Good single stage press

[UKWildcatFan]

I love my Rockchucker Supreme. I love doing a few operations: deprime/resize and then hand-held priming tool, then I'll go back upstairs and hit the next few operations a night or two later. I love reloading and look at it as a calming hobby. It really clears my mind.

 

[GLOOB]

I tried the Lee press mounted Auto Prime (what ever it was called) and it also did not ring my bell. It is the one that screwed onto the die threads at the top of the press.

I agree with this. On a Lee SS press, this thing just slows you down. Stopping at the top of the stroke to press this little doodad is horribly inefficient. When you include the time to fill it, it's slower, overall.

I very much like the old Lee Auto Prime and sad that they discontinued it. The Auto Prime XR just is not the same.

I had the Lee Auto Prime. I get better feel and leverage on the Breechlock. Instead of pressing the lever in with your body weight, try lowering the ball and squeezing the primer in with your fingers wrapped around the front of the frame. This gives the same feel as a hand primer with more leverage. When I hear the "better feel" argument, I have to wonder if people are doing it wrong, or their press is somehow substantially different than mine, or if they're just deluding themselves.

Ran them through the Rockchucker again, pulling hard. They still wouldn't seat all the way.

Sounds like a defective press, maybe? I can turn a primer into a perfectly disc shaped breath mint, 20+ mics below flush, if I try. I have, just to see what happens.

all i've got is a rockchucker and the priming system is slow on it. you won't catch me picking up every primer and loading them into that little cup one by one.

I dunno how well the Rockchucker priming arm is set up. But how "slow" is picking up and inserting each individual primer, compared to picking up, inserting, and removing each case from a hand primer for an entirely additional step? Esp when you can insert the primer by hand at the same time you're putting in the next case.

 

[highlander 5]

Nothing wrong with hand held priming tools I have to progressive presses but still use a single stage to load 10 - 20 test rounds and I use an RCBS hand primer. Had seceral Lee hand primer tools but the area where the shell holder fits in all ways cracked/broke off. Ended up geting the RCBS sane basic design but better built.

 

[snuffy]

Quote:
I tried the Lee press mounted Auto Prime (what ever it was called) and it also did not ring my bell. It is the one that screwed onto the die threads at the top of the press.
I agree with this. On a Lee SS press, this thing just slows you down. Stopping at the top of the stroke to press this little doodad is horribly inefficient. When you include the time to fill it, it's slower, overall.

Apples VS oranges, not the same tool. The lee safety prime is not the lee ram prime tool.

Safety prime;

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/548630/lee-safety-prime-small-and-large-primer-feeder-for-2006-later-reloading-press

Inserts primer into the primer arm on the top of the ram stroke, while the shell is still in the FL die. Primes on the bottom of the press stroke.

 

[kingmt]

cfullgraf

You may be dealing with crimped primer pockets.

I use the CH4D swage/prime tool when loading on my RCBS because the press system hurts my hands. When loading on my Pro 1000 I just prime with it. The only time I have a problem priming on the Pro 1000 is if I miss a crimped pocket.

 

[Hondo 60]

As far as single stage presses go, I like the Lee Challenger Breech Lock Press.

It has a bushing that the die screws into.
That way you can set the die & the next time you use it, you don't have to re-adjust anything.

Just give the die in the bushing a quarter turn & it's ready to go.

 

[cfullgraf]

cfullgraf

You may be dealing with crimped primer pockets.

Nope. But after 30 years of hand priming I can sure tell when I missed removing a crimp.

The press mounted priming systems have no feel for me. Too much leverage.

I prefer to resize and expand the mouth (handgun) then tumble. I can prime cases faster on a hand priming tool than fooling with the press system.

I am not saying my preference works for everyone, but it works for me.

 

[blarby]

Stop it snuffy, nobody cares about our cheap red tools that work well for us, nor their silly arms that hold a tray of primers perfectly.... and can be loaded without spill, I might add.

Nobody loves the single stage, its too slow, too cheap, too difficult to use...its a wonder they make and sell 'em.

We can't convince anyone otherwise.

Everyone loads 120k rounds a day, and mandates everyone else needs to as well. If you don't, you are just some poor pondunk bangin metal n' rocks together, praying usable rounds fall out of the process.

 

[Littlewolf]

Well, I reckon it does not hurt to mention an old out of production press, but I have seen the old RCBS JR press do a lot of single stage work through the years. While not as nice as the Rock Chucker, it still does a nice job. I also agree with others about the separate station for priming. I'm sure the progressive presses are nice but a single stage allows the reloader to be more meticulous should he choose to be. Just my 2 cents.

 

[2Bad4u]

The best single stage press is a Redding Big Boss II. The window is angled toward you. The lever is straight in line with the ram. The linkage is tight. It feels like the locking mechanism to a bank vault. Totally awesome press.

A great SS press.