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dedicated hydro form press

I have a co-ax and a couple of short range hood presses but what semi cheap press should I buy for hydro forming dasher brass, as I intend to do 1000 for myself and maybe some for others over the next few years. Not sure I need to beat the crap out of the presses I have,

not sure I wish to buy used either
thoughts

Jeff
 
I have been thinking on this.

I'm not comfortable with moving ram type presses for hydroforming. The linkage would take so much pressure with the hammer blows, I feel it would fail at the hinge points.

The only stationary base press I know of that is suitable is the RCBS Summit. I have the Summit but no hydroforming dies to test it with. The worry with the RCBS Summit is the cast iron base breaking. Plug for RCBS, my base for my Summit arrived broken from very very poor packing on the part of the reseller. RCBS just sent a new one. No questions asked. So maybe my worry is unfounded. If, when I do try it out the base breaks I will make a new one out of steel.

For the price and possible breakage https://www.midwayusa.com/product/403729/rcbs-partner-single-stage-press is the way I would go if I not the Summit.
 
I use an old Lee press that is designated for Hydro forming only...definitely wouldn't use anything i wanted to load ammo with as they take a fair hammering during the Hydroform process.

Cheers Rushty
 
I have no idea why I would spend that much money on hydrofourm to start with . Every case I have seen still need to be firefourm any way . Larry
 
I have no idea why I would spend that much money on hydrofourm to start with . Every case I have seen still need to be firefourm any way . Larry

Just like a 6br case formed to a Dasher using any and all other methods. I use a Redding big boss 2 and I still use it to size brass too.
 
I bought a rock chucker on sale and use that as a backup press and use it for hydroforming. Have done several thousand pieces on that one. I ended up breaking an old Lee where the handle attached after only a few hundred cases.
 
Well, I hit mine with a hammer and they're just as good to go as the ones you hit with a bullet so we're getting to the place just taking different roads. Now you go because we all know you have to get the the final word in. You'll never make it to 5000 if you don't.
 
Well, I hit mine with a hammer and they're just as good to go as the ones you hit with a bullet so we're getting to the place just taking different roads. Now you go because we all know you have to get the the final word in. You'll never make it to 5000 if you don't.
Mine has 20 plus reload on them . So I don't feel theirs a problem . Larry
 
Any press is fine other than you coax, its just not gonna be easy to do it on. I have an old rock chucker. Lots of different ways to make dasher brass. Whats the best? Well, to me theres two things I want to see. I want the necks to pull down into the shoulder, I dont want the brass to stretch somewhere in the body. Next I want consistency, I want them to all form the same. So I look for short cases, and extremely consistent lengths of formed cases. Hydro gives short cases 1.539" and cases all come out within .002-.003".
 
When I read the title, I thought you meant you were building a hydraulic press.

How do you hydroform with a Rockchucker?

What does "hydroforming brass" mean if it doesn't mean making the press hydraulic?
 
When I read the title, I thought you meant you were building a hydraulic press.

How do you hydroform with a Rockchucker?

What does "hydroforming brass" mean if it doesn't mean making the press hydraulic?


And who said there was no such thing as a dumb question........
 
I have been thinking on this.

I'm not comfortable with moving ram type presses for hydroforming. The linkage would take so much pressure with the hammer blows, I feel it would fail at the hinge points.

The only stationary base press I know of that is suitable is the RCBS Summit. I have the Summit but no hydroforming dies to test it with. The worry with the RCBS Summit is the cast iron base breaking. Plug for RCBS, my base for my Summit arrived broken from very very poor packing on the part of the reseller. RCBS just sent a new one. No questions asked. So maybe my worry is unfounded. If, when I do try it out the base breaks I will make a new one out of steel.

For the price and possible breakage https://www.midwayusa.com/product/403729/rcbs-partner-single-stage-press is the way I would go if I not the Summit.

"The only stationary base press I know of that is suitable is the RCBS Summit."

The Summit is probably the worst press for case forming - it is not as strong as an old "C" press.
 
At first I did not get the thought about using the Summit press, but now I think that I do. On that press, the shell holder is on the base, and does not have any linkage between it and the bench. For hydroforming the die would be lowered down around the case, until it rested on the shell holder. When the plunger cap of the die is struck, the force would be transferred directly to the base of the press with no linkage between. The only use that the linkage would be put to for this application would be raising and lowering the die.
 

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