Best all around Single Stage press?

[Murray Brook]

Yes.
Isn't this the purpose one may desire to use "O" ring under the die?

Agree. What is called "slop" in one press is called float in another. Sounds better I guess.

 

[INTJ]

Both the floating approach and the rigid approach work. The Prazipress, Zero Press, and how real machinists chamber barrels are examples of the rigid approach. Everything is precisely made and set up so it's true.

The CoAx, o-ring dies, hand held neck turners, and floating reamer holders represent the floating approach. There is slop or float built in a less so everything will align. It's generally less expensive to make tools designed to float.

I currently use equipment from both methods and get good results either way. I think the key is to understand how each tool works and then use it as it was intended.

 

[sdean]

Both the floating approach and the rigid approach work. The Prazipress, Zero Press, and how real machinists chamber barrels are examples of the rigid approach. Everything is precisely made and set up so it's true.

The CoAx, o-ring dies, hand held neck turners, and floating reamer holders represent the floating approach. There is slop or float built in a less so everything will align. It's generally less expensive to make tools designed to float.

I currently use equipment from both methods and get good results either way. I think the key is to understand how each tool works and then use it as it was intended.

There are many real machinists that use some sort of floating reamer holder.
I guess your shell holders are rigid also.

 

[INTJ]

There are many real machinists that use some sort of floating reamer holder.

Maybe. The guys I know set up their lathes so they are true, prebore, and push the reamer without a bushing into the hole that THEY made true. Hacks like me just let the floating reamer holder cover for any lathe setup issues. My barrels shoot as well as theirs......

 

[Lucky6547]

If one doesn't own a certain press, how does one know I doesn't have any deflection?

A good question, and how do we know that just because one guys video looking at one sample of each press is a real indication of the differences of all the different brands?

My limited experience has the Harrells combo press as the best for 6mmBR cases and smaller. I can get a sample of 25 6mmBR cases sized such that 23 of them are exactly the same datum, and two are 0.0005” shorter than the rest (measured with a starrett dial caliper). That’s pretty good to me.
Take care,
Ken

 

[Hohn]

Float vs tight all depends on whether a tolerance is driving or is itself driven. If it’s a driving tolerance, you want it as tight as possible. If it’s a driven tolerance, you want enough “slop” to accommodate that tolerance stacking.

As an example, do we want the ram perfectly concentric to the die threads? Most of us would say of course. But if the threads on the die aren’t concentric to the die bore, it would be useful to introduce a small accommodation for that; either allowing the die float via o-ring or having a little ram slop.

But it’s very easy for the “slop” placed somewhere to accommodate the stack up to become the slop that something else needs to accommodate. Thus, slop breeds slop.

the solution?

— don’t try to float more than one item in the stack up.
— make sure it’s either the first or the last thing in the stack
— make everything *else* that’s not your dedicated “slop” location as tightly controlled as practical.

 

[drop_point]

I've got several presses including an old Lyman my father started on in the 70s, a Lee, two Hornady LNL APs, and an RCBS RC.

The RC has gotten sloppy and clanky over the last several years. It isn't what it used to be. And the constant primer spilling drives me crazy.

I can take the same dies out of my RC and throw them in my LNL AP and I will get less runout. RCBS said my RC was in spec. I keep one LNL AP set-up for handgun and the other for rifle. It gets the most use as it saves me a LOT of time. The RC is pretty much regulated as a decapper and/or bullet puller these days. Occasionally I will load hunting ammo on it in low volume.

On the LNL AP, I lube the brass, first station is for decapping, then a body die. Then I clean the brass. Next trip through the press I will run a S-type neck die with TiN bushing, prime on the down stroke, then an expander mandrel, then a funnel die that I throw powder into from a digital scale/dispenser, then seat with a Forster BR die.

I get very little runout and its very fast. What I like is that the first time through I don't have to do anything but load the brass in and it ejects it to the bin automatically. The second time through, I manually remove the loaded cartridges. Its an excellent system and I love how quickly I can change dies. I think the design of the shell holder has enough "flex" in it that it allows the dies to do their job.

