BGI Capper . . . . . . Ideal Mfg Roll Crimper ...........................................

Figure 1

Wad Seater, Funnel, & Decapper Base . . . . . . . . . Powder & Shot Measure .....................................

The process of reloading of shotshells and tooling evolved rapidly from the introduction of the centerfire ignition cartridge. Shotshell casings of brass first appeared as the “base-fire” by Charles Lancaster in 1852. It was the Daw’s Patent Central-Fire utilizing a replaceable “cup” primer in 1862 that gave us the center-fire configuration of today. There were many in this race for the optimum cartridge design, but Lancaster and Daw was the most notable by design and ingenuity. Brass had the longevity of re-use but suffered from corrosion. Paper cases followed when the quality and cost of manufacturing were optimized. All processes for commercial loading were done in large assembly facilities staffed predominantly by women. Reloading of cartridges by individuals was popular in these earlier times. Reloading tools were readily available by piece or in groups. American and British tools (photo Figure 1) dominated the markets both here and in Europe. Some tools were imported and relabeled by American distributors. Notable makers from the London and Birmingham Guilds of England packaged high quality tools with cased shotguns. These cased guns included gun tools, spares parts, and reloading tools. Some of these cases were built as double layer to have one layer used for reloading supplies and loaded cartridges.

The earlier less expensive tools evolved slowly. It wasn’t until the late 1880’s when reloading tool sets sometimes referred to as the “Gun Implement Set” became available through a wide variety of suppliers. One of the main suppliers of these earlier tool sets was BGI or the Bridgeport Gun Implement Company. These sets came boxed with every component necessary for reloading shotshells. These were all moderately priced and available in various calibers. In order for the end user to properly reload empty cases, a considerable amount of trial and error occurred. In some cases, it might have even resulted in unfortunate incidents. These reloading sets were intended for paper but were often used with brass hulls. Today you find a number of these roll crimpers often referred to as “bench closers” to have excessively worn rolling pins in the heads. 

When John Barlow and Ideal Mfg introduced his extensive line of personal and commercial reloading tools, he had his people design them with hardened and replaceable components. These patented items became available in the mid 1890’s. These were the “Cadillac “ tools of that era.

Today, for those of us that choose to reload our own, we used very sophisticated and convenient presses for shotshell reloading. Plastic casings have become the basis of reloading and paper is not even considered in most circles. Reloading these old paper hulls for the sake of just being “old fashioned” or purely traditional can be challenging and rewarding especially when using these vintage tools and processes. This article covers a personal venture into that world of “nostalgia” and the rewards of seeing a fine Damascus barreled hammer gun go boom like it probably did over a hundred years ago.

This series of articles will show the use of some very unique and fine tooling. The tools shown are collectible and available on eBay® and similar auction sites. There are some modern versions of these items that will be covered that can produce a similar result.

A Few Tools…

A few things to start with: (l-r) Wad press, funnels, decapping base, a selection of paper hulls, Ideal Mfg Roll Crimper and Ideal Mfg Shotshell Case Trimmer. These are all original tools.

Here is a Federal Gold Medal paper hull. It has a standard 2 ¾” open length for the folded crimp. We are going to trim this back to 2 ½” for the roll crimp. Since the shotgun used has 2 ½” chambers, we need to reduce the open length to eliminate any interference with the step into the barrel from the chamber. This is very important since excessive pressure can result at the chamber throat when a longer case is used. Also, paper is thicker than plastic and the wad needs to stay expanded to maintain pressure down the barrel. ...........................................................................................

Trimming the hull to length The Ideal Trimmer in action showing the hull being trimmed to size.

Cutting Wheel               Adjustable Mandrel The Ideal Trimmer consists of a holder for the brass and a sharpened cutting wheel. The mandrel is adjusted to support the cutter.

We now have a 2 1/2” case ready to be primed. I used Federal 209A primers since they are a little hotter than Win 209’s. I tend to use hotter primers for BP. But either will work fine. ...................................................................................................................

Next month, we’ll continue with the details of loading these shells. In the meantime, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please forward those to Redsun635@aol.com.

Happy Reloading,
Red Sun