Herters double barrel press

[Bmac1949]

I picked up an old Herters double barrel press and was wondering what this thing is good for. It has only one ram on the left side and there is some play in it. I was thinking about switching the ram to the right side to see if it was a better fit. If not what would it take to get everything back to spec? My guess is a machine shop. This thing is massive and my guess is that it would great for swaging. If it's not worth the trouble I'll relegate it to crushing beer cans.

 

[rcmodel]

It is supposed to have two rams in it.

Herters shell holders are getting mighty hard to find, and expensive to boot.

CH & RCBS make adaptors to use standard shell holders in them.
But it shortenns the ram travel to a certain extent.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/413580/rcbs-herters-press-shellholder-adapter

Overall, they were massive, but now, in the condition you discribe?

IMO: It would cost way more to fix it up then it is worth.

rc

 

[Shadow 7D]

many of the later presses used the standard 7/8ths?? threading, but others don't
some of their designs are really loved by some reloaders (according to those who like them)
other see them as clunky things of a bygone era.

OH, bullet swagging, that was one use of their single stage presses.

 

[Bmac1949]

I just changed the ram over to the right side and ther is no play that I can detect and I've got the shell holdersf or it. I'll probably mount it and try it out. It might be a candidate for Ebay. Thanks for the input.

 

[fguffey]

I have one, function with two rams, sizing on the left seating on the right. I form cases, forming die on the left, full length sizer on the right. Make sure the handle is not damaged, that would be the most difficult part to find. Reloading equipment, I am surrounded by disseminators of ‘old anything’ a lot of that involves Herters presses, I would suggest purchasing a Super Model #3 for the linkage and ram. Too late for all the opportunities from the last gun show at Market Hall by the North Texas Antique Gun Collectors, we are trying to work with one of the dealers for components of some kind, when he calls I will know if he still has the Herters presses.

Loose when it comes to metal does not lock me up, there are options, anyhow, the machine shop option can get expensive. I will find a Model 3 or purchase what you have left of the 2 ram press. Contact me through mail option. Depending on the degree of ugly model #3s can be found for as little as $15.00 dollars to $30.00.

F. Guffey

 

[fguffey]

Switching to the right, the left side functions with the primer installer, if that is missing or if you plan to use a hand primer the primer function will not be an issue.

F. Guffey

 

[David Wile]

Hey Bmac 1949,

I got one of these Herter's "double barrels" used in 1959. I already had one of the massive Herter's single ram presses at the time that I had also bought used. I tried the twin ram press one evening and simply could not find any use for the two rams. To me, it was somewhat akin to the idea of a turret press which I have never found useful for my needs. I sold the twin ram press very quickly, but I did keep the single ram Herter's press for quite a while. When I got a RockChucker in the 1960s, I pretty much settled in with it and still use it today. The Herter's press sat around in disuse for several years before I finally gave it to a friend getting started in reloading.

Maybe ten years ago I saw an old massive Wells "C" frame press for sale locally. The Wells press looked just like the Herter's press, and I think Wells made Herter's presses. Well, I was overcome by nostalgia and bought the Wells press. Talk about bad ideas, I spent more money buying an adapter for the ram so it could use standard shell holders. Worse yet, I still do not use it. It just sits there looking very pretty. Now I have about $60 in a press that has no use for me. Dumb - dumb - dumb.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[Joatmon]

Dave, I have made some of those same "nostalgic" moves. There are now a couple of Herters presses sitting on a heavy duty cart in the basement. I figure they will help hold the house down when the wind blows hard. Either that or I can re-supply the steel industry with cast iron afer we ship all of our scrap to China. I think one is a O frame. What I was thinking I have no idea. You are not alone brother...

 

[Shadow 7D]

David
many casters and bullet makers (swagging from lead wire etc.)
swear by those old presses, just goes through anything smooth as butter.

 

[David Wile]

Hey Shadow,

I've been casting bullets right from the start but never did any swaging. I thought those big old brown Herter's presses were great at one time, but when I got my hands on an RCBS A-2 press, it beat the heck out of the brown one that used special shell holders. The A-2 also introduced the compound leverage system, and that made tough jobs a lot easier than on the brown presses. As soon as RCBS came out with their RockChucker and I could afford it, I sold the A-2 to get the Chucker. By today's single stage press standards, the RockChucker is still a strong, powerful press. Its one shortcoming is it lousy primer catcher system, but that same primer system was a new and innovative system in the 1960s.

For those folks who may be doing some serious heavy duty work like swaging bullets, I would think the RCBS compound leverage systems on the A-2 and RockChucker presses was a much better choice than the brown presses like Herter's and Wells. They big brown presses certainly were massive, but the new compound leverage system beat the old press linkage hands down. Besides that, the new RCBS presses were quite massive in their own right.

Why I bought that old Wells press ten years ago and then spent more bucks for an adapter is beyond reason. The paint on the Wells press looked like it was new, and I started thinking about the things of my youth. What can I say? I still listen to Doo Wop, and I am a sucker for nostalgia.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[fguffey]

There are those that do not like the Herters type press, in the real world when discussing likes and ‘not likes’ the subject of Herters comes up occasional, when I hear someone complaining about the Herters I always ask them if it smashed their finger when they picked it up, or, did they forget the Herters’ had a mind of it’s own as in the reloader should never forget the heavy handle is going to come down when released, again, with the finger thing. Then there are those of us that installed detents to hold the ram/handle, Herters installed detents on the later presses, as they say “It is no biggie”.

Then the part about using one, securing the shell holder to the ram does not require heavy torqueing of the small holder set screws, by design the set screws push the shell holder up when the ram is raised and lower the shell holder when the ram is lowered. Over torqueing the set screws will spread the top of the ram, and? that could be the reason your press only has one ram.

I also have the 6 position turret by Herters, again when forming cases there is a position for the 338/06, 35 Whelen, forming dies and full length sizer dies.

Sounds like there are a couple of members that are willing to ship you a press with a good ram and linkage for freight (shipping cost), again, if you need a ram and linkage let me know.

In the old days presses were tested with deviation/strain gages, today no one wants to know, they do want to spend a lot of time talking about neck run out and in-line, shell holder alignment and the cure all wild guestimate of a turn past shell holder contact like 1/4, 1/2 to 3/4 turn.

And shell holders, there is a difference, when forming first before firing I can not do without RCBS late model shell holders, in the big inning RCBS (Pacific) had shell holders that included the ram.

F. Guffey