How old is your reloading equipment?

[elkhunter]

Just wondering.

My girlfriends parents cleaned out her grandfather's shop last summer, which in a box had her great grandfather's reloading stuff in it. It was all in new or like new condition. Actually the powder measure and scas was still in the original boxes.

Near as I can tell, everything is from the mid to late 60's. (At least that's when the books were published that were in there.)

Anyhoo, I finally got to building a bench, and getting it all set up.

For the record most everything is Lyman, and looks like it will be around for another 40 years if I treat it right.

 

[scotty]

Nice find!

Use it to load zillions of rounds, take care of it, and your grandkids will still be able to use it for zillions more rounds.

 

[The Bushmaster]

On my 20th year with the same Lee turret and dies...

 

[P95Carry]

I have added to my Lee gear considerably over the years but turret #1 - still goin' strong into its 22nd year I think. Similar category to Bushmaster.

I also was given by a club member his old Star lubrisizer - that is AFAIK even older - and is still a great piece of equipment.

 

[BigSlick]

I have an old Pacific single stage that I use once in a great while.

I got it used from an uncle that died 18 years ago, he got it used from someone else years before.

No rust on it since I cleaned it up when I got it, but the paint has faded and shows some wear. I leave it setup with a collet die to fix boo-boos. It came with a very used set of 30-06 dies and one 22 Hornet die. The dies were pitted inside, so I don't use them.

Everything else is circa ~1980 or since.

BigSlick

 

[Standing Wolf]

My RCBS Rock Chucker and .357 magnum dies are just about three decades old, and still work just fine.

 

[ACP230]

My oldest press, a Lee Turret, is 25 years old.
My newest press, a Lee C press, is has been around about 15 years, I think.

 

[rick_reno]

My RCBS stuff is about 35 years old - the Dillon stuff is 10.

 

[armoredman]

My RCBS Jr press was discontinued around 1978, according to the company, and I was gifted it about a year ago. Works just fine. A buddy of mine has a Hollywood Gunshop turret press, and I think it's about 50 or so years old. Works just fine. Just like your firearms, a fine piece of well made machinery, properly maintained, will outlive you.

 

[fecmech]

I have 2 Lyman "Spar T " turrets from the late 60's and a CH Auto Champ from the mid 70's plus various bullet molds and casting equipment from the same time period. All have been in active service for most of that time period and will last longer than I will! I have no idea how many rounds loaded or bullets cast but it's in the hundreds of thousands. Nick

 

[Uncle Don]

Lee Turret is slightly older than 20 years. Only change was to convert it to a 4 hole. I keep track of loads and I'm at 130,000 and most were done on that press. People who say that it is a "beginner" company crack me up.

 

[Art Eatman]

I still use some dies that were not new when I got them in 1950. Most of my reloading stuff dates from the 1960s, though. My progressive is a Dillon 350, from, what, 1984-ish?

Art

 

[Sheldon]

I gotta wonder if some of that stuff might not have some collector value due to the age of the stuff and its condition?? Might be worth investigating on Ebay if there is such interest in minty new in the package old reloading gear.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

I bought my Baer Kodiak press used about 25 years ago (think heavy-duty Rockchucker). I still have some CH 30-06 and .270 dies my dad used in the 50's, and they still work fine.

My Dillon 550 is about three years old.

 

[JesseL]

Nt sure how old...

I'm using my Grandfather's reloading equipment, mostly RCBS (press, dies, powder measure, scale) with some SAECO casting stuff, lots of IMR and hercules powder, a whole bunch of old Sierra bullets, and a few dies from long defunct companies. I've got a few thousand .38 special cases from 1954. I would guess that most of this stuff is from the 50's-60's (.22 Varminter and .308 Norma Magnum anyone?) but some seems to be even older than that. I found an unused box of .224 bullets that had a scrap of newspaper packed on top of the bullets - it had classified ads for 4 bdrm houses selling for <$3000!!

