Question for single-stage afficianados

ATLDave said:

But.... don't most presses affix to the side/end of a bench with the ram dangling over the side?

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The rams aren't tubes like the better models. On the Lee there is a chute out the side of the ram. You have to enlarge the catching zone to contain most of the flying primers.

I load everything I shoot on two single stage presses. A rock chucker and an orange crusher. I have duplicate sets of dies for several different calibers. One 357 set for my preferred magnum loads on one press and the other set for my preferred 38 special load on the other press,etc. I prime every case I shoot with hand priming units. One for large primers and one for small primers. I like to feel each primer seat. More uniformity in my opinion.

Bottom line
You can have my single stage rock chunker
after you pry my cold dead fingers from it.

Demi-human said:

I too, dislike depriming on my Hornady. Why they didn't bore a hole through the thing I don't know. .

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I'd guess that the reason for not drilling a primer discharge through the length of the ram is due to cost of manufacture and expedience of design. In my experience, most of those presses are older "designs" or lower cost models.

Many of the rams are a smaller diameter, about the diameter of the shell holder, and the linkage bolts for the lever are through bolts. This could compromise the strength of the ram and the through bolts prevent a passage for the primer through the length of the ram.

As some companies have released new models, they have added through the ram primer discharge systems. My Redding Big Boss press discharges the primers above the mounting base while the Big Boss II discharges through the ram.

It sure would be nice if the spent primer discharges on all the presses controlled the spent primer better. I've spent years sweeping up spent primers scattered about the floor. Folks have come up with all sorts of solutions to help capture the spent primers but their effectiveness is variable.

Get a Forster CoAx press and your primer problems will be solved ... And you'll gain one of the better presses made ... in my opinion the best ....

Specialty primer catchers are being made by some people using 3 d printers. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...atcher.TRS0&_nkw=rcbs+primer+catcher&_sacat=0

Thought it was all about what "color" the press was painted?

If there was a Blue one, would there be a need for any others?

Like said, it's the different features and how they handle spent primers that attracts buyers. Some are known to keep the bullet and case more in line like that Co-Ax and new RCBS presses and some are extremely strong like the Rockchucker and Lee Classic. You will need to research a the bullet points to see which will serve your needs best.

Some are known to keep the bullet and case more in line like that Co-Ax ...

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By letting the die and case go where they want to.

As many of the above posts attest...these things last forever. The bulk of the new single stage presses go to new reloaders. Now maybe 75% of them end up in a garage sale a decade later, but it's still the new reloaders that buy the bulk of them.

As such, like any other product, they keep changing designs trying to capture more market share than what they have now. New stuff keeps the writers writing about you and the youtubers posting banal videos. Keeps you looking "modern". Just marketing really. None of them actually do much of anything better than the ones from 50 years ago.

Of course once you buy a company's press you tend to buy other stuff from them.

walnut1704 said:

As many of the above posts attest...these things last forever. The bulk of the new single stage presses go to new reloaders. Now maybe 75% of them end up in a garage sale a decade later, but it's still the new reloaders that buy the bulk of them.

As such, like any other product, they keep changing designs trying to capture more market share than what they have now. New stuff keeps the writers writing about you and the youtubers posting banal videos. Keeps you looking "modern". Just marketing really. None of them actually do much of anything better than the ones from 50 years ago.

Of course once you buy a company's press you tend to buy other stuff from them.

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I disagree with this.

There are significant differences in the various presses.
And there have been significant improvements over the last 50 years.

My Redding press drops spent primers through the ram into a tube.
Look at the Forrester Co-Ax press and study the features it offers and you will see that it is not only significantly different than the presses of 50 years ago, but it is also a marked improvement.

ATLDave said:

...why there are so many different kinds since they're just supposed to carry you over the roads but... what's the difference(s) with these things?

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It's simple really. There's the Forster Co-Ax, and because of the competitiveness of human nature there are numerous other single-stage pressed being designed and made in attempt to be as good (though inevitably falling short).

Single Stage. Better control of every step of the reloading process. Accuracy. Much slower of course. Progressive is better if you like to go to the range and blast off 500 rounds in half an hour or less.

