Free old beat up duomatic in 20ga?

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LoonWulf

LoonWulf

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Anybody want this thing, friend gave it to me years ago but I haven't done anything with it.
I might be able to break it down and get it into a large flat rate box, otherwise shipping will probably be about 40 bucks.
The ram actuates about 75% of the way, other than that no idea on functionality.
I'm pretty sure it's set up for 20ga. IMG_20180411_091157338-2004x2672.jpg IMG_20180411_091412299-2004x2672.jpg IMG_20180411_091111137-2004x2672.jpg
 
I've got one in 20 & 12 and a 900 Elite in 12GA, PWs are an awesome press.

Makes me truly sad just looking at that pic......any bushings come with it? The powder are aluminum so they might have survived..
 
What's a bushing? Unless it's on there.im gonna say no.
The aluminum parts arnt in horrible shape, but they we're painted and not anodized so they could use a sand blasting and refinish.
My plan was to tear it apart and refinish everything, but i sold my 20ga and lost interest in the project. It's been sitting in my garage for a couple years now.
 
Neat and annoying fact, it still had powder and shot in it when I got it.....guy my buddy got it from passed away and all his reloading stuff went to my friend, who forwarded it to me. The original owner was 70-80 and probably hadn't touched that press in 30 years.
 
LoonWulf said:
What's a bushing? Unless it's on there.im gonna say no.
The aluminum parts arnt in horrible shape, but they we're painted and not anodized so they could use a sand blasting and refinish.
My plan was to tear it apart and refinish everything, but i sold my 20ga and lost interest in the project. It's been sitting in my garage for a couple years now.
Click to expand...

Unscrew the knob on the top, will allow the top with powder/shot hoppers to be removed, underneath, you'll see (should see) 2 bushings, steel for shot, aluminum for powder. It's worth re-habing, a new PW 375 is $425.

https://www.reloaders.com/products/duomatic-375-12ga-or-20ga
 
looks like the bushings are there. They look fine, as does the undersides of the plates etc.
 
I had a good friend that loaded thousands of trap loads on his; neat unit, but I have a MEC 650 Jr. that is a doorstop right now, the price of factory vs. loading just isn't work it.
 
Great press ! I have a 375 just like it, except in better visual condition. The PW machines make the best looking crimps ever. Looks like you need a replacement hull resizing bushing. Those come in 2 lengths, a longer one for the older tooling, and a shorter one for the new tooling. Suggest a call to PW to ID which tooling you have. You can also use the Hornady powder bushings (7/8" dia x 1.00 long) which may be easier to find in sets.

Here's a video my son and I made several years ago on the operation....


(You can see my Dillon equipment in the background.)
 
Last edited:
Hokie_PhD said:
That’s great. Hopefully he’ll start a thread and document the restore. I don’t know about others but I’d really like to see how he rebuild is.
Click to expand...
Will do. It will likely be a slow and steady process, but it gives me a project to tinker with. I almost said cheap project...but this is a reloading press and ain’t nothing cheap about reloading.
 
rfwobbly said:
Great press ! I have a 375 just like it, except in better visual condition. The PW machines make the best looking crimps ever. Looks like you need a replacement hull resizing bushing. Those come in 2 lengths, a longer one for the older tooling, and a shorter one for the new tooling. Suggest a call to PW to ID which tooling you have. You can also use the Hornady powder bushings (7/8" dia x 1.00 long) which may be easier to find in sets.

Here's a video my son and I made several years ago on the operation....


(You can see my Dillon equipment in the background.)
Click to expand...

I have watched that video like 5 times. Very well done.
 
Press is broken down for shipping, forgot to get a box on the way home today tho. Should have it out tomorrow, or early next week. Then we can all watch it come back to life!
 
WestKentucky said:
I have watched that video like 5 times. Very well done.
Click to expand...

When that was made, I thought almost everything in the known universe had a YouTube video. (Number 1 son had earned a BS in Engineering using YouTube Calculus lessons !) Doing research on the 375, I was shocked to find that there wasn't one. At that time Number 2 son had a YouTube channel, and so we got together and filmed it. It would have been much smoother had we sat down and written a script, but it turned out OK. I was shocked a month later to see that the Ponsness-Warren web site featured our video !

:D
 
If that’s anything like the MEC I bought used and cleaned up, it shouldn’t be too hard to make like new.

The first step is finding a copy of the parts diagram. After then lots of soaking in oil. I used the old diet cola and aluminum foil trick to clean as much rust off as I could once it was loosened by soaking. After that, disassembly, more scrubbing, etc.

This one looks about the same condition so I’m guessing that it should clean up real nice.
 
Thanks for posting this! It stirred up some memories that are as old and rusty as the press.

Even though in rough shape, the image of that press instantly took me back to my teen years, when my dad and I shot trap. Every Saturday we'd load up 200 shells to shoot the next morning. He was really proud of that press. It was a step up from his previous press (probably a MEC...although I don't remember that name....it certainly looked like a MEC) that we, basically, completely wore out due to the number of shells we were shooting.

Thx again!
 
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