Info needed on C-H Auto Champion MK 5 press

[LEADLUBBER]

I have a line on a good condition, used CH Auto Champion MK 5 progressive press.


I am looking for info on this press and I can't seem to find pics anywhere or more info about it's shortfalls and positives.

Is this the model with the huge ram diameter for possible swaging use also?


Does anyone have a good idea of what a good used one would be worth?



Thanks!

[STAR4ever]

Hi:
I have 3 CH4D Auto Champion MK 5A inline progressive presses.
These were and are a marvel of engineering in the progressive world of presses.
The short throw limits their use to PISTOL calibers however. So Tall cases beyond the
.44 Magnum are out of the question.
Its use as a swaging press in NOT applicable as its intended use was as a high speed
pistol reloading press with the use of standard dies.

A good one, with all the rimmed and semi rimmed rails, and all the powder charge die inserts,
with both large and small primer plunger dies and feeders is probably in the neighborhood of
about $450 to $500 with one set of dies. Cases walk from left to right in a row, FL sized, Expanded and primed, filled with powder, seated and then taper crimped. CH4D still makes dies for the AutoCHAMP especially the thru hole expander and powder charger.

I have reloaded. 45ACP, 38 Special, 44 Magnum, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W and 9mm on my Autochamps. These machines are capable of producing one hole bullseye ammo as tested from
my Ransom rest at 25 yards in a worthy pistol.

I do have a set of instructions for the 5A which had many improvements over the 5.

If I get around to it, I may be able to scan them on the scanner and make a PDF, but this weekend I am quite busy.

[LEADLUBBER]

Thank you for that wonderful amount of info!!


I am trying to get one with a combination of many other items, but I have to make sure it is all worthwhile first before I step off into it.

It is currently setup with dies for a .45acp and the gentleman who owned it apparently loaded on it the day before he died of a heart attack.

His son said there are hundreds of extra parts and pieces and die sets everywhere.....


It would come with a LOT of other huge commercial reloading equipment, so I have to make sure I can get some things out of this that I can use if I can't use it all.....

[STAR4ever]

BTW, the CH4D Auto Champion 5 and 5A are kind of like the RCBS Green Machine in concept. However, I feel the CH4D was a more exact press. It does take some getting used to but once you have it down it is quite fun to operate.

Good luck with your purchase.

[John J]

found this pic on the net


hopes it helps

John J

[Roundnoser]

I have an Auto Champ IV. Before I purchased it, I spoke with Dave (owner of CH4D), and picked his brains about the press. In a nutshell, he said all the Autochamps were good machines, however if you had a choice between the 5 or 5A (as Star4Ever indicated), the 5A had the improvements.

PS: It does take some getting used to, but once you get the feel for it, its alot of fun to load on it...and it makes ammo pretty fast! No doubt, it was ahead of its time and very well built.

[stubshaft]

I had a CH4D for my 357 and it was the best thing since sliced bread. Except when a primer got jammed in it.

[MtGun44]

I never used one, but had 3-4 friends that loaded on them for years before moving
to a Dillon 550. The only issues I know about it that the primer systems on the original
models could possibly set off a whole tube of primers. Users were very careful on the
primer feed system. Later models had the primer tube modified to only have a few
primers in the "active" feed system where they could go off, and the main supply topped
off the secondary stack each cycle. If you did manage to set of a primer, it could only
set off a few, not a whole tube full. Apparently, even a few is quite a bit of excitement.

Basically, it was a good but a bit fiddly system. I was told that it required a good cleaning
with a dedicated paintbrush every so often to avoid jamming the feed pawls.
I am very close to telling you more than I know - maybe even past it. But this is from
many years of casually discussing reloading with fellow IPSC shooters that are using
many thousands of rounds per year.

Bill

[casterofboolits]

I have two of the Auto Champ Mk 5A's. The powder charging system is a bear as the bushings are hard to change and there is no way to shut off the powder. I and several friends purchased the machines back in the mid 80's. We made Powder charge bars from Delrin and this helped to smooth them out a bit. I was loading 15 to 25 thousand 45 ACP rounds a year for IPSC.

A problem to consider is that CH no longer makes spare parts for them. I'm down to my last primer collet and when that goes, I'll probably buy a Dillon SDB in 45 ACP. They also get out of adjustment fairly easy you have to constantly tinker with them. You have to keep the transfer bar clean. A can of canned air for computers works great. One of my 5A's is useless as I do not have a primer collet for it.

I did see photo of a 5A modified to use a Dillon powder measure. I'm thinking of trying to fit the Dillon powder measure to my machine as I have a line on a new primer collet.

Unless the machine comes with a bunch of spare primer collets, I would advise you to buy a Dillon SDB.

[LEADLUBBER]

Yep, I finally got to see some pics of it, and it is rusted and has no spare parts.....

It looks like it is missing the priming system...


also, the guy wants WAY too much for it....

so, nevermind for now....

thanks to all for the help!

[STAR4ever]

The major difference between the MK5A and the older 5 is the fact that the MK5A has the primer magazine attached to the upper press head. As the press moves up a primer is dropped into a small (4 or 5) secondary reservoir of primers... this design separates the stack of primers in the large magazine from the area that does the insertion. Supposedly safer. I for one, having run these presses for many years never did have any primer issues other than some few jams or failure to feeds. But that is not all too uncommon.

Lastly, the MK5A has a powder shut off slide that allows you to stop the drop of powder when tuning or adjusting. You can use small O rings to adjust the primer collet to drop correctly.

[cassie3221]

I am looking for bevel edge rails that will allow me to reload 9mm?? any ideas ?

[matsu]

I have one sitting in its original box next to my bench on the bench is my Dillion

[Kevin Rohrer]

Casterofboolirs:

I am considering getting a 5a (when I can find one; want to sell your non-functional one?) in 45ACP when I can locate one as I am not entirely happy w/ my 550b.

Could you explain what the primer collet does, what it looks and is made of, and how hard it would be to duplicate?

[Dale53]

I had a Mark IV CH press for several years and many thousands of rounds loaded. I was timed one time and loaded 1000 rounds of .44 ACP Match Quality reloads in just under an hour.

However, the primer system could explode (the whole stack was in line if a primer set off). I never had a problem, but a good friend had one go off - the primer tube went up through the floor in the kitchen (his loading room was in the basement). Fortunately, his wife was in another room and no one got hurt.

The Mark V had a dangerous primer system. I was competing at the Soldier of Fortune match in Columbia Missouri. I was really enthused about my Mark IV. I had no knowledge that CH had changed the design of the machine and the Mark V was out. An Assistant State Prosecutor (another competitor) bought a Mark V after talking with me. The first time he used it, the primer system blew up and he suffered serious damage to a hand. BAD JUJU! The resulting law suit destroyed the CH company.

Personally, I would again use the Mark IV but would NOT be interested in the Mark V. Just my opinion, but-t-t...

I sold mine and bought a Dillon as the Dillon could load both rifle and pistol. The Dillon 550B is a 500 round per hour machine while the CH is a 1000 round per hour but is limited to pistol only, as has been stated above. With parts no longer available, I would pass on the CH. As others have stated, it takes a mechanic to keep a CH running properly.

Dale53