Whoops!!

[Salmon-boy]

jcwit, Thanks for the info. I might do something similar.

After some looking around, there's no real overbuilt, inexpensive c-frame presses available. Sinclair sells one for benchrest and boy is that a beauty, with the price to match.

[Grandpas50AE]

I ended up with the Dillon primer pocket swager. Doesn't take much arm pressure, and does the job nicely. Been a while, don't remember what I paid for it, but it was worth every penny in saved arm and ease to operate.

[RACWIN375]

Smart reloader==Italian company selling chinese junk with a P/P warranty. I call it junk because U.S. products are available in the same price range. But for those who wish to support the reds, go for it.

were do you find U.S. products are available in the same price range.???? I looked used press start at $75
Lee CHALLENGER $65.99 + shipping

you should know what your are talking about before you post

I can make up stuff too

[jcwit]

Another thought is there's some older Pacific and Lyman "C" presses available on E-Bay.

[adrians]

I got this Pacific super deluxe for $10 at a sale ,it needed a handle but a piece of 1/2" dia bar stock and 10 minutes of time to thread and bend and put a mallet handle on it and it's ready to go.
This sucker is stout ,,,,

[jcwit]

were do you find U.S. products are available in the same price range.???? I looked used press start at $75
Lee CHALLENGER $65.99 + shipping

you should know what your are talking about before you post

I suppose if you are satisfied with red chinese garbage that has virtually now warranty of any importance, and you do not wish to search for a quality U.S. press than as I said go for it. Support the junk, but do some research on the quality of the S/R equipment before you accuse me of making stuff up.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pacific-Supe...item1e6dfe3a78

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pacific-relo...item3f177ff85b

With the above you get a quality measure

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pacific-Supe...item3cc642bfdb

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lyman-Press-...item231d555d6e

This is just the first 5 pages of a total of 15.

I suppose if you wish to spend $20/25 dollars on a S/R worth $10 dollars that is your prerogative. If so you do have your opinion, after all this is the U.S.A.. I prefer to support my own if at all possible,

[jcwit]

I might add, I'm a disabled Vet with a Disability Pension and need not stoop down to the garbage being offered.

[Longwood]

Smart reloader==Italian company selling chinese junk with a P/P warranty. I call it junk because U.S. products are available in the same price range. But for those who wish to support the reds, go for it.

I use one to flare and fill my 45 colt and 45-70 cases.
I have a powder measure mounted on top of a Lee die I made parts for.
They are cheaper than most powder measure stands and work great as one.
I have two and a Lee mounted in line that I only do, low force, work with.
I don't do much sizing anymore, but anything that needs a lot of pressure, I do on a Rock Chucker.
I like the lean back presses for sizing with the Lee sizers, because I put a soda or water bottle on the die and let it fill up. The large diameter bullets don't stack as bad with the leaning presses.
I bought two last year for a little more than $20 each.

[RACWIN375]

jcwit
DO you know that ebay is an auction site you put up links for presses I looked at and have 5 days left to go check back and see what they go for at the end of the auction $100 + shipping
I saw a RCBS Rockchucker go for $160+ and it was used
I have been looking for a 2nd press to decap on for about 2 months

do you own a cell phone if you do it was made by the REDS as you put it
how about a TV that is less then 10 years old guess were it was made
a microwave ??? cordless phone??? the computer you are on
do you shop at Wall Mart all there **** in made in china or some other place BUT the USA
hell 80% of everything is made outside the USA I'm not happy about that BUT what should I do not buy anything!!! we import fruit if I don't go to the orchard to get apples they are from import

with me being 100% disabled WITH NO Disability Pension
I watch every penny being I live on $800 a month and I reload for a few friends that give me a few $$$ to do so or buy me shooting stuff

I just got back into shooting after 15 years away because I got and could not walk or stand
12 surgery's and a life of pain and physical therapy I can NOW get to the reloading bench and the shooting bench

when I was into shooting and reloading BEFORE everything was made in the USA

give me a break
I put a RED MADE NC Star scope on my WW2 M1 Carbine, how you fell about that it was $28
do they make 3x9 scopes in the USA and if they do how much $200

RICK

[edsmith]

I have a shop full of china made tools, i.e lathe, mill,welders, ect. if it was'nt for the import stuff I would not have any tools, I too have to get by on $890 a month. I do buy lee stuff for reloading, but when others buy import reloading gear they should not be maligned for it. what is good for me, may not be good for you and visia versa.

[Salmon-boy]

Woah. Everyone hold up. This doesn't need to be turned into a "**** from China" equipment bashing or political rant on import/export policy...