 

[Magnum Mike]

I have an RCBS Rock Chucker that I've been using since 1994. I started out with a cheaper RCBS single stage (forgot the model name) in 1986.

All of the equipment is stored at room temperature and I'm sure they'll be around long after I'm gone.

 

[happy old sailor]

some is 40 yrs old ( Lyman Spar T) and some is only two yrs old, like my LnL AP. let my rockchucker(50s), i think, go some time back to a shooter friend i got into reloading. he loves it and plans to upgrade, with the rockchucker coming back to me. so, i did good in getting another shooter to reload.

the initial outlay for reloading gear may be a little pricey, depending on what you buy, but it will last a very long time with reasonable care. i recommend reloading to all shooters. and, the littlle LEE Turret Model is one of, if not the, best buys going. for entry level reloading, i dont think it can be beat and serves reloaders of many years experience just as well. for about 10 years, the wife and i tried to wear mine out, without success. yep, she reloads her own stuff.

so, how old is my reloading equipment? i can only remember the decade i got it, so, i dunno

 

[OneFireStick]

My Dillon 550B is a year old.

 

[Souris]

My Dillon 550b is only about a year old.

My Scale and Single stage press are much older.
There were made by Herter's and are probably at least 50 years old.

The Herter's Super #3 press is MASSIVE. It probably weighs more than my Dillon. It still works flawlessly.

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

Old Reloading tools

From the 1950's I have .38/.357 Star Progressive Reloader, A rockchucker, Lachmiller and several new in the box C-H "O" presses, from the 70's a C-H 4 position H press that I had a hand in designing, Dozens of Caliber conversion kits for it and the 3 position H press new in the box, C-H Auto Champ Progressive reloader Caliber conversion kits for the MK3, 4, 5 and 5A presses with hundreds of parts, Hundreds of parts for The Star Universal Reloader and two of the Star Universals from the 70's in 45acp caliber. Dillons first .223 RL1000 $5,000 worth of parts he scrxxed me with as his first dealer $%^%$. Dozens of Lyman, C-H, RCBS Standard reloading die sets. Star Luber new sizing die sets in .356, .410, .429, 3 Star Lubers all from the 70's, Ohaus triple beam scale, Lots of new California Saeco 4 cav bullet molds and many other things I have buried in my survival stash and collections that I have forgotten about including a powder measure my gunsmithing instructor helped me make in 1952. my own C-H powder measure and a couple dozen rifle and pistol micromerters for the powder measures new.

 

[308win]

RCBS Jr. and dies from 1977; MEC Jr from 1976; Ohaus scale from mid 1960's. Still use 'em all.

 

[cracked butt]

My rockchucker is about 30 years old- my dad used it for about 20 years before giving it to me about 10 years ago.

 

[Chuck R.]

My RCBS Rockchucker is 30 years young, got it new when I was 15. My Dillon 550B is 17. I've also still got my Ponsness Warren 375C that's turned 32 this year. My "youngest" press is my Ponsness Warren 900 Elite, and its 16 years old. I've still got and using my original RCBS .357, 30-06, 6mm Rem dies that I bought with my Rockchucker.

Chuck

 

[ReloaderFred]

I'm still using the Hollywood Press I bought used in 1963, along with an RCBS Rockchucker that RCBS replaced for the one I wore out several years ago. My progressive is a Hornady Pro-Jector that I bought new in 1986. I also have a Magma Case Size Master Jr. for full length sizing of rimless pistol cases, including the rim.

For powder measures, I have a Belding & Mull, 3 Redding measures, a Dillon on the Pro-Jector, a Hornady, a Hollywood and in the cupboard are several more.

I have dies that were made back in the 1950's and some that were made this year for the 26 calibers that I currently load for.

Fred

 

[yorec]

The scale I bought last week is... well, a week old.

Some of my other stuff dates back to the fiftys. Herters stuff.

Only thing I've ever had to replace was the scale, a Lee which I dropped and stepped on. Bought another one just like it cause I liked the old one so much. Reloading equipement lasts and lasts...