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victorj19
Using one of these? I wasn't getting information on the BP/Cowboy shooting forum and moved it here.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=184888798

Mine is made by Marlin in 38 S&W. I already cast and reload with modern equipment so I've figured out casting, seating and capping. I assumed that the longest pin is for depriming pin but is too large to fit a modern case. Is my assumption correct? Were the primer holes just a lot larger back in the day? If so, I'll press my hand priming tool into service and not ruin an antique. Does anyone have any general guidance?

Out of curiosity was there just one primer size for pistols back in the 1880s? Same for rifle and pistol? IMO it would have been simpler. Perhaps two powder sizes (FFg and FFFg) and one primer for all?
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • dcs shooters
    You would have to look at a "BALLOON" head case and see the primer size.
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  • dsmc1
    I believe that the long pin is used to push the cast bullet thru the hole on the opposing handle to SIZE it. The decapping pin was a separate piece.

    The shorter pin/stud (to the left of the longer one in the first Pic) was for seating the new primer
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  • victorj19
    DSMC

    Your post seems very plausible. The hole seems slightly smaler than the case. I plan on casting some bullets tomorrow, will try to size them and post the results. Would the bullets be lubed at the same time they are sized?
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  • cbyerly
    Flash holes on vintage pistol shells were a lot smaller than modern shells. You may have to make a primer punch the proper diameter and hand deprime them. Drill out the flash holes to correct size.
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  • Hawk Carse
    quote:Originally posted by victorj19 Would the bullets be lubed at the same time they are sized?


    No, these simple tools are not meant for that. Lube would be applied by dipping, pan lubing, or just rubbing some into the grooves by hand.
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  • victorj19
    I sort of marvel at the ingenuity of the tool design. It is so simple while time consuming. I cast about 150 bullets with the mold portion. The casting went well after the steel heated up. Later I sized them. It got increasing harder to get a bullet through the sizing hole, so hard that could hardly squeeze the handles with both hands to get the bullet out. Eventually I did thought about it a minute and got brass bore brush and cleaned out the sizer hole. I was back in business. The bullets all have numerous straight, "rifling" lines on the bering surfaces. I'm guessing it's normal, but I haven't sized bullets before.

    After the sizing, I tried a bullet in the case mouth. Tight fit. I don't see how to use the tool to bell the mouth a bit. Tried the bullet with a case in the seating die. The bullet doesn't seat at all! The seating die is just too long and won't push the bullet in at all. Am I missing something here, literally? Is there something that needs to be inserted in the die on top of the bullet?
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