Equipment Identification

[film495]

My Dad passed in 2017. I was at my mom's the other day, and these items are in his workbench area. I've never reloaded so - I don't really know what this equipment is or have any idea of how to use it.

I don't think I'll really be reloading, but - then part of me thinks I should keep this if it is decent equipment - and maybe I can figure out how to use it and just keep it around in case, with some supplies for cartridges I shoot.

Is this stuff worth keeping? What is it and what do you do with it?

 

[Eddietruett]

My Dad passed in 2017. I was at my mom's the other day, and these items are in his workbench area. I've never reloaded so - I don't really know what this equipment is or have any idea of how to use it.

I don't think I'll really be reloading, but - then part of me thinks I should keep this if it is decent equipment - and maybe I can figure out how to use it and just keep it around in case, with some supplies for cartridges I shoot.

Is this stuff worth keeping? What is it and what do you do with it?

1st item is a case tumbler which uses media to clean brass.
2nd item is a old Herters single stage press. With dies installed this is the piece of equipment that resizes and deprimes brass, seats bullet and crimps cases
3 red item is a powder measure which is used to drop specific measures of powder when loading cases.
The tumbler and measure are still current production items and used every day by reoloaders. The press could be used again but is a bit outdated.

 

[Virginia Jim]

Look closer.
A Lyman progressive press with powder measure and dies.
Not sure of the model. It appears to be an older one.
(Sorry, turret press, not progressive.)
Any of you guys ever make a typing error?

 

[H&R Glock]

You can sell all of it on Ebay right away or here on THR. You might look around for your father's reloading books and read up on how to load ammo. It might be worthwhile to learn if you shoot at all.

 

[9mmepiphany]

3 red item is a powder measure which is used to drop specific measures of powder when loading cases.

Took me a moment to figure out which item was "red" until I realized what you meant to type was "third"

A Lyman progressive press with powder measure and dies.

Looking more closely, you see that it isn't a Lyman progressive press (I don't think Lyman ever made one) but a Lyman turret press...I think it is a couple of generations old.

The dies mounted in the turret are Lyman dies and the green thing is a RCBS Uniflow powder measure

 

[Varminterror]

All items have been identified and explained, including this correction for the misidentification of a turret press as a progressive. It only has one cartridge station and a single ram, it’s a turret press, not a progressive.

Looking more closely, you see that it isn't a Lyman progressive press (I don't think Lyman ever made one) but a Lyman turret press...I think it is a couple of generations old.

 

[FROGO207]

Herters C press and Lyman turret press are both built like anvils.
If you have any inclination that reloading will be In Your future keep the setup. Replacing it later with new will cost you much more than you will get for this when sold used. It looks to be perfectly usable as is and when looking around the bench I bet you will find more items to add to the setup. The presses may be from the late 60's but they were made to last several lifetimes if kept clean and lubed. No turret press made today will be much of an improvment in actually making ammo. Your father left you a gem if you take advantage of the find. Too bad you two were not able to use this stuff together. I have many fond memories of my grandfather and I doing just that when I was a kid.

 

[9mmepiphany]

The first thing I'd do is look for the handle used to rotate the turret on that Lyman

 

[brasscollector]

I have many fond memories of my grandfather and I doing just that when I was a kid

Me as well, and that Herters C-press is likely the same model press my grandpa used..

 

[FROGO207]

I think that arm is the rod with black ball on it just above the toothbrush in the picture.

 

[film495]

I'll probably keep it, and put the equipment and any books I can find in some boxes until I ever find time to go through this stuff. If you were putting this type of stuff into storage, what do you do - just oil all the metal? Can I get pointed at some resources for knowing how to maintain this stuff? If I'm gonna keep it - the first thing I need to do is service it.

What are dies - and what other odds and ends do you think are there that would go with this? What should I be looking for.

oh, my Dad did teach my brother and I to shoot. for whatever reason we never learned the reloading. My mom probably steered us away from it - after we got found putting gunpowder into little canisters with wicks from the model rockets, it was probably a good call... lol

 

[Wis-Harpo]

The Herters press has been there awhile, look at the square headed bolt heads in the photo.

 

[Eddietruett]

Look closer.
A Lyman progressive press with powder measure and dies.
Not sure of the model. It appears to be an older one.
(Sorry, turret press, not progressive.)
Any of you guys ever make a typing error?

My bad on the powder measure. Didn't look close enough. Guess old age is finally kicking in.

 

[Eddietruett]

My Dad passed in 2017. I was at my mom's the other day, and these items are in his workbench area. I've never reloaded so - I don't really know what this equipment is or have any idea of how to use it.

I don't think I'll really be reloading, but - then part of me thinks I should keep this if it is decent equipment - and maybe I can figure out how to use it and just keep it around in case, with some supplies for cartridges I shoot.

Is this stuff worth keeping? What is it and what do you do with it?

