martini henry reloading

[loiner1965]

need some advice or i may need a new press perferably a lee cast iron one.
basically my orange crusher is not set up for these big lee dies as such.....the top does screw off so the dies will screw in but when i need to use the dies they have to be screwed right down so the locking ring comes off the threads esp when i need to enlarge the necks.....i think the top of the frame is too thick at 3cm where as my challenger press is 2.5 cm
anyone as had this issue or do i need a ram extender ?

[sniper3]

What make dies are they ? Because all mine fit standard 7/8" loading press and they are correct length on all presses. I use mine at home and club therefore different presses. Any chance of photo?

Ajay

[loiner1965]

no these are the big 1 1/4 lee dies which can only fit the lee classic press or those presses which have a thread insert at the top which when taken out these dies can be inserted.
the problem i believe is the thickness of the top frame of my lyman orange crusher press.
on the lee presses the thickness of the top frame from top to bottom is 25 mm where there the crusher is 30 mm
therefore it will be cheaper to buy a ram extender or swop the lyman for a lee classic press.
i also have to use a lee challenger press for my lee .233 dies as i have the same issue but it works ok with my lee 308 / 30-06 / 8mm mauser dies

[acmsarh]

Will the locking ring screw onto the die under the press section ie; at the bottom of the die.

[loiner1965]

possible but i would need to unscrew the locking ring each time i change dies so i would not be able to achieve consistency in using the dies etc

[harry mac]

lioner 1965, clear your in-box mate, it's chokka.

[loiner1965]

un choccaded

[davederrick]

I got an RCBS Rockchucker when I bought my MH, works a treat with the big Lee dies.

[loiner1965]

just to put the final chapter on this thread.....
unfortunately the orange crusher press top part of the frame is too big and will not allow the full use of the ram so the cases are not fully sized.
i had to weld 2 shell holders piggy back style on top of each other which gives me ample travel on the ram.
been working perfectly for both snider / martinis ever since.
the other dies dont have the same problem

[weebeestie]

About bloomin time.
Allways wondered how you solved the problem.
Now I can get mine done.

[davederrick]

Give the guy a break, 5 years is a quick enough reply

[loiner1965]

Give the guy a break, 5 years is a quick enough reply

doesnt time fly lol
any how....get 2 martini henry shell holders and prep them for welding etc.
place one on top of other and secure with a nut and bolt throught the middle to keep them square.
mig weld them together and sand the weld flat if you want it fancy...
obviously remove nut and bolt before use.
i have a special die thats basically a large bolt with the same large threads as my press but its designed to neck size the neck only to 4 thou smaller than the bullets i use etc.....abit like the .480 ruger pistol die does.
also have the same version for my gahendras as the bore on them are .454 or .457 but my memory not good at min.
anyway this die does the same job as the lee dies sizes the cases too large for the gahendra so i just resize them after etc.
and they use lee .459 bullets.
i have 4 martini henry molds.....3 with grease grooves and 1 for paper patching.
right i am i off back to sleep now