Opinions on first press

cschwanz · January 16, 2009, 10:07 PM

So im thinking about stepping into the world of reloading and am doing my hw ahead of time so I dont buy things I dont need or not buy something i do need. I've been through the stickies and am currently reading "The ABC's of Reloading".

My question right now is on an actual press. Here are a couple I've looked at so far:

Lee
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/cata...og/pistol.html

RCBS
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=646599

Any opinions on which is better for a first timer. Are there others out there that I've overlooked at this point? I want something that is going to be easy to operate and give me not only quality loads, but last over time.

As of right, I am only planning on reloading .45 ACP as thats the only pistol caliber i have right now. I'm sure over time I will expand my collection with new calibers and want to reload those as well. I will want to use the same press for reloading those as well, so I'd like something that I can change calibers with rather quickly.

Sorry if I sound a little newbish, but like I said, I want to do my homework now and be ready when I dive in to a new hobby

Thanks in advance for the input!

LHB1 · January 16, 2009, 10:11 PM

My opinion (based on 44+ years of reloading): RCBS is first class equipment and FAR SUPERIOR to Lee. Other good brands: Hornady and Redding.

rwilson452 · January 16, 2009, 10:20 PM

I thing for your needs I would get the Lee Classic Turret press. I don't think it comes in a kit form.

The People at:

http://www.kempfgunshop.com/

Can help you put a kit together. The have good prices.

I have used both the original turret and now own the Classic cast press. No the original turret didn't break I traded up to Loadmaster. then changed to mostly varmimt shooting and got the classic cast single stage. I also wanted to play around with new loads for my new .45s but I wanted to load faster than the single stage so I bought the new classic iron turret press. I haven't looked back.

Shoney · January 16, 2009, 10:24 PM

If you have read the stikies, I believe DaveInFlowerbranchGa has an excellent list to use. The two presses you list are very different, the RCBS is single stage and the Lee is turret. After five decades of reloading, if I were to start new today I would go the the Lee Classic Cast Turret if I were on a strict budget.
https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php?...hk=1&Itemid=41

And if the budget had more to work with
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=924848

jckeffer · January 16, 2009, 10:25 PM

I only have RCBS for rifle/pistol but in my oppinion you simply can't go wrong with the Rock Chuchker. Industrial strength and you can find them on Ebay quite cheap.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ker&category0=

I wouldn't have a problem with buying any used Rock Chucker as they are so well built you'd have to try real hard to damage one. The one I use was made in the 70's and the previous owner was a big time competive shooter/reloader. And I've reloaded between 5,000 and 10,000 rounds with it.

PDXGS · January 16, 2009, 10:46 PM

+1 on the Rock Chucker....kind of hard to screw up with this press.
You can buy others later but start with this one.

FatWhiteMan · January 16, 2009, 11:15 PM

Either the RCBS or Hornady are great presses but the Hornady wins out with the current free bullet offer and L-N-L.

The Lee kits are your best entry level kits in my opinion because you get so much with so little investment. You can add a better quality press later if you stick with reloading.

BIGR · January 16, 2009, 11:50 PM

RCBS Rock Chucker is a good strong press that has served me well for over 20 years.

BigJakeJ1s · January 16, 2009, 11:51 PM

The Lee Classic Cast (iron) single stage, the Redding Big Boss II and UltraMag, and the Forster Co-Ax all have a feature that no press from Lyman, RCBS or Hornady offers: decent handling of spent primers and debris. They have hollow rams that send all the spent primers and debris through a tube into a catch bottle or bucket. I have no idea why the others have not added this to their presses.

All of the above except the co-ax are compatible with Hornady's LNL press conversion kit which makes changing dies a snap with a quick twist. The co-ax has its own (and superior) floating, snap-in/out die retention system. It is a fantastic press, but it is a bit expensive.

BTW, the Lee Classic turret (available in kit form from Cabela's and some other retailers, but not even shown on Lee's website) has the same spent primer handling as the Classic Cast single stage press. The classic turret does not accept LNL conversion, but extra die plates are fairly inexpensive, and very easy to swap out.

