Steer me toward a new single stage press.

Foster coax is the best single stage money can buy, I feel, for loading small and medium calibers.

Only downside I've found is that the shell holder doesn't work with the rcbs primer swager, because that tool relies on the press ram retracting. Other than that, a great press.

I know when they have them for only 315 bucks - an amazing price!

The Lee turret is ok. But if you want a better press, the coax is the one to get.
 
Eagleye said:
There are many very good single stage presses out there, and it would be difficult to slag any of them.

However, one SS press stands head and shoulders above the competition - The Forster Co-Ax. I have been using mine for 30+ years now [It is still marked "Bonanza", not Forster.]
How many rounds it has loaded, I have no idea, but well into the 10's of thousands. Nary a glitch during this time. A good cleanup and lube periodically, and good to go.

I like the universal shell holder plates, and the complete spent primer control of the Co-Ax. I also like the precise seating, and quick change die system. [5 seconds]
The Co-Ax also has a very favorable mechanical advantage in the mechanism, so forming cases is a snap.

A bit spendy up front, and sometimes harder to find one, but if you buy one, you will wonder why you did not get one much sooner.

Regards, Dave.
Click to expand...

This this and this.

Also, because of the way the dies swap out, it is almost like a turret press in the speed you can use it, but it has the stability and sturdiness of a single stage.
 
I have a Lee Classic Cast Single Stage (as well as a cast turret). I have both a Lee classic Turret and a Challenger press. I have a RockChucker. Can't reload .50 BMG on the RockChucker but you can on the Classic Cast. As nice as a Co-Ax is, it doesn't (nor does the RockChucker) make hunting ammo that performs any better in my rifles than the Lee Classic Cast and I can't see any sense paying almost triple the price for no noticeable change in performance, Id spend the extra in dies, accessories, or components.

Much like car sound systems. If I can't hear the difference between a $200 stereo system and a $2000 system, why would I pay an extra $1800?

Now, should I endeavour to enter the extreme OCD field of long distance precision shooting, I would probably need to step up on dies and equipment. Until then, my RockChucker remains permanently relegated to 2 duties: primer pocket swaging and bullet pulling (mostly bullet pulling these days).
 
rookie wildcat said:
I have a Lee Classic Cast Single Stage (as well as a cast turret). I have both a Lee classic Turret and a Challenger press. I have a RockChucker. Can't reload .50 BMG on the RockChucker but you can on the Classic Cast. As nice as a Co-Ax is, it doesn't (nor does the RockChucker) make hunting ammo that performs any better in my rifles than the Lee Classic Cast and I can't see any sense paying almost triple the price for no noticeable change in performance, Id spend the extra in dies, accessories, or components.

Much like car sound systems. If I can't hear the difference between a $200 stereo system and a $2000 system, why would I pay an extra $1800?

Now, should I endeavour to enter the extreme OCD field of long distance precision shooting, I would probably need to step up on dies and equipment. Until then, my RockChucker remains permanently relegated to 2 duties: primer pocket swaging and bullet pulling (mostly bullet pulling these days).
Click to expand...

I will actually give you that, if you're just loading up for hunting or plinking, pretty much any press on the market will do that job well enough to hit what you want to hit. My theory is, however, that if I'm going to go to the effort to make my own ammo, why not go to the small extra effort and cost to make that ammo as good as is possible? Why not ensure that every shot I take is going to be as absolutely close to the previous one as is possible, within the realms of my ability and budget.

having said that, if your budget says you can only spend 150 bucks on a press, then by all means, a used rockchucker or a new lee press will do you wonderful. if, however, you happen to have a classic turret, a challenger, a rockchucker, and a classic cast, then I don't see budget being a big issue. someone who was just starting off and wondering what press they should buy could simply buy a regular lee classic cast (for pocket swaging and bullet pulling, and 50bmg/other large cartridges if they ever got to that point), and a Co-Ax for everything else.

