Favorite Reloading Press

[Rust]

Presses are one of those items that have a lot of "equipment snob appeal". I've had expensive presses that weren't that good (machining was off) and cheap presses that loaded perfectly good match ammo. By perfectly good I mean top 5 in 1,000 yard matches.

I keep that inexpensive Lee for decapping and the die stays in the press. My priming is all done with a hand held priming tool to better gauge primer seating force. A plain old Rockchucker does seating, and with the correct technique there isn't any runout.

What I have noticed is that the quality of the dies makes a lot more difference than the press.

Bulk ammo is loaded on a Dillon 650 with all the add ons including a case feeder. My best advice there is don't even bother with the coarse stick powders if you want charge weight uniformity, if you just have to use something like 4064, throw individual charges and use a drop through die instead. Using fine powders, it bulk loads .38 Super, .40 S&W, .223 and .308 just fine. Something to be said for loading a couple of thousand rounds in an evening.

 

[HPMike800]

I have a Redding Ultra-Max that is similar to a Co-AX. I use a dillion to assemble my ammo (in a non-dillion way) and use the Redding for sizing. As such, I wanted a sizing press that will do just about anything sizing wise. I've been very happy with it - the access is front only which may get a little old if you use it for everything.

As you can see, it depends on what and how you shoot and what you already have.

 

[Mikem]

I wouldn't say the Co-Ax is a snob press, it only cost about $40. more than other good presses, but I would say its the best. You can change dies quicker than in a multi station turret press, and every thing aligns its self automatically. It also has lots of mechanical advantage, so using the optional short handle you can size all but the larges cases with ease. I don't use its priming device, I prefer to prime by hand. I also have an RCBS and a Lyman T-Mag turret press, but there relegated to simple jobs, like the RCBS is always set up to deprime, and the Lyman has a bullet puller etc in it, I didn't like the slop in the Lyman turret, so I made a front stabilizer bar, that runs from the pin that holds the primer arm, up under the front edge of the rotating die plate, and that took all of the slop out of it.
You just need to use a Co-Ax press to learn why everyone likes them, and so will you.