Single stage press comparison test

[doulos]

Don't know how many have seen this from Ultimate Reloader. Wow! This was definitely a lot of work. Interesting stuff.
https://ultimatereloader.com/2019/04...tage-shootout/

[MrWolf]

That was a lot of work and a bit over my head on some.

[jmort]

It is very interesting
Not sure I would ever buy a press named "Turban" but it stood pretty tall.
The Lyman Brass Smith also did well overall.
The Rock Chucker did well
As did the Redding Big Boss
The sizing force was interesting
I bought a used Hornady Iron Press and I like it, but the sizing force was way bad.
At least it has very little slop.
I usually size on an A2 or a Big Max which were not tested

[onelight]

The rock chucker test showed why so many here recommend it. It looks like the bargain precision press.

[jmort]

It is one I would consider.
The Turban is around a grand so I guess you pay a high price for precision.

[onelight]

It was outperformed so not sure how you get there.

Maybe I missed something . Was it outperformed by something cheaper ? While in at least one category was second to a press that was more than 4 times as much.

[doulos]

It is very interesting
Not sure I would ever buy a press named "Turban" but it stood pretty tall.
The Lyman Brass Smith also did well overall.
The Rock Chucker did well
As did the Redding Big Boss
The sizing force was interesting
I bought a used Hornady Iron Press and I like it, but the sizing force was way bad.
At least it has very little slop.
I usually size on an A2 or a Big Max which were not tested

I thought that was interesting. But can you really feel the difference? I mean I have a Redding Big Boss 2 and a Rockchucker. The rockchucker scored slightly worse for peak sizing force. But the Rock chucker seems easier to size with to me. But it could be a handle location issue. How does the Hornady Iron "feel" when compared to any other press you have? I would be interested to hear from those who can do direct comparisons>

[country gent]

I would be interested to Feel that turban Perazi press. with the ball bushings and bearings its go to be smooth. While $950.00 a big part of that is the 5 ball bushings and hardened and ground shafts for them. The ball bushings run around $150.00 apiece.
I get the shop up and running I may make one. though I think Ill use Steel plate instead of aluminum. A press with a 5 1/2" opening would be interesting.

[Winger Ed.]

Gosh that's a lot of work.

In the early 80's I got a Hornady 007 (that has evolved into the Lock-N-Load classic) when I started reloading.
It was just by chance I got it instead of something else.

When I got back into reloading, I got the L-N-L because I liked my old 007 so much with the way the opening is offset.
I've used a rockchucker, but it always wanted to pinch my finger, and I had to look around it to see what I was doing.

Everybody I know was using RCBS or Lee stuff, and poo-pooed on my Hornady.

After reading the article and seeing the author praise his Hornady----
I feel vindicated!


I'll probably put a set screw in the frame to lock in a L-N-L bushing.
I'm too tight to spend $5-6 each for a sack full of bushings to fit each of dies I use.
I find it is a solution for a problem I don't have.

[1hole]

For what it's worth, bullet tilt measurements "at the ogive" are meaningless. I assume he means at the bore diameter but bullet ogive is the entire forward surface from full body diameter to meplat. Anyone wanting to know what his bullet run out really is must measure the bullet from the case mouth to as close to the tip as possible.

"Testing" and comparing a collection of individual presses is interesting but pointless. Things vary in production so measuring and comparing single samples of different things is just not how valid statistics are done.

[EDG]

One thing I found was unusual.
He tested 2 different Lee Classic cast presses and they had 2 different sizing force values.
If he sized the same brass in both - the 50 cal press required more force.

[EDG]

One thing I found was unusual.
He tested 2 different Lee Classic cast presses and they had 2 different sizing force values.

[Conditor22]

I've heard good things about the MEC Marksman and for $204.58 shipped from midway------just bought another gun so ----- darn

[Taterhead]

That was a good video. Thank you for the link doulos!

It makes me wish that I had spent a little more time with the Summit before selling. I did find it very nice for neck sizing and seating bullets. I much prefer the RC for F/L sizing. The test results seemed to agree.

I bought the Summit for a mobile range setup project that never materialized. I've owned 5 different single stages, and continue to be very happy with my RC Supreme.

[AllanD]

I started out with a Lyman Spar-T turret press I got at a garage sale as part of a bundle that included a MEC 500Jr 12Ga shotshell machine which I actually put to work first after getting to know the Spar-T I came to HATE it with a passion, so when I saw an RCBS starterkit with a RS2 press on sale at my favorite reloading toy emporium I switched and put the spar-T into my scrap bin. Afterwords I realized I could have used it as a de-capping and lubing station, but at the time I really didn't have enough bench space...


I still have the RS-2, but have been thinking about replacing it with a CAST IRON O-frame press, like a Rock Chucker or similar and just the other day that new MEC single stage press caught my eye...


I don't give a Rat's Butt about their lack of Rem-priming I use a Lee press top priming auto prime setup, I'm used to it and have little interest in adjusting myself to something new...

It isn't like I do any "High Volume" reloading on my single stage press, I have a Dillon RL550 I use for my handgun shell reloading, plus I recently bought the conversion plates So I can Do 30Carbine & 223Rem on the Dillon. but I wont use the Dillon for sizing, I'll feed sized prepped & polished cases into it at station #2(Priming)


But I'll still load my precision (Varmint) 223 rounds on the single stage...

[David2011]

Gavin's video review of the Turban was very interesting. It seems to be an example of the proverbial German engineering, something that was done because it could be done. He indicated that the press was extremely smooth. The down sides for me are that it is much more expensive than other presses that will produce equally good ammunition and that I'm not sure I would ever own a rifle that would benefit from the categories where the Turban was best. Two of my single stage presses are a Rock Chucker and a Summit, both of which performed well in Gavin's testing. I'm sure I would enjoy loading on the fully bearing supported Turban but doubt I would shoot better with ammunition produced by it.

[onelight]

What would be the order of importance for long range or bench rest shooters would assign to the different measurements he shows ? I would think priorities might be different if you were making bullets or reforming cases.

[robg]

my wamadet press brings the die to the cartridge .good test but you use what you can afford

[Froogal]

I have the LEE single stage. The price allowed me to get into reloading. I have never used anything else, so I have nothing to compare it to, but the LEE has done everything I wanted it to and has never complained.

[RED BEAR]

I have a lee single stage that i have used for 40+ years a while back i got into everything had to be just so so i rebuilt my lee to better than new no play everything lined up just so . Was very proud and ready for a real improvement in my ammo never happened my ammo was no more accurate than it had been. And its not that it was ever bad . My stuff works as well as my buddies stuff that they load on there fancy dan set ups. It shoots better than i can. And it may sound crazy but a i do use a good amount of ammo the range is only bout 4 miles from home. I finished loading 6000 rounds of 25acp and 32acp a couple weeks ago. I will never get rid of my old lee if it ain't broke don't fix it.