A coax does far more than a turret does - you get the ability to very quickly swap out your dies, but you also have the ability to move between a bunch of calibers easily and without screwing around with setup. I know you can buy new turret plates for your press, so fair enough, but the ease with which I can move between calibers on the coax is amazing, and the fact that it is also the straightest loading press there is on the mainstream market, one of the higher leverage presses, and one of the nicest to use, I think the money is well spent. It costs 315 right now from a company who sells these presses out east - your challenger and turret cost you about that much, maybe a little more I'd guess? plus you simply don't *need* the rockchucker if you've got a classic cast, though I totally understand having a bunch of presses, if the point is budget then the coax is a very smart press to buy if you think you'll end up taking hand loading seriously at any point in the future. buy once, cry once (and with the coax it isn't even crying, more like a gentle wimper).
 
Eagleye said:
There are many very good single stage presses out there, and it would be difficult to slag any of them.

However, one SS press stands head and shoulders above the competition - The Forster Co-Ax. I have been using mine for 30+ years now [It is still marked "Bonanza", not Forster.]
How many rounds it has loaded, I have no idea, but well into the 10's of thousands. Nary a glitch during this time. A good cleanup and lube periodically, and good to go.

I like the universal shell holder plates, and the complete spent primer control of the Co-Ax. I also like the precise seating, and quick change die system. [5 seconds]
The Co-Ax also has a very favorable mechanical advantage in the mechanism, so forming cases is a snap.

A bit spendy up front, and sometimes harder to find one, but if you buy one, you will wonder why you did not get one much sooner.

Regards, Dave.
Click to expand...


Sounds like a great press, and everyone that has one- likes it a lot.

However, yours was manufactured 30 years ago, I don't know about others.

Do they still make them as good today, with great attention to quality control, as they did when you bought yours, that is a question?
 
Yes, Lanis, they still make them incredibly well today and the quality control etc is amazing.

I bought mine only about a month and a half ago, and am amazed at the quality of worksmanship, the fit and finish of all of the parts, and the functionality of the press. There is not one place on it where I have said to myself "gee, they really cut a corner here" or "this could have been finished nicer". The machining is all spot on, the alignment and fit is great, and I'm certainly very satisfied with it. I would say that this is an example of the kind of craftsmanship and quality of work that people expected to see on a good press decades ago, but with the finish and slickness we might expect today from a nice piece of machinery.

I would be floored if it broke, regardless of how I use it, but I also do know that the Forster warranty is awesome - on par with that of RCBS and Redding (who both have absolutely amazing warranty policies, by the way). Essentially, if you manage to break something, it will be replaced, is my understanding. I haven't had to use this warranty on any of my Forster stuff yet, and don't really expect to either.

will say one downside with Forster is that some of their customer service agents are kind of tool-bags. I called one to get some advice on setting up my Ultra micrometer seating die, and the guy seemed to know very little about anything more than the most basic loading techniques and die setup techniques. He had no idea what may be causing my seating depth issues, and his only suggestions really made no sense as far as how they would affect seating depth - it was quite a disappointment, to say the least, to hear that he had very little understanding of what is happening when a bullet is seated. In his defense, I was getting into corners of hand loading that most people probably wouldn't care much about, or deal with regularly at all. Also in his defense, when I called Redding to ask the same kind of thing, the guy there also had no theories or suggestions for me, though he also did not present suggestions that had no affect or relation to the issue at hand.

But the product itself, marvelous. The only reason I still have another press is for swaging primer pockets and for serious forming operations where I simply don't want to put those kind of stresses on my Co-Ax - I'm sure it could handle it, but obviously any kind of hard use is going to cause more wear on any piece of machinery, so I'd prefer to limit that kind of wear and stress on my nice press, in the hope that I will never need to utilize their warranty.
 
Excellent.

I am always hearing about people buying Hornady Lock'n'load, or Dillon 550/650, but this is first time I got so many positive reports on Forster Co-Ax.


Cheers,
Dan
 
I've been hand loading for over 30 yrs. Recently purchased a Lee classic cast and I really like it. But I must admit the Foster co-ax is THE press
 
Check out the new press made by Alberta Tactical, on their website. Pricey but high quality. If I didn't already twelve presses I would be a customer.
 
Chinbullco said:
Check out the new press made by Alberta Tactical, on their website. Pricey but high quality. If I didn't already twelve presses I would be a customer.
Click to expand...

While it is very nice, I think it's very specialized. There's no reason to own that unless you either want to spend almost a grand on a press, load extremely large cartridges, or do a lot of forming of cartridges.

