Area 419 Zero Press

Longbow said:
Well, maybe but convince enough Pro PRS shooters to use one, and I think several have already chimed in; I suspect it will sell.
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It's definitely selling.

People love their gucci gear, even if it doesn't have any real benefits when at the range. There's an ~11 page thread on SH right now about this press, a lot of people are buying it. People are loving the fit, finish and functionality of it, some going as far as saying that it's making reloading fun again for them. I haven't seen any data on it improving reloads in any quantifiable way, but it appears that it's more of a fun luxury item for most of them anyways.

This certainly appeals to the crowd that likes to post 3 round low SD chronograph pictures on social media, and wet/SS tumbles to get their brass as shiny as possible (also for social media) :p
 
kthomas said:
It's definitely selling.

People love their gucci gear, even if it doesn't have any real benefits when at the range. There's an ~11 page thread on SH right now about this press, a lot of people are buying it. People are loving the fit, finish and functionality of it, some going as far as saying that it's making reloading fun again for them. I haven't seen any data on it improving reloads in any quantifiable way, but it appears that it's more of a fun luxury item for most of them anyways.

This certainly appeals to the crowd that likes to post 3 round low SD chronograph pictures on social media, and wet/SS tumbles to get their brass as shiny as possible (also for social media) :p
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Likely true, but then again as you pointed out sometimes this is how technology moves fore-ward with one piece of kit being improved, that then puts pressure on makers of other components, to up their game. And they sure are Purdy
 
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Longbow said:
Likely true, but then again as you pointed out sometimes this is how technology moves fore-ward with one piece of kit being improved, that then puts pressure on makers of other components, to up their game. And they sure are Purdy
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problem is we have been making ammo that fits properly with zero runout for many years. The press looks great and for those with extra cash that want a bit of jewelry, go for it.

Will it help their ammo manf? Doubt it... unless they have some serious problems with their current gear.

For me, that type of money would be WAY better invested into a top tier milligram scale. This matters and well worth the money spent... some come with pretty accessories too.

Next up would be a proper annealer.

If there was money still, better bullets and more barrels. A press like this will not be on my bench... I feel there are more important places to spend extra cash.

YMMV

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
problem is we have been making ammo that fits properly with zero runout for many years. The press looks great and for those with extra cash that want a bit of jewelry, go for it.

Will it help their ammo manf? Doubt it... unless they have some serious problems with their current gear.

For me, that type of money would be WAY better invested into a top tier milligram scale. This matters and well worth the money spent... some come with pretty accessories too.

Next up would be a proper annealer.

If there was money still, better bullets and more barrels. A press like this will not be on my bench... I feel there are more important places to spend extra cash.

YMMV

Jerry
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Not sure it is a problem...hey I am not telling folks to buy or not buy. Don't disagree that a good scale and annealer are great ways to go help your game. Sound practice also really helps...Think though that they have hit a sweet spot in the market and they will sell...will be interesting to see where they or others go next
 
You are correct.. there is a market and they will sell.

FYI, a decade ago, good match bullets were selling for around $20 to 25/box of 100. Then Berger came along and pushed that into the $30s....worked great so we bought. True, our dollar is kind of stupid right now but what is a box of 30cal Bergers going for today?

I have nothing against stuff that improves my results. I was one of the first (if not the first) Berger dealers in Canada because the benefits of this bullet was glaring.

The industry is screaming for ways to make money.... raising prices is a sure fire way to improve the bottom line.

If the current and incoming generation of shooters favor expensive toys, the industry will gladly supply and as they say...

A rising tide lifts ALL ships....

And there is another saying.... Be careful for what you wish for.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
You are correct.. there is a market and they will sell.

FYI, a decade ago, good match bullets were selling for around $20 to 25/box of 100. Then Berger came along and pushed that into the $30s....worked great so we bought. True, our dollar is kind of stupid right now but what is a box of 30cal Bergers going for today?

I have nothing against stuff that improves my results. I was one of the first (if not the first) Berger dealers in Canada because the benefits of this bullet was glaring.

The industry is screaming for ways to make money.... raising prices is a sure fire way to improve the bottom line.

If the current and incoming generation of shooters favor expensive toys, the industry will gladly supply and as they say...

A rising tide lifts ALL ships....

And there is another saying.... Be careful for what you wish for.

Jerry
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I have resisted changing as in PR I can still win regularly with a .75 MOA setup. Folks however are starting a bit of an arms race, so may have to get with the times I guess
 
When PR rifles start equaling F class rifles wrt to LR accuracy and consistency, I will start to ...... well, not worry cause that is where they should be now anyways. Stuff top F class shooters have been doing is 10yrs old now

The program is learning how to properly load tune for LR consistency and accuracy. Think sub 5" at 1000yds on demand all day long, in the summer heat, after pounding 20+rds. That is the mechanical performance the PR sport will need to reach to challenge F class performance that has existed for many years... and all of this goodness, occured on crappy presses.

I was watching a video demo'ing this press. All the glamour in the world and he is loading with Hornady dies. That made me smile...

More shooters should learn what matters and where the problems stem from. A press handle that does not wiggle during the stroke is about as important as a bolt in an action not having wiggle when you move it back and forth.

But for many, a bolt that moves without wiggle IS important and a sign that the end product will shoot well.... so they will see plenty of value in this press... and I am not too worried they will be taking over the F class records or podium anytime soon.

