi,
Hec yea, any contribution/info to the thread is welcome!!!

[MarkP]

Here is a not very good photo of my Pacific DL266. Still have all the original parts and 20 gauge kit. Don't use it much any more, but it's not taking up any space. This is an old photo of the then new reloading bench.

Have a blessed day.

http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad123/olejoeclark/Reloading/20150518_151308_zpsvd0cchjw.jpg (http://s928.photobucket.com/user/olejoeclark/media/Reloading/20150518_151308_zpsvd0cchjw.jpg.html)

Nice Gerstner!

[Ole Joe Clarke]

Thanks, I bought it new in 1965. Attached photos are from my 1976 "Pacific reloading tools '76" pgs. 34 and 35.

http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad123/olejoeclark/Reloading/Re252_zpsthfbpbda.jpg (http://s928.photobucket.com/user/olejoeclark/media/Reloading/Re252_zpsthfbpbda.jpg.html)

http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad123/olejoeclark/Reloading/Re253_zps4oh1vyl2.jpg (http://s928.photobucket.com/user/olejoeclark/media/Reloading/Re253_zps4oh1vyl2.jpg.html)

[seagiant]

Hi,
Ok, got a package in the mail today.

It was my new springs that ride on the support stanchions and cushion the shell plate platen.

The old ones were shot!

As I said before this loader has been used VERY hard and made somebody a BUNCH of shells!

The dia. of the wire is a little less than the originals so I will increase the length a little (when I cut to length)and try that.

The ID of the coil is perfect though and is a nice slip fit with the stanchion!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Greg: Spolar Gold? Yeah I have not been super impressed with that one. I set it up and ran 100 with it. It is basically a PW made with billet parts. The biggest problem I have with the machine is it must be left cocked all the time. If you clear it, there is about 20 steps to get it up and running again. If you leave it cocked and someone pulls the handle, it dumps shot and powder everywhere.

I generally want to clear a machine when done loading for the day and empty the powder out so it doesn't stain the hopper. Big PITA with these. They are meant to be left setup for guys who shoot a zillion rounds a week.

I might start shooting Shotguns more as a new guy who I really like took over the Trap Shoot at my club. It had gotten a little too political for my taste.

Randy

[seagiant]

Hi Randy,
Wow! That's interesting! Your thoughts on the Spolar Gold I mean.

It's a quality bit of kit, as my friend from England says, but then I sold it ,right?

It's hard to put your finger on sometimes, but when I get on this forum and say I enjoy using a $100 used DL, Pacific,or Texan progressive more than a $1500 Spolar Gold, I'm not lying!!!

Your assessment of the Dillon Loader was right along with what others have said,basically all good, but admittedly when I first saw it, I thought it looked like something Mike Dillon just threw together to get into the Shotshell game?

Guess I was wrong!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLfeduj8gMc

[seagiant]

Hi,
To add to this thread, here is a nice little loader (Bair) that I redid.

As you can see I made the conversion collars to take the thicker shot/powder tubes.

This was a loader that Bair and Pacific made on the way to the 266!

The only down side to this loader and something that the later 266 took care of, was that the shell loading sequence was all over the loader.

Meaning, one operation in the middle,then left,then right....somewhat confusing???

With the later Pacific 266 you started on the left and then moved to the right in an orderly sequence!

When you got all the way to the right (facing) you had a loaded hull!

A lot less "busy"!

[Skunk1]

Nice reloader. Doesn't that start in middle left, work to right and Finnish outside left? Regardless nice press.


Hi,
To add to this thread, here is a nice little loader (Bair) that I redid.

As you can see I made the conversion collars to take the thicker shot/powder tubes.

This was a loader that Bair and Pacific made on the way to the 266!

The only down side to this loader and something that the later 266 took care of, was that the shell loading sequence was all over the loader.

Meaning, one operation in the middle,then left,then right....somewhat confusing???

