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Thread: Nice press at Grizzly

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Nice press at Grizzly

    http://www.grizzly.com/products/Bald...h-Press/BE1218

    Looks like a nice solid press.
    "C" type, open front and sides.
    Cast iron. Heavy.
    Who is Bald Eagle?????

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    jimkim's Avatar
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    Kinda looks like 3/4 of a Rock Chucker. I'd like to see if it flexes much.

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  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    It looks like a Taiwan import since the manual is printed there.

    They also seem to have knocked off several other products.

    Their powder measure looks just like Franklin Arsenal's.

    https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/be1218_m.pdf

  4. #4
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    Both the press and powder drop look interesting. If Grizzly has the knock offs it probably won't be long before HF has a version in there stores.
    Sometimes it takes a second box of boolits to clear my head.
    Feed back thread http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...?261449-jeepyj

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    I am always skeptical of new products from overseas, particularly from a new manufacturer. I bought a cast iron press a few years ago because it was fairly inexpensive. Bad mistake.
    The machining was so poor that the ram and the die hole were offset noticeably. I had to turn the shellholder sideways in order to get pistol brass to line up well enough to enter the sizing die.
    Talk about runout!

  6. #6
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    My dad had several wood-working (e.g., band-saw, drill press) tools purveyed by Grizzly, which bore labels indicating import by them, situated in Bellingham, Washington. Their https://www.grizzly.com web-site indicates a "home" address in Springfield, Missouri -- they are, indeed, a HUGE operation! Dad's band-saw and press drill both were similar in quality to my industrial-level Rockwells -- no compromise in quality apparent in either. I might add that he marveled at the minimal run-off as well as hi-quality Jacobs chuck which came, as delivered, on the drill press! (I had need to upgrade my Rockwell's ).

    At the price; from the photos provided here; and, based on my dad's experience with the woodworking tools -- I'd not hesitate too very long to grab one or two of these -- 'cept (dang it) I now have too many presses (is there really such a thing as "too many presses"?) for the space I have in my teeny loading room.

    geo

  7. #7
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    I believe the owner of Grizzly is a reloader and Bald Eagle is their brand. They’ve had products out for a few years. I will continue to buy products made in the USA.

  8. #8
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    I'm looking at the press linkage, there is no real mechanical advantage with that linkage setup.
    Resizing any of the big magnum case's would require a lot of effort.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    Who is Bald Eagle?????
    It’s just a name someone in China came up with that sounded “American.”

  10. #10
    Boolit Master pertnear's Avatar
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    The Bald Eagle brand is best known for quality front rests that were/are popular with benchrest shooters.
    Attachment 231065
    I know nothing about the press but if it accurately machined it looks like it would be a handy press on your bench for bullet seating.

    BTW: Grizzly is owned by the same folks that own Bullets.com.
    Last edited by pertnear; 11-27-2018 at 10:14 AM. Reason: added BTW
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  11. #11
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    marlin39a's Avatar
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    No thanks. Never had any use for a C press. Chinese junk, made to look like Big Green.

  12. #12
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    Nice press at Grizzly

    I did some quick research and I was correct about Shiraz Balolia. He’s a competitive shooter and has won multiple championships. I think I remember reading an article where he talked about the Bald Eagle brand. Not condoning Chinese made reloading products. Just that I can see why he started the brand.

  13. #13
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    mdi's Avatar
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    I'm not one to go along with the "flexing" theory. I've been working with metals and machinery for most of my life and while "flex" in a cast "C" design press is often claimed to be a problem, with the frame shape of an "I beam" , I seriously doubt if the "flex" would be measurable (someone could place a dial indicator on the top of the frame and size a large case and measure just how much, if any a press will flex)...

    I hang with some fellers that have a saying; "Condemnation prior to investigation". And I think I see some posts that reflect that...
    My Anchor is holding fast!

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    I seriously doubt if the "flex" would be measurable (someone could place a dial indicator on the top of the frame and size a large case and measure just how much, if any a press will flex)...
    I have, they do flex. How much depends on the press and force being used.

  15. #15
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    I'd like to see one in person before I spent $115 on a press, but I think it would be okay.

    I too once bought into the "An O-frame press is stronger (and therefore better than) a C-frame press" theory. Then I was given an old Pacific Super C and actually used it. Here is my take on the subject:

    For basic loading a C-frame is great, I really liked the ease of access over an O-frame. I used it for everything from .30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag downwards.

