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View Poll Results: Best basic single stage?
RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme ($129.99) 68 36.76%
Lyman Crusher II ($121.99) 5 2.70%
Lee Classic Cast ($85.99) 76 41.08%
Redding Boss ($115.99) 20 10.81%
Hornady Lock-n-Load Classic ($131.99) 16 8.65%
Voters: 185. You may not vote on this poll

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Old May 22, 2010, 09:51 PM   #26
Kevin Rohrer
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I voted for the Rockchucker

but my "single-stage" press of choice is my new CH/4D 444, 4-station press. It is fairly compact, not taking up a lot of room on the bench or getting in the way. It is also solid, heavy, and operates like it's made of glass. Having 4-stations that operate independently means I will never run out of stations.
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Old May 24, 2010, 08:37 PM   #27
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Well folks, thank you for the replies and votes. I was surprised by the Lee getting nearly half the votes as I was thinking the RockChucker would win in a landslide.

I already have a Lee turret and use it for pistol reloading in quantity. For the few rifle loads I make, I wanted a dedicated single stage and will be loading one step at a time using loading blocks.

Based on the responses here and the price, I just ordered the Lee Classic Cast. Again, thanks!
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Old May 24, 2010, 09:00 PM   #28
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" I was surprised by the Lee getting nearly half the votes as I was thinking the RockChucker would win in a landslide."

You would think that from all the blind hoopla some folks provide.

I have an RC. It's a good single stage press but it's certainly no better than any others in it's class and, over all, not as good as the Lee Classic Cast.
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Old May 24, 2010, 09:14 PM   #29
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I've used a Rock Chucker and I was impressed with the smoothness and apparent build quality. But it doesn't do anything as well as the Lee Classic Cast that I have and it costs a good bit more cash.

That's often been my experience with RCBS items, most certainly including their reloading dies. Seem to be well built and good looking, but cost a lot more and aren't as good, don't have the same features and don't work as well.
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Old May 24, 2010, 11:02 PM   #30
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Quote:
my "single-stage" press of choice is my new CH/4D 444, 4-station press
Just out of curiosity, do you have 4 shellholders and complete all steps at once with this press?
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Old May 25, 2010, 08:31 AM   #31
wncchester
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"Based on the responses here and the price, I just ordered the Lee Classic Cast. Again, thanks! "

Ram, when you get it don't be disappointed that it isn't slick and smooth, NO new press is! Just keep the ram clean and oiled, eventually it will wear in and be as slick as.... well, slick.
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Old May 25, 2010, 08:49 AM   #32
Don P
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I won't say which is best cause I do not own all the presses listed except for the Lee so I'll use this analogy.
Car A cost $30,000-has P/S, A/C, and stereo radio
Car B cost $10,000-has P/S, A/C, and stereo radio
Both will get you from point A to point B. Which is better? Matter of opinion. Both have accomplished the same act yet one costs 3 times as much as the other.
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Old May 25, 2010, 10:01 AM   #33
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I have an old rock chucker, a Lee challenger, and now a lee classic cast. The old rock chucker was getting worn, so now I have changed its dutys with its replacement of the classic cast. To make them operate smoothly, I found that if you lube the pivot points and ram with stp you will reduce wear and get a much better "feel" when sizing and crimping.
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Old May 25, 2010, 12:06 PM   #34
demigod
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I must admit I've only tried the one I voted for. (Lock N Load)

The ability to switch operations, calibers, and dies in less than 5 seconds is what sold me on it. The locking bushings are brilliant. My LNL is supplemental to my 550.
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Old May 25, 2010, 11:00 PM   #35
Kevin Rohrer
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C-H/4D 444

Quote:
Just out of curiosity, do you have 4 shellholders and complete all steps at once with this press?
No. I take a lot of time prepping rifle brass, so I do one thing at a time.

The press is designed to take one piece of brass and move it from station-to-station (1) deprime resize, 2)prime, dump powder, 3) seat bullet, and 4) crimp. I don't have a powder measure attached to station #2, so it would have to be done separately.
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Old May 26, 2010, 02:07 AM   #36
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I've loaded on Lee, Lyman, and RCBS presses. All are good presses for the money. I'm not sure I'd want a Lee classic for rifle cartridges though. I've never broken a Lee press, but it felt flimsy in my hands.

I voted for, and much prefer the Hornady Lock & Load press. Its currently what I'm using at home and I'm very impressed with it. With the lock and load press, you get a few sets of press bushings, and then you only need to set up your dies once.... When you want to swich calibers you just switch out your dies with the bushings still attached. The Hornady press is strong and can take very hard use without creaking or bending. I gladly recomend it to any shooter wanting a new press.
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Old May 27, 2010, 01:56 PM   #37
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My Lee press is a little short when it comes to 7mm Mag, 270, 30-06, 375H&H etc. but works. I just have to push the bullet up in the seater die and drop back down in the case.
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Old May 27, 2010, 03:32 PM   #38
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"I've never broken a Lee press, but it felt flimsy in my hands."

Interesting. Lee makes what, seven or more quite different presses? So addressing "a Lee press" opens a large question. At least five are quite strong aluminum alloy so they are light but the Classic Cast and Classic Turret presses have very substantual cast iron bodies and are capabile of loading .50 BMG. I wonder which Lee press you felt was "flimsy" but never broke?

