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Lyman 310 Tool


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I have been thinking about buying the Lyman 310 tool lately and wonder have any of you Cowboys and Cowgirls used one for loading in the field (or home). I was thinking I would like to get it in 45-70 and 30-06. Probably the two calibers I would load most often on a hunting trip. Also what would be a fair price for used handles or should I go ahead and bite and buy new? Thanks for all help.

Muleshoe

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I started loading with Lee handloader press and did so through twenty years of IPSC, DCM and bullseye matches. This press works much like the bench-mounted cousin. It also keeps the bullet inline with the cartridge bore, where the Lyman rotates the bullet to the cartridge. I have old Winchester plyer-style loaders (1885) that work in the same manner.

The Lee press also works with the dies that you already have.

Size, expand and primer at home. Charge, seat and crimp in the field to speed up the process of developing your loads.

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I've used a Lyman 310 tool to reload .45-70, and it would work okay for the field, if you were going to be out there long enough, or just wanted to use it for the fun of it. Most .45-70 loads won't required full-length resizing, as the 310 dies neck size only. (You probably would find packing an extra 20 rounds of ammo to be just as convenient.) You can reload .30-06, BUT...as with the .45-70, there isn't enough leverage to full-length resize. You used to be able to buy a full-length resizer that can be used with a mallet and a punch to force a LUBED cartridge into the sizer, and then remove it. If you shoot the cartridges in the same rifle all the time, you might be able to reload in the field with the 310.

 

You can use the 310 dies in a bench press, but you need the conversion bushing. I loaded .45-90 rounds for years using 310 dies in a bench press, because I shot the rounds in the same rifle, which would handle the neck-sized ammo without any problem.

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Probably the two calibers I would load most often on a hunting trip.

Bill, go for them. They have served shooters for about a hundred years. Why with the advent of bench presses should they be put in the drawer and not used, in house or on the road.

You could even get the combo with the mold

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New handles run $65-70. Older sets of handles are all steel. Prices are all over the place and often times I see them for sale on eBay or in pawn shops and the guy selling them has no idea what he has or what he should be asking for them. The less somebody knows about them the more likely they are to take $20 to be rid of the strange nutcracker looking thing.

 

I have a set of short handles with 45 Colt dies. Its fun for 20 rounds, I couldn't imagine trying to load for a match with one. The Lee Handpress is much easier to use and can be used with regular dies but it doesn't have the ol'timey appeal of the 310.

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I looked at the Lee Hand press and lean to it for cost, BUT since I do shoot BP from my Sharps the Lyman -Ideal kind of tickles my fancy. OHH on ebay there is an Ideal combo tool up for auction right now running 155ish. Looking like I gotta go collect cans....

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I have a set of Lyman 310 tools for each caliber that I load ammo for.

Highly portable and great backup tools to keep you running if something happens to your

other tools.

 

The 310 tools are fine for reloading a just a few straight sided pistol or rifle cartridges

at a time, but not too good for loading large volumes of ammo at any one

time....Labor intensive and not very fast. Won't do Full length resizing, but if you

shoot the cartridges you are loading in the same gun, the neck resizing it does is fine.

 

I also have an old Lyman Tru-Line Jr rotating head bench press that uses

the 310 dies. It is great for doing ammo reloading while on the road for matches,

although not too speedy.

 

Bp

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