 

[Twicepop]

I started with a Pacific C-frame, a great little compact press, but thought I needed an upgrade. Then I went tp an RCBS Rock Chucker, a great press but there was something about it I wasn't totally comfortable with (I don't remember what the reason was anymore). Then it was to a Pacific offset O-frame, it was a really good press but there was no insert in the frame to screw the dies into. The paint started to chip off around the hole where the dies screw in, so I was never sure if the dies were screwing in totally straight after that. So that went and I replaced that with a Redding Boss. This has been an outstanding press with only one minor fault, it occasionally spits a spent primer out onto the floor instead of the spent primer tray. Get the one you are most comfortable with, ergonomically and price wise but get the best you can afford.

 

[Ken]

I use a RCBS Big Max

 

[dttheliman]

Prazipress smoothest straightest most mechanically sound and best Ive ever had , Co-Ax just for knocking primers out now and an old LnL for the boring stuff (9mm,357 and 45acp)

 

[Antoviola]

Coax and area 419 is what I have. Love my setup no regrets

 

[EOD Rob]

I’ve used an RCBS Rockchucker for 46 years. I still use it, today.

Not saying Rockchucker is the best out there, but I'm with joshb. Had mine going on 30 years with no issues. As a matter of fact, the only thing new on mine is the dies and shell holders! All original!

 

[FNSafari]

I’ve used an RCBS Rockchucker for 46 years. I still use it, today.

I'll vote for the RCBS Rockchucker. However, I have two RCBS partner presses that get way more use in my benchrest shooting. Very portable and adequate for things up to '06. It just does not have the camming force for large cartridge resizing nor the opening size for them bullet seating wise.

I also have a Lyman spartan that gets moderate use. If I had to have only one it would be the rockchucker.

 

[shooterjon]

Hey guys, so I know this topic has been beat to death on here and I did read through all the old threads I could find, but I still felt that it was worth resurrecting. I had a lee breech lock challenger press about ten years ago when I was in high school that I loaded 270 on that did great for me. I liked the breech lock die collar system, the auto prime dispenser worked well enough, and the primer catching system worked just fine without having to put on a big tray or spraying spent primers all over the place. Unfortunately my mom sold the house I grew up in and got rid of a lot of my stuff when I was off at college. Now I’m getting into building “precision” AR’s for coyote hunting, and I’m eager to get back to reloading both for accuracy and also to possibly dabble in some mild wildcatting (223 AI, 22 Nosgar, 22 hellcat). So I’m looking for good single stage press with similar functionality to my old Lee Challenger, but maybe something with a greater capacity for precision. Thanks guys!

Well I have most all of the presses mentioned here BUT after about 60 years of reloading I am down to 2 presses.
#1 Hood press with the die adjustment guide,For all bench-rest reloading
#2 Forester coaxx For just about all other reloading
Just my final experiences after a bunch of reloading years behind me.
YEP - My story and i'm stickin to it

 

[AckleymanII]

A friend gave me a Redding big boss II for Christmas....just as strong as my two rock chuckers. The Big Boss sends every primer down a tube into the garbage can...no more primers on the floor....ever.... My two RC Jr's spit primers everywhere at the range shack. My two RCBS partners neck size and seat bullets when loading at the rifle range.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Being a long time Match Shooter loading 2500 to 3000 rounds years ago .
Rock Chucker would be #1
I have has Orange Crusher , Big Boss 2
Just Got a Mec about 3 months ago .
This Baby will give the Rock Chucker a Run for the Money
The New RC is a maybe ???

 

[searcher]

Over the past 50 years, I've used a half dozen presses, including the Rock chucker, Dillon, Lee, various Redding, hand dies, etc. Currently - I have settled on a Redding and a Bruno D press. If the cartridge will fit in the Bruno press - I use it - otherwise goes to the Redding. PPC use hand dies. I won't name names - but some of the presses have some serious runout issues where the thread hole is not bored square with the ram

 

[Fuj]

The New RC is a maybe ???

Along with my RCBS Juniors and Rock Chucker, I have a
Rock Chucker Supreme. Nice and stout and has a taller
height opening. It feels like the Supreme has a bit more
leverage then the original RC. I can tell when forming my
wild cat brass.

 

[dcali]

Honestly, they're all basically the same. Some chuck primers all over the floor. Some have weird die attachments, some are small, some are big. But they all do the same job, and they all use floating shellholders for the same reason. Unless your press is defective (way out of spec), it's fine.

 

[Beiruty]

Do your own test on your single press.
I wanted to get the COAX, then I decided to do a simple BTOG test for the low life Hornady Classic and Hornady Dies. 0.002" max spread for BTOG