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Old May 27, 2010, 11:15 PM   #39
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One thing to consider: I started with a Lee Challenger kit and Lee dies. When I switched to the Redding Big Boss, some of the Lee handgun dies were too short for comfort. The topstrap on some of the larger presses are much thicker, which makes a longer die body desirable.
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Old June 2, 2010, 04:24 AM   #40
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Quote:
Interesting. Lee makes what, seven or more quite different presses? So addressing "a Lee press" opens a large question. At least five are quite strong aluminum alloy so they are light but the Classic Cast and Classic Turret presses have very substantual cast iron bodies and are capabile of loading .50 BMG. I wonder which Lee press you felt was "flimsy" but never broke?
Easy. It was back when I was first learning how to handload, on borrowed equipment. A freind loaned me a lee press that he no longer used. I dont know the name of the particular model, as I didn't buy it or purhase parts for it. It was an aluminum press, the one that comes in lee's intro-level kit.

The press loaded pistol cartriges flawlessly, but I noticed it flexing when I loaded 308 on it. It never broke, but there were times when I was resizing range brass that I worried that it would. The handle on this particular press would loosen up quite often, far more than any other press I've used. My freind later told me that he had once broken the handle out of it a few years before when loading up a few hundred rounds of 20 vartarg. Lee of course fixed it.

The cheap lee presses are an adequate press for the money. It will do the job it was intended to do, but I feel somone that wants to load on a regular basis would be better served by spending a little extra money and getting a strong steel press.
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Old June 2, 2010, 07:08 AM   #41
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"I dont know the name of the particular model,....somone that wants to load on a regular basis would be better served by spending a little extra money and getting a strong steel press.

That's sorta what I'd expected. I assume you are unaware that Lee's Classic Cast single stage AND Classic Turret ARE steel/iron? (That's why I asked what model of Lee press you were referring to. )

A steel/iron press really isn't automatically better than a properly designed alum tool, as Lee's older presses and some others are. I've actually used a precison machinest dial indicator to measure some press deflection under the pressure of FL sizing .30-06; I learned that Lee's smallest "C" alloy presses are MUCH more rigid than my massive Rock Chucker 2! Meaning only that steel/iron aren't needed to precisely reload any normal sporting ammuniton.

And, for what it's worth (not much) about the oft disparaged "aluminum/pot metal" presses, RCBS' very good little Partner press and Hornady's excellant LnL series have alum alloy bodies. ????

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Old June 2, 2010, 04:13 PM   #42
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Originally Posted by RedneckFur
but I feel somone that wants to load on a regular basis would be better served by spending a little extra money and getting a strong steel press.
I'm sitting here looking at my Dillon (which has loaded in excess of 30K rounds) and it is almost entirely aluminum.
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Old December 28, 2012, 10:45 PM   #43
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If I am to buy new are any of the single stage still Made in USA?

Since all seems to be close to each other I would like to support our own.
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Old December 28, 2012, 11:35 PM   #44
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My first press was the old original rockchucker and it served me very well, I sold it to a friend and ended up buying a redding big boss, I don't think there is much difference between the 2, I liked the spent primer catch on the old rockchucker better than the one on my redding big boss, leverage wise I can't tell any difference and I've loaded thousands on each. Most all of my equipment is either Redding or RCBS
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Old December 29, 2012, 04:26 AM   #45
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....the better choice is a quality progressive press.....
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Old December 29, 2012, 04:55 AM   #46
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Quote:
If I am to buy new are any of the single stage still Made in USA?
yes there is. The LEE classic cast press is made entirely in the USA, I have had mine for about a year now. Very satisfied with it.



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Old December 29, 2012, 11:58 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterHamster View Post
If I am to buy new are any of the single stage still Made in USA?

Since all seems to be close to each other I would like to support our own.
The Hornady Single Stage LnL is made in the USA. One of the big reasons I bought...plus at the time the classic kit had a great price on it.
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Old December 29, 2012, 02:48 PM   #48
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Wow, somebody was bored, reading threads from 2010!

My reply from WAY back then was the lee classic cast. For the money, AND the features, it's the best and still made in the good ol' USA.

All steel links, compound leverage, and the best feature is the spent primer disposal is positive through the hollow ram into a clear plastic tube on the bottom of the ram. It can either be left capped to accumulate them, or directed into a trash can,(they're brass, so saving them to go with your scrap brass adds to the $$$ you get when you recycle them).

The Lee bashers will say they're junk, but they have never used one! They are as solid as a rock, very precise and easy to use. NO I do not work for Lee, in fact I work at being retired!

Here's one pic I took while loading the all brass shotshells with the 1-ΒΌ diameter RCBS shotshell dies. Easy-squeeze with the removable die bushing.

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Old December 29, 2012, 03:48 PM   #49
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Redding Boss

Redding Boss - Superior fit, finish, tolerances, solid and a bargain. It costs $30 more than Lee, but is worth two times as much.
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Old December 29, 2012, 04:48 PM   #50
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Rcbs rock chucker hands down.



Ike

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