My ( new to me ) old press.

Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
I located a Bonanza , O Frame, Model 68 reloading press that was FOR SALE .
For $50, I grabbed it.

When I was a teen,( that was a LONG TIME AGO ) I always thought I'd like to own a press like the " 68 ".
The Bonanza 68 that I purchased was located in WI, it was shipped Priority Mail mid-day on Thursday, it arrived here today ( Saturday) in Alabama.
I know a lot of people complain about the US Post Office. However, I thought
that 2 days was pretty good on this press.


The outside of the press had some paint flecks, etc.
The pins in the press displayed no wear.
I disassembled the press, soaked all of it in Purple Power Degreaser.
I allowed it to sit for 20 minutes and then I hit it with a pressure washer.
The press was allowed to dry in the sun for 3 hours, then I re-sprayed it.

I think it looks nice, give me your opinion.
The ram travel is smooth as silk.

Ben

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Here I am F/L sizing some Federal 30-30 brass for my T/C Super 14, 30-30.
I do like the un-obstructed area around the shell holder. The " O " style of press has always interested me.


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The backside of the ram has a hole in it and funnels all the spent primers out the back of the ram. Today, I spent some time modifying a Lee Sizing die shipping container and made a primer catcher out of it. WORKS ! !

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Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
You'd think you could tackle a project like this in an hour or two.
I spent pretty much the entire day on this one.

I am well pleased with the outcome.
I think it was worth the time expended.

Ben
 
D

Dale53

Active Member
Ben;
I have to commend you for the press restoration! It appears that it has found a GOOD home!

My single stage press is an original RCBS Rockchucker. Pretty much the strength that you have there. The Bonanza probably has a bigger window for those "Bear Paws" of yours;). I LIKE the primer catcher.
One of the aggravations of the small Lee Turret press (Not the "Cast Classic) is that it dumps primers in the base of the press and you have to dismount the whole press to empty them. A flaw in an otherwise admirable turret press. I replaced my early Lee Turret with the Classic Cast Turret so that I could load rifle cartridges on it, if necessary. One nice thing on the Cast, is that the primers drop down through the ram through a hose and right into a large can under the press (resting on the floor). 100% of the primers go where they are supposed to.

I have two Dillon 550B's and they will occasionally drop a primer on the floor. Over a period of time, I have to sweep them up. I may run 10,000 rounds through my Dillons in a years time, these days, (in years past it was more like 25,000). So, that could amount to quite a few primers on the floor. My shop floor has commercial carpeting on it. Those primers, however, can wreck havoc on a conventional sweeper. Not a real problem with my shop vac, but...

FWIW
Dale
 
Josh

Josh

Well-Known Member
That's a fine old press and one nice restoration. Sometimes the old stuff is worth saving.
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
A good cleaning, $5 worth of Krylon Spray Paint, Re lube everything , reassemble and the press is good as new.

I've done several old presses with this treatment. This one will make a beginning reloader a fine press.

Here is another one that I did a few years ago. I still use this one. I bought this one for $40

Here is the " Before Photo " of the press :

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Here are some " After Photos " :

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Ben
 
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S Mac

S Mac

Sept. 10, 2021 Steve left us. You are missed.
Very nice job Ben. I saw that press for sale and noted that you purchased it. I wondered if it used shellholders I see that it does. Nice.
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
S Mac said:
Very nice job Ben. I saw that press for sale and noted that you purchased it. I wondered if it used shellholders I see that it does. Nice.
Click to expand...

Thanks S Mac !

Yes, standard shell holders. That was a concern of mine. I did a bit of research to insure that the press used standard shell holders.
 
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Dale53

Active Member
Some years ago, I restored a Star reloading press that had sat in a corner of a garage for several years. I cleaned it up and repainted it. I had to add a couple of missing parts, but then, it worked like new. I used it for .38 Special for a couple of years, then it was reclaimed by the original owner. The Star did a fine job of reloading match level loads but was a bit aggravating to use. The tolerances were actually TOO close. It would only work with OEM primers (they are slightly smaller in diameter than reloader's primers). To clear a primer stoppage would take twenty minutes. I was lucky as a good friend was a commercial loader and supplied me with OEM primers.

I was a bit sorry to see the Star go, but after I got my first Dillon 550B, I never looked back. Yeah, I AM a fan of "Dillon Blue"...

FWIW
Dale
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Dale,

You ever had a problem with the consistency ( charge to charge ) of the Dillion powder measure. My friend has one, has complained to the factory, has never quite been happy with the powder measure.

Ben
 
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Dale53

Active Member
I've never had a problem with consistency. I did wear one out which Dillon quickly replaced with a new upgraded measure.

This next comment may not make some happy, but I absolutely believe it. I have a collection of powder measures, including a Harrell. I can, on demand, operate any one of them to be consistent OR inconsistent. It's a matter of how you use them.

When a person operates a Progressive Press it is EXTREMELY important to operate them smoothly (as opposed to "slam bang"). Yes, I have seen any number of people do just that (slam bang).

I do another thing with my Progressives - I use the capacity bar that is most appropriate for the particular charge weight (in a conventional measure, use the pistol cavity with small charges and rifle cavity with large charges).

Further, use fine grained powders when possible (ball powders measure extremely well). If the measure doesn't have a baffle in it, you might want to add one.

Above all, be SMOOTH! (That's what the actress said to the Bishop)....

Dale
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Dale,

That is some fine advice.

My friend MAY NOT have been doing those things.
Makes a difference..........

Ben
 
L

Lost Dog

Guest
Ya know Ben if you continue to use those old presses and keep using the 310 tong tool, they're gonna start calling you an old coot like me!;):rolleyes:
 
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