Looking for press advise

[Hunter2678]

there's a lot more to it than a shorter handle and of course the longer one. The actual stroke of the Co-Ax is not much different than the RCBS or the Redding, but the Co-Ax has much more power during it's stroke with the max at the right place. People talk about the cost involved, but when you get done they are not all that far apart. The Co-Ax actually dosn't need as heavy a bench top as the others due to the way all the forces are transfered. Another really good press to look at is the Lee cast iron press (both the presses are also U.S.A. made). The Forster is a lifetime press, so you buy one once. But that means little to me, as I like the way it works.
gary

That was a big seller for me..I have mine gently anchored with 4 decking screws into an old wobly bench in the basement. The press is so mechanically efficient that it transfers little to no torque into the bench no matter what I do. I've seen others seriously flex some big benches with their less efficient presses. Not the case w/the co-ax you can size and decap with your fingertips.

 

[boomtube]

Most reloaders put far more emphesis on presses than can be justified, Ammo is made in the dies; all a press does is push the cases in and draw them back out. A 'tight' press is no indication of 'quality'. The Co-Ax holds the dies loosely in a slot and its universal shell holder certainly isn't rigid or well aligned but good ammo can be made. BR shooters generally use arbor presses that don't even connect to their excellant unthreaded "hand" dies. Meaning that loosely held dies and cases will self align if allowed to do so. All a 'tight' press can do is force things together even if the alignment isn't perfect.

Brand, model or cost of a press makes little or no difference to the finished product. Press ergonomics matters a lot to users tho. Different users need to find the press work angle they prefer. Some like the Co-Ax's lever coming straight out but some of us - probably most of us - don't like that work angle at all. Nor do we like the long lever throw. But, whatever we like doesn't matter to the ammo that can be turned out, I have five presses of different brands/models that I've proven will make identical ammo when using the same dies, components and methods; one of those presses is a tiny Lee aluminum alloy "C" press I bought for depriming just to protect my RC from primer grit and stop the RC from tossing half of the spent primers on the floor. Loading skill is the only real accuracy limiting factor, not how much our tools cost. A good loader can do good work on virtually any press, a dufus can't do very well no matter what press he uses. IMHO.

The only presses I've ever seen that transfer heavy torque to the loading bench are the old simple toggle lever designs but no maker I know of has produced one of them in what, maybe 40 years? They all have the much superior compound toggle design now and while I can't FL size .300 mag cases with one finger in my RC (or anything else) but it sure doesn't take a lot of arm strength to do it. ??

I've been doing this too long to have mindless loyalty to or predjuice against inanimate objects or brands - I know what I'm doing and I buy what works the way I want it to. My Rock Chucker 2 is some 25 years old and in perfect condition but if Lee's Classic Cast had been available at that time I would have gotten it instead; it's the better press in every way. I've been doing this a very long time and have never seen any press of any design or maker that has honestly been 'worn' out by use but I've seen several that were ruined by neglict and abuse.

 

[drbill]

I have the Co-ax, Rockchucker, large Lee Classic, Lee reloader, and 2 arbor presses. The rockchucker "forces" things together like the other "traditional" presses, so if dies, brass etc aren't perfect it produces junk. The better dies and components make better ammo. On the Co-ax the die will float in and out and the shellholder will float side to side. This "seems" to line things up. I have read pluses and minuses to this "movement". I have seen "bad" dies make "good" ammo in the Co-ax. This is only my experience. I have seen some very good loads out of the arbor stuff.

What are my friends wisdom and experience on this "movement"?
The OP may want to consider your guys advice - including me.

 

[Nikkel]

Thanks again for all your responses. I am enjoying the learning process and knowledge that you all are willing to share.
Now I need some help on the dies. Sounds like that may be more important than the press provided I am using a top quality press like the rock chucker or the Forster. ( unless I change my mind I am leaning toward the Forster CoAx)

As for dies it seems to be boiling down to the Forster Full length benchrest Ultra set with micrometer or the Redding full lenth S match grade set with micrometer.
What do you guys think.

Thanks

 

[Trickymissfit]

Thanks again for all your responses. I am enjoying the learning process and knowledge that you all are willing to share.
Now I need some help on the dies. Sounds like that may be more important than the press provided I am using a top quality press like the rock chucker or the Forster. ( unless I change my mind I am leaning toward the Forster CoAx)

As for dies it seems to be boiling down to the Forster Full length benchrest Ultra set with micrometer or the Redding full lenth S match grade set with micrometer.
What do you guys think.

