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Modifying a press to have camover ?

Wolfdog91

Silver $$ Contributor
Hay everyone got a question, anyone happen to know if you can modify one if these little lee c type presses have a bit of cam over ? From my understanding no lee presses have cam over Need a small press about it's size for a mobile reloading deal I'm trying to make .
And before the big conversation starts, look I know you don't need cam over I just personally really like having it. I don't use a don either just enough so that I get that little lock over action Used to do Everything on a lee challenger with none then I switched to an RCBS RCII that had it ,my sizing and shoulder bumps got way more consistent along with my seating and it's just something I've found I like for my reloading. But like I said need something small.
Would do an arbor press but I need to be able to full length size too.
Thanks
81y5RYe2D2L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg
 
Ohhh boy, now you did it. Opened that can of worms "To cam or not to cam"

I use the Harrells Compact 308 version in my mobile kit. Pull the handle and everything including powder and hand primer fit into a 6 gallon bucket with screw top lid (Minus the scale of course)
 
I believe ultimately you will damage the throw handle near the linkage.

The good news is that then you can use it for depriming only.
 
I don't get it? Whats the big deal about cam over??? The shell holder needs to touch the bottom of the die, PERIOD! No amount of press abuse, or cam over will compress the die or the shell holder so what possible advantage could cam over be?
 
ebb said:
I don't get it? Whats the big deal about cam over??? The shell holder needs to touch the bottom of the die, PERIOD! No amount of press abuse, or cam over will compress the die or the shell holder so what possible advantage could cam over be?
Click to expand...
Cam over can aid consistency by loading the press and it's linkage. -Al
 
Adam in WI said:
So is the handle if I'm not mistaken. Bet that goes snap before anything.
Click to expand...
^^100%^^ Had one when I started out 25 years ago and the handle broke with little effort (at the bottom where the ram bolt is). Resizing 30-06 was a chore and shoulder bump was all over the place due to the lack of cam over consistency. I wasn't even worried about a warranty claim. Through it in the garbage and bought a Rock Chucker. Never looked back ;)
 
If you can size your cases to the optimum amount why in the world would you want to induce cam over by modifying your press? This really has me baffled.

I have to use cam over because my press is 50+years old and it has some looseness therefore some cam over is necessary to give me optimum full sizing.

Cam over is not ideal, it places stress on the threads of the die and press but with some presses and dies in is necessary to obtain the optimum amount of sizing. It's best avoided if possible.

Wisdom from the archives of my mentor: "Don't fix it if it ain't broken."
 
ebb said:
I don't get it? Whats the big deal about cam over??? The shell holder needs to touch the bottom of the die, PERIOD! No amount of press abuse, or cam over will compress the die or the shell holder so what possible advantage could cam over be?
Click to expand...
I disagree. There's a small gain to be had because you are not relying on a simple contact to stop the motion. You're literally stretching the press. For a more dramatic example, I use lee presses to make bullets. The classic cast has a stop on the linkage that prevents it from camming over. When I made new links that did not have a stop, the length consistency improved dramatically. Some of that is likely because I tightened up a little slop, but mostly I think it's the cam over that did it.

That said, I don't think it's a *big* deal. But it's an easy thing to test out with most presses. A little work with a grinder or maybe tapping a hole is all it takes.

You might also be surprised how much you can get away with without touching the bottom of the shell holder. Just depends on the specifics.
 
ebb said:
I don't get it? Whats the big deal about cam over??? The shell holder needs to touch the bottom of the die, PERIOD! No amount of press abuse, or cam over will compress the die or the shell holder so what possible advantage could cam over be?
Click to expand...

If you accept that you can raise the ram, screw the die down to touch the shell holder, lower the ram, screw the die in another half turn, then raise the ram fully, you've just dispelled your statement. The press will stretch as force is applied.

I don't think you need camover to alleviate this, but you do need to take the press stretch into account when sizing brass (especially if you're aiming for accurate shoulder specs.) Camover just makes it a little easier, as you swing the handle over the top so to speak, and you know you've completed the stroke.
 
This is what I think happens when we have what is commonly known as cam over. With presses that have linkages similar to a Rock Chucker, if the linkage stop is set up so that the ram stops close enough to the ram's maximum height, with significant resistance the linkage stretches, allowing the linkage to take the ram past its maximum height a bit, and when it does there is a let off in the effort it takes to complete the stroke to the stop. With a light weight press like the Lee that is shown, the question would be whether the stretch would damage the press, which is why I believe that the linkage stop is set up not to get to that point.
 
Wolfdog91 said:
Hay everyone got a question, anyone happen to know if you can modify one if these little lee c type presses have a bit of cam over ? From my understanding no lee presses have cam over Need a small press about it's size for a mobile reloading deal I'm trying to make .
And before the big conversation starts, look I know you don't need cam over I just personally really like having it. I don't use a don either just enough so that I get that little lock over action Used to do Everything on a lee challenger with none then I switched to an RCBS RCII that had it ,my sizing and shoulder bumps got way more consistent along with my seating and it's just something I've found I like for my reloading. But like I said need something small.
Would do an arbor press but I need to be able to full length size too.
Thanks
View attachment 1499919
Click to expand...
Never understood cam over. After the die hits the shell holder it's all over.
 
I bought a Lyman Ideal C-press as a portable unit - but I found it convenient to use on my bench. I have it mounted on a Dillon power stand, on my "wrong side" - the C configuration makes access easy. I have a Rockchucker for range use - setting seating length etc. I use a Dillon 550b for most loading. None of my presses have "cam over" Now, if I could only shoot as well as I load ammo.....
 
K22 said:
If you can size your cases to the optimum amount why in the world would you want to induce cam over by modifying your press? This really has me baffled.

I have to use cam over because my press is 50+years old and it has some looseness therefore some cam over is necessary to give me optimum full sizing.

Cam over is not ideal, it places stress on the threads of the die and press but with some presses and dies in is necessary to obtain the optimum amount of sizing. It's best avoided if possible.

Wisdom from the archives of my mentor: "Don't fix it if it ain't broken."
Click to expand...
I like it and it's given me better results ever since I started using a press that's let me do it . Plain and simple.
If you don't need it ,or don like it's that awsome but it's been a game changer for me
 
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