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Old July 16, 2012, 02:07 AM   #1
waltonjefferson
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Newbie Needs Help With Newly Acquired Equipment

Hey guys,

I'm brand new to the forums, and I need a little help. I recently came into some handloading equipment when my uncle passed away. He had only recently purchased the stuff from a guy who came into a pawn shop he worked at, so he didn't know much either.

I'd appreciate it if anyone would be willing to take a look at the pictures I've attached and let me know what I've got and what I'll need to get started.

Thanks!
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Old July 16, 2012, 02:54 AM   #2
Lost Sheep
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Lisa, welcome to the forum and thanks for asking our advice.

Picture 513 is a progressive press in need of some cleaning and lubricating. I cannot read the name plate. It may not be all there, so finding the maker and contacting them for a manual, more details and parts will be necessary. And worth it.

There are dies in the press. Pretty rusty, but if the insides are not pitted or scraped up they will be salvageable. Once you get the rust off the outside, you should be able to read who the maker is and (more importantly) what the cartridge is.

Picture 514, I don't know.

Picture 515, starting from the left
Case trimmer, for rifle cartridges usually

Powder measure, for dropping a volumetrically measured amount of powder. Mount the measure in a press or a dedicated mount, fill the plastic hopper with powder adjust the measure with the cylinder sticking out and down and each time you operate the hand lever sticking up a measured amount of powder will fall out the bottom. Disassemble by removing the screws for the handle (I think, it has been a while since I owned one of that type), unscrew the adjusting cylinder and the drum in the center should come out easily. Then you can clean the rust off it (It appears there might be some.) and examine it so you can see how it works. Lubricate with graphite, not any petroleum based lubricant.

The round "star"-like thing is a shell plate for use with your progressive press. It holds five cartridges during the loading process.

The hammer-like thing is an inertial bullet puller. It is used to disassemble cartridges safely without firing them. Unscrew the plastic piece (there is only one that unscrews, easy to find) There should be three metal pieces that form a circular collet and they should be held together with a rubber "O" ring. You should be able to get a manual showing how to operate it (with all the advices about how BEST to operate it, and there are many cautions) from the maker.

All the other pieces appear to be a complete or nearly complete electronic powder dispenser that operates by weight. The one you have is pretty pricey. It also takes some programming to make it work efficiently. Contact the maker for the manual and parts list

All the green things are made by RCBS. Their customer service is excellent and they will help you.

Good luck. Thanks for asking our advice

Lost Sheep

P.S.

You lucked into the core of a nice setup. Many people recommend against learning on a progressive press. (It is easier to learn to walk wearing shoes than wearing roller skates) but it can be done. You have some more stuff to get before you use this gear, so you have three choices

A get the stuff required to make these tools operational and clean them up and learn to use them

B clean up this stuff and sell or trade them to get a decent, simpler setup that fits your current needs better (whatever they are, I have no idea if you even NEED a progressive)

C clean these tools up and set them aside for when you learn to use them, but get a simple set of inexpensive loading tools to learn the basic fundamentals. Decide later to keep or sell these.
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Old July 16, 2012, 04:02 AM   #3
waltonjefferson
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Thanks!

Since I read your post, I've actually been able to hunt down a little more information on the RCBS equipment. Just knowing what the stuff is supposed to be used for helped me track down model names and numbers and then instruction manuals.

Regarding the press, I was afraid it was the more complicated option, so I'll more than like heed your advice on that and hunt down a simpler press to start out with. If for no other reason than that it'll take up far less space at my workbench!

I appreciate your input, and I'll for sure be back as I work my way through this process.
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Old July 16, 2012, 04:14 AM   #4
gorin
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I am not 100% sure, but the press looks like an older version of my Hornady progressive press.

