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Yes, I Will Spend Hundreds of Dollars on a Press that Only Does One (maybe two) Thing Well

powerspc

powerspc

It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time
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Minuteman
    • Mar 15, 2018
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    I’m currently using a Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic Single Stage press. I like it very much but there were two issues (at least as far as I was concerned). One was the auto-primer which I never could get to work quite the way I wanted it, so I solved that issue by switching to an RCBS Automatic Bench Primer; problem solved.

    The second issue is with depriming. I’m using a dedicated depriming die which works excellent but not on that press. The primers end up getting lodged in the ram, falling on the floor or disappearing into the ether never to be found. As I am an un-recovering anal-retentive I spend most of my depriming time crawling around on the floor looking for the little F*&^ers., because I must account for every F*&^%ing one.

    I am now in the market for another single stage press for the sole purpose of depriming. However, it got me thinking that if I was going to get a second press I might as well get something decent that not only excels at that but can perhaps do some things better than the Hornady or at least compliment the Hornady. So…
    I am looking for recommendations for a single stage press, money no object that will:
    • Be the King of depriming
    • Work with the Hornady Lock-N-Load die system
    • Add to or compliment my “O” press, e.g., “press ABC is better at crimping pistol rounds than the Hornady” or “press DEF has more clearance so it works better with VLD bullets”
    Currently I am reloading; Rifle: .338LM, .300 Win Mag, .308 Winchester and, Pistol: .357 Magnum and .50AE
    Some of the ones I’ve started to look at are:

    RCBS AmmoMaster-2
    MEC Marksman
    Forster Co-Ax
    Turban-CNC
    ATRS Accu-Maxx

    Thanks in advance!
     
    If you can get lee products, they make a couple very cheep single stage presses. These can often be found on Ebay for around 20 bucks. So it's not fancy but its so cheep it may be worth it... IIRc the bench model has the spent primer dropping completely through the ram.
     
    I've only just started reloading but If there's a better press than the Forster CO/AX, I'd like to try it. It does everything it's supposed to do and my results have been great. So, either I'm a natural at reloading or the equipment and guidance have been very good. I'm going with the latter.

    Depriming and priming is easy and consistent. It's not extremely fast but if you get a rhythm, it goes quickly and easily. The collection of used primers is excellent. I've only had to fish a few used primers off the floor and that's because I dropped them. ;)
     
    Something else to consider is tuning you punch depth either in or out. That can play a roll in how the primers are expelled from the case.
     
    Skookum said:
    Co-ax doesn't do well with big rounds. I tried to load 338AX on mine and it's a no go. My LEE classic cast should be here this week. 4.5" load window, 4" ram travel. It is the same one they sell with thier 50BMG kit. Primers fall through the center of the ram to collect in a tube at the bottom. $117

    https://www.midwayusa.com/product/317831/lee-classic-cast-single-stage-press
    Click to expand...
    I do 338 LM w/ Berger 300s on mine and it does okay. Gotta angle the nose of the bullet into the bottom of the die, then swing the bottom of the case into the shell holder, but it does just fine.
     
    The forster has an amazing primer collection system, won’t work with the lock and load bushings though. Standard lock rings do just fine. Leave the bushings in the hornady and just leave a lock ring on them and problem solved.

    Otherwise Frankford armory makes a hand held deprimer that captures them in a little jar too.


    @CV_Ag how do you like that frankford deprimer? Any hitches with it yet?
     
    BurnOut said:
    I do 338 LM w/ Berger 300s on mine and it does okay. Gotta angle the nose of the bullet into the bottom of the die, then swing the bottom of the case into the shell holder, but it does just fine.
    Click to expand...
    Yeah, that's the way I do it on the Rockchucker, it's annoying as hell. I have Hornady dies though, and since the Co-ax handle comes over the top, they are too tall to fit under the handle.
     
    The Prazi press has been some of the best money I've spent on anything! What a joy to use.

    I haven't missed since I bought it, lol, JK.

    Nah, but it is a ridiculously well made device and did cut down on cartridge runout slightly and it's way way smoother than any other press I've used.

    FYI, the crinkly finish on my previous press had worn out unevenly between the large die adapter and where the adapter snugged up to the press, which was a clue that the top the press wasn't true to the ram, and I too had got disgusted sweeping up primers.
     
    The Co-ax sucks for depriming, that was literally my only complaint about it. Yes it has a nice primer catcher but it’s so damn slow. Before I got talked into giving the Dillons another go by a couple guys here I was doing all my loading on a Co-ax but I kept my Redding T7 that had the in-line farbication ejector on it solely for the purpose of depriming. It was soooooo fast compared to the Co-ax or any single stage press I’ve used. Open front design with the ejector is awesome.