Jerry

PS, to this day, I still load all my rifle ammo I use in competition on a Lee challenger Breech lock press. This is press number 3 but not bad for the decades and 10s of thousands of match ammo I have created. It's not the press.... but..... YMMV
 
Mystic Precision said:
When PR rifles start equaling F class rifles wrt to LR accuracy and consistency, I will start to ...... well, not worry cause that is where they should be now anyways. Stuff top F class shooters have been doing is 10yrs old now

The program is learning how to properly load tune for LR consistency and accuracy. Think sub 5" at 1000yds on demand all day long, in the summer heat, after pounding 20+rds. That is the mechanical performance the PR sport will need to reach to challenge F class performance that has existed for many years... and all of this goodness, occured on crappy presses.

I was watching a video demo'ing this press. All the glamour in the world and he is loading with Hornady dies. That made me smile...

More shooters should learn what matters and where the problems stem from. A press handle that does not wiggle during the stroke is about as important as a bolt in an action not having wiggle when you move it back and forth.

But for many, a bolt that moves without wiggle IS important and a sign that the end product will shoot well.... so they will see plenty of value in this press... and I am not too worried they will be taking over the F class records or podium anytime soon.

Jerry

PS, to this day, I still load all my rifle ammo I use in competition on a Lee challenger Breech lock press. This is press number 3 but not bad for the decades and 10s of thousands of match ammo I have created. It's not the press.... but..... YMMV
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25 year old rockchucker for me. When I say setup I mean rifle and me .75MOA out to 900m on demand. Sure at 100m my rifle will do .5 and generally better but that is not under the stress of PR matches. Since I also use my rifle for PRS it is a trade off. I sometimes shoot FTR for fun and can do OK, great for tuning up wind reading skills but likely don't have the patience for the game. Also need the speed of a magazine and a rifle that is 100% percent dependable. We have some pretty good F Class shooters down here and have adopted mnay of their loading practices, but fundamentally would have to change my approach to chambers and other tolerances methinks. Also we have a weight requirement that full on F Class Open Rifles are often over.
 
You can easily make an FTR capable rifle work for PR games ... absolutely no problem at all. I suspect you are running a factory barrel?

I run a chamber that would suit both end uses. You pick a bullet for FTR and another for PR... they will both work from the same chamber/throat. The FTR load you single feed... the PR load you mag feed... Simple.. Both can reach 1/3 MOA so plenty good for either game.

I would run different bipods but you can certainly run a foldy bipod for FTR. Rear bag to suit.

Some events are starting to be more friendly to muzzle brakes... ie you shoot at the far end with a blast shield. With all the distancing right now, it seems to be not as rigid for some club events.

18lbs all in and have at it. There is no reason why a mag fed 308 rifle properly set up can't excell at both sports.

Email if you want to discuss further

Jerry
 
I looked at the marketing material when these were being announced and I must admit I drooled a little. But when I thought about it a little deeper... my press is not the weak link in my reloading. If money was no option I guess I'd like to have one. But for an average Joe like me it seems much smarter to put whatever budget is available into almost any other piece of equipment. This press seems like something to buy when you already have the absolute best of everything else and still want a new toy.
 
In what I saw on it, bearings in the linkage is nice, if a person really wanted to do that on an existing press, it could probably be done. It struck me as I saw a bushing in the ram bore, I expect that could be done as well. So, the only real advantage is the turret in my mind. And to me that is not worth an extra grand and a bit over the higher end mainstream presses. Heck, I see some people going to a Dillon for some parts of the process instead.
 
GreenBob said:

More info.
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Ultimate reloader used to be an awesome channel for reloading insight... but this guy is turning into nothing more than a shill.

Admittedly, some of his shills convinced me to purchase what he was shilling (most recently an AD 120-i with an Autotricker V3 this past spring).

He probably got this press for free from Area 419.... for $1,600 plus tax and delivery in this country is obscene.

This press could not keep up to a progressive like a Dillion in terms of speed.... and the design of a Forster Co-Ax probably provides the same (if not more) level of consistency.

Its got a fancy turret .... but so what.
I can still change out dies in a Forster Co-Ax way faster than Gavin could spin that turret.

If I won a million dollars, I would keep on using my Forester.
If had cash to burn on something "gimmicky" for indulgence, I'd maybe get a 21st Century Hydro Seater and some custom dies for way less than the cost of this press.
 
Know doubt that is probably a press that would be a joy to operate...but until a manufacturer marries absolute repeatable brass manufacture with custom die production to the same "o" tolerance and manufactures the dies to be a tapered collet system, their "O" claim would be false.

The treaded die's along with the "clearance" required by the shell holder to accommodate brass irregularities would make "O" run out very lucky without a strict regiment of measuring & set-up procedures.

There are "made in Canada" presses that more or less make the same claim at almost the same price point.
 
6MT said:
I just can't understand why some people get so uptight when they see something that has a high price tag. This saga reminds me of the uproar when the AMP annealer and the AutoTrickler came out. People lost their collective minds when they saw the price. The same with this press.

I must say, I'm interested in this unit. And I just might take the plunge. Yeah, we get it people.....what you do (and only you) makes every new innovation that comes out utter garbage.

Watching the sh1t show that happens every time something like this comes out is entertaining....sort of. V:I:
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I think you got it. Let us know what you think of it, if you get it. Thanks
 
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