Interesting old Press I saw for sale.
dh1633pm
Contributing Member
It is quite an old press. They were made in the 60's I think. I don't think it takes modern shell holders. There are adapters for them. I bet they have all had a long useful life.
Mauser fan
Member
They don't make them like that anymore.
It would be interesting to fiddle with. Lol. But I’m fiddling with enough already. Haha
Jim Watson
Member
Yup, good old Herter's Model Perfect.
There was another brand, I forget the name, that looked like it came out of the same foundry.
There was another brand, I forget the name, that looked like it came out of the same foundry.
chickasaw_hunter
Member
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- May 13, 2014
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- 151
I'll bet it can still get the job done.
Jim Watson
Member
It is big and stout but it lacks the compound leverage developed by RCBS. Might take a harder pull on the handle than it looks like.
lightman
Member
We started loading on one of those. It only takes Herter's shell holders but there are a few places that offer adaptors. Notice that it doesn't have what I call compound linkage. You almost need a cheater pipe and you do need a lot of weight on the back of the bench just to resize a normal 30-06 case. We kept a lot of our lead inventory across the back of the bench. Grandpa bought ours sometime in the mid to late 60's. That one looks nice and clean.
JerkyFreak
Member
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- Jun 7, 2023
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The angle also makes it challenging to seat flat base bullets. There is a reason why those presses (and others like it) went the way of the dodo...
I think that is the press I load on. It was my Dad's and there is another more current Turret press, but I never set it up, I just use the single stage Herters. I got shell holders off e-bay, they are out there for just about every cartridge. There is an RCBS adapter and I have one, but things seem to go better with the Herter's holders, the adapater changes the range of the ram to the die and I recall that creating some complications, so I just found Herter's shell holders. The primers fall down into the Ram in a catch and to let them fall out you lower the Ram the whole way down. I just hold a cottage cheese container or something like that and catch most of them, sometimes the primers get caught in the linkage and you have to sort of tap the handle/arm at the bottom a few times and the ones that get stuck or caught up usually fall out.
It is basic and not complicated. I kind of like the feel of it. The arm is kind of heavy, but there's way more leverage there than you'd ever need. I prime on press with it also. It isn't fast, but it seems to work pretty good for my uses. My Dad used it for rifle cartrdiges, and stuck with the Turret press for pistol. I just use the Herter's single for it all, but I'm not doing any bulk by any means.
It is basic and not complicated. I kind of like the feel of it. The arm is kind of heavy, but there's way more leverage there than you'd ever need. I prime on press with it also. It isn't fast, but it seems to work pretty good for my uses. My Dad used it for rifle cartrdiges, and stuck with the Turret press for pistol. I just use the Herter's single for it all, but I'm not doing any bulk by any means.
41 Mag
Member
Mine is the Wells and other than the name cast on the side is identical. My pop purchased it back in the early 60's and I still have the matching powder measure and had the scale as well. I gave the scale to my nephew a few years back and he still uses it.
I've loaded thousands of rounds on it through the years and have mashed several blood blisters on finger tips as well. Once you slip that meaty handle past the ball bearing catch it will go right on down...
I've loaded thousands of rounds on it through the years and have mashed several blood blisters on finger tips as well. Once you slip that meaty handle past the ball bearing catch it will go right on down...
Kingcreek
Member
I remember going into “Swede’s” years ago with my cousin who lives near Hastings. They had everything for reloading.
Still do. Lol. If you are looking for Hornady seconds…. That’s the place to look! I am in there usually at least once a month when my travels take me to the Grand Island area.
jmorris
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- Sep 30, 2005
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…After we are all long gone…
Highland Lofts
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- May 1, 2019
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I have two of these old heaters presses.
They must of seen a lot of use. The handles will not stay in the upright position.
They must of seen a lot of use. The handles will not stay in the upright position.
J-Bar
Member
I went to sleep reading and re-reading Herter's catalog as a kid in the 50s and 60s. I didn't begin reloading then, but I can still use my Herter's fly tying vise. It's over-engineered just like that press!
doubleh
Member
I used to wear out the Herter's catalog between issues and bought some of the things they offered. My wife still uses the huge chef's knife I bought her to this day. My first reloading scale was a Herter's but it suffered a serious accident from my son and his guitar playing buddies even after I had warned them to stay away from my reloading bench. It didn't survive being knocked off the bench onto a concrete floor and since none of them bothered to tell me what they had done they were banished from my garage. Play outside or find another place. Being winter they found another place. I replaced it with an RCBS which was just as good but no better. Herter's always had the "world's best" whatever it was. I didn't have funds to make comparisions back in those days but everything I ever purchased from them did it's job and did it well.
I baaaarely remember the tale end of the last of the old Herters catalogs. They were spectacular!
tightgroup tiger
Member
I've never seen a Herters magazine. Now I want to know what I missed.
Highland Lofts
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Go on ebay and buy an old Herters magazine and find out what you missed out on.
J-Bar
Member
The earlier the better! It's only money.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=herters+...efix=herter,aps,129&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_6_6
Jim Watson
Member
Herters also had their own library, including a reloading manual for their powders and bullets, a professional guide's handbook (A coworker had a combined edition.) fly tying, and the famous Bull Cook Book. My favorite item from the African hunting section: "Shooting a gorilla is about as hard as shooting your neighbor in his back yard and should be punished the same way."
The last thing I know of in the Herters line was a rump outfit still making their pattern of duck decoys.
The last thing I know of in the Herters line was a rump outfit still making their pattern of duck decoys.
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