With the later Pacific 266 you started on the left and then moved to the right in an orderly sequence!

When you got all the way to the right (facing) you had a loaded hull!

A lot less "busy"!

[seagiant]

Hi,
Yea, it's all over the place,but admittedly, makes an excellent shell!

On the 266 that came after it, they made the body bigger and wider (more hand room to move the hull in)

The Pacific 266 is considered by some to be the best "single stage" loader ever made!

When you try to buy one don't be surprised if you have to pay a little money because owners are pretty proud of them!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu_lbfZl3kQ

Here's my Russians using the 250!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmF4fWtNB1k

[Ole Joe Clarke]

My Hornady/Pacific DL 266, dusty, but still in good shape. I've loaded a ton of shot shells on it.

http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad123/olejoeclark/Reloading/20160130_084156-1_zps39puawbc.jpg (http://s928.photobucket.com/user/olejoeclark/media/Reloading/20160130_084156-1_zps39puawbc.jpg.html)

http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad123/olejoeclark/Reloading/20160130_084254_zpsg99zehzk.jpg (http://s928.photobucket.com/user/olejoeclark/media/Reloading/20160130_084254_zpsg99zehzk.jpg.html)

Leon

[W.R.Buchanan]

On the DL266,,, If you are right handed it is easiest to mount the handle on the left and run it with your Left Hand. That way you are using your right hand to move the hull from station to station.

Where this benefits you the most is on the first station where the left guide rod is right next to the die. If you use your left hand to place the hull you get lube off the guide rod all over your hand! This becomes annoying quickly!

I run both of mine with the handle on the left. Obviously Joe Clark figured this out as well.

As far as the Spolar goes it is definitely the best machine out there, from the purely "Method of Construction" standpoint. Once you are up and running it will load @1200 rounds per hour. (if you can keep it filled with materials and your arm doesn't wear out.) However it is nothing more than a billet PW 800 with some frills. Great machine for the guy who loads a thousand rounds a week or month. My main beef is with the complicated start up and shut down procedure. I have several friends who have them and several others that even have the Hydraulic actuator setup.

The Dillon has none of these problems. I got mine for $500 and it even has the hull feeder. It was so dirty when I got it, that I had to spend almost 15 seconds blowing it off! [smilie=w:

By contrast the DL366 which is arguably one of the most popular machines out there next to MEC's, is simple to start up and shut down. It does have the problem of dumping shot and powder if you pull the handle with no hull present. My only beef with that machine is if the primer doesn't drop (which happens) powder runs out the primer hole and clogs things up. You definitely need an air hose present to keep a 366 running smooth. Everybody mounts their 366's on boards with little fences around the machine to capture the shot when you drop it everywhere.

The DL266 and 366 also share many parts. The entire Base Plate is common to both as are the primer tube and magazine, and dies. The 366 has a different platen and top plate and primer drop tube.

I was told that the reason the quit making the 266 is because some fool dropped the moulds for the platen and top plate of the 266 and broke them and Hornady didn't want to spend money on replacing them.

I told them they were fools for doing this as any time you have multiple products that use the same parts you get a 2 for the price of 1 type of situation.

I personally think the reasoning was more about having not only the best single stage loader,,,, but also the most expensive. Trying to compete with MEC is no small task and I don't think they saw that as a winner. Instead they came out with a simpler machine which is cheaper to produce, and can compete ,,, but really can't!

The problem with that think is that MEC is the Lee of the shotgun world. There are literally zillions of those machines out there, and trying to compete with them is going to be fruitless. They already won the race years ago.

However there is a market for a single stage press of superior design made in limited quantities. They already had that but decided to let it go. Luckily I got mine!

I paid $50 for my 12ga machine which was brand new never used because it was missing the charge bar. I had to pay $250 for my .410 DL266 as they are scarce. Got both off www.trapshooters.com (http://www.trapshooters.com). Best place to get shotgun related anything.