    For case reforming you need compound linkage, which is usually included in the newer o-frame presses. The simple leverage on the Super C made case forming difficult. However an RCBS JR3 wasn't much better, the Rockchucker is head and shoulders above both in ease of effort.

    If I were starting over today, I wouldn't mind a lighter duty C frame press for strictly loading operations. If I were contemplating heavy duty case forming, I would get something on the order of a Rockchucker.

    Robert

  16. #16
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    retread's Avatar
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    I use a Rock Chucker for sizing and a Pacific Super C for seating on one station and a CH Magnum press and a CH C press on the other station. Works for me!

  17. #17
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    Bald Eagle is one of Grizzly's brand names; I doubt it's the same company that makes the benchrest, but it might be. It sounds like this press is intended to take along with you to the range and load right there, like Benchrest shooters commonly do. With the tight chambers and custom barrels they use, they're not doing any excessive case forming - or even sizing. For what it's intended for, it would probably work just fine.
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  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Post #10 has Bald Eagle right, they are a high quality company, or at least they were, and I doubt they have changed. Grizzly has a great price for such a large, high grade press. However, anyone who wants a massive and spring-free press with excellent user features - like a primer catcher that actually works - should look at Redding's UltraMag; nothing else comes close to it. But --- why?

    Standard presses are fully strong enough to do all a reloader is likely to ever need so why spend for a stronger press when that strength will never even be tested? And testing press spring properly demands using a machinist's precision Dial Indicator, that's the ONLY way to know what's happening to a press under pressure. Press springing is a popular assumption but it's rarely tested.

    Common "knowledge" says an "O" frame like the RockChucker just has have less flex than old iron "C" presses and certainly more than any so-called "pot metal" press Lee makes, right? Wrong. I tested my 30 year old RC II, it springs .0025" (or a bit more) when FL sizing for my .30-06. However, using the same die and cases, my two tiny little Lee aluminum alloy RELOADER "C" presses don't spring enough to measure!


    I suggest anyone thinking the Chinese only make junk will be happier if they don't check the "made in ...." tags on their various consumer grade electronic/electric devices and even old line brands of both power and hand tools; "liberal/progressive" politicians have taxed and regulated most old-line American industries out of existence. (That's what highly educated central command and control socialists do to help us little guys stuck in fly-over country!)
    Last edited by 1hole; 11-27-2018 at 05:16 PM.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Its not just the frame type C, O, H, but the actual desighn of the presses a thin O frame with little ribbing will stretch/ flex under full length sizing while some of the heavy C frames with the heavy rib behind the upright gave little flex or stretch. Those big heavy cast iron presses were very stable and solid do to the desighn, form and material. Theres a lot to be said for cast iron in heavy pieces for stability and strength.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    You can speculate your life away or you can actually put a dial indicator on the frame an measure the deflection.
    In the late 1960s I started out with a Bair C press with large cobra style gussets on each side of the C. That press looked at least as strong at the Bald Eagle but only had the simple C press linkage.
    When FL resizing machine gun fired SL-54 USGI brass that press would spring open .007 to .008 measured with a Brown & Sharpe .0005 Best Test indicator.

    By comparison a 1971 vintage Rockchucker would stretch .002 max with the same die and brass. A second stroke of the Rockchucker had NO stretch.
    The Bald Eagle design will most certainly spring open especially with the much more powerful toggle block compound linkage.
    It is not what I would call a good design.
    The C frame would be ok for bullet seating but you do not need the extra cost or travel required by the compound linkage just to seat bullets.

    Anyone the measures NO stretch on a dinky Lee press needs to go back an repeat his measurement or get a couple of peers to duplicate those tests.
    Aluminum is an exceedingly POOR press frame material. If Lee was a professional design engineer with strength of materials training he would have known to NOT use die cast aluminum for a press. If you search google images for broken reloading press images you will find photos of broken Lee aluminum presses. Aluminum has no lower fatigue limit. No matter how heavy the design if you stress aluminum enough cycles it will eventually break. That is why heavily used airframes eventually run out of life.
    In comparison cast iron and steel has a lower fatigue limit. If your stress level stays below the fatigue limit the steel or iron will withstand nearly an infinite number of load cycles with outfailing.
    Last edited by EDG; 11-27-2018 at 05:54 PM.
    EDG

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check