Mystery Press

[fc60]

Greetings,

Saw a post on another forum seeking help identifying a progressive reloading press.

Here is a link to the photo.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzey9bmt/mysterypress.jpg

More data from the owner....

I have a "Mystery Press" I need help Identifying.  Here is what I know
from my observations:

     * It is a three stage LINEAR press
     * It uses 5/8 diameter dies (One is a star die, the others have no
       identifying marks)
     * Currently setup for .38 Special

I am particularly interested in any information on adjusting it.
Especially the powder drop mechanism.

He wrote to CH and they said it was not their's.

Is it possible an early Star?

Cheers,

Dave

[rbwillnj]

Star did make an in-line press, but that doesn't look anything like it.

[SWANEE]

Hey Dave, You might want to put the pic on the "cast boolit forum", if the 'pressman' Ken sees it he will most likely be able to I D it. Cheers back to you, Dave

[Kenneth L. Walters]

It is a PESCO, Police Equipment Scales Company.  Made in Chicago for a brief period by two brothers names Gerstenburger.  They build them in their basement in the evenings.  Talked to the wife of one of the men years, maybe decades, ago.  I owned three of these.  I think that there might be a picture of one of these in Phil Sharps book.

The bullet feeder tube isn't original and I doubt that the paint job is either.

The first straightline progressive was the Newcomb.  That design was bought out by Buchanan.  Then these two guys built this one.  It is this press that CH copied to make the Auto Champion.  Of course the Auto Champion was copied to make the Cougar & Hunter, the Jet and the RCBS Green Machine.

Joe Dircks loaned Buchanan the money to buy the Newcomb.  $1000 which back in the 30's was a lot of money.  Joe, of course, went on to make the Dircks and Tri Standard straightline progressives.  Someone, I don't remember who, is still making one of those two designed.  Unfortunately I lost the guy's contact information when my computer died recently.

The reason CH didn't recognize it is that the current owners of CH had nothing to do with making the Auto Champion.  Tony Sailer of Owen Wisconsin was the driving force behind the CH Auto Champion.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Hey Dave, You might want to put the pic on the "cast boolit forum", if the 'pressman' Ken sees it he will most likely be able to I D it. Cheers back to you, Dave

I was banned from the cast boolit forum some time ago for objecting to the hateful way some of those people went after Redding and Lyman.

[angus6]

Hey Dave, You might want to put the pic on the "cast boolit forum", if the 'pressman' Ken sees it he will most likely be able to I D it. Cheers back to you, Dave

I was banned from the cast boolit forum some time ago for objecting to the hateful way some of those people went after Redding and Lyman.

So that wasn't you posting as Pressman yesterday ? or is there 2 cast boolits forums ?

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Wasn't me.

[dbltapster]

Mr. Walters,  I am amazed at your knowledge of reloading history!  I hang on every historical word you write about these old, mostly forgotten pieces of reloading equipment AND maybe more importantly the names of those people involved.  I sincerely hope that you have put this knowledge to paper.  As I wish you a long and rewarding life, I also say that when you shuffle off of this mortal coil, we will have lost a wealth of rich history! I for one, VERY much enjoying hearing / reading about these things.

Thank you, Jon.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Some years ago I gave all my photographs of this stuff to a younger fan.  So maybe some of this will be preserved.  But you need to remember not many are interested.  But if you are one, you might try
http://www.antiquereloadingtools.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17

[Feinwerk]

An article in Rifleman would be very interesting, IMHO.  At least I would find it fascinating.  Please do it.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Like I said I gave all the photographs away a long time ago.  That alone would kill this idea.

And no one cares.  You would never convince a publisher to print this even if you had the pictures.  I'm sure about that because decades ago I tried.  The article, or maybe articles, never got printed.

And the one piece that did get printed, on the Potters, was a very hard sell.  GD agreed to print it ONLY if all the other magazines turned it down.

So as interesting as I found all this stuff, there is just no market for it. 

[dbltapster]

You know KW, with the internet, you wouldn't be stuck with the conventional publishing BS.  There are e-publishing oulets now.  You could prepare articles for just about anything and publish them on-line.  Just a thought.

PS:  A fellow Cast Boolits member mailed me a copy of "Don't Pass Up a Potter".  Received it today.  I skimmed through it, but look forward to reading it in detail. -- By the way, I have a part for the Potter that I cannot identify.  I'll try to post a pic of it on the Antique Reloading Tools forum.  If you could take a look at it, maybe you could tell me what it was used for.

Thanks!

[scrapcan]

Ken,

The Antique Reloading Tool Collectors Assoc would love to publish any article that you might offer.  I twould only be int he association newsletter, but none the less it would be recorded.

If intersted let Ken Neeld or Tom Quigley  know.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Ken has my complete press photo collection.  So I suppose one could get the pictures to illustrate such an article. 

However as I get older my memory of this stuff is starting to slip.

[Kevin Rohrer]

So that wasn't you posting as Pressman yesterday ? or is there 2 cast boolits forums ?

Pressman is Ken Neeld on Castboolits. He is an officer with ARCTA.