First Press

[EHCRain10]

I just got home with an RCBS Partner Press kit to begin reloading with. As I am in a small living place, I have no choice but to mount it to a block of wood for now. What would be the size wood that I should use for the best results? Right now I am thinking 5/16in bolts through a 2x6 and clamping to my kitchen table when being used.

Also are shell holders universal for press mounting? I know that there are certain sizes for different cartridges but can I use a lee shell holder in my RCBS press?

I will be starting with 223Rem and will expand from there, as soon as I can find primers locally that is.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Seedtick]

Congrats On Your New Press! Enjoy.....

Hey EHCRain10,

Yes, a short piece of 2 x 6 will work fine and your Lee shell holders will fit your new RCBS press.

Oh, and Welcome to the Obsession.


ST

 

[twofifty]

Yes.

RCBS and Lee shellholders are compatible with each other's press rams. The shellholder numbers, however, are not the same but you can find correspondance charts in some reloading manuals.

When buying a Lee shellholder, remember that Lee makes a special shellholder made for their Lee "Auto-Prime" handprimer. This shellholder is much thinner, it does not have a lower flange, and can not be fitted to a press ram.

Have fun.

 

[lgbloader]

Congrats, on the Partner, Mate.

Yes, a short piece of 2 x 6 will work fine and your Lee shell holders will fit your new RCBS press.

Oh, and Welcome to the Obsession.

Yup.

LGB

 

[hydraulicman]

my lee 9mm shell holder will not work in my rcbs hand prime tool. I had to get an RCBS 9mm shell holder. The lee will allow me to prime on the press with the priming arm.

I load on a rockchucker suprime

 

[qajaq59]

The 2 x 6 will work just fine. Remember to pad the bottom of it though, so it wont mar the table. They sell thin rubber padding for kitchen drawers that works well. Or an old towel will suffice if you can't find the padding.

 

[Walkalong]

I started on a Partner press kit. I still have it. Great little press. Perfect for pistol and small rifle. It will do .223 easily. It will do large rifle, but it is at its limits there. For someone loading a lot of larger rifle calibers, it is worth it to get a bigger press such as the Rockchucker.

Yes, shell holders are pretty much universal. Lee does make some for the priming tool that are different, but it is obvious.

my lee 9mm shell holder will not work in my rcbs hand prime tool.

Good point. Forgot about that. Some shell holders will not work in the RCBS hand primer without modifying the bottom hole. I have several Lee shell holders, and most worked without modifying though.

 

[Mxracer239y]

My understanding is that any shell holder made after 2006 (?) should work for both. If it was pre-06, you may run into the problem above with the priming tools.

(running off of memory. probably not quote-able on the year, but you get the idea)

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

congrats on your move into as said 'an obsession. might keep your eyes open for another press at yard sale and such for when you build a bench, 2 in tandem really speeds things up, get a spare set of shellholders also.

 

[EHCRain10]

Thanks for the quick responses, I will be going to the hardware store today. I will be priming with an RCBS universal hand priming tool that I got for my lee classic loader so that is all covered. What do you think of a C press for decapping only? I think that I can make room for a bench or at least modify my desk to hold the press.

 

[ranger335v]

A "C" press used to be good for everything. Fact is, they still are!

 

[twofifty]

A dedicated C press for decapping is a good idea: keeps the abrasive primer grit away from your other press.

Wiping your press ram, then a quick lube, is a good thing every now and then.

 

[X-Rap]

I would use a 2x6 that will reach to the other side of your table, when clamped on both sides it will be more stable with both the up and down stroke. You might rip a piece of plywood or OSB and glue/screw it to the bottom of the 2x6 to resist any chance of spliting.
Measure trim and lube your cases and enjoy. (those were my biggest problems when I started)

 

[rfwobbly]

ECH -
Congrats and welcome to the fraternity !!

I used a squarish chunk of 3/4" plywood, about 12x14 or so. That sounds big, but if the press is located at the off-hand corner of your table, it allows you to easily clamp in 3 places. So the larger area allows the press to dissipate its load over a larger area into your table top. This means you'll be much less likely to damage your SO's table. The nice thing is, I regularly see scraps that size in the scrap bin at Home Depot for free.

Locating the press over the table leg will give you you best results, too. And with a large piece like that you can co-locate your powder dispenser on the same sheet.

Hope this helps!

 

[EHCRain10]

Luckily the SO doesnt live with me so its all good about the table. I will be using an old towel to put under the board anyways. Maybe use the end of the 2x6 and clamps on the opposite side of the table.