Presses

[robin12]

I am just getting into reloading and I have a couple of quick questions. I have a Remington 700 7MM Mag . Which is a good press to make sure I am shooting accurate rounds. I have heard Redding is the best but does Lee do the trick if I am just starting out? I bought some factory rounds Berger 168 vld Is there a way I can duplicate it? my gun really likes em as in 3 shots inside of a quarter at 100 yards.

 

[BlackKnight755]

I am just getting into reloading and I have a couple of quick questions. I have a Remington 700 7MM Mag . Which is a good press to make sure I am shooting accurate rounds. I have heard Redding is the best but does Lee do the trick if I am just starting out? I bought some factory rounds Berger 168 vld Is there a way I can duplicate it? my gun really likes em as in 3 shots inside of a quarter at 100 yards.

I would recommend the Forster Coaxial press. It will load more accurate rounds than the 2 that you asked about (in my opinion). As far as duplicating the factory stuff, without getting into a lot of explanation, "inside a quarter at a hundred yards" is not something that I want to duplicate, however if that is accurate enough to your standards then yes you can duplicate the load (or come very very close).

Good luck with your reloading, and I cant stress enough that you need to buy several reloading manuals and magazines and READ them! Dont just thumb through them. There are some great publications that will answer a lot of the questions that you may have. Also, if you run into something that you have a question about, ASK!!! Whether you ask the question on here, or a person that you know and trust that reloads or if its something that you can look up in a book but always ask the question. Reloading is fun but it is also dangerous if it is not done properly. Never just ASSUME that something is ok to do.

Good luck, BK.

 

[winmag]

I have a Hornady Lock-n-Load press, wich isn't near as nice as the Redding press, but my loads are just as accurate as they would be with a million $dollar press.
I love my quick change bushings that my L-n-L offers.

If your Rem 700 is currently shooting MOA with factory ammo, you'll likely get a lot better accuracy out of handloads, once you learn how to feed your rifle what it likes, & tailor your loads to it.

Buy a Hornady 7th, or 8th edition Loading Manual (super easy to read, & understand), & order a Cabellas "shooting" magazine. Read the manual, look at the pics in the cabellas mag, & you'll get a lot better understanding of what's what. Plus, you'll set yourself up for an easy first step into the handloading world.
You don't need the most expensive press. Ya, Dillon, Redding, & Forster presses are kinda the "Cadilacs" but the RCBS, & Hornady are kinda like the "pickup trucks". They do what the Cadi does, but without the smooth ride & sexy lines.
My loading setup is made up of a mix & match bunch of components. Redding (dies, & trickler), Hornady (Manual, press, priming tool, & bushings), RCBS (powder throw, scale, & hand tools), Lyman (case trimmer, & hand tools), Cabellas (tumbler, & media seperator),etc.etc.etc.... The list goes on, & becomes quite intricate for each person. But, the components I chose suit me best, for my style of loading, & also fit well on my bench (less clutter).
Get a manual, & Cabellas shooting mag, & start reading, & looking at pictures. Get an idea of what you want/need to get started.
THEN get a press, & components & You'll be hooked before ya know it.

 

[robin12]

I am also looking at LEE it looks to be a good starter kit.

Since this is the first rifle I have bought and I have only put about 25 rounds through her I thought being able to put 3 rounds inside of a American quarter was good.

in general is it better to resize the whole cartridge or just the neck?

 

[Trickymissfit]

I am just getting into reloading and I have a couple of quick questions. I have a Remington 700 7MM Mag . Which is a good press to make sure I am shooting accurate rounds. I have heard Redding is the best but does Lee do the trick if I am just starting out? I bought some factory rounds Berger 168 vld Is there a way I can duplicate it? my gun really likes em as in 3 shots inside of a quarter at 100 yards.

a Redding is really no better than a Rockchucker. A Forster is well known as the best money can buy
gary

 

[eyeballjr]

The lee aniversery kit is a great one to get started on. As time goes by, you will want better equipment, but the Lee will get it done. There is no sense in spending a great amount of money on a hobby you aren't sure that you will like. Some people don't care enough about the gains in accuracy over factory ammo to want to take the time.

