.38-55 Reloading and the Lyman Brass 8 Station Press - Good or Not So Good

[Mountain Man Gramps]

I'm starting to load more .38-55 and realize my progressive and cheap single stage presses are not the best way to go. I'm thinking about the Lyman 8 station turret press. Those of you who have experience with it, would you recommend it?  They are on sale at the moment. If not the Lyman 8 station, what would you recommend?

 

[Bailey Creek,5759]

I use a RCBS Rock Chucker for 38-55, 45-70, 45-60.

I have used it for 45 yrs great press.

[Rip Snorter]

Just now, Bailey Creek,5759 said:

I use a RCBS Rock Chucker for 38-55, 45-70, 45-60.

I have used it for 45 yrs great press.

Ditto for 38-55, 45-70 and and for modern heavy rifle cartridges as well.

[Cholla]

Back in the day (1980s) reloading manuals recommended O presses over C presses for rifle cartridges. They claimed C presses had too much play in them and were not strong enough to handle the stress. I have a Lyman Orange Crusher and there are times reloading 30-06 and 40-82 that I am glad I listened.

[Frontier Lone Rider]

I use a combination of a RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme and a Lyman Spar-t Turret Press and a Lyman T-Mag Turret Press.  I use the Rock Chucker to resize and another Rock Chucker to Crimp. I do everything else on the Turret Presses.  These work for the 38-55, 8mm Mouser, and 44-40.

 

I use the Hornady Progressive for the pistol calbers.

[Sedalia Dave]

It'll work just fine.

 

I started with the Lyman Spar-T turret press. Used it for over 30 years. Upgraded to the Lyman T-Mag turret press so that I could swap out tool heads. I now have one set up for 56-50, 38-55, 45-70, and 30-06. 

What I do is deprime/resize and bell the case mouths using two adjacent holes. I then prime off the press using either the original Lee hand primer or an RCBS hand primer. While priming I inspect the case mouths for splits.

 

Then I charge the cases, start a bullet into the case, and insert it into the press. Lastly using adjacent holes I seat and then crimp with a factory crimp die.

 

Using this method I can perform two functions each time I insert a case into the press.

[Jackaroo, # 29989]

I do it similar to Sedalia Dave.

I have a 38.55 650 tool holder but always had trouble loading them, blown the primer tube up through the ceiling once

and the case just won't stand dead vertical on the bell and powder through stage, end up crushing cases if I don't manually guide it in.

So I gave it up, now deprime and size on a single stage press, hand prime with a Lee primer then load them on my old

Lee progressive press which is now manual, with my finger. Bell and powder throw, next stage seat bullet then crimp next stage.

Works great and all coming out perfect. Don't load a lot of them (about 150 3 times a year)so happy with the manual stuff and get to check each one better.

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

I use a Lyman Orange Crusher to load 38-55 & 45-70.

[Snakebite]

I use a Lyman T Mag (discontinued). It's a 8 turret press and it works every bit as well as my Rock Chucker did. It is very convenient and handles large cases with easy and accuracy. I don't know if the latest version does as well, but I wouldn't be afraid to try one.

 

Snakebite

[Mountain Man Gramps]

Thank you all!, very good input.  It sounds like starting out with the Lyman 8 station and seeing how it goes is a good way to start.  I like the combination of single station with a turret press if needed since you can take advantage of the turret convenience but bring in a single stage if needed.  My goal is to make precision rounds but not spend all day doing it.  I tried using my Hornady LNL progressive which is great for bullet rounds, but it destroyed too many expensive .38-55 cases. I’m convinced that a rotating shell plate progressive does not sufficiently align the case under the die due to the height of the case.  The result is damaged cases.  But since bullet cases are shorter the rotating shell plate works for them.

[Pee Wee #15785]

I use my Dillon 550 for target shooting.  If hunting or competing I load on a RCBS single stage was I hand load all powder.  

[Frontier Lone Rider]

19 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

It'll work just fine.

 

I started with the Lyman Spar-T turret press. Used it for over 30 years. Upgraded to the Lyman T-Mag turret press so that I could swap out tool heads. I now have one set up for 56-50, 38-55, 45-70, and 30-06. 

What I do is deprime/resize and bell the case mouths using two adjacent holes. I then prime off the press using either the original Lee hand primer or an RCBS hand primer. While priming I inspect the case mouths for splits.

