Cylinder loading stand

[garry robinson]

Does anyone know how to build a i call it a stand but the jig you put your cylinder on to load it out of the revolver. I've tried a few things but the lever to seat the ball is what i cant get going All ive got to work with is a hacksaw and some fee. Any ideas. ?

 

[dikman]

This about as simple as you can get it.

[/URL][/img]

 

[garry robinson]

Thats what i need excatly. Theyr not all that expencive but i just like building and makin stuff myself. I might have just go ahead and get a ready made

 

[necchi]

Gotta be careful about the cheap ones.
those stands actually require a lot of torque/pressure.
Look at dikman's photo,
That brass ram has to move slightly outward as well as down because of the lever. The ram is a little under size to allow that movement.
I've read reviews of the cheap ones and they "bend" after just a little use,,

 

[hawkeye2]

I have used one quite similar to the one in the photo for over 20 years. I've been thinking about replacing it with one of these but haven't gotten around to it, maybe next year: http://www.biglube.com/BulletMolds.aspx?ItemID=1302742a-9e12-41e5-881f-f99340c6d9e6

My stand is constructed with the cylinder arbor made from a bolt with a long unthreaded shank. It is screwed into the base and the head cut off. I used K&S brand telescoping brass tubing to bring it up to size for the cylinder. I cut a large diameter thick leather washer to go over the bolt and protect the rear face of the cylinder. The brass ram is sized to work with .44 and .36 and is slightly undersized to allow wiggle room as necchi says. I put a thick leather washer between the column and base and the column is attached with an allen screw from below. In use this screw is snugged down enough to eliminate play and allow me to rotate the column to align with the chamber being loaded. In use I rotate the cylinder with my left hand while I swing the lever to the side so that the ram is over the chamber I'm loading and vertical. While ramming the ball down I rotate the cylinder just enough to keep the ram vertical. I have seen these stands made without the arbor but my thinking is that my hands might slip or I might fumble allowing the cylinder to flip and possibly damaging the chamber mouth, ram or my fingers.

 

[dikman]

Having shown you that one, this is what I actually made.

[/URL][/img]

 

[Billnpatti]

A good one is not hard to build if you have a TIG welder, a drill press, a metal lathe and a milling machine. Otherwise, it is a lot easier to just buy a good ready made one. That's my opinion, anyway.

 

[hogslayer]

Garry R
This is my stand i made thirty years ago,since then i have lost count how many i made for club members.



(pete)

 

[garry robinson]

I geuss store bought is the way to go i recon since all i have is a hacksaw and a hammer mostly. How much do you charge to build one? My email is gigbullfrog36@ yahoo.com cause i dont think they like us talking buissness off the classifieds.

 

[garry robinson]

One more thing. I need me a good nickname like y'all got. The names people call me around here i cant put into print. I always tell folks i wAs named after Garry Cooper and John Wayne but it probly aint so

 

[necchi]

well your garry r to all'in us now,,
ya can't change it,

 

[dikman]

Very nice, hogslayer, I particularly like the way the handle rides on the top of the ram. If I'd seen this before I would have pinched your idea, neat and simple. :thumbsup:

Mine, btw, has a screw-on brass end on the ram, so that I can make different size ends (in case I ever get that Colt 1851 that I want!).

 

[Mike 56]

This is the one i am building. I made a 44 cal seating stem but still need to make 31 and 36 cal stems.

 

[dikman]

I remember reading your article on that one, Mike. A very clever use for a commercial product. Unfortunately, I haven't seen those things available anywhere here.

 

[Mike 56]

I bought the toggle clamp from Grainger. I found this design doing a google search on cylinder loaders.

 

[Mike 56]

Very nice loaders in this thread. I was going to put a adjustable cylinder spindle on my loader. When i made my seating stem i domed it and found thats all i needed for cylinder alignment. I am going to put a piece of 1/8 aluminum on the loader bed to protect the cylinders. I set the loader up to use different seating stems so that it will load a walker down to 31 cal revolvers. My 44 cal stem will work with most 44 cal revolvers i have used it with colt, Remington, and walker cylinders. It may work with others i don't have any to try.

 

[M. De Land]

Nice designs! I really enjoy seeing all the different ideas and methods of building them.
One point I discovered is there is no need at all for a cylinder pin to keep it from tipping over when pressing the ball home.
Here is the one I cobbled together with spare iron from around the shop.
Mike D.

 

[dikman]

My loading ram has a little bit of sideways movement, but I also cut a dome shape into the end of the ram and it seems to work fine at aligning the ram/ball/cylinder.

Nice one, Mike, I like the adjustable link at the back, a neat way of making sure the force on the ram is transmitted vertically without binding.

 

[M. De Land]

Good eye Dikman , most folks never notice the link or need for it.
I also use the hemisphere tip in the end of the tool steel ram made of brass, for ball self alignment.
It didn't need that much tilt, two degrees would have been enough but as usual I tend to build things with overkill. Some times that tendency really bites me in the butt! :rotf: Mike D.

 

[swathdiver]

Maybe someone has a photo of it, I am fond of the cylinder loading stand made from oak, all of it.

My skills were enough however to order up a Tower of Power from Big Lube!