So that would be my recomendation. Go cheep, if your really like it, start slowly upgrading your stuff with the more expensive things if that is what you really want. I was rolling ammo for a 22-250 that you could cover a 5 shot group up with a dime at 200 yards with my Lee kit. Its more about doing things right than it is about the equimpment.

 

[boomtube]

Quality ammo comes from good dies and componets well used; the press is perhaps the LEAST important part of the picture. If ANY press made "more accurate" ammo than others it would dominate the market; none do but many people are committed to the idea that a more expensive tool just has to be 'better' than a less expensive tool. The expensive tool makers just love those folks!

Lee's presses are as precise as any made today and stronger than many seem to think, especially so for the all steel/cast iron Lee Classic Cast press. In fact, I think we can see effects that it's hurting the sales of Rock Chuckers pretty badly.

On average, Lee's dies also load as well as any but Redding/Forster dies. And, IF the loader himself is good, Lee's (and others) sometimes do just as well as even those much more costly dies.

 

[Crow Juice]

Buying reloading equipment is like a lot of the the things we buy - most of it works well if you do your part . I should tell you that I have 30 years of experience and 3 presses on my bench( RCBS Rock Chucker , Redding T-7 and a RCBS Green Machine (any of you old guys know what that is ) ). My opinion is you should buy good value not low cost because in the end they are about the same .Regarding presses there is no doubt in my mind that buying a cast iron press is the way to go . Your children will be using it when they grow up making it good value. Iron presses include the following: RCBS Rock Chucker , Redding Boss or Big Boss , Lee Classic Cast , and Lyman Crusher . I am sure all the Hornaday presses are aluminum and RCBS/Lee presses not mentioned above are aluminum . The aluminum presses will give a good service life but they do have a life . The Lee Classic Cast is under $100 and that is good value. Forrester would be the premimum single stage press on the market but it is pricy and has some limitations because the handle rotates over the die and there is limited clearence to attach a powder measure to the die if you are loading for pistols. A number of the people I know have bought the Lee kits and they are serviceable but if you shoot much you will want to upgrade quickly .

There are places to save money on reloading equipment :

1. Lee case trimmers are cheap and work well.

2. The Lee Perfect Powder Measure works very well and is very inexpensive . I have a Redding 3BR , Forrester , and Ideal/Lyman 55 which all work about as well as the Lee Perfect.

3.I don't like priming on the press and all of the Hand Priming tools work pretty well.

4. Digital calipers can be purchased from Harbor freight for $9.99 most of the time .

5.I like most of the Scales available but the Lee's .

6. All dies available seem to be pretty good . I benchmark off of RCBS which I consider the best value for the money. Redding and Forrester have nice features but cost more . Lee and Lyman are OK and a little cheaper .

Well these are my thoughts and we didn't even get into Turret Presses . FYI a good friend uses a Lee Aniverys Kit to load and his ammo is as good as mine .

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

There is no "best" of anything, but there are some that aren't worth much.

Hornady, RCBS, Redding, and Lyman all make excellent single-stage presses. Some used ones no longer manufactured (Hollywood, Dunbar, etc) but available on EBay also do an excellent job.

Do a search here and on other reloading sites and you will get hundreds of opinions.

 

[Trickymissfit]

Buying reloading equipment is like a lot of the the things we buy - most of it works well if you do your part . I should tell you that I have 30 years of experience and 3 presses on my bench( RCBS Rock Chucker , Redding T-7 and a RCBS Green Machine (any of you old guys know what that is ) ). My opinion is you should buy good value not low cost because in the end they are about the same .Regarding presses there is no doubt in my mind that buying a cast iron press is the way to go . Your children will be using it when they grow up making it good value. Iron presses include the following: RCBS Rock Chucker , Redding Boss or Big Boss , Lee Classic Cast , and Lyman Crusher . I am sure all the Hornaday presses are aluminum and RCBS/Lee presses not mentioned above are aluminum . The aluminum presses will give a good service life but they do have a life . The Lee Classic Cast is under $100 and that is good value. Forrester would be the premimum single stage press on the market but it is pricy and has some limitations because the handle rotates over the die and there is limited clearence to attach a powder measure to the die if you are loading for pistols. A number of the people I know have bought the Lee kits and they are serviceable but if you shoot much you will want to upgrade quickly .

