Old Lyman 55

Ben

Ben

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Staff member
My friend John in KY is keeping up with my grandson Trevor and his interest in reloading.
John said he had an old Lyman 55 stored away. He sent it to Trevor. The measure arrived today. Needed some tender loving care to get it back into the mainstream. This is an old one. It does not have the fine adjustment screws that the newer models have. I wonder how old this one is ?

Ben

This is what it looked like when I received it today. No lid.

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I gave all of the internals a real good cleaning.

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I do not have a reference for the exact date. However, the 55 is post WW2 and yours in the first model with the spring clip that holds the drop tube instead of the screw. The 1961 Shooter's Bible shows the 55 with small slide adjustment screw and drop tube screw. Pressman will have a better and closer date.
 
Many thanks Rick,
I hope that Pressman will offer more info on this one .

Ben
 
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oscarflytyer said:
THAT is awesome - in SO many ways! Trevor is so lucky! I sincerely hope one of my grandkids takes an interest in reloading (5 boys haven't so far...)!
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I have reconnected with another young friend. A grandson of one of my late dearest departed buddy's. He is now a doctoral candidate and a fine young man. He has always had an interest in shooting and hunting but has always had relatively wealthy parents, and his Grandpa was very generous with guns and ammo. As a result he has never experienced the need to reload. Recently he stopped in to visit and use my range and arrived with 1,000 rounds of 9 m/m and proceeded to pee away 200 of them in a mostly rapid fire pew pew fest that I personally deplore.

Obviously he won't be interested in the economy aspect of reloading, however he is quite conservative in his views and should understand the reality of ammunition availability. Then my next scheme is to introduce him to guns that a person HAS to make ammo for. Ammunition you simply cannot walk into a retail store and buy at any price. I sent him a video of the Sharps with the resultant cloud of smoke. Once I physically expose him to slow, precision shooting, and cast bullets, perhaps he will see the advantages of reloading and God forbid, casting.
 
RicinYakima said:
I do not have a reference for the exact date. However, the 55 is post WW2 and yours in the first model with the spring clip that holds the drop tube instead of the screw. The 1961 Shooter's Bible shows the 55 with small slide adjustment screw and drop tube screw. Pressman will have a better and closer date.
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I read last night that the 1st Lyman 55 was made in 1947.
 
L Ross said:
Obviously he won't be interested in the economy aspect of reloading, however he is quite conservative in his views and should understand the reality of ammunition availability. Then my next scheme is to introduce him to guns that a person HAS to make ammo for. Ammunition you simply cannot walk into a retail store and buy at any price. I sent him a video of the Sharps with the resultant cloud of smoke. Once I physically expose him to slow, precision shooting, and cast bullets, perhaps he will see the advantages of reloading and God forbid, casting.
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Exactly. If I didn't reload and cast, there are guns that would be paper weights.
 
I recently found a Lyman 55 on the bargain table at a LGS. $20 out the door.
I’ve used it for .38 Special and .223 so far and it worked perfectly with Red Dot flake and AR Plus ball powders.
My old Redding is catching a break.
 
I have 3 -55's and they range in age. One is pretty old and needed the TLC you gave that one, but it does have the fine adjustment screw.
One of the ones I have is Gray not Orange and looks like the factory finish!
Wonder when they switched to Gray color and why?
 
I have a gray one also, looks like the factory finish. Form, fit and function are indistinguishable from an orange 55. Bought off the used table at the gun shop 25 years ago. No maker markings on it. The characters "6 C" are cast in the body on the back body under the clamp lip. I'd be surprised if it was not a Lyman, but have always been curious about why there were no markings. Factory refurbish or sold as blemished perhaps?
 
JWFilips said:
Wonder when they switched to Gray color and why?
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The Lyman family sold the business in 1969, none of the family wanted to run it, to The Leisure Group of LA, CA. Problem was they didn't know anything about the gun business and tried to run it by expanding the product line with imported stuff from all over the world. It didn't work out. On November 15, 1977, J. Mace Thompson returned the company to private ownership and production of higher quality goods. (Same thing happened in 2010 recession.)

Leisure Group changed color scheme to grey for everything. Lyman Products Corporation changed it back in 1978, however everything already grey was shipped in that color and new production was returned to orange.

HTH, Ric
 
The Lyman 55 is the most versatile measure I have used. When I set up to load for .32 S&W for a top break Iver Johnson, the start load was 1.1 grain of Bullseye, I was told I'd have to make a scoop from a .22 short case, but figured I'd try the 55. FWIW, a Lyman 55 will throw a 1.1 grain charge of Bullseye dead on accurate all day long.
 
Love my two Lyman 55s. Won't part with them, even tho I have an RCBS electric now. One of mine is orange and one gray. The history of them is cool. Thanx Ric
 
I have a 55, a Redding BR and a B+M Visible. The 55 I like for little teeny amounts of powder as Rich mentioned. The Redding gets used for run of the mill stuff and the B+M for whatever I feel like using it for. I ADORE the B+M!!! Just a lovely piece of history and it works so well. BUt there is nothing wrong with the other 2, make no mistake.

I had a chance at an old Lyman #6 IIRC, the one that will drop two charges for duplex loading. Just couldn't justify the moola, but it was a neat piece of machinery for sure!
 
The Lyman 55 is my favorite as well. I think I have 5 of them. I have them set up to throw charges for some of my most loaded cartridges. I put tape on the hopper and write what charge it throws and for which gun. That way they are always ready to go after a quick check on the balance beam scale.

I’ve bought them when and wherever I’ve ran across them. I just can’t hardly walk off from one that’s reasonably priced. They can be extremely accurate.
 
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