AGAIN!!!!!!!!! *update*
- Thread starter Expendable Nate
- Start date
All i got to say after ALL the 1000's and 1000's of pistol- rifle- shotgun shells i have loaded with multiple different presses i have NEVER seen anything like that ! I think your reloading Career is FINISHED ! 
RJ
RJ
Expendable Nate
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
I'm gonna spend the money again to get warranty work but I'm going to use it as a back up. I'm going to pick up a Lee PRO 1000
I had a couple of the Pro 1000's given to me. There were enough pieces to make one fully functional press and to use the rest to build up a single position turret press from the other. If you're easily frustrated by re-occuring things that need fairly constant cleaning and if you don't like needing to perform small mods to make the press reliable I'd suggest another option.
To make the 1000 I had reliable and idiot proof I had to perform an honest half dozen mods.
Lots of folks like their 1000's and it seems like an equal number hate or understand that they aren't the best option. Obviously I'm in the second camp. And I suspect that at least a few of the happy folks would change their minds if they got to run with one of the more trouble free options for a while. But that last bit is just one person's opinion.
I get the impression from this thread that you're not really ready for starting out on working through another round of little "issues". So perhaps up the budget to something with a better rep for running well right out of the box.
To make the 1000 I had reliable and idiot proof I had to perform an honest half dozen mods.
Lots of folks like their 1000's and it seems like an equal number hate or understand that they aren't the best option. Obviously I'm in the second camp. And I suspect that at least a few of the happy folks would change their minds if they got to run with one of the more trouble free options for a while. But that last bit is just one person's opinion.
I get the impression from this thread that you're not really ready for starting out on working through another round of little "issues". So perhaps up the budget to something with a better rep for running well right out of the box.
Ranger, look at how much closer to the edge you can get your Lee vs what the design of the links on the Partner allows. I don't often get the chance to say this but that Lee is a much better basic design in this regard then the RCBS Partner.
If we're talking about basic spruce mystery wood plywood then I whole heartedly agree with you. That's terrible stuff.
A good cabinet grade plywood is a HUGE step up. But even there if it's not used with some thinking it too can be a bad option.
Then there's baltic birch plywood. More pricey but excellent stuff for resisting both crushing and bending. In some ways I'd put it as better than a solid hardwood desk top and in others as slightly behind. Call it a wash overall.
The one area a solid top does excel is in resisting bending along the grain. But in bending across the grain it's not as good as the baltic birch plywood. At least not unless it's good and thick.
Now YOUR top is only 1" thick. Thick enough but not what I'd consider as thick as I'd like for a reloading bench. But is that a piece of angle iron I see along the front edge? It sure looks more like metal or something other than wood. If it's just paint or edging I may need to change my opinion on what I consider as a minimum thickness for hardwood top in such a use. And/or is it pretty close to the leg on the corner?
If we're talking about basic spruce mystery wood plywood then I whole heartedly agree with you. That's terrible stuff.
A good cabinet grade plywood is a HUGE step up. But even there if it's not used with some thinking it too can be a bad option.
Then there's baltic birch plywood. More pricey but excellent stuff for resisting both crushing and bending. In some ways I'd put it as better than a solid hardwood desk top and in others as slightly behind. Call it a wash overall.
The one area a solid top does excel is in resisting bending along the grain. But in bending across the grain it's not as good as the baltic birch plywood. At least not unless it's good and thick.
Now YOUR top is only 1" thick. Thick enough but not what I'd consider as thick as I'd like for a reloading bench. But is that a piece of angle iron I see along the front edge? It sure looks more like metal or something other than wood. If it's just paint or edging I may need to change my opinion on what I consider as a minimum thickness for hardwood top in such a use. And/or is it pretty close to the leg on the corner?
Me and my dad made this out of an old desk 20 years ago. Had a chunk of 1 inch Fir kicking around so we used that, then covered it . And yes its mounted at the corner of the desk. It has a steel structure...probably weighs 180 lbs LOL.
I actually rebuilt a 350 car engine on it about 15 years ago.
I actually rebuilt a 350 car engine on it about 15 years ago.
Oh, I know it's just one person's opinion. But over the years I've run into a variety of products that seem to come with built in weaknesses. I'm sure you have too. And not just in the shooting industry. For my part I've both built and then fixed items that failed in a similar way or fixed commercial pieces that failed simply due to missing a little gusset or web to spread the stresses out in a better way.
