Handloading with hammers?

[Oversight]

What was used for handloading before all of the modern press designs?

 

[NuJudge]

Tong tools (eg the 310 tool) or arbor presses.

CDD

 

[Slinger]

My original Lee Loader, I used a hard plastic hammer on the sizing die to size the cases. Didn't take long to graduate to a turret press with carbide dies.

 

[Ol` Joe]

A powder flask/measure and ramrod were the 1st reloading tools.
Lee still makes a "reloader" kit that one uses a mallet with to deprime and seat the bullet. The tong or nutcracker tool was the first I`m aware of for reloading brass cartridges.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

I started out with a Lee loader for my .223rem.

 

[scrat]

i think just a bout everyone once started with a lee loader. For sure they still are the best all around loading kit. to bad they dont offer full line anymore

 

[Owens]

Wilson dies and an arbor press OR same hand dies with a mallet. Seen both. I have heard that some of the hand die users prefer using a hammer. Personally, can't see why though.

 

[Sunray]

There were hand held tools that held the dies too. I suspect a lot of the early reloaders like Newton(not Sir issac) made their own tooling though.

 

[g.willikers]

dies and a small vise.

 

[JaxJim]

Nothing works better to seat primers than a ball-pean hammer!

Kidding aside, I saw a guy using some old gear drive reloader at a Black Powder event. About one and a half turns of the handle would do a full stroke on the cartridge. Looked really cool!

 

[Walter W.]

I have used a punch and a hammer to deprime my brass after I busted off the depriming pin on a die.