I found this Antique loading die and plunger in a parts box with antique shotgun loading tools.

The seller didn’t want to separate the tools so I bought the full box just to get these tools.

My question to the forum;
Has anyone ever seen one of these before? This type specifically? Any idea who made it? It’s caliber stamped but that’s it. I did clean it up some because it was solid heavy rust.
I’ll let the experts evaluate it first. Then I’ll plug in my guess. That’s an 1885 empty Schofield case in the die. It fits perfectly and there is a case stop machined in the die at the exact location of the top of the case.

Murph

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No idea. But it appears well made.

Kevin

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Looks like an early version of the Lee Loader. I haven't seen one like it, but I have seen similar ones in other calibers. In the early 1880s, .45 cases with Boxer primers replaced the earlier inside primed cases, and that allowed reloading to be performed. The earlier Frankford Arsenal ammunition packets for Boxer-primed ammunition were labeled as being reloadable. Just how many troopers reloaded their fired .45 cases is debatable, but probably not many. One problem with reloading back then is that early priming compositions often contained Mercury Fulminate, and the Mercury would amalgamate the brass cases and weaken them. As Mercuric primers had other problems in addition to case amalgamation (mainly a very short shelf life, especially in hot weather), they were replaced by chlorate primers fairly quickly.

Consider this as a possibility: 45 SR stands for "45 Short Range" aka: 450 Adams, aka 450 Revolver, aka 45 Short. Used thru WW1 by the British military as the 450 Mark III. Both Colt & S&W chambered revolvers for it up to WW2. I had a New Model No. 3 Target chambered in .45 caliber that would fire all these rounds, including .45 Schofields. ( See " Cartridges of the World" 8th edit.) Ed.

I would never have thought of that one Ed. It does make sense and also accounts for the unusual die. Perhaps English made? I know nothing of English loading tools but those that I have seen are very well made.

Murph

The concept demonstrated by this loader was very common from the last three decades of the 19th Century, but I’ve never seen that execution. If it were mine, I would check in with the ARTCA (Antique Reloading Tool Collectors’ Association) Forum and see whether anybody over there recognizes it.

Froggie

Just as an interesting point, the headstamp of the .45 revolver case shown contains the letter R. F indicates Frankford Arsenal. The reason why is that Frankford Arsenal for a time used the same headstamp bunter on both the .45-70 and .45 revolver cases. The "R" indicated a rifle load when used on a .45-70 case. Of course it had no meaning on the revolver case.