Loading presses ?
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Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
I bought the Forster on advice from folks that I felt knew a lot more than I did at the time. The two things that sold me were the ease of setup, and the way it was built. Later the power came into hand when I was starting to learn how to reform cases.. It's not perfect, but fit all my needs with ease.
The Harrell powder measure I bought was (at the time) the closest thing I could get to a Lyman with a Culver insert. Measuring ball powders, it really no better than the Lyman at almost four time the price. On the otherhand after a couple phone calls to Fred Sinclair and another forty dollars I had a great little measure for about $100. But I wanted the repeatability of the Harrell when making major changes in my setups at the range. I just pull out my log book and count the clicks. Was it worth that much more money? I doubt it, and I doubt it was better than a Lyman with the Culver insert anyway!
Brother inlaw uses a Lee Classic press. He maybe loads 300 rounds a year, and it suits him very well. He has recently bought a Forster seater in .223 after I loaned him mine with the micrometer head. But he uses the same basic bullets most of the time, and I did show him how to put a 7/8th's arbor shim under the die to change the seating depth. Now he's over every Tuesday with a list of questions. As for the press it does everything larry could want, and the biggest case he loads is a 30-06 (he told me he was bring his 30-06 cases over to my place for resizing as he was getting too old to be working that hard). He's been eyeballing my two presses a lot, but I told him to wear out what he's got first.
I'm kinda funny about buying equipment. I always buy the best measuring tools I can afford (mics and indicators, etc). I use a lot of Forster dies because they are cheaper than Reddings and just as good if not better. I bought a small K&M arbor press after doing some thinking about what I was going to do with it. Nothing but neck sizing on 6mm and smaller stuff, plus seating bullets. Could have spent twice the money to get the same results. I also look for the made in USA lable, but if something is much better than I'll go the otherway (I use several Interrapid indicators and one Mitutoyo caliper)
gary
boomtube
Well-Known Member
'I use a lot of Forster dies because they are cheaper than Reddings and just as good if not better.'
Ditto. And I assume since Sulley has such high conficence in all things green Lee's Classic Cast press is another press he's neither laid hands on or even seen!
Ditto. And I assume since Sulley has such high conficence in all things green Lee's Classic Cast press is another press he's neither laid hands on or even seen!
Sully2
Well-Known Member
'I use a lot of Forster dies because they are cheaper than Reddings and just as good if not better.'
Ditto. And I assume since Sulley has such high conficence in all things green Lee's Classic Cast press is another press he's neither laid hands on or even seen!
Well here is a second time you are wrong. If you had read my posts here you would see I DO own a Lee press and I bought it with 1 intent and have used it for that purpose and I use it to RAM PRIME WITH ( with the Lee brand priming attachments)
It words perfect for that purpose. Ive used it for depriming 45ACP when I was running a multi press reloading operation and it worked fine there also.....but its not the speed with which it can be made to reload at...nor is the question can it make proper reload...the base question was which is BETTER QUALITY....and (between Lee and RCBS) The blue ribbon goes to RCMS.
Ive never laid hands or eyes on a Forester so I cant judge them at all
1st review of my Redding Boss. 5out of 5 stars.
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
two things I really like about the Forster, and for the rest they are all pretty equale. The shoulders seem to look better with a Forster than the others, and I can really see this with a naked eye. In a shadow graph the difference really jumps out in your face. The Forster seems to get those two small radi right at the neck and shoulder junctions. The elevated sizing ball seems to help, but how much is upto the individual user. This one reason why the Forster die is so well known for minimum neck runout. The seater is a different story, and theirs is the best period!
In my 6mm and smaller stuff I use a lot of micrometer headed seaters, but with one exception (soon to be fixed). I also have a few Reddings with the micrometer head on them. The Forster for some oddball reason seems to have about 1/3rd the backlash in the mechanism. Kind of a moote point if you take up the backlash in the first place. I like the way that Redding did the lines and numbers better than Forster (easy to see with old eyeballs). I wish that one of them would come out with a head that had detents built into it. I might add here that I have one Hornaday die with the micrometer head on it in 30-06. There's so much slop in it that it's almost unusable!
gary
specweldtom
Well-Known Member
I've had and used RCBS Rockchuckers, Jrs, Big Max, Hornady progressive, Dillon progressive, and Lee presses. I don't match shoot anymore, and probably load less than 500 rds a year total now. I hung onto an old Rockchucker with the aluminum primer catcher, and the only Big Max I've ever had. For awhile, I switched back and forth from the Rockchucker to the Big Max, but got tired of resetting my dies. I just use the Big Max now. Haven't set the Rockchucker up in a couple of yrs. If I was going to load small amounts of pistol ammo, I'd use the Rockchucker. For large amts, I might try a progressive again. Probably a Dillon. The Max is great for 20 -50 rds of larger rifle ammo, like the .378 Wby family, but is clumsy for the little cases like .22 Hornet and .223.
