Question about presses

[Tatume]

Hello Folks,

If I were to invest in a dedicated swaging press, it will probably be a Sea Girt or Walnut Hill by RCECO. The $200 price difference is quite significant to me. On the other hand, I don't want to waste money by spending less on a press if the more expensive option offers advantages or features that are valuable to me.

Please educate me on the practical differences between the Sea Girt and the Walnut Hill. The press will not be used for loading ammunition. The information on Richard Corbin's web site is insufficient for me to make the decision. Help me to make an informed decision.

Thanks, Tom

[mckenziedrums]

I have both... In my case I decided to get the Walnut Hill first. My thinking was that I wanted to get a middle of the road press that should be able to do just about anything I could want to do. What are you planning on doing in swaging? If you aren't sure and think you'll get into aspects of making jackets or making bigger bullets it would make sense to go ahead and get the Walnut Hill. If you're just going to be making average sized bullets from ready made jackets the Sea Girt is certainly a good press.

[Tatume]

Thank you for the reply. Can you tell me what are the physical differences between the two presses? Is one physically larger, greater leverage, what? I'm trying to understand how they differ, and use the same dies.

[mckenziedrums]

The Sea Girt has a single stroke length, can't adjust it for reloading... not really an issue for you. The Walnut Hill has the beefy linkages which brings the capacity up a bit. Considering the Sea Girt is rated at swaging bullets up to .458 and 1.5" long it may be all you ever need. They're relatively similar in size and they do take the same punches and dies which is nice.

If you open up the pictures in two separate windows I think you'll see the difference. Look for the black linkages that are on the Walnut Hill where the Sea Girt doesn't have them. The WH has a few wider spots to accommodate those links. It's going to be heavier since there is more metal there.

[midnight]

The Walnut Hill in the reloading mode is really handy when you need a longer stroke for using draw dies. I draw quite a few jackets since 30 cal jackets are relatively easy to find at a reasonable price while 284, 277, and 264 are not. A standard reloading press could be used but the Walnut Hill is much stronger and a joy to use, so given a choice, I'll choose the Walnut Hill over the Sea Girt every time.

Bob

[kc3ak]

If I remember correctly, I believe that Richard has decided to discontinue the Sea Girt, in favor of just keeping the WH press. I believe he does have a few in stock, but I'm not sure if he is going to produce any more. Again, I could be wrong, as it seems that Richard changes his mind a few times. But that's his privilege. By the way, I have the WH press and love it. Lots of stroke and beefy as all get out.