    With that said, my Dillon 650 is even faster for depriming because all I do is pull the handle.
     
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    steve123 said:
    The Prazi press has been some of the best money I've spent on anything! What a joy to use.

    I haven't missed since I bought it, lol, JK.

    Nah, but it is a ridiculously well made device and did cut down on cartridge runout slightly and it's way way smoother than any other press I've used.

    FYI, the crinkly finish on my previous press had worn out unevenly between the large die adapter and where the adapter snugged up to the press, which was a clue that the top the press wasn't true to the ram, and I too had got disgusted sweeping up primers.
    Click to expand...

    Does the Prazi drop the spent primers through the bottom? Is that a primer catch bottle hanging from it? What dies are you using with it? Do you know if you can use the Hornady dies? Have you tried the Triebel dies with it?
     
    My next press is that MEC Marksman, i've seen some very good reviews and that thing is stout as hell.
     
    Skookum said:
    Yeah, that's the way I do it on the Rockchucker, it's annoying as hell. I have Hornady dies though, and since the Co-ax handle comes over the top, they are too tall to fit under the handle.
    Click to expand...
    That is truly my only complaint regarding the CoAx... that Hornady seating dies when fitted with the micrometer adjuster are too tall to fit under the handle. That said, I split the blame for this between Forster and Hornady; Forster for the handle that isn't tall enough to clear the die, and Hornady for not making a micrometer adjuster that's more compact (Forster, Redding, Whidden, etc... all have designs that work in the CoAx).
     
    powerspc said:
    Does the Prazi drop the spent primers through the bottom? Is that a primer catch bottle hanging from it? What dies are you using with it? Do you know if you can use the Hornady dies? Have you tried the Triebel dies with it?
    Click to expand...

    Yes the primers drop through the ram, don't get caught in it, and are caught in the bottle hanging below.

    I used to use a Warner die for 6x47L, it's the larger thread bigger type of die, which is part of the reason I bought this press. When I decide on another 6mm or larger cartridge/caliber, I'll have more Warner inserts done for it. Warner doesn't make inserts for less than 6mm otherwise I would have had more inserts already which is a huge gripe of mine with Warner. The Prazi takes all the other regular dies with the adapter installed. I haven't tried the Triebel dies.
     
    BurnOut said:
    That is truly my only complaint regarding the CoAx... that Hornady seating dies when fitted with the micrometer adjuster are too tall to fit under the handle. That said, I split the blame for this between Forster and Hornady; Forster for the handle that isn't tall enough to clear the die, and Hornady for not making a micrometer adjuster that's more compact (Forster, Redding, Whidden, etc... all have designs that work in the CoAx).
    Click to expand...

    Just curious... how old is/was your Co-Ax?

    I seem to recall a number of years ago there was a problem like this when micrometer seating dies became more popular. I thought they came out with a 'new' version (B2, maybe?) with a taller yoke for just that reason. I was under the impression that it was possible to 'upgrade' existing presses as well...
     
    milanuk said:
    Just curious... how old is/was your Co-Ax?

    I seem to recall a number of years ago there was a problem like this when micrometer seating dies became more popular. I thought they came out with a 'new' version (B2, maybe?) with a taller yoke for just that reason. I was under the impression that it was possible to 'upgrade' existing presses as well...
    Click to expand...
    If I had to guess, I'd say that it's maybe 5-6 years old. I'll have to look into what you're describing... it'd be nice to be able to use the mic seater on the Hornady dies.
     
    Ditto. A taller yoke on the older Co-Ax's should solve the issue. My old B-2 (Bonanza) model I recently upgraded to a new yoke to solve this issue (fit like a glove; a testament to their ability to maintain spec tolerances over the years).
     
    Last edited:
    I never knew there was an upgrade, I'll have to investigate that.
     
    I think it was something like a $69 part. I just called them up, after looking at the pdf parts diagram. The staff was on the ball, and knew what I was talking about. No fuss, no muss, and I had the part in a few days.
     
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    IIRC the problem specifically was with dies like the Redding Competition seater in .300WM. I know I've used mine with .338LM with no issues - besides having to angle the case+bullet up into the die.
     
    That might be an issue, but I know the B-2/Bonanza model wouldn't take even the 6.5CM or .223 Hornady micrometer dies.

    I have a new one, but the B-2 was given to me by a buddy of an older gentleman that was moving into an assisted living home. :( It is interesting, seeing the differences (mostly a reduction of threading and additional hole drillings, like the older one has two guide rods under the shell plate, versus the single one on the newer model).
     
