Any ideas what this is?

[Bilbo]

Hey fellows,
I found this on E-bay, no idea what it is. Kinda looks like an Auto Champ. I figured someone out there would know. No, it's not my auction and I have no intention of bidding on it! How would you charge the case?

Take Care!

Bill

http://cgi.ebay.com/PROGRESSIVE-RELOADING-PRESS-UNKNOWN-BRAND-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ120051777034QQihZ002QQcategoryZ71120QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Kenneth L. Walters]

PESCO, police equipment sales company.  Two brothers built these in their basement in Chicago for awhile.  Covered in Sharps book, I think.  Not sure they were that color originally.  I just can not remember.  Think that I had three.

[Bilbo]

Kenneth,

I kinda figured you'd know! Looks like a sturdy machine. I still don't see how you'd charge the cases. Must be missing quite a few parts.

Thanks!

Bill

[rbwillnj]

The description says it will use a Star powder charge assembly, but I sure can't see where you would attach it.   I was hoping Ken was going to say this was the misterious Star In-line machine.   I'm still waiting to see a picture of that!

[Kenneth L. Walters]

These didn't work well.? As I recall the operating handle could develop near infinite leverage but the handle itself couldn't withstand that kind of stress so the handles broke.? Also they weren't well made.? Big and impressive to be sure but, well...

Sold three in 96 I think (along with a LOT of other progressives including my star straightline) to Ron Peterson guns.? I would imagine that he still has them rusting away somewhere.

Back in the days before the internet a lot of people would call Star and want to trade their machine for a new Star.? Star was never interested BUT they would refer these people to me and quite often I bought what they were trying to dump.

The Newcomb was the first of this type of design.? I had one bought from another fellow who posts here.? Never knew anyone connected to the manufacture of the Newcomb.? That was odd.? In almost every case I tracked down some family member for each machine made.? That took effort in the pre-internet days.? J.D. Buchanan bought the rights to the Newcomb and made a variation.? Talked to his wife years ago.? After Buchanan this design passed to the Gerstenburger brothers of Chicago.? Maybe formally.? Maybe not.? One evening decades ago I called every Gerstenburger listed in the Chicago phonebook.? Seem to remember that there were two.? One turned out to be the wife of one of the two owners.? Her husband and his brother literally made these in his brother's basement at night.? When her husband dies, this stopped.? After that there was no more communication between the living family members.

Tony Sailer knew of this machine.? When he wanted CH to make a progressive this is the design he selected.? Though that it would be easier and less expensive to make than another Star copy.? Problem was that the Gerstenburger brothers had patented thieir machine and the patent hadn't quite run out when CH introduced the Auto-Champ.? So, though no big deal was ever made of it and maybe CH would even deny it, the CH machine was a copy.

No Star-like parts use here that I remember.