Forster Co-Ax

H

hillbros_96

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Nowhere BC
I am thinking of updating my press, and was thinking of the Forster Co-Ax. Has anyone had experience with it and is it worth the large increase of price over a RCBS press?

Thanks for you time.
 
Absoulutly the best single stage press you can buy.. easy die changes with no shell holders to worry about and accurate as all get out..

I've seen them for less than $300 and that's a steal for perfection :)
 
I had a Hornady LnL press. Sold it and bought a Forster. The only thing that I regret is that I didn't do it sooner! The primer seater on the press is OK. It is slow (and you have to handle each primer) but it seats the primers extremely consistently. I just picked up the Forster Primer Seater.

Keep in mind that this is still a single stage press. You will produce VERY precisely made ammunition, but it will be at single stage press speeds. If you are looking for the best possible handloads, this is the press to get. If you want to churn out mass quantities, then go for a progressive.

WRT the need to use the Forster nuts for your dies, Hornady Die Rings work fine and are very reasonably priced.
 
Great press , couldn't be happier with mine .

But kept my rock chucker for things like bullet pulling , case forming et. As I don't feel bad applying as much force as needed on It . Granted I'm sure the co-ax would handle the same operations but I already had the R.C bolted down so meh :D
 
It isn't a magical sword that will make accurate ammo all by itself once you pull it out of a rock, but yes, they're pretty nice.
The ergonomics are very different from a more traditional press; you have to feed it from the front rather than the side, and the height of the handle needs muscle power rather than just locking your arm and leaning into it.
The shellholder spoils you; it now bugs me to have to go digging for a shellholder for my benchprimer, how barbaric :)
 
I have had mine for probably 15 years, great press that has been around for
a long time. Buying one from the start will never allow you to fully appreciate it
since you never used any of the "Regular" single stage presses as a basis for comparison.
Rest assured that you will be using one of the top presses out there.
bb
 
I have one that I have not installed yet.

I backordered it from Brownells a long time ago and eventually received it about 8 months later. Funny that it is cheaper to buy from brownells than it is to order direct from Forster, almost half the price actually. I paid 273$ US for mine


Anyway, since I haven't actually set it up yet I can't really comment on it. I did find however that the shell holder will take some getting used to. I haven't yet found out the way to quickly get the casing back out of the holder.
 
ceriksson said:
I have one that I have not installed yet.

I backordered it from Brownells a long time ago and eventually received it about 8 months later. Funny that it is cheaper to buy from brownells than it is to order direct from Forster, almost half the price actually. I paid 273$ US for mine


Anyway, since I haven't actually set it up yet I can't really comment on it. I did find however that the shell holder will take some getting used to. I haven't yet found out the way to quickly get the casing back out of the holder.
Click to expand...


Getting the casing out of the shellholder should be no issue at all, since the jaws automatically open to allow that removal.

You need to adjust the pointed stem on the frame [below the cradle] upwards until it wedges between the two plates as you lower the cradle fully after sizing.
This wedging action will separate the plates, and if adjusted correctly, allows you to remove the case without any obstruction.

All cases of .420 to .512" diameter use the same plates. For the small cases, you need to turn the plates. [watch those little springs!!]

Regards, Dave.
 
Eagleye said:
Getting the casing out of the shellholder should be no issue at all, since the jaws automatically open to allow that removal.

You need to adjust the pointed stem on the frame [below the cradle] upwards until it wedges between the two plates as you lower the cradle fully after sizing.
This wedging action will separate the plates, and if adjusted correctly, allows you to remove the case without any obstruction.

All cases of .420 to .512" diameter use the same plates. For the small cases, you need to turn the plates. [watch those little springs!!]

Regards, Dave.
Click to expand...

OK cool, like I said, I haven't installed it yet, was just playing around with it. I did not know they automatically opened. Something I likely would have realized once setting it up.
 
ceriksson said:
I have one that I have not installed yet.

I backordered it from Brownells a long time ago and eventually received it about 8 months later. Funny that it is cheaper to buy from brownells than it is to order direct from Forster, almost half the price actually. I paid 273$ US for mine


Anyway, since I haven't actually set it up yet I can't really comment on it. I did find however that the shell holder will take some getting used to. I haven't yet found out the way to quickly get the casing back out of the holder.
Click to expand...


That answers my next question on where to buy one from, looks like it would be difficult to find in Canada.
 
hillbros_96 said:
That answers my next question on where to buy one from, looks like it would be difficult to find in Canada.
Click to expand...

They're not as common as a Hornady or RCBS for instance, but there are a number of places from which to get them including:

Hirsch Precision (Forum Sponsor)
Ellwood Epps (Forum Sponsor) - Although Epps is listed as a Fortser Distributor, and the Elwood Epps website lists Forster as a brand they carry, I have never seen any Forster products in stock at Epps.
X-Reload (This is where I got mine)
CI Distribution

You will find other Canadian distributors on the Forster Products website Locate a Dealer page.
 
Boomer said:
The co-ax is an excellent press. Apparently the older Bonanza co-ax press had issues with the handle yoke not clearing tall dies, but I understand this is not a problem with the newer Forsters.
Click to expand...

Yeah - I'm using it with Redding Comp dies with the micrometer on top and it clears just fine.
 
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