 

Then I charge the cases, start a bullet into the case, and insert it into the press. Lastly using adjacent holes I seat and then crimp with a factory crimp die.

 

Using this method I can perform two functions each time I insert a case into the press.

 

It sounds like we mirror each other even to the point of a Lyman Spar-T then the Lyman T-Mag and the hand primer.  I have several Rock Chuckers, Hornady L&L, Dillon 550B, but those are used for other calibers.

[captqueeze]

I have a couple of RCBS Rock Chuckers that I plan to use + a T-7 Redding .  Probably start with the RCBS RC's and depending on how much I shoot migrate to the T-7.  A question I have though; I recently bought a set of 38-55 RCBS Dies and two of the dies are marked 38-55 and the expander dies only markings are on the plug which is 375.  I assume that's a standard expander plug, right?

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Nah, None of The Above.

 

I load 38-55 on my Dillon 650.  The 38-55 cases are quite mailable and resize, prime, bell, seat and crimp just fine.  I have a mishmash of Dies in the tool head.  Oh, and I am loading with APP and a 245Gr Bullet.  BOOMBA

["Big Boston"]

lots of good answers/opinions.

 

I loaded for the 38-55 for a while, and I did own a RockChucker, but for the steps involved with loading for the 38-55, I preferred my Lyman T-Mag II. Not that the T-Mag isn't a strong and rigid platform, but a 38-55 doesn't need a great deal of grunt to reload. I think the Redding T-7 is a better press than the Lyman, but for the money I think the Lyman All-American 8 is a good buy. I wanted to upgrade, but already have a bunch of extra turrets for my T-Mag. In addition, since wanting to upgrade my turret, I added a pair of 550s for loading pistol. 

 

I had a few issues with the 38-55 and with a few added items I had a decent set-up. First item that I would not do without is a 379 expanding plug made by NOE. The next item that worked well is the LEE 379-250-RF, a great bullet. There are a few gas check designs out there that work as well or better, but for a hassle free solution, it's hard to beat. I never went for crazy velocity, 1600 fps max I estimate. 

 

Considering the separate steps involved, and time you spent setting up dies for a single stage, I think you'd be happy with a decent turret press. 

 

Just to clarify, I did not abandon my T-Mag for any fault of the turret press. It was that with all the ammo I needed for CAS, the arthritis in my arms and shoulders was getting worse, and a progressive cuts the strokes per round down considerably. Once you get a progressive tuned in, it's one round per stroke of the handle. 

 

BB

[captqueeze]

Well I cast a bunch of LEE 379-250-RF just the other day.  Got my dies in the mail today and the brass is supposed to be here next week.  Getting anxious!

[Sedalia Dave]

3 hours ago, captqueeze said:

I have a couple of RCBS Rock Chuckers that I plan to use + a T-7 Redding .  Probably start with the RCBS RC's and depending on how much I shoot migrate to the T-7.  A question I have though; I recently bought a set of 38-55 RCBS Dies and two of the dies are marked 38-55 and the expander dies only markings are on the plug which is 375.  I assume that's a standard expander plug, right?

 

Likely that is the diameter of the bullets is is for. Will likely work for jacked bullets but not cast bullets.

For my 38-55 I bought a Lyman "M" die. You can buy an expander plug for it that will match you chosen bullet diameter. Each die will accommodate a range of calibers. They also make "M" dies for pistol calibers.

 

[Joe LaFives #5481]

Since 1980, for all my rifle cartridges, I use a Bonanza Co-Ax (now made by Forester).  I like that I don't have to worry about shell holders and can prime at the top of the press and the spent primers are captured easily.

[captqueeze]

31 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

Likely that is the diameter of the bullets is is for. Will likely work for jacked bullets but not cast bullets.

For my 38-55 I bought a Lyman "M" die. You can buy an expander plug for it that will match you chosen bullet diameter. Each die will accommodate a range of calibers. They also make "M" dies for pistol calibers.

 

Yep; I agree.  I just got the die set today and I have several M Dies that I can use, especially since I have a lathe so I can make my own expander plug. Matter of fact I have a bunch of NOE expander plugs and I bet I have the size I need.

Thanks for the suggestions Dave.