16ga.com ~ View topic - ATTN:! Roll crimpers! Lyman crimping heads!

I have a 16ga Lyman roll crimping head.... It seems I am very blessed as I know not another that has one! We would like to change that! The quality of work Lyman does pales the roll crimping heads available today! See the first image...

The longevity can be measured by viewing my Lyman 16ga head (2nd image) which has seen service for fifty years now. I can't tell you how many thousand crimps it has rolled but it's many thousand! It works harder now then when it was young! It is in spec and still does beautiful crimps!

My good friend Rob Harris has been working on Lyman to bring back these roll crimp heads as a product. Rob wants a 16ga head in the worse way! Wish I had two and I'd give him one! They (Lyman)are listening to him some......

We are posting this info to find interest in a 16ga Lyman roll crimp head or any other gauge you care to mention. Lyman will monitor interest so please post!

Lyman found a dozen new heads in old stock for 12ga! They are $18 plus shipping! A great deal! They won't last long! All the information is in Rob's letter following below

Thank you! .............. Slidehammer

Hi Fellas,

I’ve taken something on that I may regret, but I’ve contacted Lyman Products about resurrecting a product that they discontinued back in the 1960’s when roll crimping fell out of vogue.

At that time, and for many years prior, Lyman produced a little roll crimping head in the various gauges that chucked up in either a hand-held drill or drill press. They even made a large, hand-crank tool designed around these heads called the Lyman Ideal ‘Star’ Roll-Crimper.

Those of you that have had the pleasure of using this small roll-crimping head know that it turned out beautifully tight roll crimps far beyond what today’s reloading supply houses are offering. The key to quality here is likely Lyman’s six small ‘bumps’ (or rollers) within the head that effect such a nice turn-over………whereas modern roll crimpers often have just one, or possibly two such rollers. I’ve used one of Lyman’s 12 ga. crimpers for rolling Federal paper loads (pictured) for the various vintage shoots I attend and have had folks claim they looked better than the vintage crimps from many years ago. A good friend uses one for his plastic Federal 16 ga. loads (also pictured) with much satisfaction…… as they sure look pretty.

So what’s my commission from Lyman, you are asking? Well, none actually, but I do need a quality 16 ga. roll crimper and have gotten Lyman to possibly reconsider once again manufacturing this item …..based on shooter response.

So, I’ve offered to float this information around on a few of the shotgun-related boards to query what interest might be out there for their tool in 16 ga., 10 ga., and possibly 20. I’ll provide Lyman the links to these threads, with their assurance that they will review shooter response and decide whether it merits a limited run.

A very helpful woman in their Product Development Div. even went so far as to rummage around the plant and discovered a dusty box of a dozen 12 ga. roll crimpers from the end of production, which are being made available for $18. ea (less shipping) through their Customer Service Dept. Attn. Nancy, (800) 225-9626. (Consider that most of today’s crappier ones run @ $30. a pop!) Once these dozen Lyman crimpers are gone, they are truly gone, but ordering one would at least give you the opportunity to see for yourselves just how well they do work.

But more importantly, I’m needing to hear if any of you would likely purchase this little tool from Lyman - if remanufactured – as well as positive reports from those of you that have and still use this product. I’d ask that you remember the Lyman folks will be reviewing all of this so please keep it polite, concise, and to the point. Who knows, but with the current resurgence in vintage shooting and loads, we might convince them to make a one-time limited run in 20 up through 10 gauge.

Stranger things have happened, and ‘Thanks’ in advance to all of you who choose to contribute your thoughts.

Rob Harris

Conner, MT

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

Yep, I'll buy one..........and as long as you're at it ask 'em about the old shell trimmer they used to make...the one with interchangeable mandrels.. It was a superb tool. I'd be interested in just the cutting wheel if they happened to have one in stock.

Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 596 Location: 17603

Slide,
Thanks for the heads up, just missed customer service by a minute or two. I'll try again in the morning. Love to get my hands on one of the legendary Lyman roll crimpers, in any gauge.
Cheers,
R*2

Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 129 Location: hong kong

count me in for one.

Joined: 28 Dec 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Ontario, Canada

Me too please

I'd like one too.

Guest

It never hurts to have an extra roll crimp head tool on hand, especially one made of steel. Sure put me down for one in 16 gauge.

I'll take one in each gauge they make available.

Here's a pic of the hull trimmer Woodcock mentioned, they work slickeren deer guts on a door knob! Laughing

, Bob

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28may09

Me too.

-Doug

Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Posts: 118 Location: N.Y.

I'll take 2 16's and a 20 if available.

Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 52

high$trap,

'Thanks' for the picture of another great Lyman product that many of us wish was still around. I had an opportunity to borrow and use one of these Lyman trimmers a few years back, and they do a great job of it. A nice, sturdy tool made back in the days when manufacturers took a lot of pride in their products (Am thinking of the modern day roll-crimpers and trimmers with disgust as I write this.)

Rob Harris

Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 596 Location: 17603

[quote="HIGH$TRAP"]I'll take one in each gauge they make available.

Here's a pic of the hull trimmer Woodcock mentioned, they work slickeren deer guts on a door knob! :lol: , Bob

Bob,

Now there's a neat lookin' gizmo! Gauge specific?

Cheers,
R*2

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

I need one in 10ga, 12ga, 16ga and 24ga.

I would also like to have the hand crank unit!

Oh and I would like a hull trimmer too!!

I will call tomorrow and see if I can nab one of those 12ga heads, just starting to load 12's again.
I will also bump them along in making the RTO again!!!

Thanks for your efforts.

Joined: 18 Sep 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Columbia, Missouri

I'm in for one in 16 gauge!

Thanks for your effort.

Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 107

I got one in 12 ga. about a month ago from lyman, I called around to everyone I thought might still have one in 16, no luck.

I would like two in 16 if they become availble

BRUCE