16ga.com ~ View topic

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

There was a thread awhile back about trying to get Lyman to make another run of their superior roll crimping heads. Is there any more information on this prospect?? Is it in the works?? Should we keep applying pressure to Lyman??

Any info greatly appreciated..

Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 52

B&T,

I'm the fellow that contacted Lyman last May about resurrecting their popular roll-crimping head in several different gauges. A few of their people were blown away by the positive response generated on several boards like this one, and the matter was taken 'upstairs'.

I called them in August and was told that this matter, along with other 2010 production ideas, were being bandied about by management and that they hoped to have some word before long.

With nothing forthcoming, I called them last week and only got the voicemail for the gal in their design department who is my liaison. Would have called again sooner but some deer hunting got in my way.

As it stands, I sent her just minutes ago, both an e-mail and left another voice message stressing that after six months, we'd like either a 'thumbs up or down' on this so's the rest of us know whether or not to buy their competitor's product.

If they do not come through, the next best alternative is the tool offered by Precision Reloading both in function and design similarities. Hope this is of some help until I hear back from them within the next day or two. I will post here just as soon as I do.

All Best,

Rob

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

Thanks for the update, Rob, and thanks for all the hard work to keep this in the consciousness of Lyman's management.
I'll place a call tomorrow to try to keep the fires burning..

Thanks again!

In the meantime, vintage roll crimpers work wonderfully well also. Wink

Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 52

B&T, et. al.,

Well, I've been making a polite pest of myself at Lyman the past 48 hours in just asking for a 'yes' or 'no' on the remanufacture of this item. Two phone calls and two more e-mail messages have only revealed that the two people that could likely give me the answer have actually been at the plant the past two days......but are not free enough to get back to me apparently. Maybe that's a good sign, should they just now be discussing the matter, but I'm skeptical after five months of patient waiting.

Know that I will keep on this until we've an answer.....and will post just as soon as that happens.

UDFan,

With all respect, I've yet to see the manual crank crimper from the mid 1800-early 1900's that will put as hard and compact a roll crimp on a paper hull in comparison to the Lyman product. I've used both extensively, to where I'll suggest it is likely the greater downward pressure of the drill press combined with the slight friction heat of the motor-driven crimp head that produces such a tidy, compact turn-over. The hand-crank units seem to do a very serviceable job, if the finished appearance suits a person.

As mentioned earlier, the Precision Reloading product also duplicates this tight Lyman crimp pretty well, but has a narrower insertion raceway that has one fiddling a bit more to align each case in comparison to the Lyman head. 'Close, but no cigar' as they say, performance-wise.

Investigation will continue,

Rob

Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 52

Don’t get me wrong….I’m a very big believer in capitalism and free-trade, but this go-round in trying to get Lyman to remanufacture their popular roll-crimping head has reaffirmed for me ‘why’ we are falling so far behind as a nation of producers.

Five months ago (in mid-May) I approached the company with this endeavor, and bolstered my pitch with some two hundred posts from guys like yourselves who echoed that they, too, would be interested in purchasing this tool made in the various gauges – especially 12, 16 and 10.

Feeling that we deserved an answer at this point, I politely pressured management this past week with a couple of e-mails and phone messages .....without response. Even confirmed that the parties I needed to speak with were not away on travel, i.e. present at the plant.

I called again this morning, and a very courteous receptionist informed me that she had indeed gotten an answer for me in that “Lyman has not made that tool head for a number of years now.” Period…..Full Stop. I politely informed her that I was very aware of that fact (for years), and that we actually had been asking Lyman for five months now to reconsider its re-manufacture. With that, she handed me over to one of the top bananas in production who seemed somewhat less than thrilled to be taking my call.

He informed me that although it could possibly happen in the far distant future (I'm not totally convinced that this country even has one), .....the re-making of their roll-crimping head was way down on the list of company interest. He expressed that the old tooling used was of the screw-machine type (which we knew, and is long–gone apparently) and that Lyman now does everything with CNC technology. He expressed that a CNC program would have to be written at some expense. What clinched it for me was when he said, “It was never a real money-maker for us.” That sort of business language I do understand, and it certainly is Lyman’s perogative to remand it to the graveyard.

But this surely is a company position that was known months ago, and I guess I’m mildly resenting this morning that they didn’t have the ‘sac’ to just say so. Other than my second positive contact with them in August, and my mild badgering this week, it would have been nice if they could have picked up the horn and given a simple ‘no go’. That’s the sort of language I understand best…something direct.... and with more 'spine'.

So, with that said, do know that you will not be seeing this product being re-made anytime soon. No need to do something silly like shunning Lyman products, as they do make some great ones. But it is a solid reminder why the civility of corporate America in the early to mid 1900’s is so sorely missed when it comes to customer relations. And, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you vintage handloaders...... Rolling Eyes

Black & Tan,

‘Thanks’ for your phone effort as well this week…….what gauge Lyman head were you looking for?……as I have one extra 12 ga. new (old stock) in the bag from Lyman, if you are interested.

'Thanks' also to 'Slidehammer' for his support and photographic efforts submitted to Lyman back in May that showed how a good roll-crimp is actually supposed to look.

All Best,

Rob

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

Thanks Rob, for all your hard work on behalf of all of us!

Lyman told me that there are no plans at the moment to reproduce this product.. Too bad.. Even the pleasant woman on the phone was sympathetic to our plight.

Thanks very much for the offer of the 12 ga. head, Rob, but I'm looking for a Sixteen.. Looks like I'll be getting one from Precision, unless someone has a 16 ga. Lyman they want to part with..

Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 52

B&T,

No 'thanks' necessary, and like you, I was needing the 16 ga. tool also. Turns out I needed a 10 ga. this past year and ordered the Precision Reloading product. I've only used it on plastic hulls and it does a relatively nice job there.....can't speak for paper but am sure it will handle it well enough. Good luck in finding what you want, and have a great season afield.

Rob