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Redding turret press or 'O' frame press

Happy Thanksgiving all,

I am planning on buying a new press and am leaning towards the Redding T7 because I like the convenience of having all of the dies already in place. However, I already have an old Lee turret press and there is a lot of flex between all of the separate parts. I get about .001" to .004" variance in OAL for a .308 Win & 175 SMK using Redding Competition Seater dies.

Has anyone had similar or better consistency w/ the T7? Does the T7 maintain tolerances after the parts wear w/ extended use? Does anyone wish they would have bought an "O" frame press instead of the Redding T7?

Any suggestions from anyone's first hand experience would be greatly appreciated before I actually go and spend money.

Regards,

31B
 
31B

All presses have a bit of slop or spring, I have the early version of that T-7 its very stout . You can still get miss alignment with the loose die threads, far less than others its a good press.

My buddy has gone full circle having own most popular progressives everything in between. He likes the Forster Co-Ax as it has some float giving the dies less mis-alignment . The truest are the Wilson arbor press dies, but they are slow to use.
 
Hello 31B:

Don't overlook the new Lee Classic Turret which has the cast-iron frame and better primer handling. I must say that for most reloading it's hard to beat the Lee turret for my loading style and I have several turrets with dies all set for each caliber.

I would be willing to bet the seating depth differences you are getting are from the ogive of the bullets and not the press. With my Sharp Shooter Supply turret press,a press Fred made under license to Lee and using their turrets) I can load 6BR cases, neck-sized in Redding bushing dies, with the Redding Micrometer Seater die and have measured run-outs of .001" to .0015" and my Euber or BIB bullets show so little variation in seating depth that I seldom even check anymore. It is unsettling to see the turret move when sizing or seating, but it always stays square in my experience.

I have a standard Lee turret press which I use for .308, etc. and my only complaint is the totally stupid way it handles spent primers. It loads excellent ammo and works flawlessly and I like the adjustable handle.

Choosing a new press is always thought-provoking and really depends on a person's personal loading habits and preferences as much as anything. As far as my experience with about a dozen factory presses, any of them will load good ammo.

Good luck in your quest.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. After comparing an "O" frame an a T7 I may decide towards the "O" frame.

Regards,

31B
 
I am familiar with the benefits of the Forster Co-Ax, and I am considering the purchase of one. The thing that is holding me back is the apparent difficulty,compared to an O-press)of inserting cases from the left side with the left hand, allowing the right arm to work the ram lever. I have never seen a Co-Ax up close....but the pictures in the catalogs seem to indicate that the user might have to end up placing the case with the right hand, then working the ram with the right hand because of the lack of room to the left of the cartridge holder. So...is there any real difficulty in placing and removing cases,and seating of bullets) with the Co-Ax as compared to a single-stage press or turret press?
 
Barry,

The Co-Ax is as close to being ambidextrous as any reloading press will be. The pictures are deceiving and give the wrong perception. My brother, who is a "port-sider", has used my Co-Ax and was ready to cart it home if it would not have been under "armed guard"!

Cordially,
Bob Blaine
 
In regard to the Co-ax will Redding Competition Seater dies for 3.34" length cartridges clear the handle? The Sinclair catalog only states that Redding Competition Seater dis for 2.8" ,308 Win) length cartridges will clear the handle.

Regards,

31B
 
The longer length will most likely hit the inside of the yoke handle. This is in no way a fault of the Co-Ax. You have to keep in mind that when Mr. Bonanza first designed this press, over 25 years ago, these competition dies from Redding, and others, simply did not exist! We have informed the folks at Forster about this situation, so they are aware of it. As they say, it is up to the good folks as to how they will work with the situation. I'm sure that the cost of coming up with a new mold could be an issue on this one.

However, I have had some of our customers tell me how they have dealt with this for themselves. Most of them will check to see how much of a clearance issue that they will need to work with. If it is not severe, they have taken a high speed grinder to the offending areas of the interference and then repaint with Allis Chalmers red tractor paint to match the paint that is used. If it is severe, they might build up over the area with weld to keep the strength up. Please do keep in mind that the Forster/Bonanza seaters are designed to clear and these dies are the first to use the spring loaded sleeve technology that Redding is borrowing for their competition seater. You might find that these dies will do the job for you without having to worry about your seater clearing the yoke handle.

Cordially,
Bob Blaine
 
Thanks for the explanation. I'm guessing that the Forster seater dies are comparable to the Redding Competition seater dies.

Regards,

31B
 

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