There are places to save money on reloading equipment :

1. Lee case trimmers are cheap and work well.

2. The Lee Perfect Powder Measure works very well and is very inexpensive . I have a Redding 3BR , Forrester , and Ideal/Lyman 55 which all work about as well as the Lee Perfect.

3.I don't like priming on the press and all of the Hand Priming tools work pretty well.

4. Digital calipers can be purchased from Harbor freight for $9.99 most of the time .

5.I like most of the Scales available but the Lee's .

6. All dies available seem to be pretty good . I benchmark off of RCBS which I consider the best value for the money. Redding and Forrester have nice features but cost more . Lee and Lyman are OK and a little cheaper .

Well these are my thoughts and we didn't even get into Turret Presses . FYI a good friend uses a Lee Aniverys Kit to load and his ammo is as good as mine .

I'm a believer in the concept that you usually get what you pay for. Thus I will kindly dissagree with items one thru six. Otherwise we are in agreement.
gary

 

[ken snyder]

I would absolutely not recommend a starter press that is any shorter than a Rock Crusher. I prefer the Redding and even it is not long enough to suit me. I don't think there is Jack squat of accuracy difference between any of the larger presses. Starter kits are just that, They start you buying other stuff. - Pay for it once!

 

[SidecarFlip]

The machinist in me looks at reloading equipment this way......

Here is my take on ANY press or die set, manufacturer notwithstanding....

Any press will only be as accurate in resizing/bullet seating as the dies are accurate.

Personally I buy the best dies I can afford, always. Price predicates quality and close tolerance machining and that's what good (expensive) dies are all about.

As far as the press itself is concerned, if you reload small caliber, massive presses aren't needed because the force (on the ram) isn't excessive, however, larger calibers are a different story....

As with machine tools, reloading presses, especially presses capable of resizing larger calibers need to have physical mass (frame) to resist deflection of the ram when you reef down on the handle when resizing. Then, there is the ram itself. No matter how massive the frame is, if the ram is not adequately supported in the base (by that I mean the bore through which the ram travels upward), the ram will deflect some amount (tbd) and that causes many things, most importantly, deflection of the brass as it enters the die and begins to resize and that can cause neck concentricity issues as well as stuck cases.

Bullet seating is another matter because the ram isn't exerting a large amount of mechanical effort on the brass to seat the bullet, deflection is lessened.

I don't progressive load (rifle cartridges) so I use a Rockchucker. It has adequate bearing surface for the ram to slide in, a hard chrome ram and the mass necessary to resist deflection when resizing.

I also use a Dillon Precision progressive press and Dillon die sets for my pistol reloads.

Many opinions on FL resizing versus Neck sizing. I tend to FL resize all brass whether new or once fired (as in .223 Mil Brass) and so long as the cartridge is fired in the same firearm, I neck size at that point, always checking case length and trimming as necessary to chamber or to maximum case length when used in a semi-auto.

All bottleneck cartridges 'grow' with repeated fittings and all cartridges, straight wall or bottleneck get harder (in the neck) with repeated firings. At some point without annealing the necks, they will crack and the brass becomes scrap....

Just scratch'in the surface here.....

Annealing is another story for another time.....

 

[boomtube]

"I would absolutely not recommend a starter press that is any shorter than a Rock Crusher. "

Interesting suggestion; I've been reloading since '65. I now own four presses, have had others and have used various presses of my friends. I've never used nor even heard of a "Rock Crusher" press but I have never tried a press of any model that didn't do very good work. A large press is fine ... if you load large cartridges. Otherwise, it's just longer ram travel for no benefit. Lee's Classic Cast is larger/stronger than most others, it's precisely machined and it's strong enough to crush rocks if that turns you on. ??

I also fully agree with Crow Juice's six point list for new guys, all he suggests will do exactly what he says it will do. It gets amusing when some of us old hands try to get new guys to follow us to what we now use, even if it's NOT what the new guy really needs or may wish to use!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Hey Boom...

I believe he means 'Rock Chucker as in RCBS'.....

Now, I try to keep my fingers out from under the die when guiding in cases or my Rock Chucker could become a finger smoosher.....