Old 45-75 Hand Tool:

[Pinback]

I located a very old 45-75 hand loading tool locally and it followed me home. I'm not sure if it's useful but I thought I'd post some photos and perhaps a member or two might explain the various functions. The tool has writing on both sides but the only thing legible is the 45-75 and part of a patent date Oct. 14, 1880. It would be really nice to get this thing functional. The hinge is tight. Logically it could still seat a primer. I don't see how it could de-prime a case. It may well be too far gone to be fully functional. Check out the photos and chime in.

[reno]

I used to have 4 or these in different calibers and loaded a few rounds with them and they work fine if you have time. Back in the day I think these loading tools came with the rifle plus a cleaning rod, 4 piece for the 73 Win. and 5 piece for the 76 Win. The only thing missing is the decaping pin, other than that it should work but there  won't be much of a crimp, as these were made for black powder loading. There is a man that made 3 decaping pins for me but it's been so long I cannot fine his address. If I do I will post it. You could make one your self but they will all be different lengths.

Reno

[Buck Stinson]

What you have is a Model 1880,  4th issue Winchester Reloading tool.  This tool was first offered in Winchesters 1884 catalog and last appeared in their 1896 catalog.  It was available in a rather large number of rifle calibers, including the .45-75WCF.  The 1880 4th issue tool had the cutout and chisel for removal of Berdan primers.  I have many of these tools in various calibers and use them frequently.  I have never had a problem with them performing a perfect factory crimp on any of my ammunition and prefer them to my RCBS dies when loading .45-60, .45-75 and .50 Express.  However, I'm sure a good crimp would depend on the condition of the loading tool.  Unlike 3, 4 or 5 piece cleaning rods, tools and molds did not come as standard equipment with any Winchester rifle or carbine.  They were ordered as an accessory, at an additional cost. Nice find.

[treebeard]

Someone on this forum gave a tip about using the Lee case length guide/holder as a substitute primer decamping pin in the old Winchester reloading tools. I tried it in my 44-40 and it worked OK. I have never been lucky enough to find one of these tools with the decamp pin included.
I believe the 45-75 would have to be a custom order which I have had good luck using this service.

[Pinback]

It was an interesting find. I felt it was too far gone to be useful so I returned it to the seller for a full refund. Perhaps I'll be lucky enough to locate one in better condition. Fairly expensive $100 paper weight.