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+--- Thread: What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. (/showthread.php?tid=10239)
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Roughwater - 01-26-2022
oldbarnowl Wrote:My favorite bit of help, The Sheridan slot guage. Especially if you resize 7.62x39 brass to Grendel. Lets you see exactly what is going on...
http://www.sheridanengineering.com/index-2.htm
![[Image: SG65GRN_2.jpg]](http://www.sheridanengineering.com/images/SG65GRN_2.jpg)
I just want to say I like the idea behind that tool and though I haven't made a brass from other calibers I like the idea anyway.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Roughwater - 01-26-2022
I love my Forester Coax press. Seldom change out shell holders, reliable, powerful, accurate and simple.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18612[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18612[/ATTACH]
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Jake TN - 01-27-2022
I bought the Hornady single stage and progressive before I was educated in reloading. If you do high volume, I would stay away from them- I would actually just stay away from them period. For high volume use Dillon. There are quite a few good single stage presses. I didnt see the MEC marksman on here. It is a solid single stage. I would suggest you think about all the calibers you are going to be reloading, what brass you are going to be processing, the reloading materials you plan on using, and the quality of ammo you wish to produce. The final part of loading ammo is the easy part. This is really important if you plan on doing bulk 5.56. The brass prep for auto loaders is more tedious than bolt rifles. I know several PRS match shooters that load on Dillon progressives and have excellent results.
When it comes to precision dies- if you might be loading compressed loads I would go with the forester micro seating die over the Redding.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Popeye212 - 01-27-2022
Mec Marksman Forster dies. Actually just bought another one.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - myrifle - 01-27-2022
Rc IV for the press, foster full length die for the ar grendels, redding bushing die for the bolt grendel and a foster micro meter seater.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Fodderwing - 01-28-2022
Since I already own two 550B's, one for large primer and one for small primer, I am acquiring the pieces to load 6.5 Grendel, too. I have a toolhead set up for 223 that goes bang in my AR's.
I found a set Lee dies, a Dillon conversion kit, I have a powder drop or two on the shelf. Have about 3-4 powder options on hand, just need some brass and bullets. I bought 200 rounds of Hornady ammo, so I will place a tarp on the ground at my shooting range and catch that brass.
As long as I can kill a pig or even a deer at a couple hundred yards, I will be content.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - IlliniFan - 05-16-2022
Redding T-7 Press, Redding Dies, and several Hornady and Frankford Arsenal items.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18849[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18850[/ATTACH]
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - IlliniFan - 07-02-2022
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Recently added a Primal Rights CPS. Works as advertised. Easy to use and accurate, repeatable primer seating depth.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - vmthtr - 07-24-2023
I started on Lee equipment. Pro 1000(junk) and single stage. Now have Rockchucker, Dillon 550 and a Harrel. I shoot Hunter Benchrest also, thats what the Harrel is for. Powder measure is also a Harrel for single loading, for the dillon its dillon. Most of my die sets are Redding, but do have rcbs and hornady. Still using balance scale from Hornady. Looking forward to getting set up in Grendel when I can get an Upper.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Bobo06 - 08-01-2023
650 dillon, 550 dillon, rcbs jr, forster coax
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Harpoon1 - 08-01-2023
Dillion 550, Forster Co-Ax, MEC Marksman, Redding T-7 dedicated 223/5.56 press, Lyman All American dedicated pistol press.
Using a myriad of bushing full length sizing dies, with either LE Wilson or SAC tapered bushings. Tapered bushings give me almost zero runout with 1 pull on the press! No more decapping, then resizing, then using a mandrel to set neck tension!
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - GREYBUFF - 08-17-2023
Just picked up a 1950s vintage Dunbar two station press and a 1960's Hollywood Senior 1st edition. Bothe are built like tanks and made to last several lifetimes. Also have a C&H 444 , aC&H 111, Lyman All American turret (for sale) and a RCBS JR, one owner (for sale). Now its's time to start selling off my newer presses...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]19902[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]19901[/ATTACH]
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - FBOldCrow - 08-27-2023
LRRPF52 Wrote:If MKo could pipe in, he has the best modification list to the RCBS Chargemaster I've ever seen.
He replaced all the electronic components like resistors and capacitors.
