Impressed with FreeChex

[Mykos]

I just thought I'd throw out a positive review for Charlie because I'm very impressed with his product and service. I ordered a .30 caliber FC III on Sunday evening and he had it in the mail Monday morning. It arrived on Friday to me in Canada, which is pretty amazing.

Included was a sample of aluminum sheeting and a sample of gas checks made with the tool. The tool itself is great and has worked flawlessly in the little I've tried it. I'm going to machine up an adapter to make it work in my loading press, but it does work fine in a drill press so far.

Anyway, just thought I'd let everyone know that Charlie is great to deal with and anybody looking to make their own gas checks would be pleased with the FC III.

[arjacobson]

It is a great design isn't it?? I have never met the man but have made a few dies patterned off his design. It doesn't have the ability to change material sizes too easy but who cares? If it works on the bullet you are using that is good enough. When everything is running right you can really crank out the checks too..

[Sagebrush7]

Charlie makes great tools! I change the mandrels and material thickness myself and make different size checks to fit the many boolits shanks. Just a note the dies are harden in a furnance and will shatter if you drop them on concrete floor. You will get pieces of carbon that will sometimes give you jams. Blow them out with an air hose.

[edsmith]

charlie is going to start making the freechex III with a removable forming mandrel.his dies are first rate.

[yonky]

I to must agree the freechex 111 is a first class piece of tooling,professionly engineered,
To give flawless gc,but you must stick to the thickness stated otherwise you will jam the tool.
I had a 30 cal tool ordered and delivered in two weeks to the uk,top class bloke .

[Pigslayer]

I have bought checks from sagebrush7 on several occasions and they work well. I know sagebrush7 uses Charlie's equipment and sagebrush moves a lot of checks.
I had some money put away for checkmaking equipment but I went to a gun show last week. Need I say more? I spoke to Charlie several weeks ago & asked about a .45 caliber FreechexIII. He noted that it wouldn't be a problem & that he could get it right out. Now . . . to save some more money . . .

[Pigslayer]

Charlie makes great tools! I change the mandrels and material thickness myself and make different size checks to fit the many boolits shanks. Just a note the dies are harden in a furnance and will shatter if you drop them on concrete floor. You will get pieces of carbon that will sometimes give you jams. Blow them out with an air hose.

Could the mandrels be annealed so that they didn't shatter & still maintain integrity?

[Mykos]

I'm sure they could, but then they'd wear out and dull faster. I just don't use mine over a concrete floor and try not to drop it

It's no different than using carbide tooling, just be careful with it and treat it like it's glass.

I'm storing my FreeChex in one of the plastic two part drill bit boxes since I have lots of them.

[skeet1]

I am also impressed with Charlies product and service. I had mine in three days from CA, very quick service. Since I have had the tool I have made about 1000 30 cal. checks, it works great. I'm very satisfied with the FreeChex III.

Ken

[pistolman44]

If only he would start to make a tool to make Plain Base gas checks. That would be great since he has a quick turn around time.

[edsmith]

the forming mandrel does not need to be hardened, I make mine out of brass.

[TJF1]

Do you have a link to charlie?
Terry

[Mykos]

http://www.freechex.net/

[Sonnypie]

I am no more likely to drop a FreeChex III than I am to drop my guns.
It just doesn't happen.

I have met Charlie and he is a really nice top rate guy!
Lots of fun, laughs, and intelligence.

You can't go wrong with his tooling.

[Mykos]

Managed to fit in a couple of hours in the shop today and came up with an adapter that works. Just thought I'd post some photos in case anyone else is looking for inspiration. I know I usually am.





I just position it so the chute dumps the formed gas checks into the spent primer catcher on the Lee press. I can then put a bucket underneath and start to horde gas checks like they treasure

[JeffinNZ]

Nice work but I still prefer an arbor press. I really don't feel comfortable with the way a reloading press goes "clunk" and the load it is subject to.

[Sonnypie]

Nice work but I still prefer an arbor press. I really don't feel comfortable with the way a reloading press goes "clunk" and the load it is subject to.

I agree, Jeff.
The shock loading of the sudden pressure release when the metal shears has got to be akin to a hammer blow to the pins, ram, and frame of any press.
Although, I did try it as well, based on one of your old posts, with my Herter's Model #3 C-press.
None of the reloading presses, in my opinion, were ever designed nor intended for such shock loading.

[Pigslayer]

Sort of like putting a concrete breaker on a backhoe . . . very hard on wrist pins.

[arjacobson]

I too like an arbor press. You can find a 1/2 ton elcheapo arbor press for $30 or less. Even with shipping you are looking at under $50. You can also run your material as wide as you want to. You just dont have much room on a reloading press.

[Mykos]

While a dedicated arbor press would be great for making checks, that's not really an option right now. My reloading gear lives in a rubbermaid tub and gets bolted to the kitchen counter when my daughter is asleep and my wife is out for the evening. I live in a 100 year old farmhouse with 5 rooms, the kitchen, living room, our room, daughters room and the bathroom. No place for a dedicated reloading bench.

I have to keep things compact and this allows me to do one more thing with the gear I already have. It would be great to have another press just set up for bullet sizing too... and a turret press... and a case tumbler... and you get the picture.