Press of Choice

[luv2safari]

I'm still getting by with my RCBS Jr I got in the 1960's. I always wanted a Rock Chucker, but I never ponied up for one; my Jr worked well. In 1969 I almost made the Big Jump. I started loading 300 Wby.

I still load the Wby and loaded for 416 Rigby and 375 Wby, still on the old Jr Press. Someday I'll send off the lower stage with the bicycle handlebar grip and have RCBS send me back a handle with the ball. No sense in rushing into these things.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I prefer RCBS, but that's probably just because I started on one. My brother and I went in halves on an RCBS Rockchucker Supreme kit back in the day.
The shop got broken into and all our reloading gear was stolen a few years back and we had to shop for new stuff.
Rather than buy new again, we went to gunshows and got a couple of used presses. Now we use an RCBS Reloader Special and a Lee press.
I think they all work equally well. As long as the press bottoms out consistently, it will make precision ammunition. But RCBS presses just last forever. There's no telling how old our Reloader Special is and it still feels new.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I use a combination of things: Lee Hand Press, RCBS Partner, Lee Loaders in various caliber, and a Lee APP for decapping and sizing.
I started out with a Lyman Spartan C-type press and really liked it but wanted something lighter.

 

[.38 Special]

I've used a lot of presses and sold/traded/gave away most of them. I've encountered very few "bad" ones, and those were all progressives. I'm not sure that there is such a thing as a "bad" single stage. I'm still using a decades-old RCBS "Partner", which despite being tiny, actually does work for things like .500 Magnums and .416 Rigby. Mostly now, when I'm not using a Dillon progressive, I use a big Lee which handles pretty much everything, including brass 12 gauge rounds and the occasional .50 BMG.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Dillion SDB, Lee APP, Lee Pro 400, Lymen 8, and the Green Machine Rock Chunker!

Still like to hand prime with Green! Measure on a balance!

Every thing I have is North Korean EMT Proof! Becuse Seattle is close to NK! might actually be a good thing, as long as I’m not here

 

[BreechFace]

For my single stage reloading I prefer a Redding T7.
I still have a RCBS Jr Press on a portable stand that I use periodically for random things.
For progressive a Dillon XL750.

Presses I've had in the past have been Redding Big Boss II and a Hornady LNL.

 

[horsemen61]

I’m using an Old RCBS Rock Chucked that belongs to the wife’s grandfather

 

[mm93]

I used the same RCBS Rock Chucker I bought in 1978 until a year ago. It was still working perfectly, but I purchased an old Sharps 1874 rifle and it is chambered in .50-140 Win. cartridge. The big 3.25" long case was too tall and I couldn't load any ammo for the Sharps. I ended up replacing the press with a brand new RCBS Supreme press, and gave my old RCBS to my son in law so he could start loading too.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I used the same RCBS Rock Chucker I bought in 1978 until a year ago. It was still working perfectly, but I purchased an old Sharps 1874 rifle and it is chambered in .50-140 Win. cartridge. The big 3.25" long case was too tall and I couldn't load any ammo for the Sharps. I ended up replacing the press with a brand new RCBS Supreme press, and gave my old RCBS to my son in law so he could start loading too.

that’s LONG!

 

[gwpercle]

I have a couple favorites ... Bench Mounted :
Pacific Super Deluxe is my main heavy duty press , it has a good compound linkage and I have it set to size on the up-stroke so I can get my weight behind it for those "tough" re-sizing jobs that full sized rifle cases need now and again .

A nifty Eagle Cobra 300 is used for smaller things ... compound linkage helps with leverage ...
great for re-forming brass cases ... no flex with this bad boy .

I picked up an orphaned , rusty , abandoned Lyman All American Turret Press at a yard sale ...
it was crying out to me to save it ... I felt sorry for him, brought him home , cleaned and lubed and set him up as a dedicated 357 Magnum Reloading press .

Surprisingly ... what gets a lot of use and what turned out to be so handy to have and use that I bought two of them ... Lee Hand Presses ... Reloads just about all my handgun ammo and 30-30 rifle ... and set up with the Ram-Prime Unit... is one of the best hand priming tools you could want !
Even can use it to size bullets with and flare case mouth's ... They are really Handy !

