Help! Can Tru Line Jr 310 die be bent?

I have a straight arm Lyman Tru Line Jr I use to load 38 Special. The history is that the press was used to load for rounds for my wife's snubby and I loaded 100's. We stopped using the gun about 3 years ago. I recently bought a 38 Special with a longer barrel, so, I'll be loading 38 Special again. The press reciently rolled off the bench. Broke the decapping adjusting rod, but no further visible damage. Lyman still sells the threaded rod, so, I replaced the broken one.

Now about the press; When I lift the case using the proper shell holder (#1) toward the decapping die I noticed the 38 Special case is slightly off center and to get it into the die I have to angle it just a little. If I manually rotate the turret just slightly (roughly 1/16 to 3/32 inch) I don't have to tip the case. Once in, the die does the job it is made to do just fine.
I'm thinking the die is bent, damaged (with no marks) as a result of the fall. This misalignment is only happening with the decapping die I tried loosening the turret, turning it slightly then retightening it, however, there was no change. I swapped other dies with the troublesome one to verify the hole in the turret is ok, it seemed to be. I even took the turret off, cleaned under it and made sure the detent ball and spring were properly installed then returned the turret, adjusting the hold down bolt just to the tightness where the turret turns freely.

I don't think it is the ram or the shell holder since they work just fine with other dies.

It seems to me I do remember this problem existed before the fall, but, sometimes my memory plays tricks on me. In any case, Is there any way to realign the 310 die? Attachment 302110

Somehow I doubt if something as short and thick as a die could bend just by being dropped. One way to tell would be to rotate the die about 180 degrees in the turret and see if the attitude of the case to the die changes. If it's visibly off center to the right as shown in the photo it should be off to the left if the die is turned. Are you using the correct shell holder, and/or is the brand of empty case different from the past? Perhaps the rim of the case is thicker or larger in diameter and doesn't fit the shell holder properly? Just some things to check.

DG

Der Gebirgsjager Thank you so much for your suggestions. Here is what I found. The charts recommend a Lyman number 1 die for 38 Special. Even though it is a J-type die Lyman used the same numbers for both 310 dies and modern dies. it is a number 1 in the press. I've always reloaded once-shot cases. This happens with all manufacturers. There should be 2 photos attached. The first is the original shown above with a piece of tape stuck to the die. The second is the die rotated 180 degrees (hiding most of the tape). Funny thing - when I rotated the die 180 the case was aligned and slid right in. Any thoughts there? Could the threads in the turret head be slightly off verticle? Attachment 302130 Attachment 302129

A second issue though. The case is tough to get all the way in for decapping (lubed since these do not have carbide). It is like the case is bulging near the extraction grove. With continuously running it in a little deeper, over and over I can full-length size and decap. I've not shot any of these cases. No pressure signs at all on the cases. Any thoughts there?

I've got 2 of these old timers (presses), an original and a 2nd model. However, I've loaded more .38 special ammo with the old pliers-type squeeze handles than the presses. When the presses came along Lyman started making dies specifically for the presses. There is a certain amount of overlap in using the press dies in the squeeze handles but they need adjustment for length to avoid breaking/bending the de-capping pin. Sometimes, depending on the caliber, the squeezer handle dies are too short to work well in the press. Not knowing the history of your dies I can't do much better than that. If you can't figure it out, I think I have several extra .38 dies, and I'd be happy to mail one to you to try out in your press. I have no idea why, once properly aligned with the die, a well lubricated case wouldn't just slide right in and out again. As the turret is turned by hand perhaps the mechanism has become worn and isn't turning to exactly the correct position. I'm out of ideas....for now. Did you check the number on the shell holder?

DG

Great thoughts. I'm not sure of the application (is it a Tru Line die or a handle die?), I may have the incorrect full-length sizing die. I've used the dies for about 5 years. No problem till now, at least to my knowledge. Brass Magnet originally helped me set up the dies years ago. I did check the shell holder and it is the correct one. I think I will mark the die and the turret to provide a position indicator should I need it in the future. Since I have successfully decapped 38 Special before I think I must not quite have the die adjusted right. I'll give Brass Magnet a PM and see what he says. Thanks for sticking with me through this. The thought of using a second die as a comparison is a wonderful offer. If readjusting the die with Brass Magnets help does not provide an answer I'll get in touch. Hope you have a fantastic day, Thank you.

Solved the case missing the opening in the decap/sizing die. The other issue: Decapping and full length resizing have a historical issue. Back in the mid to late 1940's Lyman began offering the Tru Line Jr. turret press. It had a single straight arm to apply leverage allowing the case to be sized, set the bullet and crimp the case. It worked like a charm for shorter cases and smaller calibers. Over time it became apparent more leverage was needed for the longer cases and larger calibers. Lyman changed the leverage arm to a K or T style, which gave far more leverage. The older press was made about 1947 to 1955, the newer about 1955 to 1975,

My issue was in full-length sizing cases that causes them to stick part way in. I found out the problem was: that I was exceeding the capacity of the press, which is an older model. I have both presses, the old and the new. The following photo shows them side by side. Now I have a choice, On the newer press with more leverage, I can remove the dies I use for 9mm and replace them with the 38 Special dies to load 38 then change back for 9mm. Or I can use my single-stage press and modern dies to load 38 Special. I would gain the added leverage of the newer press at the expense of R&R dies as needed, sort of defeating the good features of a turret press. Anyway, thank you for reading and helping me solve this issue.Attachment 302299

If the die were bent you might or might not be able to screw it out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eddie Southgate

If the die were bent you might or might not be able to screw it out.

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Excellent point. I have no idea why turning the die 180 degrees makes it align or not. No, it is not hard to turn at all.

I've taken a few of these apart, the ones that have been set aside and neglected. I usually take off the turret so I can clean out the old lube from the detent plate, free up the detent ball and spring. I like to have the turret snap into index. Only once did I have to loosen the detent plate and index it. Pretty easy as the plate is just held in with set screws. I usually check the index on all 4 and mark any that are not the same, or mark the one I want to have the MR/CMR in.

Attachment 309543

If when you rotate the turret the other dies lineup properly then the problem is with the die or the turret. Assuming the other dies lineup loosen the sizing die lock ring and turn the die 180 degrees and check the alignment. If the offset of the die changes position the die is the problem. If the offset remains the same the problem is the threaded hole for the die was improperly located when the turret was machined.

Did you check your brass? I got confused. If those cases were fired in something with an off square bolt face, then standing them up would make them seem tipped to one side;i.e. brass issue NOT press at all. Did it all work fine before dropping? Did you try putting the die in a different hole in the turret? If it's bent and don't work on one, it should not work on any. Hard to believe that bent. Maybe the hole in the turret got wallered out a bit. I've seen that on the tong tools.