Given a 310 tool for .38 Special

[26Charlie]

My neighbor's grandfather had this Lyman 310 tong tool and, knowing I did reloading, the neighbor gave it to me. The powder is pistol #6, the primers Western 1 1/2s in a tray with wooden separators, and the bullets are lubed with the old Lyman black grease.
I've got a bench full of stuff accumulated over a period of 52 years, but I decided for nostalgia's sake to put together 100 rounds to use the primers, powder, and bullets. My brass was not fired in the S&W 4" bbl. M&P in the picture, so I did full-length size it on the bench, as it would not go in the gun with just muzzle resizing, although that die does work. I popped a couple of primers to see if they were OK. The dipper in the picture is hand made from a cutoff case and throws 3.5 gr. #6. The funnel is hand made from galvanized sheet, very nicely soldered. I did the 100 rounds in two separate sessions, but if I had set out from start to finish I could have done it in about an hour and a half.
DuPont #6 and Western primers are about 60 years out of production, but the powder smelled OK and the primers worked as designed. It didn't seem appropriate to shoot the rounds in a target gun or a big heavy .357, so I got out the old police M&P. I didn't put them on paper, either, but they would punch a tin can every time at 25 yards, as long as I could see the old fixed sights with the old eyeball.

I read the threads about the 310 tool here, and this old steel tool works fine. Long ago I had an aluminum handle 310 tool for the .32 S&W Long, which worked but not as well as this. Something about the bushing in the handle was not right and I ended up just using it to prime cases.

[jameslovesjammie]

I'd keep the powder can and primer box when they're empty. You could make a really cool display with them and the 310 in original box!

[Alchemist]

Those primers are old enough to be corrosive...I'd be sure to clean the old M&P well after running those loads through.

That's a nice set-up!

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Wow, I wonder how old that 310 tool is. I got mine, when I became a cop back in 1965, to reload my .38spls., and it was an aluminum one. Have many pleasant memories, of my wife and I, sitting on the sofa, watching TV and depriming, sizing and repriming brass. The only thing I didn't do, was add powder and seat bullets. I did that at the kitchen table, using dippers I made out of .22 cases with #12 wire soldered on as handles. Had a powder scale, but no measure. We had a very small apartment, and a new baby.
Morgan

[floodgate]

Morgan:

If I recall correctly, the transition from the old caliber-specific steel 310s to the new alloy-handled ones occurred around 1957. There were a VERY few steel tools made stamped with just a number code indicating the case head size they were bored for (reportedly, only a week or so of production), and then - somewhat more common, but still scarce - steel 310's with the interchangeable case-head bushings, knuckle wear plate and adjustable extractor hook, as carried forward into the alloy tools. Again, these late steel tools were made for only a short time, and marked "L" for long, "S" for short, and either/both "LS" or "SPL" for the oversize ones for .348 W, .50-70 and 8mm Lebel.

Doug

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Thanks, Doug.
Morgan

[26Charlie]

Alchemist - hard to see on the box, but labeled "Non-mercuric, Non-Corrosive".
Jameslovesjammie - you can have the box & can if you want them, send me a PM, but I'm keeping the 310 tool for now.

Just for grins I did another 86 rounds with it to use up a batch of 358311 158 gr. RN bullets I had. Definitely building up the grip this way.

[HeavyMetal]

310 tools can be kinda cool if you have the time.

If you have a Dillon, of any type, this tool will sure raise your apreceation level of it a whole bunch!

Sit on this baby for awhile, It's always a good training tool as well a converation piece.