Help to ID Old H-Press

[Hacker15E]

A year or two ago I acquired an old H-Press that I cannot identify, and was hoping a THR'er might know what it is. The previous owner thought that it had been built from a kit or plans, and it seems to have an aluminum base and side braces.

The dies are currently .45 ACP, but I'm hoping that this is a type of press that I can find other dies for once I find out who made it.

Yes, I know the depriming/sizing die is upside-down in that last photo!

Thanks!

 

[Chawbaccer]

Kinda looks like a CH to me.

 

[Hacker15E]

I agree that it looks similar, but it doesn't have the C around the H logo that is on the base of their presses.

 

[Jim Watson]

I think it is homemade, too.
The base looks like it is coated with machinist's layout blue, which I doubt a manufacturer would leave on a finished product.

Your only hope for dies would be if he made it threaded 7/8x14 which is the modern standard die size, introduced by Pacific many years ago. You are probably out of luck for a shellholder for another rim diameter. But if it will take standard dies, you could load 8mm, .30-06, etc., ad infinitum.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

It is almost definitely home-made. The die plate looks like it came from a CH '111', but the rest of it does not. If there is nothing cast or stamped in the base, it is a one-of-a-kind.

If you want to sell it, check w/ Pressman on CastBoolits. He collects single-stage presses.

Here's a '111' I used to own and rebuilt prior to sale:

 

[Wil Terry]

AND the last time I looked, the CH H-presses were copies of the much older MEEPOS H-presses.
MY old CH333 has loaded many hundreds of thousands of rounds of pistol ammunition and another pile of rifle ammunition. I've been waiting 40 years for it to break so I could buy it's bigger brother, the CH444.

 

[Hacker15E]

Thanks, gents.

I'm not currently a reloader, but I'm contemplating starting. Perhaps this will be an easy way to start simple and learn!

 

[rfwobbly]

I'm not currently a reloader, but I'm contemplating starting. Perhaps this will be an easy way to start simple and learn!

A lot of these early presses use proprietary dies and shell holders. While fun to look at and study, you could burn up some serious daylight just trying to get the press to work on your chosen caliber. Being a novice, this would be further complicated since you wouldn't know what "correct" was supposed to look like.

I'd want to steer a novice toward a production press made since ~1975. Parts and good advice would be much more readily accessible, thereby reducing your headaches to a manageable level.

 

[muleskinner777]

Press

It looks like an old Hollywood.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

They didn't make 'H' presses. The closest was their later triangular-shaped 'Junior'. A Hollywood Senior is in the left edge of my picture.