Reloading press

[BigRed]

I am thinking about getting a reloading set up. What do you all think of the Hornady classic kit? Any good for some light reloading? I would say 4 to 500 rounds a month. Looking for info please.

[bkoenig]

Should work just fine, although I think it's made of aluminum.  A cast iron one like the RCBS Rock Chucker might be a little more solid.  Heavy is good.

[shooter]

 I agree, try to stay away from a aluminum press, cast iron is the best, ive worn out 2 rockchuckers in the last 40 years. both were replaced by RCBS, If your going to do rifle, make sure its a compound like the rockchucker,  also, as you start buying die sets, try to stay with one brand, that way small parts will interchange,

[tstuart34]

I have share a hornady LNL with my dad. It is a nice press but in my eyes hornady leaves some to be desired when it comes to consistency. Quality is very nice but I fell that they have a l lot of variablitiy when it comes to parts. I can have two of the same parts and when I switch them out I have to reset the press. Just something to consider. If I could find a used rcbs I would be all over it. My dad got out of reloading a a number of years ago and sold his rcbs and more we both wish he had it back.

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[SemperFiGuy]

RCBS makes good, solid reloading equipment.
Which is about what you'd expect for a company that started out making bullet swagers as their core product.

However, the RCBS hand priming tool is clumsy.   (Even though it uses the same shell holder for both the RCBS hand priming tool and the RCBS single-stage reloading press, which is a rarity among reloading equipment.)

You might do much better with a Lee Auto Prime Ergo Prime Hand Priming Tool ($40) and a Lee Shell Holder Kit ($25).

Some Lee genius finally figgered out that the round hand primer hopper and the square new primer box were somewhat of a mismatch.

Kinda the same situation where the Polish scientist invented the indoor toilet seat...  And then a German engineer came along a few decades later and cut a hole in the center of the seat.

It can take a while for innovation to kick in.

sfg

[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.

[tstuart34]

BigRed I forgot to ask what you are reloading? 4 or 500 rounds a month is a lot of time sitting at the reloading bench. How much time do you want to spend reloading each month?

[bkoenig]

I'm a weirdo.  I have one Dillon and one Lee press.  I try to hit both ends of the spectrum. 

[BigRed]

tstewart34, I will reload mostly 9mm. I will also use the press for .223-5.56, 22-250, 30-30, 44 mag and 45-70.

[Dan W]

I'm a weirdo.  I have one Dillon and one Lee press.  I try to hit both ends of the spectrum. 

Me too...I have Dillon, Hornady, Lee presses and use Redding dies and just added a Giraud triway trimmer

[SS_N_NE]

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

For the point of education: Aluminum is strong enough...but not worth the few bucks saved over a better/heavier press. Since the press is the main tool....no use in going too cheap...you get the money back in reloading savings. Dies are generally the same size thread (with few exceptions) and can interchange between presses if you do your homework. 7/8"-14 thread are pretty common. However the die sets can vary in what they do, so a little planning can be involved.

[SS_N_NE]

For a lot us, reloading is just fun. New presses and tools are like new guns. Being lower priced the tools don't break the bank so fast. Then, there is all the possibilities for the ammo you can make and adjust to your particular firearms.

I have had a blast lately chopping up .233 and making .300BLK loads. Casting .45acp and making sure the 9mm has various ball, JHP and weights to try out.

I am really sure I need a new blue press...

[abbafandr]

I've used a Lee turret (aluminum ) since starting reloading.  I load about 5000 rounds of 9mm a year.  Usually do 100 in an hour.  Is it perfect? No, but it is quite enough for my current needs: not running out of ammo

[tstuart34]

tstewart34, I will reload mostly 9mm. I will also use the press for .223-5.56, 22-250, 30-30, 44 mag and 45-70.

4 or 500 hundred is a fair amount of time at the bench for 9mm. You are talking a minimum of 3x in and out of the press per round. You might want to consider some type of indexing press. Unless you want to spend time at the bench.

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[bkoenig]

I've used a Lee turret (aluminum ) since starting reloading.  I load about 5000 rounds of 9mm a year.  Usually do 100 in an hour.  Is it perfect? No, but it is quite enough for my current needs: not running out of ammo

I used a Lee turret press for many years to load handgun rounds before I bought a Dillon.  They work just fine - a little clunky but they're a lot faster than a single stage.  Not really what you'd want for precision rifle reloading but they're good for pistol.

[bkoenig]

Me too...I have Dillon, Hornady, Lee presses and use Redding dies and just added a Giraud triway trimmer