Hand-held arbor press?

[memilanuk]

Quite possibly a silly idea/question, but its one thats ticklin' around my head at the moment...

In the past I've used an RW Hart (big/heavy), a Harrell's Combo press (didn't work the way I wanted w/ micrometer-top dies), and currently have a K&M w/ the force-measurement option (should have skipped that bit).

What I'm interested in is something light and compact with the primary intent of pushing in bullets that were loaded long some time in the past and need the bullets seated to final depth - and that is lighter and/or works better than a Forster Ultra BR seater in a Lee nut-cracker style hand press If it works with my stainless Wilson micrometer seater without having to disassemble it (the press) for transport, that'd be even better.

TIA,

Monte

 

[nosualc]

How about a simple C-clamp large enough to hold your wilson die? If the cases are already complete, all you'd have to do is slip the case in the die, put the base on and squeeze it. Not very sexy or fast, but I don't know why it wouldn't work.

I spose a mallet and a flat rock would be even simpler, but I wouldn't do that.

-nosualc

 

[dogdude]

don't know about the hand-held press, but i've been using and traveling with a SINCLAIR arbor for ten year's, it's always on the bench at my range with a micro-top wilson seater. it saves a lot of time and bullets, there not to heavy, easy to use (you can use it on the grass if need be), i tried the K&m force measurement gauge, just never got it to repeat well!?!? the sinclair will do all you want. i've seen them used for $75-$85 on this site. good shooting the breeze with ya. all best dogdude

 

[Martin52]

"pushing in bullets that were loaded long some time in the past and need the bullets seated to final depth"

Monte

Monte - are you soft seating ? I don't - I seat with about 2 thou neck tension and am trying to figure out the risk of cold weld, bullet to case neck. I load a few weeks ahead of a match and want to fine tune the day before but concerned the bullet by then will have formed a cold weld and any pressure to re-seat will force the neck/shoulder junction. My rounds sometimes grow 3-5 thou as the loads are slightly compressed.

All this is probably irrelevant to you if you soft seat - but maybe you seat with a little neck tension, as I do and can comment.

Subject to this I am in the market for a hand held arbor press also.

Martin

 

[sailhertoo]

Its hard to believe ya'll don't like the K&M press with seat force measure! I love mine and sort by it.

Maybe it was inconsistant for you because your necks are inconsistant. Thats what it is made for.

 

[bozo699]

For any of you that don't like your K&M seat force measurement system and want to sell or trade I am in the market for one, let me know.
Wayne.

 

[jonbearman]

Some of the small arbor presses made from aluminum only weigh a couple pounds. Quite portable compared to the 7 # unit I built.

 

[memilanuk]

"pushing in bullets that were loaded long some time in the past and need the bullets seated to final depth"

Monte - are you soft seating ? I don't - I seat with about 2 thou neck tension and am trying to figure out the risk of cold weld, bullet to case neck. I load a few weeks ahead of a match and want to fine tune the day before but concerned the bullet by then will have formed a cold weld and any pressure to re-seat will force the neck/shoulder junction. My rounds sometimes grow 3-5 thou as the loads are slightly compressed.

All this is probably irrelevant to you if you soft seat - but maybe you seat with a little neck tension, as I do and can comment.

I haven't soft-seated for .30 cal a while - since I moved from the B155VLD to the B155.5BT. Even then, it wasn't exactly a 'soft' seat - same ~0.002" neck tension, just seated +0.010" past a hard jam and the bolt closed to put the bullet where the rifle wanted 'em. My 6 Dasher and .223 Rem are about the same.

As it is... I seat anywhere from 0.015 to 0.045+ off the lands w/ the current Berger .30 cal 'BT' bullets. For the initial seating, I can pretty much just seat them by hand - literally. Put the bullet on the case, put them in the die, and push down with the palm of my hand until the stem top clicks against the die body. Probably the lightest weight 'press' option of all : Not sure how well it'd work if I had any powder compression going on, or how well it'll work once the bullets have had some time to sit there and things have taken a 'set' and/or bond, etc. I recall hearing about the 'old school' BR shooters originally using a rawhide mallet to seat the bullets in a Wilson die... may have to give that a look also

 

[memilanuk]

Its hard to believe ya'll don't like the K&M press with seat force measure! I love mine and sort by it.

Maybe it was inconsistant for you because your necks are inconsistant. Thats what it is made for.

Its possible... though between being neck-turned, cleaned via wet tumbling in SS media, annealed, then polished on the inside w/ a brush.... I have a hard time seeing *how*. I've toyed w/ using NECO dry moly lube inside the necks (application is a minor PITA in terms of mess) but I'm not sure what else to try.

Like a lot of folks (look at how often those K&M seating force measurement devices come up for sale used) I've sorted rounds by how the bullet seated... and have yet to be able to correlate the difference in seating force to a meaningful and repeatable difference over the chronograph or on target at distance. So far it falls into the category of one of those things that sure seems like it *should* matter... just haven't been able to prove that it *does*.

YMMV,

Monte

 

[sailhertoo]

I've started useing past wax in my necks with a bore mop chucked up in a drill press. After cleaning all the major gunk out with a brush I hit it with the wax.

Now, when I seat the bullets, all I am feeling is mostly neck tension. Not friction caused by some necks being rougher than others.

This is my most recent theory anyway...he..he

ps - the paste wax does not cause powder to stick to the neck when you dump it in. It flows in the case nicely.

 

[BoydAllen]

Harrell makes a nice little arbor press that should do just fine for what you want. Sinclair does as well.

 

[sailhertoo]

Boyd, you must be a night owl like me.