Thanks

Folks will argue till their death that this die or that die is best. I use a small handfull of RCBS dies, and a couple others here and there. But day in and day out it's either a Forster or a Redding. Don't neck size with any threaded dies these days, and do all that with an arbor press and either Wilson or custom built dies. Accuracey wise there's not a lot of difference between all the better full length dies. The Forster is slightly different in the location of the sizer ball, and I'm pretty comfortable with their setup over the others. Others can't see the difference, and I also can understand that. But seaters are a different story. All are pretty much the same, except for the better Reddings and all the Forsters. Either of these latter two are probably better than the whatever press you end up with. Do you need a micrometer head? I doubt it! I use them, because I swap bullets on a regular basis, and shoot the same caliber in more than one rifle. The nice thing about the Forster is that you can add the micrometer head later if so desired. Both companys sell VLD seater stems if needed.

I load all my hand gun stuff with Lyman dies. I've just not found a better die for expanding the case to seat cast lead bullets. But my single shot stuff is loaded with Forster stuff. I don't own a roll sizer, so I don't do 40 S&W and 45acp (I have the dies)
gary

 

[Nikkel]

Actuyally I will be loading for my three sons as well and they each shoot a 300 wsm in a model 70 Win. (graduation present from dad) and I shoot a 300wsm in a HS precision mountain rifle so maybe the micrometer set is the way to go since I am going to be loading for multiple rifles in the same caliber.
Sounds like you like the forster match dies as well as the redding ones?
Wow lots to learn.

 

[Nikkel]

Tell me more about the VLD seater stem.
I do plan on trying the VLD bullets as well as some others.
Thanks

 

[Daveinjax]

The co-ax press and forster bullet seater with a lee collet neck die. Buy the lee three die set with the collet neck die and a forster bullet seater. I have not found a better combo. Unless you buy the forster dies just buy the lee dies as they are the best of the rest imho.

 

[Trickymissfit]

Tell me more about the VLD seater stem.
I do plan on trying the VLD bullets as well as some others.
Thanks

not much to it, as the I.D. of the seater plug has more relief inside it plus some have a different angle to make better contact with the bullet without touching the nose.
gary

 

[Trickymissfit]

The co-ax press and forster bullet seater with a lee collet neck die. Buy the lee three die set with the collet neck die and a forster bullet seater. I have not found a better combo. Unless you buy the forster dies just buy the lee dies as they are the best of the rest imho.

on my coffe table right now is a 22-250 and .223 collet die set. Have tried to get round necks out of them three or four times time and it ain't happening. Can get them to about .0018" if I cross my fingers right. But the same lot of cases out of the same chambers will will come in at less than .0007" with nothing special in the setup using Forster or Redding dies. Add to this the fact that the actual case bodies are all over the place. Diameter has nothing todo with this, as I just can't get round cases out of them. I'd almost swear they are made a couple thousandths oversize, and then have to have the collet so compressed that it's out of round. I did check the necks out with a small dial bore gauge and then rigged up a .0001" dial indicator with them clamped in a vee block. Got out of round readings with them just like the cases look. Now when I run cases from the same chambers thru a Wilson die they come out close to perfect.

I think the idea is sound, but in chambers with minimum necks I'd pass on them. I am going to order in a 22-250AI collet and set the body up for the case. Then open the neck part up to .264, and see if that idea works.
gary

 

[7 loader]

I got my RCBS rock chucker free from my father in law. I do use lee dies and RCBS. If you are not getting round necks call lee. my collet dies work great. Sorry you have had problems. I " destructions" for the lee collet are different for other presses than lee.

 

[Trickymissfit]

I got my RCBS rock chucker free from my father in law. I do use lee dies and RCBS. If you are not getting round necks call lee. my collet dies work great. Sorry you have had problems. I " destructions" for the lee collet are different for other presses than lee.

not just me, I've ran accross an half dozen others that are getting cases out of round bodies and necks
gary

 

[7 loader]

not just me, I've ran accross an half dozen others that are getting cases out of round bodies and necks
gary

That sucks! I wish you had as good of luck as I had sofar.

 

[Trickymissfit]

That sucks! I wish you had as good of luck as I had sofar.

honestly, the only idea that I can think of is that the collet sleeve is over stressed when tightened down. In otherwords the neck diameter is too big. The best way to stop this is to make the tapered I.D. of the body of the die a couple thousandths smaller, and also make the neck diameter about three thousandths smaller. The actual sleeve is a copy of the Hardingh Brothers design, and used all the time in machine shops. Very accurate, but the actual working range is fairly minimal. So if my chambers were two or three thousandths bigger all the way around; I think it would work well.
gary