Tell us about your reloading press

[BruniX]

nd eventually added a Forster (Bonanza) Co-Ax press - which is undoubtedly the finest SINGLE STAGE press of all.

i have seen this video , forster is this one, i think :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEzVZe7f6G0

Very interesting , lot of innovative feature, live shell holder and die with axis mobility, symetric force application , etc...
I did not know and I'm glad to have discovered...

[Mistered]

Yes the Co-Ax is a very good press.
The down side is the cost- some say why pay that for a single stage when that amount can buy something more 'modern' and faster but it is s quality tool and even with is single stage limitations is very fast and efficient.
Mine was given to me so price was not an issue and I don't know if I would have actually bought one but after experiencing using mine I would highly recommend it - if one is dedicated to staying with single stage.

[Hunter2678]

When I first started reloading I used my buddies press at his house which was a hornady single stage. After a year of that I decided it was time to get my own. So after some research I went with a Forster co-ax press. Think I got it for around $175 new. It was years ago and I dont even think you can find them in usable condition for that price anymore. Dont regret one bit buying it after all these years either as you simply cant wear them out. Probably has close to 50-60k rounds through it and still rock solid. Its got great mechanical advantage and is a very well engineered design IMO. I shoot with many other long range guys who have well over 100k rounds through theirs as well. A few years back I built a rem 222 off an old 722 action I found on gunbroker. Because of that I quickly realized that changing back and forth from a 308 case head holder to a small rifle 223 case head holder was annoying on the Forster CO-ax so I got a separate lee classic press solely for the 222. It works just fine for the little 222 case and Ive been happy with it. Inregards to dies are concerned, I use FL redding bushing and wilson, Wilson case trimmers, gempro 250 and bald eagle powder scales, dandy electronic trickler which has been a god send to my reloading process, 21st century hydro press and neck turner, I have a bullet rounout gauge but rarely use it anymore bc the wilson inline seater dies never give me more that .002 runout on its worst day.

[clovishound]

Something like the Chargemaster would be in order for making precision loads, as JEbar stated. Most folks reload primarily range fodder. IE, target loads. The most common powder measure for this is a die mounted powder measure. They measure by volume. They frequently will only be accurate to within .1 to .2 grains. Some powders measure more consistently than others. Some will have even greater variations than .2 grains. Consistent operation can also help to make a powder measure more consistent. One should have some kind of QC check system to check EVERY powder throw to ensure there is not an unsafe over/under throw. This can either be done by visually inspecting each throw, or using something like a powder check die.

Something like the Chargemaster will actually be slower to use than a die mounted powder measure. It will, however be much more consistent, and faster than weighing and adjusting each throw.

[Shawlerbrook]

Big RCBS Rockchucker fan. Mine is almost 30 years old and still cranking out top notch ammo.

[ESquared]

I recently bought the Hornady Lock-n-Load kit, as I got a great deal on it via an online seller. The press itself is great, but they all do the same thing, really - RCBS, Lee, Hornady - a single stage entry-level press is what it is.
I've moved to a Frankford Arsenal hand-held priming tool, as the one in the Hornady kit was pretty much junk.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/58248 ... iming-tool
I was not a fan of the idea of loading powders through the press, so I bought the "Light" version of JEB's RCBS Chargemaster and I love it. It's very precise and I'm figuring out how to move through the process doing other things while the dispenser weighs out the loads.
https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-Scales-Char ... lite&psc=1
I'm using Lee Carbide dies for my 357 loads and I bought a universal decapper for removing old primers. The Lee die set includes the factory crimp die that is highly recommended for tube-fed lever actions.
Case cleaning is via the wet method using a rock tumbler and stainless steel pins, Dawn dishwashing detergent, lemon juice and water. See YouTube.
MrEd was kind enough to lead me to a great deal on a set of Forster Bench Rest dies for my 30-30 loadings, but I've not started on that caliber yet. I also purchased a Lee Factory Crimp die for the 30-30 round.
Case trimmers is a whole other story that I'll leave for another time.
My lesson, I guess, is the "kits" come with some great things that you'll use and probably some things that you'll decide to replace or upgrade.

[Shakey Jake]

I have a Lyman Turret press and a Rockchuker press. I keep the Lyman set up for .9mm and .327 Federal mag as that seems to be what I load the most. I use the Rockchucker with Hornady Lock-N-Load die bushings for quick changes.

[Travlin]

I use two Herters presses. The Super O is the one that I started with in 1969. It has needle bearings in the linkage and by shifting a pin the stroke is shortened by about half and that increases the leverage so bullet swaging dies can be used. The other press is a Herters turret with a one inch thick turret that holds six dies. Both of the presses are fine grain cast iron and very heavy. I recently found my invoice for the first press It was $32.95.