Randy

[M-Tecs]

Lots of love for the DL-266's. It's hard to find any at a reasonable price. I purchased on new in the early 70's. Like I fool I sold it in the mid 90's since I was only doing volume for trap/skeet. Recently I started doing some specialty loads. I purchased one from a member here at a reasonable price. I have been looking for a second one for 28 gauge. I have the dies I just need on to turn up at a reasonable price.

[W.R.Buchanan]

M-Tecs: try www.trapshooters.com (http://www.trapshooters.com) They show up frequently. 12ga versions are by for the cheapest. You scored big on the 28 ga. dies! Probably from a 366?

Randy

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well here is what I came up with!

This loader was a bear to clean up!

Rust inside and outside everywhere.

A lot more to do but this is about all I can do here where I am at.

Will have to get in my little shop on the lathe to finish it up.

The hard part is done though!

Just for general knowledge, every bolt nut ect. was polished to 320 grit and then finished with steel wool.

The round stuff was chucked in a lathe abd the flats (even on the bolt heads) was hand sanded on a flat surface.

A lot of work but what has to be done so it looks right!

[W.R.Buchanan]

That came out nice!

Randy

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Looking good, keep up the work!

[Ole Joe Clarke]

Seagiant, that D/L is beautiful.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks fellas, I see most people just paint the base and leave the lettering bot I wanted the fact that this was a DL, instead of a Pacific to stand out!

I took some more pics outside as the lighting in the first pics washed out the color a bit!

These loaders (DL-300) are so bulletproof tough, I would buy another, if I could find it at a decent price!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Greg: is that paint a Hammertone color? It kind of looks like it is in the light. The other pics definitely didn't do it justice.

Randy

[seagiant]

Greg: is that paint a Hammertone color? It kind of looks like it is in the light. The other pics definitely didn't do it justice.

Randy

Hi,
No Randy, it's just a "Industrial" branded Rustoleom I have here on the ship!

This loader was REALLY messed up, the worst I've ever dealt with and someone got their money out of it!

I'm going to guess a Trap or Skeet shooter in the 60's that slept under the Club House!!!

I need to still make a P/S bar along with a new pin and wheel, and the the parts for the P/S tubes.

As an observation I've never had a Shotshell Loader with this much use and neglect but even with all that I see no reason after the work on this that it can not go for 50 years more!!!

[DonMountain]

Hi,
Thanks fellas, I see most people just paint the base and leave the lettering bot I wanted the fact that this was a DL, instead of a Pacific to stand out!

I took some more pics outside as the lighting in the first pics washed out the color a bit!

These loaders (DL-300) are so bulletproof tough, I would buy another, if I could find it at a decent price!

What happen to the sizing die normally found on the left side outside of the turntable? I have a DL-350 that was the next advancement of the DL-300 and have been doing the initial resizing on another press so the shells don't remove the existing paint under that die. But I have thought about placing some thin plastic of some sort in that area to avoid loosing this original paint. When I bought the press a few years ago it didn't look like it had ever been used. Your thoughts would be appreciated about how to protect this paint under the sizing die.

[seagiant]

Hi Don,
That Pacific 350 is a nice loader!

I like the DL/Pacific-300, a little more because of the thick shellplate!

I don't have the resize die on this 300 because someone took it off before I obtained it!

I will try to get another or make a cap on the lathe to fill the hole.

I use a Lachmiller shell reconditioner and do not use the resizer anyway?

As far as how to fix your problem I think I have an answer even though I can not take credit.

I saw this on the Russian site and thought it was pretty neat and will use it on my other 300, when I refurb/paint it!!!


http://guns.allzip.org/topic/329/1167325.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FwSOfpEvY4

[DonMountain]

Hi Don,

I use a Lachmiller shell reconditioner and do not use the resizer anyway?

As far as how to fix your problem I think I have an answer even though I can not take credit.

