Whats the best reloading press - Page 3

ShootistPRS · July 1, 2017, 01:09 PM

What is the best press?
The answer is different depending on your use, your wallet, and your desire.
If you want to make a lot of ammo that is great for punching paper at the local rand or popping tin cans up at your favorite camping site; have a nearly inexhaustible pocket book and you use a moderate number of different cartridges then a Dillon might be what you want. Here is the good and bad about the Dillon presses:
bad;
1. They are expensive to buy and expensive to change calibers.
2. They are more complicated to set up.
3. They use an aluminum base that is weaker than the rest of the press -I have seen failures.
4. Auto feed devices for primers cases and powder charging limit accuracy and sometime the functionality of ammo.
good;
1. They have a fault free warranty - the cracked base will be replaced.
2. They can produce a lot of ammo in a short period of time.
3. The come with prestige. They are sold as the best and carry that reputation.

If you want a press that will last several lifespans and aren't concerned about making more than 400 rounds a week, are meticulous about weighing powder charges or checking each step of the process then one of the top of the line single stage presses might be the one you want. Honady, Lyman and RCBS make some of the best in the $300 to $500 dollar range for the kit or $150 to $350 dollar range for just the press.
I will talk about the RCBS but it fits the others as well:
bad;
1. The priming mechanism on the press is not worth using - buy a hand primer with a tray so you don't have to handle primers.
2. Catching spent primers is poorly engineered. Keep a cardboard box under the press to keep them off the floor.
3. It is only moderately fast in making cartridges. Speed is more dependent on the routine you use than on the press. 20,000 to 30,000 cartridges a year is not hard in 4 to 6 hours a week.
Good;
1. You can load anything you want with the possible exception of 50 BMG.
2. It only costs the price of a new set of dies to change calibers with the addition of a shell holder sometimes.
3. The price is in the moderate range and affordable for most people. Occasionally you can find prices under $50 for used presses.
4. The RCBS is made of iron and steel. It will outlast most families.
5. It has a no fault warranty and customer service is supreme.
6. It takes up little bench space.
7. You can form brass and swage lead bullets with it if you want.
8. Very low maintenance.

The low cost presses. Every manufacturer has these. Some are made of iron and steel and some are made of aluminum and steel. Some are better made to last and others have enough slop built in to them that they are barely usable.
Typically these are limited by size as to what you can load on them. Some are a good value and others are just a cheap way to get into reloading. I have my prejudices and opinions but I won't share them here. The least expensive way to get into reloading for a single cartridge is the Lee Loader in a box. It comes with everything needed to reload one cartridge except the brass, bullets, powder and primers. You need a mallet or a small arbor press to make it work. For a price about the same as a set of dies you can make usable ammo. The loads you can choose are listed on a paper card that comes with the kit.

Ben_Snow · July 1, 2017, 04:25 PM

UncleNick wrote:

Quote:

Estate sales are another

Three ways to find a 40+ year old press...

1. Troll the garage sales in the greater Napa Valley area, a blossoming hotbed of closet ammo reloader's. Apparently they must be building up a supply to trim the herd of hippies that frequent the downtown Napa veteran's park.

or

2. Hang around outside Uncle Nicks residence for a few years and wait for the black hearse to show up; wait another two weeks, then look for the estate sale signs.

or

3. Call Mike Wolfe: (563) 265-3939

supercub99 · July 3, 2017, 01:39 AM

I second the Forster Co-ax. I have a Rock Chucker Supreme from the 70's I bought as my first and that would be my second favorite. It needs to find a new home......

F. Guffey · July 5, 2017, 10:21 AM

I have been trying to get reloaders on reloading forums to push them self's away from the key board and crawl under the reloading bench to watch the RCBS press lock up, go into a bind etc. I can not get them to measure the amount of cam over they claim the Rock Chucker has; no luck.