Lined the inside with aluminum adhesive tape.
Reprogrammed the dispenser to kick out powder 4x as fast.
Choked the powder funnel so that it wouldn't dump powder all over.
I just got my 1500 fired up. I like it with the new tip from MK Machining installed, Great with mt reloads in 38/357 for the wife's new Henry next weekend, getting a couple hundred loaded before she hits the range.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Zeneffect - 09-03-2023
I hate case prep. I friggin hate trim chamfer and debur specifically. What is a good, fast, easy 3 way cutter setup that is accurate/repeatable and not $700? Not the lee please. I have one, repeatable is questionable at best. Currently use the FA case prep center but not happy with the chamfer consistency and it makes my fingers start to cramp up after 60 or so cases.
I think case neck chamfer is a under-discussed topic considering it's function during gas expansion mimics a valve opening and playing with the angle may result in "something" not sure what yet... either velocity or consistency. I have no way to test so I'm on the hunt for a decent adjustable setup to begin.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - pinetreebbs - 09-03-2023
Zeneffect Wrote:I hate case prep. I friggin hate trim chamfer and debur specifically. What is a good, fast, easy 3 way cutter setup that is accurate/repeatable and not $700? Not the lee please. I have one, repeatable is questionable at best. Currently use the FA case prep center but not happy with the chamfer consistency and it makes my fingers start to cramp up after 60 or so cases.
I think case neck chamfer is a under-discussed topic considering it's function during gas expansion mimics a valve opening and playing with the angle may result in "something" not sure what yet... either velocity or consistency. I have no way to test so I'm on the hunt for a decent adjustable setup to begin.
I use a Forster 3-in-1 case mouth cutter and their power case trimmer set up in a drill press. You can find used power trimmers for sale on eBay and there are always used floor model drill presses for sale cheap for a dedicated trimmer. Most bench drill presses do not have a stop that is consistent enough for accurate trimming. You could use the Forster 3-in-1 trimmer in their standard case trimmer setup. You can power the standard trimmer with a drill motor or power screwdriver.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - FBOldCrow - 09-03-2023
IlliniFan Wrote:Redding T-7 Press, Redding Dies, and several Hornady and Frankford Arsenal items.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18849[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18850[/ATTACH]
There are surgical suites not as organized nor as clean! Sweet set up Illinini!
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Zeneffect - 09-10-2023
Got one of these when it was on sale for $300 about 6 months ago and have been putting it through some use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BLY1ZLP4?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Man... life changer. Trickling is so much easier now and holding a weight consistency of +- .01gr is way easy.
The scale registers at about 6 balls of powder, or 1 kernel of stick as small as N140
Did my groups shrink and es/sd improve?
Nope. What I did gain was time. It saves me time and I can hold a tighter tolerence while doing it. The scale is faster than any others I have owned, and sensitive enough to where with stick powder I'm looking at weight and knowing how many kernels to add exactly. Way easier than guessing and watching the scale until you hit target.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - Zeneffect - 09-17-2023
pinetreebbs Wrote:I use a Forster 3-in-1 case mouth cutter and their power case trimmer set up in a drill press. You can find used power trimmers for sale on eBay and there are always used floor model drill presses for sale cheap for a dedicated trimmer. Most bench drill presses do not have a stop that is consistent enough for accurate trimming. You could use the Forster 3-in-1 trimmer in their standard case trimmer setup. You can power the standard trimmer with a drill motor or power screwdriver.
I did option 2 and just ran through 200 cases faster than I would have gone through 75, and that's with measuring every single one and observing +-.0005 deviation. Small cheap cordless drill, dedicated setup for 6.5 and .223, and a 3rd cutter for whatever else (meant for non-static setup, I have all the pilots already)
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - biodsl - 09-17-2023
FBOldCrow Wrote:There are surgical suites not as organized nor as clean! Sweet set up Illinini!
I feel totally inadequate.
What presses and dies are you using and general equipment recommendations. - 603Country - 09-17-2023
For case trimming, I use the RCBS Trim Pro 2 manual trimmer with the 3 way cutter head (trim, chamfer, debur), but I attach a 18 volt battery drill driver to the trimmer shaft. You have to take the crank handle off. which take 20 seconds. With the drill driver attached, I can do some serious trimming.