For some reason Lee does not mention the Lee Classic Turret on their website. And nobody offers a kit built around the Classic Cast single stage press. Redding has kits built around their Big Boss II that are very good, but also a bit on the expensive side.

When it is all said and done, I think the Lee Classic Turret kit is about the best thing going if you are on a modest budget. I'm not a big fan of turret reloading, but the press can be used just like a singe stage press too. Their breach lock turret press kit is also nice, and lower cost, but while that press is decent, I would consider it a temporary press until I got something better.

Andy

jal5 · January 16, 2009, 11:57 PM

don't know if you have considered used press but someone else mentioned it here. If its one of the good, strong presses like RCBS Rockchucker, Lyman Crush (which I found used a mid-80s era press), Redding you cannot go wrong. These things will outlive us. I bought almost all my equipment used including dies and probably saved about 1/3 of the price at least.

I believe I have better quality equipment too than just buying a kit.

Joe

btefft · January 17, 2009, 12:04 AM

Suggestion - start the reloading learning process on a single stage press. Mainly if you buy a book, it will teach the single stage methodology.

Like another said the Hornady Classic single stage press, with the free bullet offer, is a real good deal.

After you become proficient with the single stage and understand the nuances of reloading, then get a progressive press.

Don't get rid of the single stage press, though - you'll find times to use it.

I've been reloading since I was 24, now I'm 58. I started with a Lyman single stage press and the Hornady manual taught me how to do it. But, today, I think Lyman 48 or 49 are great learning manuals with good data sections for your recipes. You may also want to check out a book called "The A B Cs of Relaoding".

Hack

CrustyFN · January 17, 2009, 12:05 AM

I would go with the Lee classic cast turret over the deluxe turret, in fact I did. If you are like most of us loading 45 auto after two weeks of loading 50 rounds per hour on the single stage you will want something that will load faster. That would be the lee classic turret. I like to take my time loading on mine and can load 500 rounds in three hours. Also with each caliber of dies in their own turret you can change calibers in one minute and the dies always stay setup.
Rusty

jckeffer · January 18, 2009, 12:54 AM

I don't know what RCBS presses you're referring to but both my RCBS Rock Chucker and Special-3 have hollow rams that direct spent primer and debris into a container on the press. And both work quite well. The Rock Chucker is 40 years old and the Special-3 at least 20 years old - been around a loooongggg time.

cyclops22 · January 18, 2009, 01:21 AM

listen to these guys, lee is good and cheap but a couple of pulls off your rock chucker supreme you'll love it-I have both

cschwanz · January 19, 2009, 07:01 PM

thanks for all the input guys. im sure you'll see a lot more threads with me asking for more help with various things

indiandave · January 19, 2009, 07:26 PM

If you are going to load only .45acp look at Dillons SDB. I have one set up for .38 special. I've loaded thousands of rounds with no problems.

Selfdfenz · January 19, 2009, 09:26 PM

Quote:

I don't know what RCBS presses you're referring to but both my RCBS Rock Chucker and Special-3 have hollow rams that direct spent primer and debris into a container on the press. And both work quite well. The Rock Chucker is 40 years old and the Special-3 at least 20 years old - been around a loooongggg time.

The newer Lee machines shoot the spent primers and craplets down a plastic tube that can have a cap on the end and directly into a trash can. No pocket, catch basin or tray to clean out on the press when you are done.

Best

S-

BigJakeJ1s · January 19, 2009, 09:57 PM

RCBS presses, and Hornady Classic, Lyman, Redding Big Boss (not the BBII) and some others have a slotted ram (the slot for the priming arm), that merely nudges/bounces the spent primer/debris towards a container loosely fit around the ram, if you are lucky. The presses I'm talking about are hollow end to end, allowing the spent primer to simply fall down through it, into a tube to a catch bottle or bucket. They are much more effective at not allowing any primers to escape, and keep the press, bench, and floor cleaner. Even my $20 Lee hand press did a better job of capturing the gunk than the RC and similar presses.

Andy

aerod1 · January 19, 2009, 10:44 PM

I have a Lee single stage press and a Lee Classic Cast Turret. Both have performed without a hitch. I don't think you would be disappointed with either.
That being said, the RCBS Rock Chucker is also a great press that will give years of good service.

James R. Burke · February 23, 2009, 03:29 PM

To start out with go with a RCBS single stage you can't go wrong.

dsv424 · February 23, 2009, 03:46 PM

Crusty, on a side note where did you get the "pool ball" knob on your press. That is cool and would like to get one for my press. Guess that also tells you what press I have and I love it. Got the kit from Kempf's. Best deal for a new reloader I think.

CrustyFN · February 23, 2009, 04:55 PM

Quote:

The presses I'm talking about are hollow end to end, allowing the spent primer to simply fall down through it, into a tube to a catch bottle or bucket. They are much more effective at not allowing any primers to escape, and keep the press, bench, and floor cleaner.

Big Jake the Lee classic cast and classic cast turret work the same way. It's a great feature and it sure does keep everything clean.

Quote:

Crusty, on a side note where did you get the "pool ball" knob on your press. That is cool and would like to get one for my press. Guess that also tells you what press I have and I love it. Got the kit from Kempf's. Best deal for a new reloader I think.

dsv424 I got it from a friend on the forums at www.glockpost.com. His user name is Aneat and every once in a while he will have a contest and give a few away. He just gave away 30 on Friday 13th. He also sells 8 balls for I think around $10. He will drill them to match whatever press you want to put it on. Check out Glock Post, it's another great reloading forum with a lot of great information. Oh I also have one on my lubesizer.

Rusty

dsv424 · February 23, 2009, 05:23 PM

Crusty, sorry about asking you in two different threads but didn't know when I'd catch up with you. Thanks for the info and sorry for being ignorant but what the heck is a lube sizer, looks as if you plug the thing in.

CrustyFN · February 23, 2009, 05:56 PM

Quote:

what the heck is a lube sizer

It sizes and lubes cast bullets. I cast my own. The cord goes to the heater. Some lubes are harder and need a little heat to flow.
Rusty

January 16, 2009, 10:07 PM	#1
cschwanz Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2008 Location: IN Posts: 321	Opinions on first press So im thinking about stepping into the world of reloading and am doing my hw ahead of time so I dont buy things I dont need or not buy something i do need. I've been through the stickies and am currently reading "The ABC's of Reloading". My question right now is on an actual press. Here are a couple I've looked at so far: Lee http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/cata...og/pistol.html RCBS http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=646599 Any opinions on which is better for a first timer. Are there others out there that I've overlooked at this point? I want something that is going to be easy to operate and give me not only quality loads, but last over time. As of right, I am only planning on reloading .45 ACP as thats the only pistol caliber i have right now. I'm sure over time I will expand my collection with new calibers and want to reload those as well. I will want to use the same press for reloading those as well, so I'd like something that I can change calibers with rather quickly. Sorry if I sound a little newbish, but like I said, I want to do my homework now and be ready when I dive in to a new hobby Thanks in advance for the input! __________________ SA XD .45 Compact -- 5" Colt XSE -- Glock 21SF Savage Mark-II .22LR Member:NRA, DU, PF Ignorance can be fixed....its called education. Stupid will get you killed!

January 16, 2009, 10:11 PM	#2
LHB1 Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,545	My opinion (based on 44+ years of reloading): RCBS is first class equipment and FAR SUPERIOR to Lee. Other good brands: Hornady and Redding. __________________ Good shooting and be safe. LB

January 16, 2009, 10:20 PM	#3
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	I thing for your needs I would get the Lee Classic Turret press. I don't think it comes in a kit form. The People at: http://www.kempfgunshop.com/ Can help you put a kit together. The have good prices. I have used both the original turret and now own the Classic cast press. No the original turret didn't break I traded up to Loadmaster. then changed to mostly varmimt shooting and got the classic cast single stage. I also wanted to play around with new loads for my new .45s but I wanted to load faster than the single stage so I bought the new classic iron turret press. I haven't looked back. __________________ USNRET '61-'81

January 16, 2009, 10:24 PM	#4
Shoney Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2002 Location: Transplanted from Montana Posts: 2,311	If you have read the stikies, I believe DaveInFlowerbranchGa has an excellent list to use. The two presses you list are very different, the RCBS is single stage and the Lee is turret. After five decades of reloading, if I were to start new today I would go the the Lee Classic Cast Turret if I were on a strict budget. https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php?...hk=1&Itemid=41 And if the budget had more to work with http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=924848 __________________ I pledge allegiance to the Flag - - -, and to the Republic for which it stands….Our Forefathers were brilliant for giving us a Republic, not a democracy! Do you know the difference??? and WHY?http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissue...les.asp?id=111

January 16, 2009, 10:46 PM	#6
PDXGS Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: Aloha, Oregon, USA, Earth Posts: 204	+1 on the Rock Chucker....kind of hard to screw up with this press. You can buy others later but start with this one. __________________ "He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"-HST-Rest in Peace

January 16, 2009, 10:25 PM	#5
jckeffer Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2007 Posts: 185	I only have RCBS for rifle/pistol but in my oppinion you simply can't go wrong with the Rock Chuchker. Industrial strength and you can find them on Ebay quite cheap. http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ker&category0= I wouldn't have a problem with buying any used Rock Chucker as they are so well built you'd have to try real hard to damage one. The one I use was made in the 70's and the previous owner was a big time competive shooter/reloader. And I've reloaded between 5,000 and 10,000 rounds with it.

January 16, 2009, 11:15 PM	#7
FatWhiteMan Member Join Date: June 10, 2007 Location: Appalachia Posts: 96	Either the RCBS or Hornady are great presses but the Hornady wins out with the current free bullet offer and L-N-L. The Lee kits are your best entry level kits in my opinion because you get so much with so little investment. You can add a better quality press later if you stick with reloading.

January 16, 2009, 11:50 PM	#8
BIGR Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2000 Location: Mountains Posts: 1,385	RCBS Rock Chucker is a good strong press that has served me well for over 20 years.

January 16, 2009, 11:51 PM	#9
BigJakeJ1s Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2005 Location: Arlington TX Posts: 663	The Lee Classic Cast (iron) single stage, the Redding Big Boss II and UltraMag, and the Forster Co-Ax all have a feature that no press from Lyman, RCBS or Hornady offers: decent handling of spent primers and debris. They have hollow rams that send all the spent primers and debris through a tube into a catch bottle or bucket. I have no idea why the others have not added this to their presses. All of the above except the co-ax are compatible with Hornady's LNL press conversion kit which makes changing dies a snap with a quick twist. The co-ax has its own (and superior) floating, snap-in/out die retention system. It is a fantastic press, but it is a bit expensive. BTW, the Lee Classic turret (available in kit form from Cabela's and some other retailers, but not even shown on Lee's website) has the same spent primer handling as the Classic Cast single stage press. The classic turret does not accept LNL conversion, but extra die plates are fairly inexpensive, and very easy to swap out. For some reason Lee does not mention the Lee Classic Turret on their website. And nobody offers a kit built around the Classic Cast single stage press. Redding has kits built around their Big Boss II that are very good, but also a bit on the expensive side. When it is all said and done, I think the Lee Classic Turret kit is about the best thing going if you are on a modest budget. I'm not a big fan of turret reloading, but the press can be used just like a singe stage press too. Their breach lock turret press kit is also nice, and lower cost, but while that press is decent, I would consider it a temporary press until I got something better. Andy

January 16, 2009, 11:57 PM	#10
jal5 Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2009 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 419	don't know if you have considered used press but someone else mentioned it here. If its one of the good, strong presses like RCBS Rockchucker, Lyman Crush (which I found used a mid-80s era press), Redding you cannot go wrong. These things will outlive us. I bought almost all my equipment used including dies and probably saved about 1/3 of the price at least. I believe I have better quality equipment too than just buying a kit. Joe __________________ We live in the greatest country on Earth- always be thankful!

January 17, 2009, 12:04 AM	#11
btefft Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2008 Posts: 181	Suggestion - start the reloading learning process on a single stage press. Mainly if you buy a book, it will teach the single stage methodology. Like another said the Hornady Classic single stage press, with the free bullet offer, is a real good deal. After you become proficient with the single stage and understand the nuances of reloading, then get a progressive press. Don't get rid of the single stage press, though - you'll find times to use it. I've been reloading since I was 24, now I'm 58. I started with a Lyman single stage press and the Hornady manual taught me how to do it. But, today, I think Lyman 48 or 49 are great learning manuals with good data sections for your recipes. You may also want to check out a book called "The A B Cs of Relaoding". Hack

January 17, 2009, 12:05 AM	#12
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	I would go with the Lee classic cast turret over the deluxe turret, in fact I did. If you are like most of us loading 45 auto after two weeks of loading 50 rounds per hour on the single stage you will want something that will load faster. That would be the lee classic turret. I like to take my time loading on mine and can load 500 rounds in three hours. Also with each caliber of dies in their own turret you can change calibers in one minute and the dies always stay setup. Rusty __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

January 18, 2009, 12:54 AM	#13
jckeffer Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2007 Posts: 185	Re: Big Jake Spent Primers I don't know what RCBS presses you're referring to but both my RCBS Rock Chucker and Special-3 have hollow rams that direct spent primer and debris into a container on the press. And both work quite well. The Rock Chucker is 40 years old and the Special-3 at least 20 years old - been around a loooongggg time.

January 18, 2009, 01:21 AM	#14
cyclops22 Junior Member Join Date: December 27, 2008 Location: missouri Posts: 13	listen to these guys, lee is good and cheap but a couple of pulls off your rock chucker supreme you'll love it-I have both

January 19, 2009, 07:01 PM	#15
cschwanz Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2008 Location: IN Posts: 321	thanks for all the input guys. im sure you'll see a lot more threads with me asking for more help with various things __________________ SA XD .45 Compact -- 5" Colt XSE -- Glock 21SF Savage Mark-II .22LR Member:NRA, DU, PF Ignorance can be fixed....its called education. Stupid will get you killed!

January 19, 2009, 07:26 PM	#16
indiandave Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 214	If you are going to load only .45acp look at Dillons SDB. I have one set up for .38 special. I've loaded thousands of rounds with no problems.

January 19, 2009, 09:57 PM	#18
BigJakeJ1s Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2005 Location: Arlington TX Posts: 663	RCBS presses, and Hornady Classic, Lyman, Redding Big Boss (not the BBII) and some others have a slotted ram (the slot for the priming arm), that merely nudges/bounces the spent primer/debris towards a container loosely fit around the ram, if you are lucky. The presses I'm talking about are hollow end to end, allowing the spent primer to simply fall down through it, into a tube to a catch bottle or bucket. They are much more effective at not allowing any primers to escape, and keep the press, bench, and floor cleaner. Even my $20 Lee hand press did a better job of capturing the gunk than the RC and similar presses. Andy

January 19, 2009, 10:44 PM	#19
aerod1 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2000 Location: Garland Texas U.S.A. Posts: 734	I have a Lee single stage press and a Lee Classic Cast Turret. Both have performed without a hitch. I don't think you would be disappointed with either. That being said, the RCBS Rock Chucker is also a great press that will give years of good service. __________________ NRA Life Member, TSRA Life Member, C&R 03 FFL, Texas LTC Recreational Reloader U.S. Navy Veteran (USS Midway V-1 Division)

February 23, 2009, 03:29 PM	#20
James R. Burke Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2009 Location: U.P. of Mich/Quinnesec Posts: 1,897	To start out with go with a RCBS single stage you can't go wrong.

February 23, 2009, 03:46 PM	#21
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Crusty, on a side note where did you get the "pool ball" knob on your press. That is cool and would like to get one for my press. Guess that also tells you what press I have and I love it. Got the kit from Kempf's. Best deal for a new reloader I think.

February 23, 2009, 05:23 PM	#23
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Crusty, sorry about asking you in two different threads but didn't know when I'd catch up with you. Thanks for the info and sorry for being ignorant but what the heck is a lube sizer, looks as if you plug the thing in.