I let myself be know as a collector, I collect anything, pots, pans tools, pictures, guns, books, records, coffee grinders, old stuff that goes in the kitchen, etc.. One day I was in Louisiana when one of the local fishermen informed me he heard I was a collector; I did not deny it so he instructed me to back up to a pile of stuff that was covered with a canvas. I am glad I did because now I am a collector of anchors, little Mar-shun looking things that are used to pull boats, barges and docks together.

Reloading press? Same thing; the reloader must push himself away from the key board and look, garage sales? I went to one garage sale that had reloading equipment, if there was anything there it was gone within one hour of opening. I did find an implement/tractor type jack that was original for $10.00, that made the effort worth the trip.

F. Guffey

RC20 · July 5, 2017, 04:58 PM

I go with the what works.

Forster definitely would be my first choice starting out, but I have two Chuckers (one given) and Junior and happy enough with that.

But then I am a single press kind of guy, what works for me is not the same for someone else.

wiiawiwb · July 7, 2017, 03:18 PM

I have a CoAx and love it. It's what I started with and the only press I've reloading on. I can't imagine starting on a progressive. Those who do, and work it through successfully, are clearly better than me. I'll gladly admit that and give them their due. Kudos.

I enjoy the process so much and would hate to mechanize it to the point where it was merely a "factory" in my home. I feel every primer to make sure it was seated correctly, hand dip every charge using a scale, and do the plunk test/case gauge to check every round. Overkill? Yup, no doubt and I would be guilty if someone accused me of wasting time.

It's relaxing and I like doing it.

Rangerrich99 · July 7, 2017, 03:49 PM

I've only been reloading for a bit over three years, so I won't try to tell anyone what is the best press. I will say that I started on a Lee single stage, and pretty much outgrew it in less than a year. However, once I established a procedure, I could easily produce 200-250 pistol rounds per hour on that press. Using a beam scale, no less. About half that number of rifle rounds.

I would respectfully suggest the OP look at turret presses. Again I can't really speak to which turret is better than another, but I started using a Redding T-7 about two years ago, and all I can say is, "wow! What a difference quality makes!" My suggestion is to do your best to test drive a few presses; a quality press can really make a difference in more than just the quality of the ammo made. It can influence how much you want to reload, and your overall enjoyment of the exercise. If you don't enjoy it, I promise you that you won't be reloading for very long.

July 1, 2017, 01:09 PM	#51
ShootistPRS Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2017 Posts: 1,583	What is the best press? The answer is different depending on your use, your wallet, and your desire. If you want to make a lot of ammo that is great for punching paper at the local rand or popping tin cans up at your favorite camping site; have a nearly inexhaustible pocket book and you use a moderate number of different cartridges then a Dillon might be what you want. Here is the good and bad about the Dillon presses: bad; 1. They are expensive to buy and expensive to change calibers. 2. They are more complicated to set up. 3. They use an aluminum base that is weaker than the rest of the press -I have seen failures. 4. Auto feed devices for primers cases and powder charging limit accuracy and sometime the functionality of ammo. good; 1. They have a fault free warranty - the cracked base will be replaced. 2. They can produce a lot of ammo in a short period of time. 3. The come with prestige. They are sold as the best and carry that reputation. If you want a press that will last several lifespans and aren't concerned about making more than 400 rounds a week, are meticulous about weighing powder charges or checking each step of the process then one of the top of the line single stage presses might be the one you want. Honady, Lyman and RCBS make some of the best in the $300 to $500 dollar range for the kit or $150 to $350 dollar range for just the press. I will talk about the RCBS but it fits the others as well: bad; 1. The priming mechanism on the press is not worth using - buy a hand primer with a tray so you don't have to handle primers. 2. Catching spent primers is poorly engineered. Keep a cardboard box under the press to keep them off the floor. 3. It is only moderately fast in making cartridges. Speed is more dependent on the routine you use than on the press. 20,000 to 30,000 cartridges a year is not hard in 4 to 6 hours a week. Good; 1. You can load anything you want with the possible exception of 50 BMG. 2. It only costs the price of a new set of dies to change calibers with the addition of a shell holder sometimes. 3. The price is in the moderate range and affordable for most people. Occasionally you can find prices under $50 for used presses. 4. The RCBS is made of iron and steel. It will outlast most families. 5. It has a no fault warranty and customer service is supreme. 6. It takes up little bench space. 7. You can form brass and swage lead bullets with it if you want. 8. Very low maintenance. The low cost presses. Every manufacturer has these. Some are made of iron and steel and some are made of aluminum and steel. Some are better made to last and others have enough slop built in to them that they are barely usable. Typically these are limited by size as to what you can load on them. Some are a good value and others are just a cheap way to get into reloading. I have my prejudices and opinions but I won't share them here. The least expensive way to get into reloading for a single cartridge is the Lee Loader in a box. It comes with everything needed to reload one cartridge except the brass, bullets, powder and primers. You need a mallet or a small arbor press to make it work. For a price about the same as a set of dies you can make usable ammo. The loads you can choose are listed on a paper card that comes with the kit. Last edited by ShootistPRS; July 1, 2017 at 01:19 PM.

