Are these star crimp shells? If so all you might require are adjustments to your press.
I have been using ordinary pick-up cases and shortening them for roll crimps.
You can use your press to size & prime. I don't but you can probably also drop powder, insert wads, and drop shot on the press as well
There are two changes required
1. Shorten cases to 2.5". There are several ways, but I found some white PVC pipe that a shell will slide into, I cut a piece to just shy of 2.5", and cut off the excess with a box-cutter. Some use 3" cases as there is no remnant of the star remaining to "spoil" the roll-crimp.
2. Roll crimp. There are still some antique roll crimpers out there. I have one, but the LYMAN roll-crimp head that is chucked in a drill press works better.
My old Husqvarna underlever works well with them. I use a minimum load of Green Dot powder to keep pressures down. Remember that these old guns were meant to be comparable to 16 gauge field guns, not heavy wildfowlers! I found that WWAA 114 wads, or similar wads from other makers, fit about 1 oz of shot and leave between 3/8 and 1/2 " of case wall to roll over. You have to use an over shot card before crimping. Mine are paper milk carton cut with a 12 gauge wad punch from Dixie, if I recall.
My 16 yard trap practice scores are the same as with 2 3/4 loads in other guns.
PS 26 Sep 07; See my post on "jam-roll" crimps. I found a way to replicate a roll crimp by running the loaded shell, with the overshot card about.35 down from the shell mouth (Cut to 2.5") through my MEC Grabber to crimpstart,crimp, and taper finish the shell. It looks like a pretty good roll crimp that leaves an 8 point star shape for the O/S wad to peek through.
Best of all, it can all be done on a regular shotshell press without adjustments. Lars, on The Open Range says it was invented about 20 years ago by a chap named Hartin, and is called the "Hartin crimp". Here I thought I was being original