Gary

 

[luv2safari]

I use a combination of things: Lee Hand Press, RCBS Partner, Lee Loaders in various caliber, and a Lee APP for decapping and sizing.
I started out with a Lyman Spartan C-type press and really liked it but wanted something lighter.

I still use a Lee hand nutcracker sometimes if I'm sitting in the LR, watching TV and sizing/depriming smaller brass like 222 or 22-250. I also seat bullets with it and rotate 180 degrees for a second squeeze.

Those older Lyman C-types loaded a Lot of ammo among my young and poor-like-me friends. I wish I had one.

 

[Reloadron]

RCBS Rockchucker is where my best reloads and accurate ammunition come from. I seldom if ever use any of my progressive presses. Retired now so time I have.

Ron

 

[entropy]

Still load on the MEC 600 jr. I started on at 9, and the RCBS Jr3 I started metallic on at 14.

 

[MikeInOr]

My RCBS JR ended up in the trash when the pressed in handle fell off. Sorry, I wasn't impressed with it.

I went for a couple decades with only a progressive press. I decided to add a Lee classic cast press when a used Rockchucker came along for too cheap to pass up. There are some operations that the single stage is nice for. I thought I would use the single stage for low volume loading of not very often shot cartridges like 8 x 57 Mauser. Some how I always justify setting up a head for my Dillon since it is much safer to load on the press I have been using for 3+ decades rather than futz my way through single stage loading which I have done very little of.

 

[Soonerpesek]

I still use a Lee hand nutcracker

I haven't heard of that official name before........

 

[luv2safari]

I haven't heard of that official name before........

Never hold it in your lap if you need to squeeze real hard to size brass!

 

[MarshallDodge]

If I could only have one, it would be the Dillon 550B. I do like loading precision rifle ammo on the Forster Coax.

 

[mm93]

that’s LONG!

Yep. This is the .50-140 above what I used to think was a big cartridge; my .45-70 530 gr. load.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Yep. This is the .50-140 above what I used to think was a big cartridge; my .45-70 530 gr. load.

GOOD GREIF! Can I shoot as I’m still young enough to not break my back

 

[mm93]

GOOD GREIF! Can I shoot as I’m still young enough to not break my back

The original load is 140 grains of 1fg powder and a 678 grain bullet. I got some reloads with the rifle, but they scared me just thinking about shooting them, even in the 15 lb. Freund Bros. Sharps! So my loads are much milder and easy to shoot. I'm loading a 500 grain bullet with 120 grains of Swiss 1.5fg and in this heavy rifle they're less felt recoil than my .45-70 loads.

 

[splattergun]

My Lee Classic Turret and Breech Lock Challenger meet all my centerfire reloading needs.

 

[AJC1]

If I was loading a cannon like the 416 I'd check out the redding big boss.

 

[DukeConnor]

I have a couple progressives but since I retired I mainly use a rockchucker

 

[GW Staar]

I used the same RCBS Rock Chucker I bought in 1978 until a year ago. It was still working perfectly, but I purchased an old Sharps 1874 rifle and it is chambered in .50-140 Win. cartridge. The big 3.25" long case was too tall and I couldn't load any ammo for the Sharps. I ended up replacing the press with a brand new RCBS Supreme press, and gave my old RCBS to my son in law so he could start loading too.

I'm tempted, but my old Rock Chucker II is really the only "D" press I'll ever need......What with that, plus a Pro 2000 progressive, a Summit Press, a Pro Chucker 7, a Lee APP, and a Lee Pro 6000 "six pack," I'm "pressed" to the hilt already. I love that big ole new RCBS beast...tough as hell it is, and has the widest mouth of any RCBS single, but I need it like a hole in the head......okay.......maybe I already have that hole in the head.....6 presses, and 5 bullet/case electric collators is already the proof my wife might need to have me committed to the funny farm. Good thing she likes me still....

 

[74man]

I use a Rock Chucker II that I bought for $50.00 at a garage sale. Probably have 3 K invested in all my accessories but you cannot beat their customer service.