I saw this on the Russian site and thought it was pretty neat and will use it on my other 300, when I refurb/paint it!!!


http://guns.allzip.org/topic/329/1167325.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FwSOfpEvY4

Looks like a nice brass insert there. I do have a mini-lathe that I could produce one on. But I like your other idea of just resizing the hulls on my single stage DL-150 that is well worn already and not bother with the resizing die on my DL-350. Although that makes me use two presses all the time rather than just putting them all through the one press like they are supposed to be. I assume for the brass insert the primer hole through the center would also have to be opened up through the press lower bar for clearance in installation. I would have to think hard about modifying the original design before I did that on a little used, almost brand new looking machine.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I'll be honest I had people tell me how much better it was to resize and punch out the old primer in a seperate operation.

I really didn't think it was that great an idea, until I took a chance and bought a Lachmiller model and tried it!

I won't reload any other way now and it also makes the reloading run a lot smoother and easier on a progressive press!!!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Greg: the added Monkey Motion of moving the sized hull to the carousel and then placing another under the sizer was way too much for me. Too many steps makes for mistakes.

I started sizing and depriming on my DL266 and then running the open hulls thru the 366 to prime and load them. That way all you are doing for each pull of the handle is placing a new hull in the carousel and a wad in the Wad Guide.

This continued until I got the Lachmiller tool and it is slightly faster than the single stage press so I use it now instead.

I do this same process of breaking down cartridges IE; size/deprime then clean, as a separate operation on my Rifle Brass as well.

Then you are starting the actual loading process with clean prepped brass. It just makes more sense to do it that way and my ammo turns out consistently way above average.

With your DL300 I see no reason at all the use that left station. In fact I'd remove the die and punch just so I wasn't tempted to do it.

Much easier to just drop in a primer and hull and wad and pull the handle.

Randy

[seagiant]

Hi Randy,
Yes I have to agree, not having to deal with a hull "outside" of the carriage to resize it makes everything run smoother!

Never thought about removing the resize die completely?

Maybe that is what happened to the missing die on this DL-300 I have here???

[DonMountain]

Greg: the added Monkey Motion of moving the sized hull to the carousel. . .

I started sizing and depriming on my DL266 and then running the open hulls thru the 366 to prime and load them.

This continued until I got the Lachmiller tool and it is slightly faster than the single stage press so I use it now instead.

Much easier to just drop in a primer and hull and wad and pull the handle.

Randy

I almost bought one of those Lachmiller tools from eBay awhile back for the same reason. But decided not to spend the money. I should have bought it I guess to ease the resizing on all my old DL/Bair presses. Its too bad that resizing die (about 1" in diameter) won't screw into the head of my RCBS AmmoMaster press. I think it takes 1.25" or 1.125" diameter dies and I would probably need a custom turned bushing to make it work.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well....There are plenty of Lachmillers if you look for one.

Just try to make sure the one you buy is complete and ready to go.

Mine LOOKS like the devil but works fantastic!

Need to redo it like Randy did his!

[DonMountain]

Hi,
Well....There are plenty of Lachmillers if you look for one.

Just try to make sure the one you buy is complete and ready to go.

Mine LOOKS like the devil but works fantastic!

Need to redo it like Randy did his!

So, where do you find all of these Lachmiller resizers? I have seen a couple on eBay in years past. But now it seems like everything on eBay brings a premium price if it is associated with reloading in any way.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I bought mine on e-bay!

You might ask in the want to buy.

Ask over at Shotgun World, just have to get the word out!

I put a "looking for" in my signature line here on Cast Boolits, has got me a few things at a fair price!

Remember RCBS also made a copy of the Lachmiller!

[r1kk1]

Wow seagiant you do good work no matter what the governor says!

WOW!!!!

r1kk1

[seagiant]

Hi r1kk1.
This one was a BEAR!!! Thanks!

