First press for a begginer

[dkhunt14]

I remember watching my Dad and uncle Doug loading their ammo on a C press made by NORMA. I believe NORMA sold the rights to the design to RCBS.

I thought RCBS used O presses on all rockchuckers. I know the older A4 and Black Max was an O. Matt

 

[JRS]

I thought RCBS used O presses on all rockchuckers. I know the older A4 and Black Max was an O. Matt

I don't know that RCBS ever produced the C press. RCBS was the lone seller for the NORMA press, and I suppose it's possible RCBS bought the rights from NORMA to eliminate a competitor in that field.

 

[dcali]

The RCBS Summit looks interesting, especially if you need a press to sit on top of a flat surface. It hasn't seemed to catch on. (I've never used one).

 

[clunker]

Thank you all so much. This is the type of information I was hoping for. I was only thinking about a progressive press because I thought it was the easiest way to switch between different dies. I want to be able to get the dies set and then never have to adjust them. Otherwise, if you have to keep swapping out the dies every time you change calibers, you run the risk of ending up with a slightly different finished product each time. I'm well aware of how much time it will take to dial in the perfect ammo, so I only want to do it once.

It sounds like the coax has a good system for swapping dies, so I will definitely check that out. RCBS gets the most votes, so I will look into that as well. I am leery of Products that gained a solid reputation when manufactured in the US and are now made in China, but it is still worth a look. Dusty has never given me bad advice, so I'll take a look at his suggestion as well. Lee got quite a few votes, and I'm sure there are a couple I have to read the thread again to remember. Too bad I can't just go into a store and try all of them out. I've worked with my hands my whole life, and I know what a quality tool feels like. Looks like I have some research to do. Thanks again

 

[Homerange]

Thank you all so much. This is the type of information I was hoping for. I was only thinking about a progressive press because I thought it was the easiest way to switch between different dies. I want to be able to get the dies set and then never have to adjust them. Otherwise, if you have to keep swapping out the dies every time you change calibers, you run the risk of ending up with a slightly different finished product each time. I'm well aware of how much time it will take to dial in the perfect ammo, so I only want to do it once.

Spend a few $ on die lock rings = issue solved.

 

[GSPV]

Your dies will come with lock rings. Once set, you will not need to set them again.

With that said, I far prefer the Hornady lock rings. I use mostly Redding dies, but I immediately replace their lock rings with Hornady ones

 

[dcali]

Don’t overthink the die adjustment. It’s really not that bad. Like others said, lock rings take care of it for the most part (i also do not like the set screw type- the c clamp type are much easier to work with). Between that and a micrometer adjustable seater, and you really won’t have anything to worry about.

 

[cruzr]

A Forster Coax if precision loading is what you want.

 

[hoz53]

Thank you all so much. This is the type of information I was hoping for. I was only thinking about a progressive press because I thought it was the easiest way to switch between different dies. I want to be able to get the dies set and then never have to adjust them. Otherwise, if you have to keep swapping out the dies every time you change calibers, you run the risk of ending up with a slightly different finished product each time. I'm well aware of how much time it will take to dial in the perfect ammo, so I only want to do it once.

It sounds like the coax has a good system for swapping dies, so I will definitely check that out. RCBS gets the most votes, so I will look into that as well. I am leery of Products that gained a solid reputation when manufactured in the US and are now made in China, but it is still worth a look. Dusty has never given me bad advice, so I'll take a look at his suggestion as well. Lee got quite a few votes, and I'm sure there are a couple I have to read the thread again to remember. Too bad I can't just go into a store and try all of them out. I've worked with my hands my whole life, and I know what a quality tool feels like. Looks like I have some research to do. Thanks again

Thing about the die adjustment is your brass will vary so you won’t always get the same amount of sizing with the same die setting. Would be nice to set them and leave forever but we are resigned that that won’t always work.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

The RCBS Summit looks interesting, especially if you need a press to sit on top of a flat surface. It hasn't seemed to catch on. (I've never used one).

Theres a reason it hasnt caught on. Mine is good for depriming and seating if you need an extreme heavy ram going down on it. Past that its useless. It has about the same compound leverage as a lee nut cracker

 

[GSPV]

Your dies will come with lock rings. Once set, you will not need to set them again.