Rule3 said:

Thought it was all about what "color" the press was painted?

If there was a Blue one, would there be a need for any others?

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Absolutely! But you mean Red.

Rule3 said:

Thought it was all about what "color" the press was painted?

If there was a Blue one, would there be a need for any others?

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I dunno. I never liked that shade of blue.

azhohn, you mentioned 3D printed Primer catchers. a member of this forum, and a Great Guy, "TheGerman" makes them as well as other items. If you are interested, it is worth checking out. I have his primer catcher (Works Great), and also I have a couple of his Shell Holders, I Love them as well.

MY $0.02
Dan

ATLDave said:

The Forster Co-Ax seems very interesting. I enjoy the ingenuity of the way it is engineered and works. Does it actually improve concentricity or other measurable outcomes?

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I don't shoot well enough to justify measuring concentricity so I can't speak to that. Theoretically it should since the die is essentially free-floating. The universal case holder is a huge deal for me. Put a case in and as you resize/seat they clamp the case- no matter which case (with a few exceptions of course). I'm a Southpaw and the way it's ram and handle are in the centerline is also a huge deal for me. I reload a lot of different cartridges with a lot of different jacketed and cast bullets- I'm always tinkering with loads. Being able to switch out the dies in seconds and not have to adjust the settings is a huge deal. Last week I went from a 38 Spl project to load up a batch of 308 Win for a M1A and the switch out took mere seconds (granted, I already had my 308 dies set up).

Hornady bought the Pacific tool and die company, lock-stock-and barrel, (back in the 80's IIRC). Little was done in the form of improvements , they did eliminate the chrome plating on the outside of the dies. They continued to make the 366 progressive shotshell loader, but it was 50's technology. No shell sensor, so if a shell is NOT present it will dump shot or powder on the shell plate. Often a half hour to clean it up, often the shell plate has to come off to get all the shot out from underneath it. How do I know, I have one, it makes good ammo, is fast, but VERY unforgiving it your mind isn't on the job.

I'm gonna get flamed, but I think the new Lee classic cast single stage is the best SS press for the money. With the Lee safety prime set up, you can load without having to mess with handling primers. The spent primers go down the middle of the ram to be collected in a plastic tube with a cap on it. OR you could direct the tube into a can or soda bottle. Of course primers are all brass, so you should include them in with the scrap brass to take to the scrap yard for $$$$. I also have a Bonanza, (now from Forester), Co-ax that is maybe 40 years old. I retired it recently because I needed the space on my bench for the Lee classic turret and classic cast SS, both with the Lee bench plate set-up. Loosen four screws slide one press out, slide the other in, tighten the screws, you're in business.

Demi-human said:

Absolutely! But you mean Red.

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But? Which Red???

Fire Engine Red! Mine is a Hornady, but if it was Rockcrusher Green I would have painted it Red. The ceiling, walls and floor to my ammunitions laboratory are White and the bench top is the Blue in my avatar. It just seems fitting that the press should be Red. Let freedom ring!

Coincidentally, freedom sounds like plate steel from six hundred yards away.

I have a RockChucker Supreme single stage.

I do 50 cases at a time, start to finish.
I change the die when I get up to the next step and then do my 50, then repeat.
How much time am I really wasting?

Single Stage , retired, don't care if it takes more time. I know I have high quality reloads.

AMEN, Jack B. AMEN...

444 said:

I disagree with this.

There are significant differences in the various presses.
And there have been significant improvements over the last 50 years.

My Redding press drops spent primers through the ram into a tube.
Look at the Forrester Co-Ax press and study the features it offers and you will see that it is not only significantly different than the presses of 50 years ago, but it is also a marked improvement.

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I don't consider dropping the primers through the ram tube an earth-shattering innovation. It doesn't produce better ammo. Makes things a little neater, yes. This is a marginal improvement to me.

The Co-Ax has been around forever but is today's model really all that different from the Bonanza B1? Yes, the Co-Ax has some unique features and is a favorite of the bench-rest crowd but 95% of new reloaders will never see any benefit from a Co-Ax.