Henry Rifle Forums

hey mens !

tell us whart is your favorite press and why....
how many rounds do you reload with it, by month ?

if you had to change, what would you like as a model / brand?

As I had never practiced, I preferred to start very small and portable : lee breech hand press ...
I will not reload a lot of ammunition this year ... max 20 rounds by week ...

if it works well, within a year, I will equip myself with more powerful equipment. I envisioned some models, if some of you know them,
I am interested to have your experience ...:
example
Rcbs summit (for low footprint and interesting concept)
Lyman 8t seems very strength , possible to mount two 4 die set...
Redding 7t (for strength, one life tool !, and practicality with die sets of different caliber)

I started with a RCBS Rockchucker about 42 years ago - and eventually added a Forster (Bonanza) Co-Ax press - which is undoubtedly the finest SINGLE STAGE press of all.
I probably average several hundred rounds a month. I have never felt the need for anything faster or more efficient as I can switch calibers and loads very quickly. I shoot often so I don't have to 'plan' range trips (heck no range - just woods) and prepare 100s (or thousands) of rounds for a planned or scheduled shooting excursion.
It's kind of a mess in this picture and I have since cleared it up ! This was during a
Particularly high - output loading phase!
To answer your question though if I were just starting out I would probably look into a turret style press for quick die change out. I might also eventually look into an electronic powder scale for quicker setting of my powder measure.

Mistered wrote:I started with a RCBS Rockchucker about 42 years ago - and eventually added a Forster (Bonanza) Co-Ax press - which is undoubtedly the finest SINGLE STAGE press of all.
I probably average several hundred rounds a month. I have never felt the need for anything faster or more efficient as I can switch calibers and loads very quickly. I shoot often so I don't have to 'plan' range trips (heck no range - just woods) and prepare 100s (or thousands) of rounds for a planned or scheduled shooting excursion.
It's kind of a mess in this picture and I have since cleared it up ! This was during a
Particularly high - output loading phase!

Whouah !
Serious tooling for serious reloader !
many people say that rock chucker rcbs is a safe bet...

what are the advantage of the forster one ?
obviously many people find it excellent....!

what are the advantage of the forster one ?

The quick change die system and the universal, mechanical shell holder.

I've been using the Lee Classic Turret press for a number of years. Clovispup and I have slowed down on shooting the last 6 months, but for a number of years I was loading around a thousand rounds a month on it. I like being able to swap out calibers in less than a minute. It's also great not having to adjust dies everytime I change them. It's also nice not to only have to touch the shell once during the loading process.

I am interested in the new Lee Progressive. It is ridiculously cheap for a progressive, and appears to work around many of the issues of progressives costing many, many times more. It's still too new to get a handle on how well they actually work, but initial reports are fairly positive. I've always thought that progressive presses are best left for those that have some experience under their belt.

As to scales, I have both an electronic scale and a beam style. The electronic scale is a bit finicky, but works well enough for most things. I started with a Lee scale, but found it too much of a pain. I ended up with an RCBS beam which is easy to use and accurate. I use it to double check my electronic scale, and for more precision weighing.

I got a Hornady Lock-n-load classic press.
I decapp using universal recap die or a hand held.
Franklin Armoury Tumbler
I prime and bell at one step.
I use a Dillon Precision scale measure every load.
Use Hornady Custom Grade Dies for rifle cartridges because I like the sleeve on the bullets seater. Use RCBS, for straight wall cartridges.
I like the Dillon Case Lubricant.

First press I purchased was a rcbs partner press in the 80's, still use it for loading rifle ammo. Haven't kept accurate records of how many it has loaded but used it for quite a few years when I got into pistol shooting. It would have loaded some where between 50-100k rounds.
Only breakage has been the handle stripping out, welder took care of that problem.

I have the Dillon 550B which I bought back in 2014 which is when I started to reload.
A nice sturdy press that is easy to setup and make caliber change overs. Plus Dillon has great customer service and a lifetime warranty.

One change I did make was to do the case priming off the loader using the RCBS hand primer. Makes the loading process a bit smoother for me not having to worry if a primer hangs up or gets in crooked.

I also knock out the primers on an old single stage press before cleaning my brass. This operation is done out in my garage and the loading done in the house.

our mid 60's vintage RCBS Rock Chucker has and continues to be our go to press for bottleneck cartridges and precision/hunting ammo .... our Hornady Lock-n-load press is for straightwall revolver cartridges (using RCBS carbide dies) .... when we need to load large numbers of range ammo it really does a good job .... regardless of the press, with the exception of Lee crimp dies, we only use ones from RCBS .... the most expensive piece of reloading equipment (Outside of a press) we've purchased is a RCBS 98923 Chargemaster Combo Scale/Dispenser ===> https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-98923-Charg ... +dispenser .... I had to think and rethink about it before buying it .... now what we've been using it for several years, I wouldn't want to load precision/hunting ammo without it

JEBar wrote:our mid 60's vintage RCBS Rock Chucker has and continues to be our go to press for bottleneck cartridges and precision/hunting ammo .... our Hornady Lock-n-load press is for straightwall revolver cartridges (using RCBS carbide dies) .... when we need to load large numbers of range ammo it really does a good job .... regardless of the press, with the exception of Lee crimp dies, we only use ones from RCBS .... the most expensive piece of reloading equipment (Outside of a press) we've purchased is a RCBS 98923 Chargemaster Combo Scale/Dispenser ===> https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-98923-Charg ... +dispenser .... I had to think and rethink about it before buying it .... now what we've been using it for several years, I wouldn't want to load precision/hunting ammo without it

hello, jebar,
waht is the avantage of rcbs chargemaster ?
accuracy ? speed of mesure for reloading ? security ?
i imagine that it is justified to make a large number of round reloading , because it is an expensive equipment !

Mistered wrote: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...

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.