Advice Needed on New Press.

[Moman]

I've been using a Rockchucker for the past 17 years and as good of a press as it has been, it is starting to get a little sloppy. I am in the market for a new single stage press.

The largest cartridge I do right now is a 300 RUM. At some point I will move up, possibly an Edge or similiar. I have been looking at the Redding Ultra Mag and the Forster Co-Ax. What do you guys think?

 

[Chas1]

Redding Ultra Mag-I luv it. Pricey but silky smooth, tough, great warranty and will handles large magnum cases.

 

[Aldon]

Forster Co-Ax, Redding Ultra Mag.

I have the Co-Ax and love it.

 

[MSLRHunter]

I'm in kind of the same situation. I have an old hand-me-down rockchucker and am considering upgrading to either the Redding or the Forster. A friend of mine just got the Co-ax a few months back and he loves it, so I think I will go check his out and see how I like it.

 

[Winchester 69]

Try them both and decide which you prefer.

 

[Fitch]

I've been using a Rockchucker for the past 17 years and as good of a press as it has been, it is starting to get a little sloppy. I am in the market for a new single stage press.

The largest cartridge I do right now is a 300 RUM. At some point I will move up, possibly an Edge or similiar. I have been looking at the Redding Ultra Mag and the Forster Co-Ax. What do you guys think?

I had a chance to try a Redding Ultra Mag. That is one seriously great press. No gimmicks, no extra gadgets to buy, just screw in the dies and make ammo. I doubt there is a better press on the market in terms of rigidity and leverage for sizing large brass.

It's on the top of my list.

Fitch

 

[Winchester 69]

For very little investment on your part, RCBS will fit a new ram to your old press. Having a smaller press paired with a Redding UltraMag would be a convenient combination.

 

[Aldon]

Things I love about the Co-Ax, No shell holders necessary, primer catch system works flawlessy, Priming is always consistently at same depth, has no trouble sizing as far as leverage. I mounted the system on a Haedwood birchwood countertop I purchased from Ikea. Put som elegs on it and it is more than stable and my bench does not have to weigh 500 pounds and be indestructable to support the forces. Run out is attenuated on this press. I buy extra lock rings, Hornaday works as well and I do not have much set up...You can do soemthing similar with the LNL set up on the other presses once you set it up to do so.

I will eventually add the ultra mag to my set up as i go larger than the 300 RUM.

 

[boomtube]

"I've been using a Rockchucker for the past 17 years and as good of a press as it has been, it is starting to get a little sloppy. I am in the market for a new single stage press."

All the press actually does is provide the force to push the case into the die and pull it back out. I suspect your's still does that quite well. Even if the press alignment is perfect the case doesn't need a tight ram to force it in straight, a round case WILL self center into a round die unless a poorly aligned but tightly fitted ram prevents it.

Unless your press is so loose you have to hand guide the cases into the dies, OR unless you've just got the hots for a new press, you really don't have a problem. My advice is to forget it.

 

[Winchester 69]

Even if the press alignment is perfect the case doesn't need a tight ram to force it in straight, a round case WILL self center into a round die unless a poorly aligned but tightly fitted ram prevents it.

Thoughts on presses - Topic Powered by Social Strata

No tern un-stoned, so to speak.

 

[britz]

"I've been using a Rockchucker for the past 17 years and as good of a press as it has been, it is starting to get a little sloppy. I am in the market for a new single stage press."

All the press actually does is provide the force to push the case into the die and pull it back out. I suspect your's still does that quite well. Even if the press alignment is perfect the case doesn't need a tight ram to force it in straight, a round case WILL self center into a round die unless a poorly aligned but tightly fitted ram prevents it.

Unless your press is so loose you have to hand guide the cases into the dies, OR unless you've just got the hots for a new press, you really don't have a problem. My advice is to forget it.

+1 on that. I had used a cheap lee O press for about 15 years and decided I needed to get a "tighter" press for increasing accuracy in seating from bullet to bullet. I bought a Rockchucker IV about 2 years ago (and like it) but I then realized that the problem w/ seating was coming from dirt building up on the shell holder. The old press did it's job.

I will add however, I do wish I'd have gotten a Redding big bossII over the chucker... but not that big of a deal.

 

[flashhole]

I have two Ultramags on my bench. No other press I've tried even comes close to the mechanical advantage you get with the Ultramag. I had a Forster Co-Ax for a few years but sold it because the opening was not big enough for my ham hands and I got tired of pinching my fingers when seating bullets inn the larger cartridges. Having said that, the Co-Ax is a very nice press but I like my Ultramag better.

 

[Moman]

Guys, thanks for all of the replies, lots of good opinions and advice. The problem I'm having is with the new RUM cartridge. I can't say for sure yet that it is the press, but it seems like it's pointing in that direction. I sent my Forster Comp Die in for honing and had them do a quick check of it. Something I do anyway. Rod called the other day and said they ran a couple of my cases through it and only had .001 runout on them. I get at least three times that. His measurements were before honing.

Anyway, when resizing a case and the ram is at the top of the stroke, the handle of the press sort of tweeks over to the right. It feels like a considerable amount, and I have never felt this before. Today, after reading all of the replies, I went back to it and gave it a good once over. The slop in the ram is evident, but no more that say 1/16 side to side. There is also some slop where the handle assembly attaches to the press. The part the handle screws into, not sure what it is called. I became a little concerned that the RUM case may need more leverage than this press and that it may end up tweeking something

The dies should be back this week and at that point I'll take my best cases and work through them and re measure each step to see what is causing it. Thanks again.

Flashole, if you're still reading this, I just gotta ask, why two UltraMag presses?

 

[Winchester 69]

Slop doesn't matter. It's just a matter of closing your eyes and clicking your heels together three times. Of course, holding your mouth just right doesn't hurt either.