Which Reloading Presses Are You Using?

Mystic Precision said:
Forster CoAx is popular.... have you measured the runout of your ammo while using your LEE?

Dies matter a whole lot more then the press in making precision ammo. Now if the press ram is moving in some wonky pattern, then change for sure. But if moving true and each step produces the results we need, a fancy press isn't going to change or improve anything.

Now if you are working with very large cases like Chey Tac and BMG, then you are asking about mechanical leverage.

If you are truly interested in making better ammo, spend the money on quality milligram scales and better brass prep/maintenance tools.

Gucchi press is not likely to change your results.

Jerry
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I haven’t checked runout. The issue I am having is obtaining consistent headspace. The Lee press is a Wobbly loose cheapie. The flex and wobble make it impossible to produce cartridges with the same headspace. They vary by a few thousandths.

I can’t turn lead into gold. A more solid press would produce more repeatable results.
 
coleman1495 said:
I haven’t checked runout. The issue I am having is obtaining consistent headspace. The Lee press is a Wobbly loose cheapie. The flex and wobble make it impossible to produce cartridges with the same headspace. They vary by a few thousandths.

I can’t turn lead into gold. A more solid press would produce more repeatable results.
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Check the following:

Bullet itself... what brand? What is the base to ogive varying of the bullet itself?

neck tension? How tight is the neck tension? If over 2 thou, not much is going to help make it consistent

What type of seating die?

Annealing? How much have you fired the cases and are you annealing? Inconsistent neck tension is a major cause of inconsistent seating depth.

Outside neck turning? Are you doing this step? If you have fired your cases more then 2 times and not turned your necks, likely that is source of problems. There is only 1 neck sizer that is tolerant of this BUT it will eventually be a problem in seating inconsistencies.

Measurement accuracy? can you measure the same case to the same thou 10 times in a row? Many comparators and measure styles create their own error. I give my calipers a 1 thou error cause that is what is part of the device.

If you are concerned about your press, by all means change it.... but you might want to locate where the other possible places for error may occur. Might surprise you where the problem actually lies.

Jerry
 
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Another vote for the Redding Big Boss. I went in to buy an RCBS Rockchucker but the Redding Big Boss was right beside it on the shelf, on sale for $20 less. I would have been just as happy with either press.
 
Mystic Precision said:
Check the following:

Bullet itself... what brand? What is the base to ogive varying of the bullet itself?

neck tension? How tight is the neck tension? If over 2 thou, not much is going to help make it consistent

What type of seating die?

Annealing? How much have you fired the cases and are you annealing? Inconsistent neck tension is a major cause of inconsistent seating depth.

Outside neck turning? Are you doing this step? If you have fired your cases more then 2 times and not turned your necks, likely that is source of problems. There is only 1 neck sizer that is tolerant of this BUT it will eventually be a problem in seating inconsistencies.

Measurement accuracy? can you measure the same case to the same thou 10 times in a row? Many comparators and measure styles create their own error. I give my calipers a 1 thou error cause that is what is part of the device.

If you are concerned about your press, by all means change it.... but you might want to locate where the other possible places for error may occur. Might surprise you where the problem actually lies.

Jerry
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Not sure I understand how those factors cause differences in headspace. I am focusing on my inability to produce consistent headspace dimensions as I know it’s an issue.
 
coleman1495 said:
Not sure I understand how those factors cause differences in headspace. I am focusing on my inability to produce consistent headspace dimensions as I know it’s an issue.
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Change your case lube... that will likely help

Turn your sizing die full down on the shellholder... or you may need to take a couple of thou off the bottom of the die.

Run the case into the sizing die, turn 90deg and bump again.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
Change your case lube... that will likely help

Turn your sizing die full down on the shellholder... or you may need to take a couple of thou off the bottom of the die.

Run the case into the sizing die, turn 90deg and bump again.

Jerry
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I have tried Lee lube, RCBS 2, and Lanolin IPA. The lanolin IPA in a spray bottle works the best IMO.

Either way I am using Hornady Custom Grade dies. They seem okay but I don’t have experience with any other brands either. The Hornady dies are setup so Cam-Over is not required to size the casing. I have been using Cam Over and forcing the die and shell holder to touch. This produces a minimum spec headspace. This method was acceptable for my Savage where I had headspace set just above minimum. Unfortunately this method is unacceptable for other rifles that don’t have the headspace set to minimum.
 
coleman1495 said:
I have tried Lee lube, RCBS 2, and Lanolin IPA. The lanolin IPA in a spray bottle works the best IMO.

Either way I am using Hornady Custom Grade dies. They seem okay but I don’t have experience with any other brands either. The Hornady dies are setup so Cam-Over is not required to size the casing. I have been using Cam Over and forcing the die and shell holder to touch. This produces a minimum spec headspace. This method was acceptable for my Savage where I had headspace set just above minimum. Unfortunately this method is unacceptable for other rifles that don’t have the headspace set to minimum.
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If the press allows you to size to min spec, I am unsure what any other press can do for you?

If you need to size UNDER min spec, then you can adjust the die or shell holder. If you have chambers longer then min spec, then just back out the die small amounts until the sizing fits what you want.

If you prefer to see contact between shellholder and die bottom but need a longer headspace, I can offer Redding shell holders with varying dimensions.

dies vary in dimensions... there is no such thing as a cam over or non cam over sizing die. It has a "chamber" cut into the die, you adjust its set up to reach the case dimensions you want.

And if the press, die and SH do what you need, I am unsure what any change would solve... now if you just want a new press, by all means... Lots to offer.

Jerry
 
I am running a RCBS rock chucker for depriming and body sizing, but I do the bulk of my actual loading (and priming) on a Dillon 650. I don't measure run out as I am not aiming to be a tiny group shooter, but all of my dies are free floating in the toolhead to allow for better concentricity. Due to the amount of ammo I need to reload to keep up with match schedules, this is a great way to do it IMO.

Granted, if I were able to go slower, take my time and start over, I would still have RCBS/Lee/Lyman/Hornady/etc. single stage for "dirty work" and a Forester CoAx for precision sizing and seating :)
 
coleman1495 said:
Not sure I understand how those factors cause differences in headspace. I am focusing on my inability to produce consistent headspace dimensions as I know it’s an issue.
Click to expand...

The solution is any quality cast iron press like a Rock Chucker combined with the Redding Competition shellholders which come in sets of -0.002 to -0.010 inch increments.

This way you always cam-over hard against the bottom of the die and can select the shellholder which gives you the correct shoulder bump.

Simply backing off the die with the 14 TPI thread to try and control shoulder bump is not only imprecise, but you are subject to varying press stretch.
 
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