Big-time overkill for general loading, imo. Not to knock it, but the coax will probably do whatever you need it to
 
lanis said:
Excellent.

I am always hearing about people buying Hornady Lock'n'load, or Dillon 550/650, but this is first time I got so many positive reports on Forster Co-Ax.


Cheers,
Dan
Click to expand...

Type it into Google, I don't honestly think I've ever read a bad review. One negative thing is that you have to put the cartridge in and out from the front not the side. You can make or have made a new bracket if it really bugs you, but it's hardly something I'd consider a big negative
 
The type of press you use is going to vary little toward the precision of your loaded rounds. Runnout as an example is all dies.
Want better than average ammo? Spend your money on precision dies and more time/energy toward preparation steps with your components.

With the Hornady quick change bushings, pretty much any of them can be set up with a quick change die set up. No?
So get the one that has the stroke length to work with your longest/largest caliber you are going to load.
Want speed in there? Skip the turret, and go with a progressive.
 
beltfed said:
The type of press you use is going to vary little toward the precision of your loaded rounds. Runnout as an example is all dies.
Want better than average ammo? Spend your money on precision dies and more time/energy toward preparation steps with your components.

With the Hornady quick change bushings, pretty much any of them can be set up with a quick change die set up. No?
So get the one that has the stroke length to work with your longest/largest caliber you are going to load.
Want speed in there? Skip the turret, and go with a progressive.
Click to expand...

The lock n load bushings will only quick change in a press that can use the larger 50bmg size shells (forget the thread pitch, might be 1.25"x12?)

As for concentricity, the Forster setup certainly can help since the die and shell free float to a decent degree. Though I would agree that dies are far more important, I think that even the best standard dies cab only go so far, bushing or a custom honed/custom made sizing die is going to be best when combined with neck turning and no expander ball. As soon as you throw an expander ball in there for anything other than an extremely light ironing of the neck you're going to see more run out.

As for speed sure progressive is fast, but you really lose the precision big time. That's why a turret or the Forster, for me, wins out. Faster than a standard single stage, but more precise than a progressive
 
Aaarg!!!

So I've been away from CGN for more than awhile now, perfectly happy in my little bubble...then boredom set in and I came back.
Not only have I bought a new gun and scope but now I have to buy a new SS press since I've returned...lol.

I started reloading with a Lee SS press (Challenger?) that had an aluminum linkage...It was junk. I replaced the aluminum handle and linkage with steel and it worked great until I sold it on here- it's probably still pulling duty somewhere. It reloaded accurate ammo.

So the limited research I did at the time lead me to the Rockchucker; which I still have and have been completely happy with. The only thing I didn't like has the time to swap dies so I invested in Hornady's LNL bushing system, it works good but was expensive to outfit for all the calibers I load for. It loads accurate ammo.

When I took a look at the coax at the time I quickly discarded it due to it being different looking than everything else and , to be honest I thought if they can't get the primer jar to sit square what was the chances of anything else being right (what a bone head-right?)...
After watching a few you tube video's the Co-Ax has so many benefits I already know I'm going to buy one today. I have no doubt it will load accurate ammo.

End of the day depending on your priorities they all will provide you with quality output, some perhaps will last longer than others but that depends on your priorities and volume.
Compared to what I spent on the Rockchucker, LNL bushings and shell holders the Co-Ax is arguably cheaper too.
 
krprice84 said:
The lock n load bushings will only quick change in a press that can use the larger 50bmg size shells (forget the thread pitch, might be 1.25"x12?)
Click to expand...
No it is standard 7/8 -14 dies.


krprice84 said:
As for concentricity, the Forster setup certainly can help since the die and shell free float to a decent degree. Though I would agree that dies are far more important, I think that even the best standard dies cab only go so far, bushing or a custom honed/custom made sizing die is going to be best when combined with neck turning and no expander ball. As soon as you throw an expander ball in there for anything other than an extremely light ironing of the neck you're going to see more run out.
Click to expand...
Nope, guess again. It is all dies.

krprice84 said:
As for speed sure progressive is fast, but you really lose the precision big time. That's why a turret or the Forster, for me, wins out. Faster than a standard single stage, but more precise than a progressive
Click to expand...

Also a wive's tale. Stick precision dies in a progressive and watch nothing change except your speed.
 
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