I’ve seen these vintage moulds on line, what are the purpose of the different features? Was that a case mouth expander?
I’ve seen these vintage moulds on line, what are the purpose of the different features? Was that a case mouth expander?
That’s either an Ideal#4 or #6 tong tool. The mould cast a boolit, which was then lubed in a pan, or by hand, and pushed through the hole in the handle by the long plunger to size.
The case was deprimed by putting a depriming pin/case beller into the chamber on the handle and squeezing the handles together. The primer popped out, the crimp was (hopefully) ironed off the case and the case was extracted by the extractor hook. If the belling of the case isn’t enough, it can be rotated against the truncated cone shape on the outside of the loading chamber to finish ironing it out.
The case was dropped into the other hole in the handle, a primer balanced on the pocket, and the handles squeezed together so the short plunger seated the primer. The primed case was filled with powder (generally black, back then), the boolit inserted, the depriming pin taken out of the chamber, the assembled round pushed in, and the handles squeezed. This would seat the boolit and crimp the case mouth around it.
Voila, a loaded round.
Keep some gloves handy , I bet that rascal gets HOT !
That is so cool. I wish I had one now.
..........Florida Cracker............
My Dogs Bigger than Your Dogi
That'd be so cool to sit by a campfire, making up your own rounds for THAT revolver !
At that point in history it was more likely done seated at the kitchen range and your lead pot down in one of the openings and using a ladle to transfer the lead to the mold. The rest was done at the kitchen table. Yes, that would be a wood burning kitchen range.
Wayne the Shrink
There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |