Which is better?

[IthacaDS]

I'm in the market for a rifle press and i'm wondering which company i should go with: Redding or RCBS. What are the pros and cons of each?

[QBall45]

Can't say about Redding nor RCBS. But, I will tell ya that I've been more than pleased with my Lee breach lock challenger. Rock solid and way cheaper on the price tag. That's not too say the others are not a better product. I made a decision to spend $50 on the press and the difference on components.

[oneounceload]

Both RCBS and Redding make very good presses and dies; another in their quality vein would be Forster.........

[BigJakeJ1s]

The RCBS has a solid ram, and dumps more than the occasional spent primer on the bench or floor. The Redding Big Boss II and UltraMag has a hollow ram, and a tube to direct spent primers and debris into a bucket or catch bottle. The BBII, like the RC, is a traditional style O-frame press.

Another notable candidate for consideration is the Lee Classic Cast. It has the same type of hollow ram as the Redding presses, but it also has a completely adjustable handle for convenience, along with conventional O-frame press features.

The Forster Co-Ax press has a similar tube and catch bottle, but an unconventional "ram" and handle/linkage that work together for consistent, straight-line vertical travel of the cartridge in/out of the die. It also has a floating die system that allows dies to be simply snapped in and out. It's universal shell holder jaws more accurately center the cartridge, eliminate the need for separate conventional shell holders, and provide better grip in the rim for extacting stubborn brass from the resizing die.

Andy

[Scorch]

This is kind of like asking "which is better, Ford or Chevy?". There are many O press makers, and most share a common design with minor variations. RCBS makes a good press, as do Lyman, Redding, Lee, etc. There are also turret presses, progressive presses, and coaxial presses. All have their advantages and disadvantages. Almost all presses can be found as a single unit or in 'kit" form, i.e. a press, dies, funnel, scale, lube pad, dies, and a loading manual. Find one that suits your needs, your budget, and you space requirements and "git to loadin'".

Some questions to answer before deciding on which press you need:
Are you mainly loading rifle, handgun rounds, or both? You can get a dedicated press or a general-purpose press.
Are you a high-volume shooter (hence a high-volume reloader)? Look at progressive presses if you are.
Do you plan to reload black powder or smokeless powder? Specialized loading requires specialized reloading tools.

[TRguy]

If I were buying today I would go RCBS (RockChucker and put a Hornady Bushing Die Holder in it) or Hornady LNL Single Stage Press already set up to use bushings with my dies.

Makes the die change out a snap

I use RCBS now for my single stage and a LNL Hornady for my progressive.

I have Lee stuff, and still have some of their presses but if I were starting from scratch again I would avoid the mistake of buying cheap initially and get better equipment.

Not bashing Lee, it is quality equipment for that price point but not as good as others.

[Farmland]

Ok I have to ask what is the big deal with the bushing? It takes me about 20 seconds to set up the resizing die. How much time would the bushing save me to be that important of a feature. The seating a crimping die take less than a minute if you have problems so again I don't see the critical need to have this as such a big feature.

Now as for single presses I went though the same thing as you are doing. The only thing I ever loaded on for the past 18 years was a Dillon 650 progressive. When it comes down to CAST Single Stage Press there are no winner or looser. In fact they are all very good presses some with more features than others but generally the same well built quality press.

The Lee won out with me after I tired one to make sure they were of equal quality because the price sure is way below the competition. So just for the record the LEE CAST SINGLE STAGE PRESS is not cheap, poor quality and is on level or even above the competition.

No I am not going to tell you which one to buy because it really is a personal choice but for LEE this is the one time I will say don't be fooled by the lower price, it is the biggest bargain in Single Stage Presses.

[whiplash]

ford/chevy???? hmmm...well I do have RCBS and have no complaints. RCBS has a fantastic customer service! I am sure Redding is the same. So, that probably doesnt help you out much.

[margiesex]

Hey if this is a question about cars, I'd go with Ford since they are on their own and turned down the stimulous cash.

If we're talking reloading presses - I'm a green guy - RCBS all the way (I prime with a Lee Auto Prime) - and BOTH Lee and RCBS have outstanding customer service people!

God bless.

Margiesex

And remember: Hug your God and your guns - 'cause he's coming for them both, and soon!

[sophijo]

I have Redding T-7 and especially like the ability to talk directly to a Redding Tech "now". Their service is stellar. Their equipment is really well built and solid. RCBS is good stuff too. BTW....both green!

[TRguy]

Farmland typed - Ok I have to ask what is the big deal with the bushing? It takes me about 20 seconds to set up the resizing die. How much time would the bushing save me to be that important of a feature. The seating a crimping die take less than a minute if you have problems so again I don't see the critical need to have this as such a big feature.

Resizing is the least of the dies you use a bushing for, a chimp can screw in a die until it hits the shell holder and yeah 20 seconds is about right.

On a flare die, I for one like minimal flare but enough to get it the bullet in with crushing the case. So instead of guesstimating and tinkering to set flare each and every time I put the die in I leave my die set and locked in the bushing, insert time 5 seconds maybe if that long.

I want my crimp to be as concise from load to load to load. So with the bushing I not only maintain my precise crimp on a particular load but also the bullet seating depth therefore the OAL of my cartridge. Change out time with bushing 5 seconds maybe if that long.

On rifle cartridges I crimp separately and prefer a taper crimp to a roll, for the same reason above I use the bushing to maintain consistant crimp for a particular load from one batch to another.

The bushing set up for the RCBS rockchucker is $12 to $15, each bushing is $3.25 +/-, so cost isnt much.

Its not for everybody but I find those that knock it are typically the one that haven't tried it.

[seasterl]

I just bought my first press. For the O-type single-stage presses, it's basically,... well, what's your favorite color? Red, orange, or green? In the end, I went with the Redding T-7 turret from Midway for $220 for pistol silhouette. It was a lot cheaper than the Dillon and keeps me slow enough to really watch what I'm doing. I can load as a single-stage, or it can be used in a progressive fashion. http://ultimatereloader.com/?p=463

[James R. Burke]

From what I hear they are all pretty good. Just myself I would go with the RCBS but that is just me.

[jsflagstad]

I am partial to Lee dies, I ordered the Lee Pace Setters tonight to replace my Redding 7mm/08 dies. Very tired of stuck cases in the Reddings.......

[LHB1]

Ithaca,
Both RCBS and Redding make good presses but I chose the Redding Big Boss II last month because it has a primer ejection slot and tube. This catches all the spent primers in a container instead of dropping them on the bench, floor, etc. This is a REAL convenience for me. My pistol loading is done on a pair of Hornady LNL AP progressive presses and rifle loading is mostly done on an arbor press with bench rest dies. I keep a good single station press around for the occasional use on small/special lots of ammo. The BB II will do anything I want a single station press to do. It is super strong and extremely smooth. I think you would like it if you want a top quality single station press.

[Sevens]

If we're talking reloading presses - I'm a green guy - RCBS all the way

Well THIS certainly doesn't solve the problem of choosing between RCBS and Redding -- both are green!

As for bushings, they are as important to me as lock rings with set screws-- as in NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL.

Take a sharpie and draw an index line on the top of your press. That line shall stay there forever, so draw it right where you can see it. A nice straight, dark, black line.

Now, when you have your flare die in and it's adjusted right where you want it for THE perfect amount of flare, use the same sharpie to draw a vertical index line on the die body.

Line up the two lines, snug down the lock ring (without a stinkin' set screw!) and your die is set up PERFECTLY and it's 100% repeatable. And it doesn't cost $12 or $3.75 or anything of the sort, and it doesn't need a set screw.

It's simple, it's dead-balls-on and it works. And I can't figure out why it's such a mystery.