Parts for an old press

[wwhite72082]

This morning I had a bunch of running around to do, first of which was to head down to the range and give my new M&P 9mm a try. After some shooting and running other errands I stopped at my parents house to visit.

I brought along my new M&P as well as my Wifes Beretta Neos for my father to take a look at. We got to talking about how my Father, Grandfather, and Great Uncle used to do alot of shooting. At one point my Father and Grandfather decided to give reloading a try so they picked up a press and a set of dies for my uncles .44

As some time passed my uncle sold most of his guns to gain capitol to buy a business and the family slowly stopped shooting. Fast forward 30+ years and here I am getting into shooting.

I have taken a serious interest in giving USPSA a try and have been toying around with the idea of getting into reloading several months down the line. I mentioned to my father that I liked the Dillon Square Deal B setup and might consider picking it up at some point. He went on to recommend getting my hands on a reloading manual far ahead of time so that I can get an understanding of what will be involved for reloading.

He told me that he might have an old reloading manual up in the attic that would be out of date, but something to read for the time being. When he came down from the attic he handed me the "Outdoor Life - Gun Data Book" by F. Phillip Rice (Published 1975) and handed me a box and said "I didn't even think I had this anymore". Inside the box was a Lyman Tru-Lite Jr. press with Dies for .44 SPL.

My question is, can I get a set of 9mm Luger Dies for this press anymore? He said at one point it was a pretty popular setup and I might able to find the setup I need.

I'm thinking this would be a good (and free in terms of a press) way of testing the waters, so to speak. What are your thoughts on this?

I did some searching on Google and am coming up with either a press with .44 SPL dies on ebay, or newer Lyman equipment. Would the Dies be interchangeable or are they obsolete at this point?

Also, I'm sure the book my father gave me has tons of useful information in it but what would you guys recommend I read after I finish with this one? I saw several recommendations during a forum search but I'm curious what would be currently recommended (in case a new edition has been released since the search results)

Thanks
-Walt

[bert304]

You have to find out what the diameter of the dies are and the thread pitch is. Dies today are 7/8 by 14. As for books get the current verison. I would recommend the book Modern Reloading also Mettallic Cartridge Reloading

[wwhite72082]

Thanks for the info. I'll do a little research and see what I can come up with.

I just started reading the book a little and it appears that it is not a reloading manual as I thought (he must have grabbed the wrong book) it is filled with alot of very interesting information on all of the current rifles, shotguns, and hand guns available at the time.

In any case it is going to be an informative and interesting read none the less, just not a reloading book as I initially thought.

[chalmitch]

If a modern press is what you will want for ISPSA then try an move up to the 550B from Dillon. There is a great difference in speed and function of the two presses. My 550 has reloaded about 50,000.

Best regards,
chalmitch

[wwhite72082]

You have to find out what the diameter of the dies are and the thread pitch is. Dies today are 7/8 by 14.

Looks like the only Die set that Lyman makes, which is compatible with my old press, is the 310 series which is 609" x 30.

They note that these dies will not do a full length sizing, just the neck. Does this cause a problem?

There is an adapter available to make the 7/8 by 14 dies work.

[bert304]

Neck sizing dies are for cases that have been fired in a bolt action rifle. Full length sizing dies are for rifle cases that are either fired in a semi auto or that are new to a bolt action rifle. Your groups will be more accurate if you only neck size a case from a bolt action rifle. For pistol cases you will full size them. Rifle cases have to be lubed to be resized and pistol cases if you use a carbide resizing die do not have to be lubed. I am not sure of that press but if you can get an adapter for it go for it. Is that a single stage press or a progressive press?

I will hear a lot of slack about what I am going to say but if you budget is not that great or you are not sure about reloading yet I would look into getting a Lee Turret press for pistol cases. Normally you start with a single stage then move up to a progressive press because of speed of getting the rounds out, once you learn the basics on a single stage. The Dillion presses are very expensive. They are good but they are on the high end of the market. Not an investment to be made right off the bat.

[wwhite72082]

Thanks for the info.

The press is single stage and appears to be in working order. The reason I would like to use it before investing time and money into another press is due to that fact that it was given to me.

Once I learn the basics with this, I'll consider moving up to a modern progressive press.

Also, the 310 series of Dies by Lyman will not reload 9mm (from what I can see). It looks like the best way to go is with an Adapter and either one of Lymans Dies or someone elses.

For now, If I order an adapter who should I get a set of 9mm Luger Dies from as I'm sure there are some that are much better than others?

Thanks again
-Walt

[crazy charlie]

You bring back some fond memories.
My Father had one of those presses, I'm thinking about 1955, that I inherited and used about 1969.
Neck sizing only, not bad for rifle.
I used it for a while, but being a small press it had it's limitations. I went to a heavier single stage. Back then it was not a real piece of cake to get dies.
If I were you I'd get a new setup and wouldn't invest in finding dies. You'll probably do the same as I did and invest in a better press to serve your needs, and retire your Lyman. No sense to spend the same money twice.
Just my opinion.
Good luck.

[bert304]

You can get a set of Lee dies for a reasonable price from www.MidwayUSA.com Take a look at the Lee product line and you might find a kit you can afford. Check the prices at different places and see what you like. For pistol calibers, the single stag press will be slow but you can learn the process at you own speed.

[Xringshooter]

You can go onto the Lyman website and send them a message. They will tell you all about the press you have, may send a parts drawing if they have one (probably do) and tell you what (and if) parts are still available. I did that concerning an old Spar-T press and got lots of info about it from them.