Historical Question: Hand Priming Tool

[Don McDowell]

4$ represented a couple hours of wages.. We didn't shoot as much back then , we didn't have as much disposable cash as today...

 

[jcwit]

4$ represented a couple hours of wages.. We didn't shoot as much back then , we didn't have as much disposable cash as today...

In 1971??????????????? I was making a heck of a lot more than that while in the
service in 65 - 67 in Washington DC. My part time job at the hardware store on Saturday paid more than that. And I was paying approx. 20 cents a gal at the PX for gas.

 

[Backroad]

I can remember using the LEE to reload a 38SPL when my ex and I were first married and living in River Forest, and that was in 1968-69.

al

 

[MI2600]

Funny this topic came up. I have two of the early Lee types and actually used one last week when I couldn't find a shellholder for my Autoprime.

 

[mdm]

In 1971??????????????? I was making a heck of a lot more than that while in the
service in 65 - 67

In '71 you'd have to be an E-4 with over 4 years service, or higher, to get to $2.00/hour.
In '67 you'd have to be an E-6 with over 6 years service, or higher, to hit $2.00/hour.

These examples are worked around base pay and don't include things like quarters allowance.

Overall, I'll stand behind my previous comments. $4.00 wasn't what I'd call expensive in '71, but it was a fair chunk of change for many. Granted I was a young one in '71, but if I remember correctly my water bills ran about $5.00 and my electric bills ran around $10.00 at that time. So $4.00 was a significant piece of my budget back then.

 

[Don McDowell]

I was making 300$ a month in 71, before they took out social security... 4$ expenditure had to be well thought out...

 

[Lost Sheep]

I can remember using the LEE to reload a 38SPL when my ex and I were first married and living in River Forest, and that was in 1968-69.

al

Then you are in a position to shed some light on the original question. Did the late '60s/early '70s Lee hand prime tool have a flipper tray feeding into it or did you have to place the primers by hand, one at a time?

Inquiring minds want to know for sure. The consensus so far is that the self-feeding from the flipper tray came much later, but no one has put an exact date on it.

Thanks in advance for your recollection

Lost Sheep

 

[Jim Watson]

The first generation Lee priming tool did not have a feed tray. I no longer have a set of Handloaders Digest but will look in some Shooters Bibles.

ETA: That was not much help. The 1971 does not show the Lee priming tool. The 1974 shows the original "single shot" version. The 1978 does not list Lee products at all.

I started handloading with the W.H. English Pak Tool in 1969 or 1970; as soon as I was out of college and had a steady job. It did all operations, including priming. In fact I still use it for priming a few rounds in the calibers I have shellholders for.

Note Post #10, you could then get a reproduction of the Pope priming tool which went back to the turn of the century.


I suggest that if this is a work of fiction, you not get too detailed in your description. Accuracy will gratify the enthusiasts but too much detail will bore the general readership.

 

[jcwit]

In '71 you'd have to be an E-4 with over 4 years service, or higher, to get to $2.00/hour.
In '67 you'd have to be an E-6 with over 6 years service, or higher, to hit $2.00/hour.

These examples are worked around base pay and don't include things like quarters allowance.

Overall, I'll stand behind my previous comments. $4.00 wasn't what I'd call expensive in '71, but it was a fair chunk of change for many. Granted I was a young one in '71, but if I remember correctly my water bills ran about $5.00 and my electric bills ran around $10.00 at that time. So $4.00 was a significant piece of my budget back then.

Lets see, Base pay, travel allowance, housing allowance, food allowance, clothing allowance, it all added up. Plus I worked at a hardware store weekends in Falls Church. BTW my hours were 8 to 5 with an hour lunch 4 days a week. Everyone in My office only worked till noon one day a week, had the afternoon off for personal business, this works out to 32 hours a week. One of the perks working at The Pentagon.

Stood overnight or weekend duties for others in HQ Company. Pay was $10 for overnight, $20-30 bucks for weekend, and higher yet for Holidays.

When I returned home to Indiana, I returned to reloading, can't remember what the costs were but I do remember a 2 week deer hunting trip to Sundance cost me approx. $70 bucks total, this was a trip with 5 others splitting up the cost.

Life was good!