Craigslist Score?

[NavyVet1959]

Stumbled across an ad on Craigslist today for a box of old reloading equipment for $25. It looked a bit rusty, but I figured it was worth a gamble and I told the guy I would take as long as the press still moved / wasn't rusted/frozen up.

He was probably an hour away from where I was, so add maybe another $20 for gas.

Best I can tell, it looks like the following:

RCBS Rock Chucker Press
2 RCBS Powder tricklers
RCBS Powder Measure
RCBS 2-die set (probably for 6.5 Carcano) (CORRECTION: Turned out to be for .38 Special)
Printout of reloading notes for 6.5 Carcano
Various handheld primer pocket tools
Something that looks like a press mounted primer pocket swagging tool (CORRECTION: Turned out to be a CH4D bullet swage die with a bullet ejector)
Shotgun cleaning rod
Full set of Lee powder dippers


Here's some photos of most of the stuff with the dust wiped off of it and after a quick wipe down with mineral spirits on a paper towel to remove some of the rust.

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-01-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-02-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-03-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-04-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-05-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-06-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-07-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-08-320w.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-0-320w.jpg

All in all, I think I came out pretty good on this one.

The funny thing, I wasn't even *looking* for reloading equipment.

I'm wondering about those powder tricklers though... Are they supposed to have some sort of top that goes on them? Seems like an open top like that would be a bit too subject to getting knocked over and spilling.

Now, just need to get a bit of mineral spirits and some fine steel wool to clean it up a lot better.

Turns out that it was a guy's father's equipment who had recently died at 90 years old and he was just wanting to clean out all the old stuff since he had a better press himself. Maybe he didn't figure it would be easy to clean up or worth the time to do it so that he could get more money for it. Whatever the reason, I definitely did not haggle on the price... :)

[Grmps]

Great score. I don't think any of us could pass up on that deal.

"I'm wondering about those powder tricklers though... Are they supposed to have some sort of top that goes on them? Seems like an open top like that would be a bit too subject to getting knocked over and spilling."

I never leave powder in a trickler, use it and put it back.

[copdills]

great find man

[6bg6ga]

Great purchase!

[JimB..]

“Something that looks like a press mounted primer pocket swagging tool”

That’d be the thing mounted to the niversal decapping die? Let’s see more pics of that.

[William Yanda]

Navyvet
Did you learn to scrounge like that while you were in the service? Great deal.

[RogerDat]

Wow, you did good. Those being the older black Lee powder scoops you will need to dig up the conversion to CC list from off the internet. I seem to recall recent thread with table showing the black scoops were often in between the current yellow ones. Made a nice complementary set to cover more loads.

[bosterr]

I've had a RCBS trickler just like those since the late 60's and never knocked it over and spilled powder. Mine didn't come with a lid either.

[lightman]

Nice Score! I have that same trickler and it did not come with a cap.

[Rick Hodges]

Never saw lids on the powder tricklers....the black/red lee dippers work just fine....and, I thought thievery was against the law in Texas....:wink:

[NavyVet1959]

“Something that looks like a press mounted primer pocket swagging tool”

That’d be the thing mounted to the niversal decapping die? Let’s see more pics of that.

I've never had a primer pocket swagger to examine, so I'm just kind of guessing that is what it may be. Here's a cropped portion of the original photo with maybe more detail...

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-10.jpg

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-11.jpg

[JimB..]

Looks like a CH4D doodad. Don’t think it’s a primer pocket swager, but i’m Wrong a lot.

[NavyVet1959]

Looks like a CH4D doodad. Don’t think it’s a primer pocket swager, but i’m Wrong a lot.

Yeah, it does look like their logo, so I sent them an email to see if they can tell me anything about it. I looked on their webpage and was not able to find anything that looked like it. All the primer pocket swaggers that they have these days seem to be more bench mounted and not press mounted.

[NavyVet1959]

Well, I just finished disassembling what I thought was a primer pocket swagger and brushed it with a brass brush and mineral spirits. The die body says "38 357 SWAGE" on it.

[John Boy]

Looks like an old CH4D full length sizing die with decapper pin to me

[jaguarxk120]

It is a CH bullet swaging die for making swaged lead bullets. The tip everyone thinks is a primer punch is actually a
hollow point punch for making hollow point bullets.

In that group you have bought there may be what looks like a shell holder that has a ram on it. That piece is used to push the lead core and bullet jacket into the die.
It fits very tightly into the die body. Nice thing about this die is that you can re-swage soft points into hollow points.

[thegatman]

Very nice score. Powder tricklers do not have lids.

[NavyVet1959]

It is a CH bullet swaging die for making swaged lead bullets. The tip everyone thinks is a primer punch is actually a
hollow point punch for making hollow point bullets.

In that group you have bought there may be what looks like a shell holder that has a ram on it. That piece is used to push the lead core and bullet jacket into the die.
It fits very tightly into the die body. Nice thing about this die is that you can re-swage soft points into hollow points.

After I saw the "SWAGE" when I was cleaning it today, I wondered if the top lever was just for pushing the bullet out after reshaping a lead core, so I took one of the Lee 358-105-SWC bullets that I had sitting nearby and used it to see what would happen. It slightly changed the bullet profile and made a hollowpoint in the process. Here's what the result turned out looking like:

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-12-320w.jpg

I didn't put a lot of force on it, so it probably was just enough to make the hollowpoint and not fully swage the bullet into whatever shape the die was designed for. So, it kind of stayed with the SWC, but the nose expanded out a bit when the hollowpoint pin was pressed into it.

One thing that I noticed though is that the bullet was rather difficult to remove from the nose pin that made the hollowpoint. I lubed the bullet beforehand, but that didn't seem to help. To push the bullet into the die, I used the Lee bullet resizing die's base piece.

