One of these years, Tri Standard.

[AFJ]

One of these years, when I get more spare time, there is a neglected Tri Standard reloading machine waiting in the garage for a little TLC. I can find very little information about them. Most of that was on here. Does anyone know of any other resources out there I have over looked.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p497/AFJ50/DSC05589_zpsghyzy0mc.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/AFJ50/media/DSC05589_zpsghyzy0mc.jpg.html)

[LUBEDUDE]

Major drooooool!

Congrats! :2_high5:

[ReloaderFred]

The one and only source for parts and knowledge on the LoadaMatic machines by Tri-Standard Manufacturing is Randy Gillespie, in Kingman, AZ. He doesn't do e-mail, so the best way to contact him is by phone. His home number is: (928) 692-0467, and his cell number is: (951) 536-4669.

His father bought the rights to the machines from Tri-Standard in the late 1950's and manufactured and marketed them until he shut it down in 1968, due to the Gun Control Act of 1968. It's a long story, but Randy has the machines and parts that his father left him.

He rebuilt my machine last year, but I'll warn you, he isn't cheap. When you're the only game in town, you can be a little independent..... Randy is getting up in years like some of the rest of us, so I wouldn't wait too long before contacting him.

Don't waste time trying to locate an owner's manual, because there never was one. His father required any buyer to spend 3 days with him to learn the machine, and he never wrote a manual, and neither did Tri-Standard when they made the early machines.

Hope this helps.

Fred

PS: With a little TLC, and copious amounts of cash, your machine can look like this:

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m606/ReloaderFred/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20001.jpg (http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/ReloaderFred/media/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20001.jpg.html)

[AFJ]

Thanks for the information. Fred, that is one great looking machine. With any luck, mine will look almost as good. I can't quite tell from your pic, does yours have a spring on the operating handle? The weight of the tool head on mine makes it fall about half way down.

[ReloaderFred]

Yes, there is a spring pulling the handle back up. There is an attachment point built into the handle just below the midpoint. I had a spring in stock that works perfectly, but I figure I'll have to replace it someday, since it's a rather long spring and gets stretched pretty far when the handle is lowered.

I see that your machine is missing the primer slide and return spring, as mine was when I bought it. That's something you'll have to get from Randy. It's made from tool steel, and the measurements are critical for proper primer seating, etc. The powder slide is also made from tool steel. I ruined two drill bits trying to get another .2 gr. of Bullseye to drop. I've polished the powder cavity about 10 times with Cratex in my Dremel tool, and brought it up from 3.2 gr. to 3.3 gr. That's some hard steel they used!

I'd also bet the primer punch is pretty dinged up. I had to have a replacement made by a machinist friend for mine.

There isn't any way to empty the powder out of the powder hopper on these machines, which is why they went with brass tubing. Mine was cracked and a friend brazed it, but it cracked again. I tried replacing it with polycarbonate tubing, but the Bullseye pretty much ate it up in about a week's time. I've got some other type of tubing on it now, and it seems to be holding up better until I can get the original brass tube repaired.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[ReloaderFred]

Here's a picture that shows a little better how the spring is mounted from the handle:

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m606/ReloaderFred/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20005.jpg (http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/ReloaderFred/media/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20005.jpg.html)

And here's a picture kind of showing the wooden frame I made, and the box for collecting the loaded rounds that fits under the machine:

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m606/ReloaderFred/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20003.jpg (http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/ReloaderFred/media/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20003.jpg.html)

The machines that were actually built by Tri-Standard had this label attached on the left side, as you look at the machine:

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m606/ReloaderFred/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20004.jpg (http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/ReloaderFred/media/Load%20a%20Matic%20Press%20004.jpg.html)

The serial number tells the year it was made and it's lineage. Mine was the 15th machine built.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[AFJ]

Fred, thanks again. It looks like my machine does have the primer slide but is missing the slide on the left front, which is sprung and I have no anchor point for its spring. It also appears I don't have a spring attachment built into the handle. It does have Tri Standard Mfg Co cast into the base, but there is no evidence of a tag riveted or screwed on. I wish it did, as I would like the info. Your pictures are great and give me a better idea of what this unique machine should look like.

[ReloaderFred]

The slide on the left front is the primer slide. It goes all the way to the back of the machine and has a round hole to carry the primer, plus an oblong cutout. It goes in that empty slot you have under the slide on the left side. The slide on the right front is there to hold the transfer bar in place against the cases as it moves them from left to right. Without it, the transfer bar would just slip over them and not move them from one station to the next.

The attachment point for the handle spring is simply a drilled and tapped hole with a machine screw in it for the end of the spring to attach to. The other end of the spring attaches near the base at the rear of the machine.

The label was stuck on with some kind of glue, which is probably why yours is missing. The base is a casting, and I would imagine they only used one mold, so they probably all say "Tri-Standard", but I don't know that for a fact.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[mactool]

I am in the excat same situation. I bought a loadmatic( tri standard) last year, and now i am trying to make it run.

[HyperionMunitions]

I actually have a converted 9mm one im selling if interested. Ignore the numbers i was having one of my guys load all the parts in solid works to be able to cnc replacement parts169497169498169499

[fast ronnie]

I got really distracted by that Road King in one of the pictures!!