Looking for a cheap dedicated decapping press

[Pressman]

Pick up an old Lyman 310 tool with the universal decapper. Problem solved.

Froggie

Mr. Frog Person Sir, but you are an anachronism. And I cannot fins anything wrong with that.
Ken

[Green Frog]

Mr. Frog Person Sir, but you are an anachronism. And I cannot fins anything wrong with that.
Ken

“Anachronism?” Does that mean my watch doesn’t work? You’re right! I just noticed last night the battery is dead. But remember, even a stopped watch is right twice a day.

Anyway, I prefer to think of myself as “old school.” If you find something that works, why bother to change? In point of fact my favorite methods usually involve a re- and decapper such as the Jake Simmons copy of the Harry Pope tool. I often like to do those two processes at once and be done with it. Many of them even have a little scraper to clean the primer pocket. That said, I can still resort to the 310 tool or something similar if I want to deprime a bunch of brass to tumble.

Like you, Mr Pressman, I’ve accumulated such a variety of equipment, sometimes it takes longer to decide which tool to use than it does to actually do the job! Isn’t that why we got into reloading, for all the toys??

Merry Christmas, my friend!
Froggie

[igolfat8]

I have the cheapest Lee mounted to a hunk of metal with a fitting and hose, just clamp it to any surface and go.

OK, I did the JMORRIS mod to my little Lee press. It catches 80% of the primers now ... but ... there are still too many occasional fliers that end up all over the floor. I'm a little OCD and it bugs me to see primers on my floor so I need to revisit my options again.

I've looked at all the current Lee single stage presses and it appears the only press that uses a drilled through hollow ram is the Lee Classic Cast press. It appears the Breech Lock and Challenger models still expel the primers out the side of the ram? Wouldn't this design eventually allow primer and powder residue to contaminate the lubricant on the ram.

Are there other brands of presses that use a hollow ram to allow the primers to fall straight through and out the bottom of the ram?

[jmorris]

The Loadmaster collects them in the ram. The Co-ax drops them into a sealed cup no ram below the shell holder, no conventional ram on it.

[Wayne Smith]

I believe the new RCBS drops them through the ram. Randy's Buchannon press has a primer catching cup - 100% effective. Just have to empty it too often!

[Ickisrulz]

You can deprime anything anywhere with a Harvey Deprimer.

http://www.harveydeprimer.com/

[country gent]

The RCBS summit drops primers out the bottom also into a little cup or a piece can be made to hold a length of tubing and ran into a jug. My Summit does good on catching the primers with what little Ive deprimed on it.

[fstreed]

OK, I did the JMORRIS mod to my little Lee press. It catches 80% of the primers now ... but ... there are still too many occasional fliers that end up all over the floor. I'm a little OCD and it bugs me to see primers on my floor so I need to revisit my options again.

I have been using that exact setup for decades. I enlarged the slot in the frame a bit and extended it down a little. The bottom of the slot is filed at a downward angle with a round file to help direct primers into the frame. The sides of the slot are chamfered to deflect any primers hitting there into the frame. The little Lee C-frame is bolted to a piece of hardwood board with a large hole in it making a cavity under the press, sized so that the press barely covers it. The hole goes all the way through the mounting board and gets covered with duck tape on the bottom. Then the board is clamped to the bench as needed. The hole holds hundreds if not a thousand or more spent primers. To empty, unclamp from bench, hold over trash can, and remove tape. Maybe one or two primers per thousand aren't caught and end up on the bench or floor. I can live with that.

[Walter Laich]

taking a right turn here:

I have a SDB and by removing 7 bolts the tool head and primer assembly comes off. I put an empty tool head, except for the decapping pin back on (of course I removed the reloading dies after removing the tool head. SDB uses special dies) Entire operation take less than 5 minutes if I'm slow

now I have a 'progressive' depriming machine. All I have to do it put the case in and pull the handle. No need to take anything out as the cases rotate with the shell plate and drop into the bin 3 pulls of the handle later.

I good 'attack' with the air compressor and it's all clean and ready to be put back into reloading press mode. Have not noticed any build-up of grit or whatever in or on the machine.

It is amazing how quickly I can deprime 100 cartridges though I usually do many more in a sitting. The cases go into a wet tumbler after this and once dried back through to get turned into loaded cartridges

[EDG]

I use a Lee hand decapping punch and base with an 8 oz. Deadblow hammer. The primers are knocked out using an aluminum base. The whole set up is easily transported and cases can be deprimed any where. In 50 years I have never broken the original hand punch.

[GhostHawk]

I use a Frankford Arsenal Hand depriming unit. Cases get citric acid washed, dried, primer pockets cleaned before going down to the reloading area.

Best of all, I can do it watching TV.

The FA unit has a clear plastic container that catch's primers. I dump them into a screw top jar when it starts getting full.

Midway has it for 32$
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...-deprimer-tool