Herter's press-Ebay

I just got a Herter's U3 Super press on ebay. Don't ask why! Price was very reasonable if converted to $/lb. Looks very stout but the unique design may not be as strong as it looks. As usual, I overlooked one important thing. This press does not take standard shell holders. I have an old Herter's catalog somewhere but most of my books and catalogs are packed away right now. A previous thread from about a year ago mentioned adapters. RCBS was mentioned as one source of an adapter. I will try to call tomorrow but I'm hoping someone on this board might have other suggestions. A search turned up one member that had plans for an adapter but since I'm not a machinist, that might not work. Any ideas would be appreciated.
John

RCBS offers the shellholder adapters..about $12.00. My Hollywood Senior and Dunbar required the same one.

Just so happens that I am in possesson 3 Herter's Shell holders.( I guess they are Herter's, they are in a Herter's box). I got them in a box of stuff I bought at an auction.

Herter’s Inc. Shellholders
#2 (30-30; 32 Win. Spl.; 25-35; 32-40; 38-55; 219 Zipper; 22 Sav.; 8.15 x 56; 7.5 mm Swiss)

#5 (222 Rem.; 222 Rem. Mag.; 380 Auto.; 221 Rem.; 223 Rem; 32 H&R Mag)

#23 (45 Long Colt; 38-40; 44-40; 9.3 x 74; .44)

Sorry about the picture I had to crop it down to get it to attach.. If you are interested make me an offer for I have no idea what they may be worth.

The old Herters presses work well, and if you upgrade with a different press, you can always use it for an anchor. A friend of mine who has been loading on one for over 30 years sees no use for anything better, and he is a p-dog shooter, and the proof in in the pudding as they say. His loads from that old press shoot as good or better than what I load on modern Lyman presses. Good luck!
1Shirt!:coffee:

Vega Machine and Tool also makes the adapter. I have a Herters M 81 and it is a stout press. The previous owner used it for 40 years for all his reloading and the press is still like new after loading 30,000 rounds. It will handle anything up to and including light swedging. You won't be dissapointed with it.

I have an old Herters but I am not certain which model it is. It is HUGE and HEAVY and looks like a quart oil can with about 1/3 of it cut away. It is a good quality press and has good alignment. I have one of those RCBS adapters and it works just fine except you can't prime on the press, which I don't do anyway.

Long story short, after buying the press on Ebay, the adapter on Ebay and selling the mess of Herters shell holders and primer arms that came with it, I had a total of $1.00 in the press and that included all the shipping. I have others presses, but this press could do just fine if it was the only one I owned. Not bad for a buck!

Measure the ram dia. Compare to other brands and their ram size's.
I read somewhere a few years ago they can be swapped from another press. Wish I'd kept that article. I've got an old Herter's C press I bought for $25 way back in 1958 when I was just getting started. Loaded many an '06 on it.

I wouldn't part with it, but, haven't used it in over 35yrs. I just might replace the ram now that I have a lathe, even if I have to make one from scratch now. Still have a few sets of Herter's dies that I use too. This one has the priming arm on it too. But, I use the Lee Auto Prime now.

Not too long ago someone on A/R listed sample's of their old Wasp Waist Bullets, he sent me two of them and an empty primer box. Month later someone listed 15,000 Herter's primers in fresh looking cartons for $8/1000 shipped. I got them all. So far, haven't had a misfire yet out of three hundred. I do think these were from the more recent times when Northern Hydraulic's sold things with Herter's name on it as these boxe's are like new.

Sure wish I still had one of their catalogs, they made some of the most entertaining reading a person could ever find. Lee's is pretty close! Both of them every single item they list is the best thing ever invented, even if they make ten model's of the same thing, each one is hyped up the same way. Must have to do with the area they came from or something. Lots of ******** IMO.

If you need the Herter's shell holders, then post in all of the gunboards that you are wanting to buy. You will likely get more than you could use for very low cost.

A few years ago, I was bemoaning the fact that I had ditched all of my old Herter's catalogs when I was in a "Cleaning Frenzy".

Low and behold, my wife came up with a pristine example of one of the later Herter's catalogs as a Christmas present to me. It is DEFINITELY worth a read now and again. Hilarious claims ("better than need be") etc. "Jacque was a modest fellow", etc...

I will say this, their "Wild Rice Pancake Mix" was so good I bought a case of it and used it up. On the other hand the syrup mix was pretty bad:mrgreen:

They had the best assortment of fly tying materials in the universe. Good prices, too!

My brother still has one of their reloading presses - hell for stout!

Dale53

in my years of scrounging ive got an old herters powder measure & stand , but never used it . any body have experience with one ? i use lee auto disc & lyman 55 measure on rifles.

Yeah, the Gun Control Act of 68 killed Herter's. I watched in sorrow as their catalogs got thinner and thinner until they disappeared altogether in the late 70s or early 80s. Too bad. They did have some good stuff for cheap.

I still have (somewhere) two of their primer pocket brushes, one for use, the other still in the original plastic bag with folded-over cardboard display label. I never could wear out the first one. I also have a screamin' LOAD of rifle and pistol slip-top plastic cartridge boxes. 30-06, 357 and 44 size. If I remember, they cost $.09 apiece for the rifle size and I've never had one fail on me. The only glitch was that there was always one row of five holes in the pistol boxes that was about .010 inch too small for the cartridges. When freshly reloaded they'd fit if you gently pushed them in, but after firing you had to push HARD toget them back into the box, then it was a real hassle getting the empties back out of that one row for reloading. But as I said, they were muy el-cheap-o.

Herter's: RIP :cry:

Regards,

Stew

Herters powder measure, yeah sure, got one on my Lyman turret press.

It works great for working up loads.

Jim

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...035cropped.jpg

great shot swagerman ! is that original paint on that all american? my measure is shorter &has no thimble . you turn a dial on the drum &the piston is contained inside. iwould post apic but its a pita with dial up.

No, the All American was broken down, masked with tape, and painted very carefully with the Allis Challmers orange, it was a dull flat red color before.

The Herter's is a model 40 PM, this model was made for the turret presses to stand above the dies below.

The dispensing handle has no knurled knob, its all one piece affair.

I've also at one time owned the Herter's auto-dialer powder measure, but sold it a few years back.

But have hung onto the model 40 because it works so well for me by standing so tall on the turret press.

Jim

swager man i agree with you a turret can beapain at times . ihave the swivel adaptor on the auto disc & when changing disc i remove return spring & slide unit up till disc will slip out. saves hoppers that way.

My Herters has a tip off system and a set of plastic powder bottles for quick change.

KCSO, have you got a picture of that tip-off bottle PM.

I've never seen one in the old 76 Herters catalog.

Geo. Herter, was an interesting inventive guy.

Jim