new life for a Redding 25 Turret press

[Valley Forge]

I've been using a single stage Rockchucker for a hair over 30 years now and then added a Dillon XL650 progressive about 4 years ago.A few weeks ago a buddy of mine brought over his new Redding T7 turret press and I just loved it but I couldn't distract him long enough to steal it. But that reminded me of another friend who had once offered to give me an old Redding he didn't use. Seems he thought he'd take up reloading decades ago and then changed his mind leaving the press and a set of dies to age like cheese. Well, I called him up and reminded him of his kind offer and he said he just happened to be cleaning his garage so he'd gather whatever he had and I should come on over and pick it up. You can see the by the photos it didn't look so good but I forged ahead to see what I could do with it. A brochure in the box it was in announced powders available for 1967-1968 and though he couldn't remember when he got, it I think it's probably older than my old 'chucker. The .38 dies dies that you see were stuck in the turret and the locking rings stuck to the dies but I managed to clean it up with a solution called Evaporust, a wire wheel, some hoppes , bronze brushes, chore-boy, break-free and elbow grease. The turret threads are still pretty chewed up but the dies hold tight and can also be unscrewed now. So after I got it all cleaned up, lubed and reassembled the good news/bad news was that the turret spun smoothly all the way around.....but without indexing. It seems the indexing ball bearing was frozen in the cast frame below the surface with no way to extract it for repair. I mulled on that overnight and had an epiphany the next day. My solution was to heat the frame with a heat gun (not wanting to use an open flame) hoping to expand the casting enough to get some solvent to leach around and behind the very tight fitting ball. Then hopefully the presumed spring underneath it might be able to push it out. It took about 45 minutes of coaxing and cursing before it eventually came out. It turns out the ball is really a polished pin with a hemispherical end on top. So, the press now works, I'm a happy camper and I thought I'd post some photos in case anybody else was interested. Truth be told, I would be happier if the press magically morphed into a T7 Turret overnight but for now, it'll do.

[No_1]

Good work on the press. I am sure it will last you for years to come.

Robert

[Firebricker]

Look's like it cleaned up nice. FB

[Pressman]

It looks nice. I find it interesting that older Redding equipment is seldom seen offered for sale. Scales yes, but presses almost never.
You have a real treasure there along with a bit of history in the old powder cans. They make an interesting dispaly in the man cave.

Ken

[Rockhopper]

Thats a good article, I too have just inherited a Redding 25 press.

Do Redding still support this model, can you get hold of the primer widget for this press?
Can you use non Redding dies in it such as lee or RCBS?

Sorry if these are dumb questions.

Regards RH

[John Guedry]

You got a good one there,nice restoration job too.

[Valley Forge]

Hi guys, thanks for the comments. My wife smiled and said "nice job" but it's nice hearing it from folks who really understand.
Hey Rockhopper, you're a step ahead of me. I used all my spare time cleaning it up and haven't been able to use it or research part availability. You also touched on the one thing I haven't sorted out yet and that is the primer seating gizmo which is now straight and usable but can't be changed out as the retaining screw won't let go. I'm gonna work on that soon and am hoping that Redding may have the large primer part available for it or chances are that an RCBS piece will fit and I do have a spare one of those, just no time. As far as dies, they are standard threads and although buggered up from the corrosion there is sufficient thread that my RCBS dies fit just fine.
Is anybody able to tell me what the slotted fittings on the turret casting are for? They look like a powder measure or some kind of accessory should attach there.

[Valley Forge]

Hey, where are my manners? Rockhopper, welcome aboard! I'm no longer the newest guy here. Perhaps like me you had no idea that so many others enjoyed casting boolits until coming across this group, well we are no longer orphans and our family is international and while I don't post much I have had a great experience here and I wish you the same. I have interacted with some pretty great people including Mihec, Wiljen, Dale53, the Perfessor and others and I've even had the opportunity to look beyond some of my own current concerns and "circle the wagons" with these folks when somebody here needed a little help and some community. Thinking about questions, there is obviously a lot of knowledge and experience out here (and one or two opinions) and if we search the board oftentimes a thread exists that touches on or answers many common questions. That being said, I have seen posters apologize for a "dumb question" and I've realized "geez I don't think that's so dumb..I never even thought of it!" so don't deprive the rest of us of a good question or the chance to compare notes. Final thought, I had a business trip that took me to Las Vegas this week and because of one of his posts I got to enjoy a new (to me) gun show and meet one of the brethren face-to-face. So a big thanks from me to Mike in Co. for the post and the chat at the show and again, welcome Rockhopper.

