Ammunition & Hand Loading > Cartridge and Shotshell reloading
Reloading press
SS_N_NE:
I have a Lee classic cast iron with the breech lock system. You buy separate collars for each die (not too expensive) and a die can be set and installed in a repeatable manner with only a sixth of a turn. Make switching operations easy or jumping around with your loading needs. The Lee carbide deluxe die sets are pretty nice. Similar to the Hornady lock-n-load concept.
Aluminum is plenty strong for a press. The issue comes from wear at the press mandrel that holds the shell holder (and your reloading efforts). Dirt from pressing out primers, bits of metal and other trash collects around the that mandrel and can cause the aluminum to wear or gaul quickly. Iron frame presses seem to be a lot more tolerant of this dirt and frequent cleaning and occasional oil makes the press last forever.
I have an RCBS hand primer (one that uses shell holders)....AND IT SUCKS!!! It loads rifle primers OK. But pistol primers (which are thinner than rifle primers) often get flattened slightly. The primers fired OK on a few I loaded that way...but watching primers getting distorted and squished in your hand is a little unnerving.
I have the primer system that mounts on the Lee press and it works very well. Again, the Lee stuff is low price, but delivers a better than decent quality for the price.
bkoenig:
I also have a Lee classic cast press (non-breech lock). I'm very happy with it for the price. It's big, heavy, and solid.
SemperFiGuy:
I had a Lee aluminum cheepie-weepie starter single-stage C-config press that someone gave me. Used it for a long time, finally gave it to unfy to show him some love.
Anyhow, comparably, it was flimsy, cheap looking, and didn't have a good, solid smooth press feel. Didn't even have a steel-steel bushing in it. BUT.......it always worked pretty much OK. Did the job. Loaded lotsa rounds on it. My thinking is that if you have to use a lotta force on your reloading press, better check out the setup and materials very, very carefully. See wot's up.
That press was the kinda press that a new reloader could start with, and then later--after getting a Really Good Press--mount it down at the other end of the reloading bench for those Little Odd Jobs that come along from time to time.
One nice thing about reloading: Over time, you get to accumulate LOTS OF STUFF.
sfg
bkoenig:
I hear ya...I'm running out of bench space between two presses, a couple of scales, and a powder measure, along with all the other miscellaneous stuff.
m morton:
funny how this post reads like ford verses chevy everyone has there love of cars or in this case reload presses lol.. hornady must be ford RCBS must be chevy and the lee must be dodge lol ..
as a non-re-loader.... my take on this is any non aluminum heavy duty press will do ya right . stay away from the cheap shat or you will just spend more money buying a better press later. and if you switch brands the dies will most likely not work across brands so not only will you be buying a new press but all the bells and extras to go whit it
my advise would be to get together with some one who has a press or even more then one and buy a pizza and a 6 pack and sit and watch how it works, do you have big hands ? can you work the press , ask why one works better then the other or is easier to set up and work with , IE dies slide in at this angle in this press is ezer to work with. me i would look at witch is more dummy proof lol. and then go watch another brand and decide what you like better. it's hard to choose looking at a catalog pic...or on a shelf in a store. IMO better to see it working. here is a video posted on reloading made by some of the nfoa guys it may be of some help? http://nebraskafirearms.org/forum/index.php/topic,15003.msg107410.html#msg107410 . that is if you have not all rdy seen it . if i remember from the video stay away from plastic power cups the static in plastic will not dump clean and power will stay.
oh and before ya buy make sure the press your looking at will reload ALL the calibers you shoot if your going to be reloading more then just standard handgun / rifle brass it may be a factor in can you buy the dies you need if you shoot a odd-ball caliber. X brand may not have your die's just some thing to think about. as a non re-loader these are my thoughts.
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