[mallc]

Recently purchased an ACME Model 200 Shotshell Reloading Press. It came with some documentation but it's not complete. The docs tend to indicate the press was built in about 1958. It has several powder/shot bars and appears to have mixed tooling and shell holders for 16 ga and 12 ga.

Is anyone here familiar with this press?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Scott

[BigSlick]

I've never owned one, but have seen them many times.

The Acme 200 is what Wiley Coyote uses to load rounds for those shotguns that curl up when he shoots at the Road Runner.

He gets all his gear from Acme.

It works about as good as most red presses from what I've seen on TV

:p

[Linear Thinker]

Pictures please.

Ponsness-Warren model 200 comes to mind, but I doubt they used the Acme name.

Mayville Engineering (MEC) has dominated the low and middle end of shotshell reloading for decades, but I am not sure about the name they used in 1958. Mine is from mid-1960s.

[Jim Watson]

Acme Industries of Appleton, later Kaukauna, Wisconsin had shotshell loaders shown in the Handloader's Digest up to the 6th edition of 1972, gone from the 7th. They were one of several makers of loaders similar to the MEC of the day.

[mallc]

Thanks for responding. It looks like I have a complete set of dies for 16 and 12 ga plus a few pieces for something with a very small primer. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Scott

[Jim Watson]

What kind of idea?

The "few pieces for something with a very small primer" are so that you can recap the shotshell battery cup primers to save a little more money. This required a special cap in a standard metallic cartridge primer cup but without an anvil because the battery cup has its own. Not something readily available any more. If it will reprime the hulls with battery cup primers, it ought to work as well as ever. You would likely have to calibrate the powder bar or bushing for loads suitable to current plastic wads.

[mallc]

Can you tell me about the holes on the right side of the unit? It appears the de-capper and primer base have individual shell holders but the base locaters don't fit the holes on the right.

It also apprears that the de-capping station would have multiple shell holders to accomodate various guages. Is this correct?

And finally, what is the procedure for sizing the hull bases?

Thanks again for any guidance you might provide.

Scott

[Jim Watson]

Beats the dickens out of me. All I know is their listings in the Handloader's Digests of 1972 and earlier, and that does not include operating instructions.

[rgilmore320]

I have an Acme press but I don't know what number. the only acme stamped on it is on the shell resizing die. Someone posted pictures of a press just like mine on the Firearms forum back in 2006 ( I just found it). I am starting to shoot and reload again, I bought this press used (16 gauge) when I was in high school in the early '60s. I am restoring the press now, stripping the rust and re-blueing the steel. I'd be interested in more information too.

[dodges5]

i recently came into pocession of an acme model 200 reloading set.
it is disassembled and i dont have any documentationand i was
wondering if you still had any .
and if i could possible get a copy of it from you.
if not maybe you could point me in a direction to get some.
thanks
david :o:)