And it's not their mainline product so they may find that it's simply easier and cheaper to live with replacements than to justify re-designing. Or, to be fair, perhaps they are living through a batch of substandard castings?
And it's not their mainline product so they may find that it's simply easier and cheaper to live with replacements than to justify re-designing. Or, to be fair, perhaps they are living through a batch of substandard castings?
Mounting on soft plywood is a terrible Idea. It should have ZERO flex. Mine is mounted with stainless steel bolts trough a "1 inch" hard wood table top with large washers underneath.
This press has made over 17000 rounds.
Even better with a 1/4 steel plate in between,the flex is what caused it to break!
While it may look that way online, when mounted properly, the press should be slid all the way back to the point that the metal piece where the hinges are rests against the front of the bench..... This keeps the press from flexing forward during reloading..... And that is what is causing the issue.... The press is pivoting on the front two bolts in the mount when pressure is applied and the rear bolt is holding the back down....
Over time, something has to give..... Either the press or the bolt..... The bolt will win every time.....
Expendable Nate
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
the press was mounted as far back as possible without the arms for the ram rubbing against my bench
The arms for the ram are supposed to be against the bench I believe..... That is what keeps the press from tilting forward....
I called rcbs about a 30+ year old press issue 3rd owner and they have lifetime unconditional warranty . Sent me parts in two weeks from my phonecall . No pics , no send in parts , no questions except what broke and what is your address
Another possible factor is if the bolts are tightened too much. On a wood bench that crushes the wood under the area of the bolted down part and the wood pushes back up between the bolts. If over done that would put a lot of needless preload into that web where the casting cracked. Add some heavy lever action over that small a base which multiplies the users effort and it would seem that this sort of thing can occur.
As mentioned by so many a fairly thick piece of metal plate would do much to avoid that.
I got curious and did some searching. There's not reams of failure stories on Partner presses. It's not unknown but neither is it an epidemic by any means. Which suggests that if you're a little more careful in mounting up the new one you get from them that it SHOULD be OK. I'd still hedge my bets and include a notch in the mounting and perhaps consider a fairly heavy metal plate cut with that same close fitting notch so the sides of the notch come forward and around the arms and levers to support more of the base further ahead of what you've had up to now. That way even the two side bolts will play more of a role in sharing the lifting loads from all that leverage.
As mentioned by so many a fairly thick piece of metal plate would do much to avoid that.
I got curious and did some searching. There's not reams of failure stories on Partner presses. It's not unknown but neither is it an epidemic by any means. Which suggests that if you're a little more careful in mounting up the new one you get from them that it SHOULD be OK. I'd still hedge my bets and include a notch in the mounting and perhaps consider a fairly heavy metal plate cut with that same close fitting notch so the sides of the notch come forward and around the arms and levers to support more of the base further ahead of what you've had up to now. That way even the two side bolts will play more of a role in sharing the lifting loads from all that leverage.
Expendable Nate
Are you KIDDING me ! 
LMFFAO ! RJ
Are you KIDDING me ! LMFFAO ! RJ
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OP, those have to be some of the crappiest press mounting set ups I have ever seen. The first one especially. The front bolts were mounted on a springy plywood edge while the back bolt was mounted very close to a cross member under the table top that was far more rigidly held. When you operated the press handle you caused the whole base to flex at the point it broke. The second set up wasn't any better.
A reloading bench needs to be sturdy for a reason. When you apply any force to the mandrel operating lever it is multiplied exponentially up to 15000 pounds per square inch. Did you really expect that little tab to stand up to that without some solid type of base to mount it to??? The type of press you purchased derives a lot of its strength from the base it's mounted on and if the base is weak the press will break at its weakest point and that is exactly what happened in both of those cases. It was your fault for not setting it up properly not the fault of the manufacturer or the press itself.
A reloading bench needs to be sturdy for a reason. When you apply any force to the mandrel operating lever it is multiplied exponentially up to 15000 pounds per square inch. Did you really expect that little tab to stand up to that without some solid type of base to mount it to??? The type of press you purchased derives a lot of its strength from the base it's mounted on and if the base is weak the press will break at its weakest point and that is exactly what happened in both of those cases. It was your fault for not setting it up properly not the fault of the manufacturer or the press itself.
When a part that doesn't have a high failure rate fails multiple times for the same user, it usually user error not a manufacturing or design flaw.
Nate, invest in the "intangibles" of your set up. I.e. The stuff other than the press and dies. Time for a new workbench.
Very true. If these presses were breaking often, we would have heard about it long ago, and RCBS would have changed the design.
