SmartReloader press review

[buck1]

Well I ordered it . The word steel made me do it.

I got it today. Its steel, its a press, and its a piece of excrement! Big time junk
Yep its China all right
The the handle mounting is a joke , the Ram is sloppy as a 40 cal boolit rattleing down a 44 bore, or worse.
DO NOT BUY THIS PRESS! ITS PURE JUNK !

BUT I must add that Midsouth shipped my order fast 3 days and its here!
So the Not so smart reloader =
Midsouth=
....Buck

[Bulletlube]

Thanks I was going to buy one but not now.

[Bullshop Junior]

I have always found that anything with the word "smart" in the title is junk. I almost stated that on the other thread, but resisted it.

How much did it cost?

[buck1]

$28 or so. If I could have gotten my hands on it to look at it first, I would not have taken it for free. Lee is MUCH better, and this is from a man that is not a lee fan.

[jhrosier]

Buck,
I would make arrangements to send the press back for a refund if it is that bad.
If you keep it, you are implying that you accept poor quality products.
I am confident that Midsouth will not continue to offer junk if folks insist on returning same for a refund.

Jack

[buck1]

I wrote to them allready. Its built like a ROCK (in a tin can). I have never seen a press new or used worn out or any condition thats as bad as this one is. It looks real good in the pics, but thats as good as it gets...Buck

[.357]

well for the money i'm not suprised but i was hoping, thanks for the review and i hope you get your monies back.

[OldBob]

Send it back, it doesn't matter if it only cost $10, you paid for a new , usable piece of equipment and you got junk. Midsouth is a good reputable company and will surely take it back and bill the maker............ small prediction here, in a couple of years the Chinese will find the quality level we will tolerate and then price that just below RCBS or Lee or Lyman and slowly drive these US makers out of business..... we can help them or we can thumb our noses at them, your choice. As for me, I intend to wear a callus on the end of my nose.

[ANeat]

Im sure it will load ammo just as accuratly as a more expensive press

[tonyb]

$28 is what I paid for my RCBS jr used, and I could have got a NEW press.

[buck1]

Mid south said they would take it back no prob. I measured the ram at .807 and the press bore at .821 .

[Pressman]

you could send it to me!! I "need" another press like this one. Sure to soon be a collectors item.
pm me if interested.

Ken

[Ed Barrett]

Has anyone else tried one, it may just be one made on a Monday. I ordered one yesterday, I figure I can always send it back. When I bought my first press 40+ years ago it was a used Lyman "C" frame. I didn't know it was sprung out of alignment. I loaded a lot of ammo with it that was very accurate. I next got a new rock chucker and found it didn't make ammo that was more accurate than the old lyman.

[Shiloh]

Well I ordered it . The word steel made me do it.

I got it today. Its steel, its a press, Big time junk
Yep its China all right
The the handle mounting is a joke , the Ram is sloppy as a 40 cal boolit rattleing down a 44 bore, or worse.
DO NOT BUY THIS PRESS! ITS PURE JUNK !

Thanks Buck!!

Pretty much as I figured. When I used to do this as a youth, something I had to have, Dad would ask "Ja learn anything??"

We've all done it. Chalk it up as an educational expense and move on. You're only out what, $30-$40 bucks??

SHiloh

[218bee]

I saw a flyer on their products that was placed in my last order from Graf and Sons. Flyer sure looked pretty.....maybe they should have put more money into product and less on advertising. When I saw prices I figured they couldn't be too good. Too bad its not at least "usable" quality for putzing around but it sounds like it ain't.

[mold maker]

That's proof that you DO NOT always get what ya pay for, but ya do always pay for what ya get.
Even at just $28. it sure isn't a bargain, if ya can't use it.
I'm surprised that Graff and Midsouth would carry such shoddy equipment. That doesn't improve their image, does it???

[mdi]

Have you tried it? Maybe .014" won't hurt. Could have gotten a ram on the small side but still in tolerance with a bore on the large side but still in tolerance. Not doubting your word, just askin'...

[Lloyd Smale]

hate to rub it in but in reloading more then about anything you truely do get what you paid for.

[buck1]

I needed a little press to push a boolit in to a fired case for a swedging project. Not that this press is for swedging. I can almost do it with my fingers. Theres no critical alinement issues , all thats done on the RCBS RC press. It will probably work for that. It took 20 min and a 7/8x14 bolt to clean the threads up enugh to get a die to thread in to it. By the time I send it back $10-15 postage and get another press $10-15 more in postage, well I will just use it to push the slugs in to the case instead of my litthe tap hammer and punch.
I would hate to try to load ammo on it with the sloppy fitted ram.
But that said , I guess the die could center things up and make ok ammo I guess.
Stranger things have happened.
I am not trying to tell anyone what to do, By all means buy what you want. I was just trying to give a heads up that it looks good but is in my opinion is far below lee quality for fit and function. It could be just this one press is bad and the rest could be great, I cant say for sure. But I doubt it.
All in all $30.00 is a lesser expencive lesson than I am used to. ...Buck

[buck1]

hate to rub it in but in reloading more then about anything you truely do get what you paid for.

TRUE<TRUE<TRUE! Sometimes I Feel the need to relearn that lesson I guess. Theres a sucker born every miniute and I have been reborn mannnnnnny times! LOL....Buck