Hollywood Gun Shop reloading equipment

[Dewald]

What is the history of this company? Did they go under or did someone else take them over?

I found a set of 6,5x57 dies in my reloading room that I got with a rifle ten years ago and forgot about. I cant find much on the net about them.

 

[mgstucson]

The company transferred ownership a couple times. The shop itself burned down 10 or 15 years ago. The remaining inventory that could be were salvaged and rights acquired by a small machining company, but it soon went under also. Rights are now owned by a man in Flagstaff, AZ and he has a few parts for sale, a comprehensive collection of nearly everything they ever made, and encyclopdic knowledge on the topic. For pics of his complete collection and more detailed history, you can look here:

Cast Boolits

 

[Dewald]

Thanks for the info @mgstucson. Were they any good? Compared to RCBS, Redding, Hornady, Forster, Wilson etc?

 

[mgstucson]

I have used many different dies for rifle and pistol, Lee, Hornady, RCBS, Redding, etc. The best dies I have ever personally owned are Redding Custom Dies. I own a Hollywood Senior Turret Press and powder measures, shot measure, and shotshell dies made by original Hollywood Gun Shop and successors. All are top quality and the presses are even used for swaging jacketed bullets. Bombproof presses. Massive. I bought this press and these dies to use reloading 12ga slugs in brass cases made from 50bmg brass that comes out to 3.95" long. I am currently building a double rifle for same and plan to use .50 cal slugs in sabots, 600gr at over 2200fps. It will also fire full bore .729 slugs in the rifled 12ga barrels, but SD is too low on those.

Below is a pic of the Senior Turret Press with 12ga dies, 1.5" dia. and about 10" tall. The center column of the press itself is about 2.5" diameter solid steel, and the top plate of the turret is about 3/4" thick solid steel, with places for 8 dies ranging from 1.5", 1.25", down to standard 7/8" rifle and pistol reloading dies. Shown here with the 12ga dies and micrometer powder and shot measures. It has enough range to load 50bmg, as well as my 4" 12 ga slug rounds. The other pics are my press and dies.

 

[mgstucson]

Hollywood Gun Shop was owned by aircraft machinist, and catered to an exclusive clientele of the rich and famous in it's hey day. This clientele seemed interested in the unique and unusual, so there seem to be a lot of custom made unusual caliber/wildcat dies that pop up on Ebay with some regularity.