[Ickisrulz]

The slotted fittings are for a primer feeder. I bought a new Redding #25 somewhere in 2000 I guess right before the switched to the T7. It's a nice press.

[Dale53]

If you cannot get the primer parts or if you can't make them work, for any reason, a Lee Auto Prime, will nicely handle the priming chores.

Just a thought...

Dale53

[Wayne Smith]

Thats a good article, I too have just inherited a Redding 25 press.

Can you use non Redding dies in it such as lee or RCBS?

Sorry if these are dumb questions.

Regards RH

No dumb questions here. Yes, you should be able to use all but the Lyman 310 dies in that press. I've been reading Sharpe's books on reloading that were written in '37 and in '49 and I don't see interchamgable dies there. I'm wondering when they became standard.

I just read a little more and he mentions them in the '49 "suppliment" - NRA published it as a separate volume, probably was originally, too.

[skeet1]

Valley Forge,

I think the slots in the turret are for a primer tube setup to load your priming arm.

Skeet1

[Rockhopper]

Hi,

Thanks Valley Forge and Wayne Smith for the warm welcome, thanks for the info too.
I'll keep an eye on the site for sure, its a wealth of knowledge.

Regards from the UK


RH

[Pressman]

" I've been reading Sharpe's books on reloading that were written in '37 and in '49 and I don't see interchamgable dies there. I'm wondering when they became standard."



The 7/8-14 tpi die we consider standard was invented, and patented, by Pacific for their 1930 loading tool. That is the first C press nd first "real" relaoding press.
More than 10,000 units had been sol by the start of WWII. So it was popular and copied by everyone after the war when the patent expired.
the superior design of the dies was widly recgonized before the war and used on a number of presses. Probably the most famous of those uses was on the big Universal press of 1935.
Ken

[Wayne Smith]

Thanks, Pressman. That expains Sharpe's references to the Universal press. I initially thought he was referring to universal use dies, but no, it was the name of a company making a press or of the press itself.

[Kevin Rohrer]

Pressman is (I believe) talking about the Universal A and B presses, which were later bought by Hollywood.

Universal A (not mine):
57028

Universal B (mine):
57030

[LUBEDUDE]

The presses above are Hollywoods.

The model A is a direct offshoot with some mods of the original UNIVERSAL Press which is what Pressman is referring to. The model B is modified further.

original Universal Press ,pre 1940 (not mine, Pressmans?)

[JerryH]

Very nice job on the Model 25. I have been reloading on one of these excellent presses for a long time - I think I bought it in '67 or '68. It has never given a lick of trouble in all those years and thousands of reloaded rounds. The primer arm spring broke yesterday and I have replaced it with a rubberband until I get around to making another. Redding tells me almost no replacements parts are available, but that's okay, we can still make most anything, huh? 95604

[LUBEDUDE]

Nice old press Jerry!

And Welcome aboard.

[Jim Kitchen]

Great job on reviving the Redding. It looks like it has a real home on your bench. Well done!

[seagiant]

Hi,
Jeez! Don't you love finding old presses like that! Nice job on bringing it back to life!

Lube,Kevin, thanks for the press porn! I love those "wasp waisted" girls!

[Mike Kerr]

Hi ValleyForge,

Nice job on the cleanup of the Model 25. I'm very impressed as I always am by one of the Redding Turret Press models. Visually they just look like they are workhorses. I'll bet you get a lot of enjoyment out of the press.

[Mike Kerr]

ValleyForge,

I forgot to pass along a congratulations for getting that Press/Turret/Dies rusted mess unstuck without the use of a sledgehammer. I have suffered through a couple of Rust removal projects on turrets/dies etc, and not all of them had a happy ending. I'm glad your project came out so well.