Reloading Equipment that just didn't pan out

[flashhole]

I fell for the Free Bullets trap when buying New Dimension dies and bought several sets. I have since purged them from my bench. I think the Hornady concentricity Tool that "corrects" runout by bending the neck is headed in that direction too ... just wasn't a good idea, much less a good product.

I like the Lee 3-jaw Chuck. I use it regularly in my drill press w/o any problems.

[mdi]

OK fellers, if you mention Lee equipment, please be as specific as the other posts of tools are. Only one Lee item listed, (and a couple vague mentions), Zip Trim, and some typical Lee hater stuff...

BTW any one have pics of a Savage Straight 8? I googled "Savage Straight, Eight", several links, but no photos that show the entire press.

[JimA]

I'm not a big fan of some of the Hornady ND dies either. I've not had problems decapping with them but my .45 colt sizing die will allow a .452 boolit to slide into the case without flaring. I do like their seating dies and use them in several calibers.

[WallyM3]

"BTW any one have pics of a Savage Straight 8? I googled "Savage Straight, Eight", several links, but no photos that show the entire press."

[W.R.Buchanan]

I don't believe that I have ever bought any tool that simply didn't work. If I did buy something that didn't work I took it back and got my money back.

I have lots of equipment that I have evolved away from. Like I evolved away from using a Lee Loader to load my ammo when I started shooting .44's and had to load 100-200 rounds for an afternoons shooting.

I still have most everything I ever bought or got in trade.

One thing that I never liked was the RCBS Primer Pocket Swager. I have two for some reason. I personally think that tool sucks outright.. It's well made but the stripper simply puts too much stress on the press and you have to hit it hard to get it to release. It doesn't feel god to use.

I evolved to a countersink. I also have a Dillon but I got it in trade and have never used it.

One of the good things about reloading is that there is about 6 different ways to do just about every operation so you're not stuck doing it the same way,,, You can always find a way you like and move on.

I also have a few boolit moulds that don't run very well for me. Those will probably find new homes soon.

Everybody has their likes and dislikes.

Randy

[omgb]

Ditto the original RCBS primer pocket swager. I used one for decades and never really liked it. I bought the new one and it's almost as slick as the Dillon and less expensive. Still, a good reamer seems the fastest and best way to do it.

[omgb]

When I started the thread I had in mind failed innovations, stuff that just didn't catch on not stuff that just wasn't made well. What about those little plastic cups for shooting round balls in BP. I think they only came in .50 and seemed to work OK but I never see them anymore.

[Janoosh]

Hard Ball cups???? Don't see them anymore.
TC black powder sabots with the lube donut on the bottom..... my Hawken loved them.
Press mounted bullet pullers...I have a bunch that have no name.
A primer pocket cleaner that works like a yankee screwdriver...when you slip...you drill your finger.

[Skunk1]

Guy on my craigslist area has had a apex for sale for a year. He reposts it about 2 times a week for $200.

Re

Quite a few of Lee's stuff and an Apex Loader to name a couple.

Stuff that is borderline to me is the Lyman lubrisizer and now Lee hand press. I've had both of these for decades.

Take care

r1kk1

[Bullshop]

Did anyone mention O'Conner steel head cases?
These were brass cases that threaded onto a steel case head. The purpose was high pressure loading without streaching case heads and primer pockets.
How about Freedom Arms steel ring primer pocket inserts?
These were steel ring inserts to insert into large primer pockets to reduce to small pockets of increased strength for the same purpose as the O'Conner steel case heads.
How about the pinned in replaceable titanium forcing cones on the very early Freedom Arms 454 revolvers.
Their purpose should be obvious.

[timtonya]

That's easy......Lee Loadmaster. Pure junk

[Blanket]

OK fellers, if you mention Lee equipment, please be as specific as the other posts of tools are. Only one Lee item listed, (and a couple vague mentions), Zip Trim, and some typical Lee hater stuff...

BTW any one have pics of a Savage Straight 8? I googled "Savage Straight, Eight", several links, but no photos that show the entire press.

Well since you asked, deburring tools, case trimmers, primer pocket cleaners, drip o matic pots, presses, powder measure, scales, earlier dies, shotshell press, thumbpieces on the old priming tools ( which I love by the way). I always felt that they were poor execution of some good ideas

[T-Man]

II had my doubts about the Lee LoadMaster...but after some tinkering, figuring, and finally some mods...the thing works like a champ. Their old Turret press usually manages to give me a case of the piles now and again

[WallyM3]

Oops. Wrong thread.

[oldfart1956]

Fellers just to keep the record straight please don't write me off as a "Lee basher." I switched over to a Lee Classic Turret recently (love it) and all but 1 of my die sets are Lee (with some additional add-ons) except the RCBS 45/70 dies which work just as well as the Lee. Just got an order from Midway ($200) that is 80% Lee products and probably 1/3 of my molds are Lee. I gave away a Forster case trimmer and switched all that to Lee. Just not with the weedwacker trimmer. (Zip Trim) I'm just sayin' is all. Audie...the Oldfart..

[r1kk1]

Guy on my craigslist area has had a apex for sale for a year. He reposts it about 2 times a week for $200.

Re

Hated that press along with the Load Fast. Couldn't get parts for either.

Spent quite a bit of time in the 80s on the phone with Lee. The only press I didn't own was the Pro 1000. The rest except for the hand press went back. I just sold my sons Load-All to a member here. Mine went back within the 30 day money back guarantee. Their custom services side is a different company. Love it.

Didn't care for the RCBS pocket swager, sold it. Didn't care for Hornady or Lyman trimmers and sold them.

Take care

r1kk1

[C. Latch]

I have ended up with several sets of Lee dies (local shop sells them, at decent prices) and while they claim that people actually prefer the rubber-bushing lock rings, I think they're horrible ideas. I still use them, but dislike them. Not a huge fan of the aluminum components on the dies, either....but I guess they work.

[enfieldphile]

The RCBS primer pocket swager! In operation, it never felt right to me. It was slow, clunky. Just a poor design.

I replaced it w/ a CH/4D. The CH is slick, positive & fast.

[fguffey]

The RCBS primer pocket swage required the reloader sort cases according to case head thickness. Failing to sort case head thickness resulted in bending the anvil/rod inside the die. I purchased the RCBS case prep center and added the military crimp remover from Lyman,

I spent more time waiting for parts from Hornady to repair their cam lock bullet puller than I did using it. They accused me of making too many mistakes? So I went for a visit, then they claimed that had a problem with a vendor, seems they could not temper/harden etc., metal, I offered to visit them, then Hornady claimed they no longer use that vendor. I switched to the RCBS collet type puller.

F. Guffey

[Jagdhund]

I've tried a couple of the Hornady "New Dimension" reloading dies and was underwhelmed, to say the least. The neck expanding-depriming punch is held in the full length sizing die by some sort of collet arrangement instead of good old screw threads and a lock nut. After a certain number of cases are sized, the collet loosens and the neck expander is down in the shell, where it takes a major interruption in the production process to get it back out.

This endless need to "improve" things that work perfectly well already is something I can't understand.

I would take some emery paper to the shaft of the rod, just enough to roughen it. That might keep it in place a little better. In the instance you get a case with an off center flash hole, it will still work as designed. If that didn't work, I would remove, degrease and lightly loctite it in place.