[W.R.Buchanan]

I think I got my Lachmiller tool off Ebay or maybe www.trapshooters.com (http://www.trapshooters.com) RCBS has many of the parts for these tools as their rendition of the tool was essentially the same as the Lachmiller. RCBS bought a lot of Lachmiller's stuff when he retired.

My tool wouldn't eject the hulls after they were sized. I talked to a guy at RCBS who was familiar with the tool and he suggested a new ejector spring,,, Which fixed the problem. I had also broken my collet and they had some of those as well. I still need to make a funnel for the base plate so the collet has something to hit in order to release the hull from the collet.

When you finally get the hang of these tools you can break down 100 hulls in about 5 minutes. That's where they come into their own little niche. I can get close to that using my 266's sizer and de-primer, by the Lachmiller is faster in the end.

In any event preprocessing your brass or hulls is definitely where it is at. You make better ammo and have more fun doing it.

Here's a before and after pics of mine and one close up. The paint came out very nice on this project.

Randy

[seagiant]

Hi,
Randy I can't help but wonder what you would charge someone to refurb or rebuild a reloading tool like the Lachmiller Conditioner or the DL-300???

I know I've got hours and hours on that 300!

Don't get me wrong I enjoy it, and have much more to do on it, hours more on the lathe with the P/S adapters and caps and a new P/S bar including new pin and wheel!!!

I mean some things just can't be bought I guess???

[W.R.Buchanan]

Greg: all of the work I have done here has been for ME! If someone wants to have me redo their machines then I'd have to charge an appropriate amount commensurate with the amount of work and materials needed to accomplish the finished project.

IE: Time and Materials. I currently bid Navy work at $125 per hour. However refurbishing toys is done at a slightly lower rate. But it is pointless to spend more on refurbishing a tool, if it costs more to do than buying a new one.

If you can't buy a new one then how much is it worth to you to have the refurbished one you can't get anywhere else? This is an individual decision.

This is why I have put up so many of my techniques for refinishing on this site. If a guy wants to do it he will find that most of the things that need to be done are not that hard and don't require much more than any handyman has access to in his garage.

In those cases his time is his to assign value to. If he can't do any of those things and still wants to have his thing redone then professional shop rates apply.

If you watch American Restoration on the Discovery Channel you'll see that Rick charges some big money for a lot of his projects. I saw a Commercial Meat Slicer in a Caesar's Palace gift shop he had done and they wanted $20K for it. It was probably around $800-1000 new. It was painted red and with the re-chromed and Nickled parts it looked absolutely bitchin'! You can't buy a new one like that, because you can't buy a new one at all.

This is what professional restoration is worth. Those techniques I talk about were learned basically by Trial and Error.

You wouldn't believe the bills for some of the restored cars out there. They are literally hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Once again it becomes a matter of,,, "Speed Costs Money,,, How fast do you want to go?"

You do this as a hobby and essentially it is a Labor of Love. Not a bad idea to keep it that way.

Randy

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well I knew you would have some thoughts on it, and I value you're opinion, not only for the work that you do, but that you work for yourself!!!

I can not imagine going into a shop and making a living by what I make!

This is all hobby to me, even though I probably paid for my shop, when I was forging hunting/fighting knives, for my fellow workers (deer hunters!)

Another hobby is 70's Stereo, and for that I have to pay an excellent Tech that works out of his house, REAL money to fix my items, as I refuse to start another hobby! (Stereo Repair-no time, no space!)

As far as things like the DL-300 I can do that myself and enjoy it and when I'm done have something I would have to wait a LONG time to find here, or on E-Bay!!!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Hi,

As far as things like the DL-300 I can do that myself and enjoy it and when I'm done have something I would have to wait a LONG time to find here, or on E-Bay!!!

Greg; that's the whole point. In my case the fact that I chose to build and entire Jeep from scratch, because I couldn't find what I wanted elsewhere, is just a larger version of a project like restoring a loading press.

We all make things just as complicated as we see fit to keep us interested.

Randy