Progressive loaded ammo always left some doubt if I had got powder in every hull, and how much variance there was in the charge. I spent a LOT of time fiddling with the progressive loaders and double and triple checking ammo while I was loading it, and then checking to be sure the primers were not in backwards, and weighing every cartridge after it was loaded. I ended up only using it for practice and plinking, but single loaded all ammo for HI-Power and Service rifle matches.
I prefer a cast iron O-frame single stage press, but would buy a press made in the USA even if it was aluminum.
My loading equipment (and dies) are virtually all RCBS. They have given me great service over the years, but even though it's green and says RCBS, if it's made in China, I'll never buy it.
I agree with the opinion that mostly we brag on the equipment that we own, whether or not it may be better than someone elses. Mainly, I'm just used to my stuff and don't want to change.
Good hunting, Tom
Progressive loaded ammo always left some doubt if I had got powder in every hull, and how much variance there was in the charge. I spent a LOT of time fiddling with the progressive loaders and double and triple checking ammo while I was loading it, and then checking to be sure the primers were not in backwards, and weighing every cartridge after it was loaded. I ended up only using it for practice and plinking, but single loaded all ammo for HI-Power and Service rifle matches.
I prefer a cast iron O-frame single stage press, but would buy a press made in the USA even if it was aluminum.
My loading equipment (and dies) are virtually all RCBS. They have given me great service over the years, but even though it's green and says RCBS, if it's made in China, I'll never buy it.
I agree with the opinion that mostly we brag on the equipment that we own, whether or not it may be better than someone elses. Mainly, I'm just used to my stuff and don't want to change.
Good hunting, Tom
Reloader222
Well-Known Member
I had a Simplex Turret press in the 80's. Sold it and today I am sorry I did not keep it. It was one of the best/accurate turret presses ever build. Contacted Simplex, they informed me they no longer manifacture it. Terrible!!!
Reloader222
Well-Known Member
I have investigated the play on the ram of my old Rock Chucker II. Very limited play. Went to a shop and examined the new Rock Chucker Supreme and Redding Big Boss presses. The play on both these presses were big. I think you are correct they are now-a-days probably made in China. I rather keep my old RC II and do no upgrade!
For a single stage press, IMHO, it is hard to beat an RCBS Rock Chucker (Supreme or otherwise). They are simply proven. I have a friend that has an older version Rock Chucker that he has used for well over 20 years. Other than the arm on the press, I don't see much difference between the old and new presses and felt little if any difference in the "play" between the old Rock Chucker and my newer RC Supreme. My RC Supreme may have been just a bit tighter but, it newer. If I were looking for a turret press, I'd definitely look at a Redding.
Sully2
Well-Known Member
If they press is SO BAD that you cant make accurate reloads with it....take it to a machine shop and have it bored and a sleeve installed and reamed for the fit you want with the ram. They do it on bolts...no reason they cant do it to a body of a press!!!
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
I've done a few presses like that, and it's not as easy as it sounds. You can't do it all that well in a Bridgeport mill, but still can be done. I did my first two in a P&W jig bore, and did another pair on a SIP. You can also do it on a face plate in a lathe if the lathe is big enough. Shrink fit the bushings, and then recut them (I used Ampco Bronze drill bushings for a .0025" shrink fit. The ram will often show some wear and even taper, and you must fix that before making any finish cuts. I ground my rams .010" undersize, and then hard chromed them with about .015" of plating. Then ground the rams strait. Then recut the bushings to leave about .0015" stock in them. Then honed them for about .001" slip fit. I did do one with hard steel bushings (inner races for needle bearings), and I see it in use regualrly. You could always hard chrome the ram, and then bored the frame to fit. None are as easy as they sound.
What causes the bore to wear out of round is that the links between the ram and the lever work in a radius while the ram is trying to move in a strait line. There is a way to fix this problem, but have never went ahead and tried it. I did try epoxying bushings in the frame on one, but they didn't stay put under heavy pressure. The Ampco bushings are by far the better of the lot in my book.
gary
veeman
Member
I just use a Lee Challenger press with the Breechlock system. I bought one of the kits about 2 years ago and so far am happy with the press. The scale had to go(hard to read) but the press has seen about 700 reloads. When I do upgrade I think Lee's Classic Cast will be what I buy. Nothin fancy but money is an issue in our house lol.
