Some pieces that came with a group of reloading tools I purchased.

The short, fat one on the left is marked GROUP 6 and has an "H" in a circle.

The long one on the right is marked for .308WIN and seems to be some kind of decapping/ trimming tool? The blued part unscrews from the polished steel part which has a cutter face.





Thanks, Rob

I believe the item on the right is a Lee case trimmer....the item on the left is from C&H (the H in the center of a "C" and not a circle.

I'm guessing it's a tapered case holder that is used with the case trimmer to help hold the cases by gripping them by their tapers.

So the case would be trimmed with the primer in place?

I believe you would size and deprime the case first. You would then put the case in the tapered case holder and the pilot (which looks like a depriming punch) would serve to help keep the cutter aligned.

Yes, the pin is for alignment and is also the depth stop.

Rob,
You can see the product description for the Lee case trimmer at this website. http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1180...catalog/casecon.html

Hopefully in your stuff there should be a lock stud and a shell holder. The small pin at the end of the case length gauge goes through the decapped primer hole and butts up against the lock stud.

No lock stud was found. I tried it with a spent primer in the case and the cutter doesn't reach the mouth. With a deprimed case the stop pin goes through and doesn't bottom out allowing the cutter to cut too much. I assume the stop pin bottoms on the lock stud which sets proper case length?

I see it can be set up in a drill, how's this tool to use? Among the same group of stuff I got is a L.E. Wilson hand crank case trimmer. Is this the way it's to be used (that case holder is marked for .250 Sav and that's the case in there)? The case holder just rides in the rails, is this setup accurate?



I also found this among the items received, from Herter's, is it related to reloading?

Rob, some of those type cutters have an adjustment on the rod so when it bottoms the case will be the length you need. I don't know about yours though.

quote:

Originally posted by bfrshooter:
Rob, some of those type cutters have an adjustment on the rod so when it bottoms the case will be the length you need. I don't know about yours though.

You're speaking about the first one, up top, the Lee? I have found out with Dead Duck's help (those years of Latin paid off) that it's missing the stop lock.


Thanks, Rob

quote:

Originally posted by Recoil Rob:
No lock stud was found. I tried it with a spent primer in the case and the cutter doesn't reach the mouth. With a deprimed case the stop pin goes through and doesn't bottom out allowing the cutter to cut too much. I assume the stop pin bottoms on the lock stud which sets proper case length?

That's how it works. I have trimmed 45 ACP range brass with the Lee tool and it seems to work fine. Fairly fool proof so you can do it while watching your favorite baseball teams in action.

Rob,
The Wilson trimmer is a fine tool. The cylindrical case holders generally hold a family of similar cases, with the length set with the end screw.
Your Herters #20 spool bobbin is, I believe, used in winding guides on fishing rods. It is a knockoff of the Thompson.
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross

Thanks Ross, I've been known to build a rod, perhaps I can put it to good use. Does it get clamped to the table and just tension the thread while you spin the rod?


Thanks, Rob

One thing I miss are the old Herter's catalogs. I wish I would have kept them. They were a fun read with all the Jack Pine Savage and Belgian stuff. I still have the Bull cook, recipes and practices book from 1958. Kind of ratty looking.
I still use one of his knives every year to cut deer. It is 50 years old.

Rob,
Yes, I believe that is the way it is used. I believe that the pair if ¼" slots are for a bracket to rest the rod in while rotating. The adjustable tension is the tool's raison d'être. I have both a Thompson and a Herter like yours, but have never wound a rod. They are about identical.
Regards,
Ross