July 3, 2017, 01:39 AM	#53
supercub99 Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2012 Location: Alaska Posts: 146	I second the Forster Co-ax. I have a Rock Chucker Supreme from the 70's I bought as my first and that would be my second favorite. It needs to find a new home......

July 5, 2017, 10:21 AM	#54
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	I have been trying to get reloaders on reloading forums to push them self's away from the key board and crawl under the reloading bench to watch the RCBS press lock up, go into a bind etc. I can not get them to measure the amount of cam over they claim the Rock Chucker has; no luck. I let myself be know as a collector, I collect anything, pots, pans tools, pictures, guns, books, records, coffee grinders, old stuff that goes in the kitchen, etc.. One day I was in Louisiana when one of the local fishermen informed me he heard I was a collector; I did not deny it so he instructed me to back up to a pile of stuff that was covered with a canvas. I am glad I did because now I am a collector of anchors, little Mar-shun looking things that are used to pull boats, barges and docks together. Reloading press? Same thing; the reloader must push himself away from the key board and look, garage sales? I went to one garage sale that had reloading equipment, if there was anything there it was gone within one hour of opening. I did find an implement/tractor type jack that was original for $10.00, that made the effort worth the trip. F. Guffey

July 5, 2017, 04:58 PM	#55
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	I go with the what works. Forster definitely would be my first choice starting out, but I have two Chuckers (one given) and Junior and happy enough with that. But then I am a single press kind of guy, what works for me is not the same for someone else.

July 7, 2017, 03:18 PM	#56
wiiawiwb Member Join Date: February 20, 2012 Posts: 52	I have a CoAx and love it. It's what I started with and the only press I've reloading on. I can't imagine starting on a progressive. Those who do, and work it through successfully, are clearly better than me. I'll gladly admit that and give them their due. Kudos. I enjoy the process so much and would hate to mechanize it to the point where it was merely a "factory" in my home. I feel every primer to make sure it was seated correctly, hand dip every charge using a scale, and do the plunk test/case gauge to check every round. Overkill? Yup, no doubt and I would be guilty if someone accused me of wasting time. It's relaxing and I like doing it.

July 7, 2017, 03:49 PM	#57
Rangerrich99 Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2014 Location: Kinda near Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,254	I've only been reloading for a bit over three years, so I won't try to tell anyone what is the best press. I will say that I started on a Lee single stage, and pretty much outgrew it in less than a year. However, once I established a procedure, I could easily produce 200-250 pistol rounds per hour on that press. Using a beam scale, no less. About half that number of rifle rounds. I would respectfully suggest the OP look at turret presses. Again I can't really speak to which turret is better than another, but I started using a Redding T-7 about two years ago, and all I can say is, "wow! What a difference quality makes!" My suggestion is to do your best to test drive a few presses; a quality press can really make a difference in more than just the quality of the ammo made. It can influence how much you want to reload, and your overall enjoyment of the exercise. If you don't enjoy it, I promise you that you won't be reloading for very long.