    MarinePMI said:
    That might be an issue, but I know the B-2/Bonanza model wouldn't take even the 6.5CM or .223 Hornady micrometer dies.

    I have a new one, but the B-2 was given to me by a buddy of an older gentleman that was moving into an assisted living home. :( It is interesting, seeing the differences (mostly a reduction of threading and additional hole drillings, like the older one has two guide rods under the shell plate, versus the single one on the newer model).
    Click to expand...
    I just looked it up. I like the new taller yoke. I fucking hate the single guide rod. I'm glad I already have mine. At the time I bought it, I thought $160 was expensive!
     
    What single guide rod are you guys talking about? You mean the pointed 'spreader' that separates the shell holder plates when the ram is lowered?
     
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    redneckbmxer24 said:
    The Co-ax sucks for depriming, that was literally my only complaint about it. Yes it has a nice primer catcher but it’s so damn slow. Before I got talked into giving the Dillons another go by a couple guys here I was doing all my loading on a Co-ax but I kept my Redding T7 that had the in-line farbication ejector on it solely for the purpose of depriming. It was soooooo fast compared to the Co-ax or any single stage press I’ve used. Open front design with the ejector is awesome.

    With that said, my Dillon 650 is even faster for depriming because all I do is pull the handle.
    Click to expand...


    You're welcome.
     
    I'm not following... those are both the new style press, aren't they? Given that its a stock photo off of Forster's website for their current production model?
     
    Wow! I was referring to the dual "spreader" rods for the shell plate. I didn't realize they had a single carriage guide rod version out. I prefer the dual one myself.
     
    redneckbmxer24 said:
    The Co-ax sucks for depriming, that was literally my only complaint about it. Yes it has a nice primer catcher but it’s so damn slow. Before I got talked into giving the Dillons another go by a couple guys here I was doing all my loading on a Co-ax but I kept my Redding T7 that had the in-line farbication ejector on it solely for the purpose of depriming. It was soooooo fast compared to the Co-ax or any single stage press I’ve used. Open front design with the ejector is awesome.

    With that said, my Dillon 650 is even faster for depriming because all I do is pull the handle.
    Click to expand...

    I don't have a 650, but a 550. I never really used the Co-Ax as a decapper-only step... if I was doing that sort of thing, I used something like this:

    Harvey Depriming tool

    That said, my Co-Ax gets relatively little use these days, as I've moved most of my loading over to the 550. Now that thing *is* a filthy beast when it comes to decapping... but it's so much faster that I just live with it until such time as I convince myself to change over to a 650...
     
    MarinePMI said:
    Wow! I was referring to the dual "spreader" rods for the guide plate. I didn't realize they had a single carriage guide rod version out. I prefer the dual one myself.
    Click to expand...

    They don't. It's just 90% hidden behind the die, cartridge and primer discharge tube in the image on the right.
     
    Phew!!! Now that you pointed it out, I see what you mean. I was sitting here going "Now why in the hell did they go and do that? There was nothing wrong with the old design!".
     
    I run Hornady Microdial stems on my 6.5CM dies in Forster and it clears just fine. But you do need to adjust die down to just touch shellholder plate; then you should have plenty of room for 2.3-2.5" cartridges. Can't speak for any of the long action flavors though.

    I also agree that would have been nice for shorter dial assembly but since they make it "universal" it's a cheap workaround to having to mfg 2-3 sizes for different cartidge heights.

    And the Forster deprime/capture system is simply a think of beauty! Pull, "clink", primer in sealed bottle! Zero mess.
     
    I just use one of these to deprime. I thought they were gimmick'y the first time I saw them, but a buddy had me use his, and I immediately went out and bought one. If it's stupid, but it works...it ain't stupid. Now I just sit and watch TV and deprime the brass as soon as I return from the range.
    1544025409956.jpeg
     
    I'll probably get laughed out of here, but I have my press set up to do autopriming, primer colllection on deprime/resize, autoeject on operation. I think I have about $80 and maybe 6-8 hours in it.

    Let me know if the video link doesn't work.

    I thought it might give someone some ideas.

    I like to tinker/craft/hack, so I'm one of those guys. I know there are the other type of person out there too, the type that just wants it to work on day 1. No problem with that. I'm just cheap and love chasing a solution to a mechanical problem. It's in my nature.
     

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    With the Hornady single stage press if you place the priming tool into the ram it will guide the knocked out primer into a black primer catching tray that Hornady makes. Works great.
     
    I have a Redding Boss 2 and the de priming system is choice. Into a tube into a trash can. I don't know if it will handle a 338NM thou.
     
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