Rebel press after a week

[6pakzak]

To start I've been reloading for about 12 yrs now, started with lee challenger press and just lately got better dies and bought a runout gauge, started to make pretty good rounds with the lee but consistency was not there and figured it was time for a new press, bought a coax and really liked it but runout was a over the place, sent it back and figured just want a good 0 press that is made right, took my chances and got a rebel for 199.99. I have found it effortless to use but yet it has good feel to it, people complain that it feels loose when arm is down but it has solid stops that hit the arms and the handle doesn't go anywhere when you hit them, also the ram feels very tight and seems very true. I have been using it to body size and then lee collet neck size on a rcbs junior, after done with that the necks have almost zero runout. So I was using the lee to seat just cause it was easier to leave the dies in separate presses with pretty good results but somewhat variable results especially with seating depth the lee could be a pain, runout was good but that could vary too so stopped being so lazy and put Forster micrometer seater in rebel, now runout is consistently around .001, sometimes much better like almost 0 and highest around .0015 unless I'm using crap brass with .002 runout at neck to begin with, also the press comes to a solid stop and will not push the bullet down any further if you press harder, the micrometer now seems to work perfectly, I leave it a little long and can dial it right in. So from the runout I'm getting I feel this press is lined up very well, it feels very smooth and has power to spare with hardly any effort, no stamped steel parts, if kept lubed it will last many lifetimes, also like the zerk fitting which gets the grease where u want it, all in all a good basic press that you can make quality ammo with, I am very satisfied with this press and would not even think of getting a coax again and if it works for you that's great but this press does what I want.

 

[Old Rooster]

Been looking at the Rebel press.Thanks
Old Rooster

 

[ShtrRdy]

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

[J-B welder]

Glad it's working well for you. Some may knock the less expensive brands of equipment, but your measurements seem to indicate the quality of the ammo produced is plenty high. The bottom line is just what you said: it does what you want.

 

[Wolf76]

It all comes down to the results. Sounds like you're getting very consistent and concentric ammo. Not much more you could ask for at any price. Thank you for sharing.

 

[6pakzak]

I think if the press is lined up right there is no need for floating shell holders or die holders, the rebel is a simple no frills press that just lines up right and has good feel to it, if your brass is way out of whack nothing will make it good again, a good press just eliminates another variable, a good for is not going to make a huge difference on runout but a crappy die can definitely add to it just like a out of line press. I forgot to mention that it knocks back my case shoulders right on the money Everytime and it is built like a tank, I can't imagine it having any difficulty with anything you throw at it.

 

[Lenwood901]

ive been thinking about buying this press too have an old rcbs think 2 has a short handle i like it but would like a bigger opening

 

[CBH Australia]

Could someone post a photo or a link?
I'm not familiar with the one you are talking about.

I've seen many of the known brands and use a Hornady LnL.

I have read a lot of good stuff about the Forster but haven't used one. Current thinking is I can't justify the expense, then I start thinking about getting one. At $800 Aussie $ I'm not shooting enough to warrant it and the kids will think it's all junk down the road

 

[6pakzak]

Sorry, can't figure out how to use link, here's a picture from where I bought it from

 

[sedancowboy]

I have had the same Rock Chucker for 51 years. My son gave me a gift card from Brownells and they had a Rebel so I bought it. Very nice press my run out is very good with the new Rebel. Two things I really like about it is the large opening for long cartridges and the smoothness. It is very well machined and I would recommend it to anyone. I no longer deprime on my good press. Even though the Rebel has a hollow ram for the primers to go down through instead of out a shut. Primer debris will wear your press out.

 

[6pakzak]

The rebel boasts machined qualified surfaces, I thought it was a gimmick or mix on words to make it sound good but I looked it up and is basically trueing up the surfaces or squaring them up to each other, without being able to prime on this press RCBS was not targeting new reloaders, RCBS guy basically said most experienced reloaders don't prime on the press so they could spare that expense in making the press and put the money into the tolerances and focusing on what's necessary to make good ammo.

 

[6pakzak]

The debris from the primer is certainly not a good thing for your press, I prime with a Frankfurt priming tool which is a step up from priming on the press cause I can feel the primer seat on the bottom without crushing the primer which is very easy to do on a lot of presses.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I also found better runout going back to a new RockChucker Supreme over my Co-Ax.
As soon as a Rebel shows up here, I will be buying one just for sizing and the Supreme will be used for seating duties.
I also get very consistent rounds using my RCBS Turret press. They make some good quality gear. My Redding Big Boss II is also a very good press, but the throw on the handle is too much for me and it sits gathering dust now.

Cheers.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Could someone post a photo or a link?
I'm not familiar with the one you are talking about.

I've seen many of the known brands and use a Hornady LnL.

I have read a lot of good stuff about the Forster but haven't used one. Current thinking is I can't justify the expense, then I start thinking about getting one. At $800 Aussie $ I'm not shooting enough to warrant it and the kids will think it's all junk down the road

Forster Co-ax made ammo no better than my Supreme…so I sold it several years back now. The 'play' from floating the dies made my runout with bushings worse.

As long as the press is true and straight, it is the dies that make or break the runout issues, not the press. The shell holder floats, so the case self centres unless there is a major misalignment.

Cheers.