After I got the RCBS dies cleaned up, I could see the lettering that was stamped on them. Turns out they are not 6.5 Curacano, but rather .38 Special.

http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-14-320w.jpg http://images.spambob.net/navy-vet-1959/craigslist-rcbs-rc-score-15-320w.jpg

Those two small pieces look like a broken decapping pin and maybe some sort of end piece that is threaded to hold the decapping pin in some other die.

So, I ended up with a book with reloading data for a cartridge that I don't have a gun for and dies for a cartridge that I already have dies for. :)

I don't see the portion that you say looks like a shellholder with a ram on it.

[NavyVet1959]

Dave at CH4D responded to an email that I sent about the product and said that it was a "bullet swage die with a bullet ejector". He said that the bullet ejector was last made in the 1980s.

[EddieZoom]

Just when I think craigslist is a complete waste of time filled with overpriced junk....something like this happens ;-)

Nice find.

[metricmonkeywrench]

The steel .38 set is missing the expanding die which also did the decaping. The nut and pin you have in the box mounted to the nose of the expander. I have a set just like that. RCBS no longer supports that style expander, but they will send you a "kit" that will convert the sizing die to hold a modern decaping rod, and any standard modern expander will fit the expanding die. I elected to get a cowboy set expander for use with lead bullets.

[NavyVet1959]

I'm thinking that the next thing to test with the bullet swagging die would be to put a 0.358" round ball in it and see what I got out of it. That should allow me to see what bullet profile it was designed to produce.

[kmw1954]

You old Sea Dog you did good! I watch CL for the very same reason. Deals!

This past summer I picked up 2 old kitchen cabinet bases that were being thrown out. They turned into a new Bench.

[ascast]

nice catch ! which category was it listed? sporting? Evaporust from Tractor supply or HF will make short work of the hard cleaning

[NavyVet1959]

nice catch ! which category was it listed? sporting? Evaporust from Tractor supply or HF will make short work of the hard cleaning

I think it was "sporting". I've stumbled across a couple of good deals on CL over the years. Picked up a good deal on a Kimber M1911 at one time and I think my SIG P229 was listed there. I've also picked up some good prices on scrap lead a couple of times. My Lee Classic 4-hole Turret Press, RCBS Jr, and mini-lathe was also listed there.

[NavyVet1959]

RCBS plastic hopper for powder measure does not like brake cleaner... :( I had cleaned it up with kerosene and after wiping as much off with a paper towel as possible, figured a spray of brake cleaner would clean up the rest. That method seems to work pretty good on *metal* parts. Luckily, the hopper and lid were the only plastic parts...

Using a paper towel while it is melting is NOT a good idea... :( I then had pulp bonded to the dissolved plastic...

Very gummy mess...

Ended up waiting for it to dry / un-melt and then put it in the lathe to smooth it out with various improvised tools.

In the end, I was able to make it look not *too* bad and I'll continue using it. If I had totally screwed it up, I could have probably grabbed a piece of PVC pipe that was about the right diameter and put it on the lathe to get it to the right diameter and to put the lip in the bottom edge.

The powder measure was frozen up... Could not move it a bit... Put kerosene in hopper and around all the joints and had to tap on it with a hammer to get it to move even slightly. Tap one side, then the other... Repeat numerous time... Finally came loose... The adjustment screw was also frozen... Use a brass brush and steel wool with kerosene to remove the rust or whatever had frozen it up.

It works smoothly now... :)

[mold maker]

If you're concerned about knocking the tricklers over, fill the bottoms with shot and epoxy. The lower center of balance will solve the problem.

[NavyVet1959]

If you're concerned about knocking the tricklers over, fill the bottoms with shot and epoxy. The lower center of balance will solve the problem.

I was thinking of treating the bottom as an ingot mold and just pouring some molten lead into it. But it probably wouldn't stick, so I would probably end up having to glue the "ingot" back into the mold. :)

[Honcho]

Sailor, you did good! Wish I could come across some finds like that!
Thanks for your service, from another old Vet!

[azrednek]

I've made a few good scores on Craigslist, best being a Rockchucker press with metal tray, missing primer arm for 10 bucks. A few long hauls across town turned into a waste of time, the equipment was incomplete, missing parts or damaged.

[three50seven]

That's a nice bunch of goodies for sure! I scored a Rock Chucker and a Lyman tumbler for $50 once, sold the tumbler for $50 and now have a free RC that I do almost 100% of my reloading on :razz:

[azrednek]

The deals are out there but I gave up on it. Unless you can make contact and come to an agreed price before making a long drive. You're likely going to find the seller looked on net and wants to knock a few bucks off of the retail price believing they're giving you a bargain. Depending on your area, Backpage doesn't have any problems with guns, ammo or reloading tools and components being listed.

[hd09]

Had never heard of Backpage, Thanks. Craigslist is hit or miss but you were lucky and hit NavyVet. Power Ball is way up there $$$

[hd09]

Also forgot, bought a uniflow missing a hopper RCBS came thru. Did do the lead in the bottom of a trickler just used some caulk to keep it in. Ran a bead around it stuck it back in. good to go.

[M_59]

He SCORES!!! Great find on the reloading stuff. Craigslist can be frustrating even at it's best. They don't call them CL Flakes for nothing. While I have gotten some smokin' deals, there have been a couple of hour plus trips to pick something up only to have the flake not show or to have already sold it, even though I called and told him i was on my way.

[OS OK]

Navy good score...what are the chances of horsetrading or buying that black Lee dipper set you got there?

I sure like that swaging tool for HP's...with the correct Pb it oughta do a fine job (might have been hard to extract because of rust on the inside?) but, did it affect the OA diameter or does it do both at the same time?

That Gulf is hard on steel!