OK. I said that, and, for the purpose of this conversation, it is true.

But, in a more precise context, it falls short of truth. Your FL die will need incremental changes for certain things. Like adjusting the die deeper or shallower to get your desired shoulder bump with cases that have more or less springback. I address this by using Skip Otto FL die shims. I can leave the lock ring where it is, and adjust bump in .001 increments by swapping shims.

A turret press wouldn’t help any at all.

YMMV

 

[Ringostar]

Theres a reason it hasnt caught on. Mine is good for depriming and seating if you need an extreme heavy ram going down on it. Past that its useless. It has about the same compound leverage as a lee nut cracker

I have a Lee hand press (nut cracker). It comes in handy! Actually I got it for one reason and that is depriming. The ram is hollow and retains the spent primers. You have to dump them at times to make room for more. I keep an old coffee can to dump them into. I don’t have to worry about the depriming mess with my other press this way. I usually sit outside at patio table for this.

 

[JBO]

I have a Lee hand press (nut cracker). It comes in handy! Actually I got it for one reason and that is depriming. The ram is hollow and retains the spent primers. You have to dump them at times to make room for more. I keep an old coffee can to dump them into. I don’t have to worry about the depriming mess with my other press this way. I usually sit outside at patio table for this.

Hmm... If I were a betting man you have a special beer hold on the patio too .

 

[jnm300ultra]

My press is the Hornady lock and load. I really like the quick change die heads. Once I set my dies I never look back. I do use Redding dies with the lock and load bushing. You can get different bushings for the RCBS press I just wanted to stick with the same manufacturer as the press and bushings. I do have a Dillion 550 it’s good for large amounts of shooting but a pain in the @ss when you forget how to change the parts because you only do it once every 2 years. I prefer the kiss method.
Good luck
Jason

 

[clunker]

Did my research, and I am probably getting the Co-Ax. Thanks everyone for your input.

Now . . . I'm looking at all the other gear. I was planning to build my own ultrasonic transducer system for the casings, but apparently you can actually get these at Harbor Freight now. Is that really true? The systems I helped design and build in the 90's sold for more than $2,500. Are these cheap units worth it, or are they just foreign junk?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Did my research, and I am probably getting the Co-Ax. Thanks everyone for your input.

Now . . . I'm looking at all the other gear. I was planning to build my own ultrasonic transducer system for the casings, but apparently you can actually get these at Harbor Freight now. Is that really true? The systems I helped design and build in the 90's sold for more than $2,500. Are these cheap units worth it, or are they just foreign junk?

I have a branson and a harbor freight. You get what you pay for.

 

[dcali]

Did my research, and I am probably getting the Co-Ax. Thanks everyone for your input.

Now . . . I'm looking at all the other gear. I was planning to build my own ultrasonic transducer system for the casings, but apparently you can actually get these at Harbor Freight now. Is that really true? The systems I helped design and build in the 90's sold for more than $2,500. Are these cheap units worth it, or are they just foreign junk?

You can get cheap units that work, but by cheap, I mean $250 or so. I have the now discontinued Hornady Magnum Ultrasonic (which would be a considered a small, dirt cheap quasi-industrial unit), and it works fine. They do lie about the capacity - like a lot. It only holds half of what they claim, at best. If you want to do more than 100 cases at a time, you'll need something bigger. I'm not sure if the newer models work better or not.

 

[clunker]

How many watts are those things? You can get a 100W transducer and control board on Amazon for $60. A little sheet metal fabrication, and you are good to go. The ones we built 20 years ago were probably too powerful. They would start punching holes through aluminum foil in less than a minute. If you put your hand in the tank (which you should never do) it felt sort of like putting your finger in a light socket.

 

[dcali]

I'm not sure, but the cheaper ones are under 100 W. I'd look for a higher end cheap import before I started making stuff. You can get them on Amazon starting at $100 or so and they go up from there. I doubt you could build something as good for the money.

 

[cw308]

Another for the RCBS RockChucker , my first and one an only , after 30 years going strong . I shoot and reload every week , comes with a lifetime warranty . Can't go wrong with RCBS.