After realizing my first error, I will say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with using the Lyman Turret Press as long as it is in good working condition and if not, I think Lyman still sells parts or at least they did several years ago. I started loading in the late 70's with a used Lyman and there is no telling how many thousand rounds I loaded with it and never had a minute of problem. I sold mine to a guy beginning to load and he still uses it. I've tried to rotate the turret each time you make a stroke with the handle and make a semi progressive press but I found it was easier to do a bunch of cases at each station and use several loading blocks. As long as the castings aren't cracked, there isn't much than can go wrong or be fixed easily. I'd love to have another one and will buy one if I come across the right deal.

 

[9mmepiphany]

What are dies - and what other odds and ends do you think are there that would go with this? What should I be looking for.

The Lyman turret press seems pretty complete...although the dies seem setup in an odd order.

The dies are the things protruding from the top deck of the turret press. They are screwed in and then "jammed" in place with with the "lock rings" (the thin bolts with set screws in their side). The dies are what do the actual work on previously fired cases when reloading.

The dies are installed in the turret in the following order...going clockwise from the powder measure (green thing)
1. Expanding die. Being Lyman, it is most likely a M-die (refers to the profile of the insert inside the die)
2. Crimp die
3. Sizing die...the rod sticking out the top is the decapping pin for punching out spent primers
4. Seating die

I'd likely start by removing the dies, disassembling them, and soaking them over night in a pan of Evapo-rust to remove any rust...then coat them with a good oil for storage

 

[jmorris]

Sorry to hear about your Dad.

It is only worth keeping for sentimental reasons if you don’t reload but it doesn’t seem like it has that value to you either.

The least time consuming way to sell it would be to gather up all the reloading “stuff” and sell it as a single lot, in a face to face deal near you.

The most valuable part you have there is the Lyman T mag press, it looks like it still has one of the priming arms installed, might see what it looks like and wire tie the other one to it if you come across it moving stuff around.

 

[splattergun]

If you are a shooter and have ever entertained the idea of reloading, even for a brief moment, the reloading bug just might get you. What better way to start than with your ol' dad's setup?

 

[fguffey]

The Herter press is not the old Herter; it is one of the last #3 presses. And then there is the die with the large hex head, I believe it is a bullet swage The shell holder is not a bullet swage.

F. Guffey

 

[DukeConnor]

I am digging that Lyman. I would be proud to have that mounted on one of my benches.

 

[fguffey]

I am digging that Lyman. I would be proud to have that mounted on one of my benches

Notice the cast iron integral case primer catcher. I have one old press that is as rare as the Lyman press; my old press looks like a spider doing push-ups when being put through the task of sizing cases.

F. Guffey

 

[film495]

Thanks for the info and input. I'll probably clean this stuff up - box it and put it into storage. It may be years before I get around to it, but I can see myself taking to reloading - just never done it and it seems like it would take a while to figure out. If .38 Special keeps getting more expensive I might pick it up sooner than later, but it will still be a while.

 

[film495]

started colleting all this stuff and found like 15 books, several Speer and Handloader's Digest - so much stuff. Didn't pull the presses off the bench today, just put some penetrating oil on the bolts and sort of looked it over.

there was a 3 gallon bucket with like a spinning tumbler insert that sits on top if it. what is that for? most of the other stuff I've figured out enough to know what it is for, but the bucket with the rotating tumbler leaves me drawing a blank.

 

[9mmepiphany]

there was a 3 gallon bucket with like a spinning tumbler insert that sits on top if it. what is that for? most of the other stuff I've figured out enough to know what it is for, but the bucket with the rotating tumbler leaves me drawing a blank.

It is a Media Separator to separate dry tumbling media (either crushed corn con or walnut) from spent cases after they have been removed from the vibrating tumbler

 

[film495]

I think that arm is the rod with black ball on it just above the toothbrush in the picture.

it is an optical illusion that it is sitting on the bench next to the toothbrush, it is actually in the press. I was looking around for it today and wondering where the arm went, and it was inserted into the press, kind of funny. there's just one arm, or is there supposed to be another one? think there was a slot it would fit into on the other side, but not sure if that would just be for a left handed person.

another think that popped into my head. was there any rhyme or reason to having the Lyman on the left and the Herter's on the right? Like, was there some workflow that would make sense for that? If you have both of these mounted on a bench spaced far enough to put a chair and have a work space between them, do the presses function together in some way? It may be that the Herter's was the first one - and he got the Lyman later, so it just got mounted to the left leaving a workspace, but I don't really know.

 

[FROGO207]

My turret press has multiple holes in the turret but only one arm to turn it. If you keep say a universal decapping die in one hole it might be easier to move a handle than cranking it around all the time. I generally use my SS press for most duties where the brass is dirty like decap/size or swage primer pockets. the turret has my common seating dies in it so I am not changing adjustments so much when removing them. Who knows one might have been closer to a heat duct and that was it.