arbor presses brand name vs generic

[Pigdog]

hi guys looking to get an arbor press for small volume reloading with my Wilson dies, I can get a half tonne no name brand press for roughly 1/3rd of the price of the brand name "shooting" arbor presses such as k&m or 21st century models. Are these worth 3 times the price?? My understanding is that the press simply acts up and down and its the quality of the dies that does the work hence why I need to know if the value is there is these brand name presses over no name brand.

thanks

 

[dcali]

The Chinese industrial presses are larger/heavier than you'd want, ideally. I won't say they won't work, but there is something to be said for getting something made for the job at hand. But yeah, all they do is push down.

 

[jghoghunter]

I have a 21st century hydro that works awesome and I love the info it gives me and I believe it works with that info. I also have a no name standard arbor press that works great. It goes up and down just as it is suppose to and doesn't flex and works the hand dies great. If all you want is a standard arbor press a no name industrial type works fine for less money.

 

[ireload2]

You can also buy a Chinese drill press for about the same price if you do not need a portable press.

 

[JohnKielly]

Or if you're totally anal, you can chuck a piece of rod with a squared end in your bench drill press & use that.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

One of the main benefits of an arbor press is the feel you get from the bullet seating. As well as the portability for tuning at the range. The chinese "tool" will not do either of those for you. Harrell's press is reasonable.

 

[Pigdog]

thanks guys for all the info not sure which way I will go yet but I'm now informed

 

[nmkid]

Try the Bald Eagle arbor press. I have 2 and they both work great and not expensive at all.

 

[nakneker]

I bought a used Sinclair for 70 bucks. Used Arbor presses come up often in the classifieds.

 

[Pigdog]

so I went with an idea someone suggested on another forum, I ordered a beer bottle capper delivered for $30US hahaha talk about loading on a budget it may be a case of the poor man pays twice but I will be interested to see if it does the job!!!!

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

I bought a K&M here a couple weeks ago. It has this nice dial indicator that measures seating force in .001" increments. The good ones make it much easier to get a good "feel" for seating force.
You only have to buy a quality built one once...

 

[Lapua40X]

I bought a cheap-o press for a few bucks at Harbor Frieght and bught a box of bullets with the money I saved. It ain't pretty but it does the job (I don't care about the "feel" of the seating bullet. If one does feel a bit tighter than the other I'm not gonna pull the bullet, resize the neck, and reload the round anyway)
But you can spend your money on whatever you feel is the best value for your needs.

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

I would respectfully disagree with that. Yes, you saved a few $$, but now those bullets are all shot, and you have a less precise unit to work with. Ignoring differences in seating pressure can easily lead to those "Fliers" that leave you scratching your head at a match. The secret to concocting consistent, accurate loads, especially for ELR shooting; is eliminating the deterministic variables, and learning to minimize the other two (wind and mirage).

I have to trust that I have done the best job of purchasing tools and components and assembling the most consistently accurate loads I can. Otherwise it's a waste of time and $$ to even go to the range.



Rich

 

[LHSmith]

(I don't care about the "feel" of the seating bullet. If one does feel a bit tighter than the other I'm not gonna pull the bullet, resize the neck, and reload the round anyway)

??? And you visit the Accurate Shooter website because ________?

 

[Lapua40X]

Thanks for the feedback. I was especially please with these two very well thought out responses.

??? And you visit
the Accurate Shooter website because ________?

That's an excellent question. "Accuracy" is always the objective. Accuracy does not demand an obsession for putting every bullet into one hole. In fact, the specialized shooters I competed with when I shot bench rest focused almost exclusively on load consistency with little or no concern for accuracy. I come into contact with young shooters who, eager to learn how to shoot accurately, find some very good forums (like this one) where they get a lot of advice on weighing, and turning brass, using digital gauges to obtain consistent bullet and/or primer seating pressures, separating brass by case volume, pointing bullets, producing the highest possible muzzle velocity, etc. They often come to believe that buying a lot of fancy equipment and being anal about how they reload ammunition with pressures approaching or exceeding maximums, will make them a more accurate shooter; it will not. A .5 moa group that is three inches from the center of the target (usually the aiming point) is not accuracy. There is no denying that accuracy requires a well developed consistent load, but it requires a much greater discipline. I read more questions about accuracy that focus immediately on the load than the shooter. That's backwards IMO.
I shoot some very long distances and, as a personal standard, demand < .5 moa accuracy out to 300 yards. But I allow for 1 moa as the distance increases and the wind (which has no respect for how much neck tension I have on the bullet) takes its toll. So when I see a thread inquiring about the "best" of something I frequently yield to the temptation to offer another perspective. Not as advice, just as an alternative point of view. Perhaps someone new to the shooting fraternity might stop to think about what "accuracy" truly implies.

I would respectfully disagree with that. Yes, you saved a few $$, but now those bullets are all shot, and you have a less precise unit to work with. ...

Admittedly, Rich, they don't always come out quite as good as the example above. But I think it's pretty good evidence that I have not lost the precision in the units I have to work with.

 

[LHSmith]

View attachment 1009509

I shoot some very long distances and, as a personal standard, demand < .5 moa accuracy out to 300 yards. But I allow for 1 moa as the distance increases and the wind (which has no respect for how much neck tension I have on the bullet) takes its toll.

Load "TUNING" = optimum bullet stability = less wind drift affecting the bullet

 

[LHSmith]

Accuracy does not demand an obsession for putting every bullet into one hole. In fact, the specialized shooters I competed with when I shot bench rest focused almost exclusively on load consistency with little or no concern for accuracy.

You never participated in the other SR Benchrest discipline - Score Shooting?.......where the first record shot actually counts.

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

No offense, but I would suggest that settling for .5 moa out to 300yds and moa after that will not show well in any competition unless it is a pistol match.
My 338 LM will stay in the .3 moa range at 300yds if I can keep up with conditions. I have periodic access to a seed warehouse here at night. The LAPUA shoots 1" groups at 300 there.
I believe for truly accurate, competitive results you have to upgrade equipment as your budget allows, until you become the weak link in the chain.

What cartridge made that group, and was it shot in competition or just load testing alone, out at the range? The proof of accuracy is the aggregate for a minimum of five 5-shot groups in competition.

 

[dcali]

1 MOA will be perfectly good for High Power Rifle, and better than most at your typical F Class club match (if you take an HONEST look at what people are shooting), although that seems to be changing rapidly these days.

And if I take the above correctly in context, I think 1 MOA will clean the target in F Class.

 

[JohnKielly]

And if I take the above correctly in context, I think 1 MOA will clean the target in F Class.

It can, but for mugs like me that can't always center perfectly for windage & elevation every shot, the more help I can get from rifle accuracy, the better.