Ideal nutcraker tool & dies??

I have inherited a lot of vintage loading equipment. Pictures enclosed of some. These are a mixture of Ideal & Lyman. None of the dies are marked as to cal. , like 30-06, 257 Roberts, etc. Only numbers like 123, or 166, on the Ideal dies. . There are two or three that have a number stamp on the very top, like 257, or 308, 311.The older Ideal nutcracker handle is stamped with 30-06. Any help would be very much appreciated. Totally confused. I know the person who these came from did load for the 257 Roberts & 30-06, but other cals also. HELP!!Attachment 308022Attachment 308023

The older Ideal Handbooks and (IIRC) the first two Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks will have either a chart of the calibers and their associated numbers, or call out the numbers of the die attachments in the loading data for the calibers themselves.

Probably the ones with the diameters enumerated are the boolit sizing dies for the 310 tools. They should be accompanied by a long plunger rod to push the cast boolit through the sizer by squeezing on the handles.

The dies marked “123” are for the .30-06, and the “166” ones are the .257 Roberts. Way late in the Lyman production, some of the “newer” calibers were marked as such, ie, “222 Rem” where the number normally is. Other, older calibers may or may not have made this switch; I’ve seen both numbers and caliber designations on some dies.

Your benefactor certainly knew how to keep his tools. My 310 dies are typically wrapped in a Baggie, rubber-banded to the appropriate handles. By the way, the handles marked “.30-06” are the older malleable iron handles specially set up for the caliber. Look in the unhandled areas and you should see traces of the purple finish they originally had when new. The later aluminum-alloy handles had a screw-in adaptor, marked with the same number as the die set. Having die sets with these adaptors allowed one set of handles to work with all calibers.

Wow!! Thank you so much. Your help has been very much appreciated. Also have some older versions which are a complete loading tool in one. The loading die is affixed & part of the handle. A tool all in one. Like 38-40 & others. Thanks again.

You might get on the Antique Reloading tool Collectors' (ARTCA) web site and look on the section in the forum entitled "Ideal Tools." Lots of information about all the models of tong tools that Ideal and Lyman made.

Not aware of "ARTCA" but will check it out. Now I have all these 310 style dies, but will just put them aside. I have no desire to load with them. Much prefer to use my more modern dies where I can full length size. Thanks again , so much.

Dom,

Sorry for the loss of your friend or relative... he would probably have been a rich source of knowledge on reloading. The 310 tool gives you reloading at its most basic level. As friend Bent Ramrod has already related, it would appear that you have complete, separate sets for loading 30-06 and 250 Roberts, two of the popular rifle calibers of the Fifties and Sixties when those tools you have would have been made.

Normally a set would have either four or five dies for a set, but occasionally users would add a bullet sizing die, marked with the desired bullet diameter... such as your 308 or 257. That still doesn't account for the number of dies you have with each "set", so your benefactor may have had bullet seating dies for multiple bullet nose designs... this would have been shown by the number stamped on the top of the seating stem and would correspond to the bullet mould number.

I'm still not sure what the rest of the dies in each set might do... I have seen dies added to enable the loader to process an additional caliber or two cartridges with similar base sizes such as 30-06 and 270 or the 257 Roberts and 7 X 57 Mauser.

If you find there are still dies you can't identify, I put a Chart of the 310 Die Codes on the old CastPics site but it seems to have disappeared. I still have it in my computer files and would be glad to send it to you if you wish. Just drop me a PM with your email address. :coffeecom

Regards,
Froggie

PS A lot of precision reloading is done neck sizing only... especially when using the brass in the same rifle over and over. Don't reject those 310 dies out of hand just because they don't full length size! ;)

Additional thoughts: Those early tools with the fixed dies used a decapping "spud" to start the process. The user would insert the spud into the case with the decap pin down toward the primer. the case and spud would be inserted into the fixed die and the handles squeezed to decap and slightly neck size. Priming would be done in the second hole, then powder would be dumped in, a bullet started, then back to the first die to seat and crimp slightly. Notice the key item that got lost often from these tools was the decapping spud... and there was a separate one for each caliber, so the user had to keep up with one for each tool. :veryconfu

WOW. Thanks so much. You folks are great. Really don't know what I'm going to do with all this gear. Only posted pictures of some of it. Much older style loading nutcracker style tools that are one piece with the die attached. Also some old style bullet molds. Will take me some time to sort it all out. Even a bunch of flints for muzzle loaders. Also some old rim fire 32 cal shot cartridges. 50 to the box . Some other strange to me stuff.

We like strange! :D

Dom are you spread sheet savy ? I have the Lyman list rekeyed in spread sheet format, microsoft excell. I would be glad to send you a copy. You can read or print out a copy. I would guess you have seaters for cast and jacteted buillets. Also maybe different expanders. For example, maybe 308 and 311. we do like strange

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Originally Posted by ascast

Dom are you spread sheet savy ? I have the Lyman list rekeyed in spread sheet format, microsoft excell. I would be glad to send you a copy. You can read or print out a copy. I would guess you have seaters for cast and jacteted buillets. Also maybe different expanders. For example, maybe 308 and 311. we do like strange

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Sorry no, I am technology challenged. You think strange. I've got more strange to me loading tools yet to picture/post. Maybe today or tomorrow.

Here's more to consider. A 25-20 & 32-40 marked loading tool by Winchester. The other gizmo clamps to a bench. Maybe a shot shell tool of some kind to round out the mouth end .??Attachment 308125Attachment 308126Attachment 308127Attachment 308128Attachment 308129

The Winchester tools are popular with collectors (and probably still work if needed). The other tool is a roll crimping tool for shotgun shells IIRC. Used to put the old style roll crimp on after placing the over shot wad.