12 ga “Texan” single stage reloader

[Catpop]

My shooting buddy drug this old 12 ga “Texan” single stage reloader out of his attic today and gave it to me. He said he reloaded with it back in 1965, but really couldn’t remember all its ins and outs.
We gave it a good going over and it appears there are a few missing pieces.
I need a little first hand experience help.
If anyone has any info (like a parts drawing/ list) on this press or has actually used one, I could really use any help you can give.
Thanks in advance

 

[Howa 9700]

You may be almost in luck. I recently pulled my 50 year old Texan DP-II out of storage to do some loading. I have the 3 pages of documentation that came with it, including setup and operating instructions, parts diagram and bushing chart. I will be scanning those into a pdf document and posting it on the resources page.

Looking at your photo, there are some similarities between your model and mine.......and some differences. Better photos of the load stations would help. The resizing and depriming station (1).......priming station (2), middle position (3) with drop tubes for powder and shot and wad insertion, pre-crimp (4) and final crimp (5).

Did you get the shot and powder bushings too?

 

[Catpop]

Only the TEXAN on the cylinders clued me who made it. So I don’t have a clue what model TEXAN it is.
Clockwise starting at 0100 are as you stated.
Looks like I’m missing:
1. St 1 full length sizing/centering cylinder. I have decapping pin, just nothing to center it.
2. St 2 primer seat cylinder. I have cup, primer holding washer, and spring
3. powder funnel under shot bar.
4. shot/powder bushings. I think I can machine most of these parts if I can’t find them, but pictures would be great and measurements even better. I know powder bushing OD is 13/16” and Shot bushing OD is 7/8
All I can tell for now

 

[Howa 9700]

Again, photos of what you have would help. Stations 1 and 2.......then 3.......then 4 and 5.

If you look down into the shot and powder tubes.......are there still bushings of some sort in there? They should be visible when you move the bar side to side if they are. There are two ways of removing them. Instructions say to remove the screw in the front......so you can push the charging bar all the way out. Bushing will just drop out if they are still there.

Bushings show up on ebay, but they differ by model. Some have numbers......mine all have letters.

 

[Howa 9700]

As to ID of models, and such, I have found ebay to be a big help. Photos of stuff for sale, with an ID attached can give some clues. Sometimes helpful........

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284430630110?hash=item423962fcde:g:gAYAAOSwUclhLIQ6

Or sometimes not.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154500514227?hash=item23f8f2c1b3:g:fvgAAOSwojpgz65O

As a side note, having watched these ebay machines for some time, there is rarely any documentation in the form of instructions.......or bushings......sold with these. Without those........and knowledge of how they work.......they are not worth much. Presents itself as a complicated contraption that is tight lipped as to how it works. And rightly so.......cause without many of the key parts......they don't.

 

[Catpop]

HOWA, sorry I won’t be able to get pics and post until Wednesday.
I did not remove powder bar screw. I did remove whole top cylinder assy and did not see bushings looking at the bottom of slide bar.
I will remove powder bar on Wednesday to see if bushings are hiding it there.
How about post st 2 drop-in assy pic. Mine consist of cup, spring, thick washer and I think missing actual primer seat anvil.

 

[Catpop]

This one looks like mine
Notice st 1 has an outside sleeve to center shell for decapping (and maybe an inner cylinder to full length size inside of hull also) mine is missing this
Notice station 2 on this one may be missing it’s guts Notice station 3 tube running vertical running from charge bar to bottom of photo when handle is down. Mines missing that also.

 

[Howa 9700]

Here are the "parts" that almost none of these appear to have.



Most of these came with the funky tool, which does nothing normal tools cannot do, just convenient to have them all in one place. Allen wrench is used for a couple adjustments. Station 2 on mine has a flare attachment that "flares the hull mouth to make it easser to insert wads. Wrench is used on a set screw to move it up and down to get right amount of flare. Does that wihile seating the primers.

They came with both 6 point and 8 point crimp starters. This one had 3 shot bushings (1 , 1 1/8 & 1 1/4 oz) and 11 powder bushings.

The only real wear out part on these is the wad finger guide on station 3. It uses a one piece bushing that was apparently unique to these presses. Working to come up with a fabricated replacement. It also appears that some of them used the same wad guilde assembly as some of the Mec presses. If that was your type, you may be in luck. Those can be found new.

Almost all of these originally came with plastic shot and powder tubes. If powder is left in them for a long time, that damages the plastic, so some of those can go bad too. But that is not unique to Texan I'm told it applies to all powder measures with plastic tubes.

 

[Howa 9700]

The "sleeve" on station 1 is for resizing. You don't notice it much on low brass like Win AA, etc, but you DO notice it if loading high brass like Rem Express or Win Super X, etc. Thinking out loud, but in retrospect some of those might benefit from some case lube.

There is a similar looking sleeve on Station 5 that does a lot more than it looks like it does. There is a ram that finishes the crimp, but the sleeve also puts a taper on the rim of the finished shell. Both have to be fine tuned and adjusted to fit your finished hull.

 

[Catpop]

Looks like mine it is missing the st 3 wad guide also
Did your powder bushings mike 13/16 OD and your shot bushings 7/8 OD.
I also have to check and see if st 4 crimp die is 6 or 8 point- I only got one.
I can’t wait to see your instructions. Exactly where are you posting them?
Thanks for all your help!

 

[Howa 9700]

Will be posting up top under Resources .......then Handloading and Reloading.

A few more photos from around the world..........

 

[Howa 9700]

The station 2 primer set parts spread out.........the cup just drops in the loader stage base.

 

[Catpop]

Yup that just like mine. Ive got all but primer anvil.
Can you give me dimensions of the primer anvil (2nd part from top of photo)?

 

[Howa 9700]

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...i-shotshell-loader-operating-instructions.23/

Originals are 50 years old and.......well......old. Hope they help!

 

[Catpop]

Howa
High Road says I do not have permission to open your link?

 

[Howa 9700]

Go to top of the page, on top menu bar click on "Resources".

It should be at the top of the list. At least it is on my screen.

 

[Howa 9700]

I clicked on link.......and note it says something about "resource is awaiting approval".

So it may be waiting on a moderator to give it a look see before they allow you to view it?

 

[Catpop]

It is now available!!!!!! That is so much help to me!!!!!
Thank you so much!
Yours has a different base so mine is probably a different model. Since my buddy said he used it in 1965 and your DP-ll instruction sheet was revised 1970, I might assume mine is a DP-1, but then you know what assuming will do!
Im sure I’m going to have a few more questions for you!
again thanks