Go to the Hornady website and compare it with their press.
I've had mine for a year, loaded tons of ammo. The only issue I have is the retention spring - if it gets bent the rounds do not eject all the time and become a PITA. A new spring is about $3 and saves a lot of frustration.
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Old July 16, 2012, 05:45 AM   #5
Red Eye
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Pic 1 is the older Pacific/Hornady projector press.( could be the 007) Can't tell if all the parts are there. Should say what it is on the silver tag on the inside of frame. definitly needs a good cleaning and lube

Pic2 don't know

Pic 3 manual case trimmer, looks like a Lyman, Hornady powder drop, RCBS case prep station (looks like its missing most of the attachmenta. RCBS digtal powder drop station

thats the best I've got for the quesses
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Old July 16, 2012, 06:13 AM   #6
Sport45
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Does the end have an opening that looks like a big pencil sharpener in photo 2? Does the black cover come off? If it does, please take another picture without it. You may have a power trimmer of some kind.

On edit:

Never mind. You have a Gracey Power Trimmer. Nice! At least it's nice if you load the cartridge it trims.
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Old July 16, 2012, 01:54 PM   #7
TATER
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wish i had a Gracey for .308 and .223..........
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Old July 16, 2012, 07:02 PM   #8
waltonjefferson
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Thanks Again!

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of the input. The press is in fact a Pro-Jector. I've got some work to do to get it going though. The good news is that it looks to be all there, so all it'll need is a good cleaning. I may find someone locally that can help me make sure everything is calibrated right, since I've read elsewhere that it can be a little sensitive in inexperienced hands.

Regarding the Gracey Power Trimmer, I'm assuming this'll be something that'll come in handy down the road when I know what the heck is going on. It appears as though my uncle stumbled into a pretty good setup here. I just need to pull back the veil a little bit and put it to good use.

Thanks,

waltonjefferson
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Old July 16, 2012, 09:01 PM   #9
Lost Sheep
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If you want a simpler press, we could give you better advice if we knew what cartridges you would be loading for (and action types) and quantities as well as your shooting goals (range fun, competition, Cowboy Action Shooting, hunting, 1,000 yard match shooting, IDPA, etc)

If the press moves fairly freely (or can be made to with a little penetrating oil it will be well worth cleaning up (for use or for trade) as long as parts are available for it (or that it really is all there, I wonder about case feeder/primer feeder/bullet feeder accessories, which REALLY help with a progressive press).

Keep us posted. Resurrecting old gear can be fun, even vicariously.

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Old July 16, 2012, 09:29 PM   #10
waltonjefferson
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Calibers for reloading

The press seems to be in working condition for the most part. All the parts seem to move relatively freely, and I was able to pull out the old .357/.38 dies with relative ease. I shoot primarily .45 acp and .40 S&W for self defense and hunt with .30-06 and .270 Win mostly. I think eventually I'd like to get into the more precise stuff that would be required for longer range shooting, but that would only be for personal consumption, not competition or anything.

I understand that reloading bottlenecked rifle cartridges is a more complicated prospect with a progressive loader. However, I'm willing to take the time to learn either way with the equipment that I've got. On the other hand, I'm certainly open to recommendations for single stage presses as I see the value in using one to learn with, but I'm not interested in spending more than a couple hundred bucks for one. In fact I've noticed a few out there for around $100 and in some cases even less, so if any of those are any good, I'd naturally gravitate toward them.

Last edited by waltonjefferson; July 16, 2012 at 10:02 PM.
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Old July 16, 2012, 09:46 PM   #11
oldreloader
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Good find and welcome to the forum. As far as the single stage press goes, I own a RCBS ROckchucker. It's A great press but if I were to replace it today I would get a Lee Classic Cast.
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Old July 18, 2012, 02:06 AM   #12
Lost Sheep
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I second OldReloader's suggestion

I prefer my Lee Classic Turret, but since you have a progressive that seems to fit your needs (maybe a little more, but that's alright), backing it up with a good single stage seems the natural choice. Lee's Classic Cast Single Stage is just right for 30-06 and .270. And the price is right.

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Old July 18, 2012, 09:47 PM   #13
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Lost Sheep, one reason I'm sure the Lee Classic Cast would be so good, is I have a Classic Turret too and know the quality is very good. While there is nothing wrong with the quality of the Rockchucker, the Lee Classic Cast presses are more user friendly and their features suit me better.
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Old July 19, 2012, 07:46 PM   #14
warnerwh
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Imo the Lee Classic Cast is a superior press. Very very good press especially for the money.
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