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Harrell or Hood press

I like what the Harrell's brothers make generally, but the original Hood presses are much better made. I assume the current maker of Hood presses has continued the high quality fit & finish of Charley's fine products.
 
I chose the Hood (Crawford) because it was a little more compact and its reputation for quality. Absolutely no regrets with this press. I also use it in the house as my primary reloading press because I don't have a dedicated reloading space. The JLC insert is worth the extra cost.

Not sure what you intend to reload, but make sure the press you purchase for the range can accommodate your case size and choice of seating die.
 
I have 2 Harrells and one Hood that I purchased used and not sure of the manufacture date. They are both great products and work fine. If I had to pick one it would be the Harrells.

Good shooting

Rich
 
I have a Hood. The JLC ratchet die adjuster option, and it's small size, rugged construction make it unique among presses. However, since I have a press dedicated to each competition bench rifle, I still use two Redding Boss presses with an aluminum plate bolted on that allows me to c-clamp it to a bench at the range or, if I pre-load, at home.
 
LHS, what is the reason for a press for each rifle? If I would do that i would need to build a
BIGGER reloading room. I find it easier to just change dies.
If there is a good reason to keep everything setup let me know.
Or are you looking confuse me?
HOTHEAD
 
I was able to find a large Hood press that is large enough to do 308 and maybe a few slightly larger sizes.

It is nice to have the extra size just in case.

But in my humble opinion both are made very well and I dont see you not liking either one.
 
I have a Hood and Harrell's Turret press. I use them both. I believe Tom Mousel said the Hood was his favorite. Richard Schatz uses the Harrell's Turret.
The Harrell's has built in clamp system. But you can use a C-clamp to attach the Hood to your bench.
 
Thanks to everyone for there help. I ordered a Harrell turret press on Tuesday and it showed up today. Great service and a fine product!
 
hothead said:
LHS, what is the reason for a press for each rifle? If I would do that i would need to build a
BIGGER reloading room. I find it easier to just change dies.
If there is a good reason to keep everything setup let me know.
Or are you looking confuse me?
HOTHEAD
Click to expand...
Well HH, you're the one that taught me that you can never have enough toys, and my number of comp guns don't run well into double figures like yours do. Now get off the internet and do Butch's and my machine work that I just dropped off before I put you on the ignore list.
 
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A friend of mine Mitch Butler made a short run of Hood type presses. He made a few changes due to material he had otherwise they are the same dimensions of the original Hood and CNC machined out of 7075 Al. hard anodized and the other parts are hardened.
The changes are: the ram is 1" instead of 13/16" and it ejects spent primers out the face about 1 1/2" under the shell holder instead of being drilled through. (He did this because he thinks it makes the link stronger.) The swing arms are a little larger in width but otherwise the same. The shelf on the left is omitted but it works the same using Wilson dies. The back mounting shelf is a little smaller. The handle is similar to the Harrell with a large green ball at the top.

I use one in the field and can't tell any difference in the Hood. It is a good press and well made for a little less than the Harrell.

I don't seem to be having any luck in posting pictures of mine but I'll keep trying.
 
Sorry about the size, I haven't quite mastered that yet. For more photos just PM me your phone number and I'll send more photos via the phone. If anyone is interested in the loaders let me know and I'll give you Mitch's phone number. You will have to leave a message and he'll get back with you. He's usually running a job of some sort and usually doesn't answer the phone if he doesn't recognize the number.
 
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