I was putting my Lee Reloader under stress it wasn't designed for. It popped. I understand that.

I asked for opinions on single stage presses, and found out there are ALOT of older, arguably overbuilt presses available on e-bay, relatively inexpensive for those who want to wait and watch the auction.

I was drawn to the SmartReloader small press because it's a similar design and steel. Without having seen one up close, I'm taking the word of all who have bought and posted about it being built to unacceptable standards. Thank you! Without actually spending the money to have my hands on it I've decided NOT to gamble with that company's QA policy.

Having REALLY liked my two former Lee Reloaders, I'm going to send the broken ones back to Lee with a request to purchase a replacement casting. I'll see how their customer service is on my own.

Moving forward, I feel that I still need to find a slightly stronger press for this work. I'm not looking for a press to swage 50BMG cases into a .223 wildcat cartridge.

What I like about the open C-Frame design is the rate at which I can put cases into the RCBS Pocket Swage die I have. I've gotten into a rythm of retracting the ram and letting the case drop while inserting the new case.

Does the final 2K cases I need to swage warrant that I design a new press to accomplish the same thing? Probably not.

If I have the time to build the one that I'm thinking of, will I? Who knows. I've got some thoughts in mind. It wouldn't take me long to put together a pattern and cast it in aluminum, and be able to locate the die boss in line with the ram boss to a good degree of accuracy.

One thing that I am proud of, is to be a part of a group of people such as yourselves who are driven to quality products and will not put up with corporate profit for the sake of quality!!

[StratsMan]

As was mentioned earlier, one of the old cast C-frames that were built to last a lifetime will do the job beautifully... Like a Herters #3... This auction ends tomorrow, and it's still under $5 !!! Shipping will be close to $30, however....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HERTERS-SUPE...item4165d9229c

[44Vaquero]

Salmon-boy, thanks for the pics. It looks to like the height of the ram attachment changes the amount of leverage created and that's why it failed. Maybe one of our resident engineers would care to advance an opinion? At any rate I always wondered what it would take to break one and now I know.

[jcwit]

I shall only add this.

DO you know that ebay is an auction site you put up links for presses I looked at and have 5 days left to go check back and see what they go for at the end of the auction $100 + shipping

You have no way of knowing what the ending auction price will be. It may well go for $100 dollars or even more, but then it may not get any more bids, who's to say.

I saw a RCBS Rockchucker go for $160+ and it was used

And there have been presses go for much less.

do you own a cell phone if you do it was made by the REDS as you put it
how about a TV that is less then 10 years old guess were it was made
a microwave ??? cordless phone??? the computer you are on

There is no other option, sorry state of affairs but that is the crux of the matter.

do you shop at Wall Mart all there **** in made in china or some other place BUT the USA

Yup! Three weeks ago I bought a Henry rifle from WalMart made entirely here in the U.S. with U.S. materials, the ammo I bought was also made in the U.S., so the above statement is not quite shall we say accurate?

The whole point of my argument is availability, quality, and comparable pricing, and a warranty that amounts to something. All of the above must enter into the equation.

[skeet1]

Salmon Boy,
Well, it looks like you now have parts for the other two.

Ken

[Salmon-boy]

Salmon-boy, thanks for the pics. It looks to like the height of the ram attachment changes the amount of leverage created and that's why it failed. Maybe one of our resident engineers would care to advance an opinion? At any rate I always wondered what it would take to break one and now I know.

Vaq - Yep, that's pretty much how simple they are. Really it wasn't all that much pressure. I was indeed towards the bottom of the stroke and gave a slight "bump". I think this one was a bad casting to be completely honest. I'd previously full length sized both .44Mag and a couple .223s with this same press.

Salmon Boy,
Well, it looks like you now have parts for the other two.

Ken

Yep. That's what I thought when I popped the first one! Still trying to look on the brighter side of things..

Thanks!
Chuck.

[Longwood]

Salmon Boy,
Well, it looks like you now have parts for the other two.

Ken

Even Lee knows that spare parts are a good idea.
They gave me a bag full with the Load Master.
Many sellers here with presses an if you learn how to use ebay, it is great for cheap presses.
Don't mess around with the, ignorant, last second bidders, and you will get some real good deals on ebay.

[Casting_40S&W]

If you send the broken casting to Lee, in return you will get a new casting at no cost. Lee has never let me down. I was sizing odd six cases and did the same. I upgraded, let me tell you, and now have a Classic Cast, I chose to stick with a US manufacture that stands behind their products.

[jcwit]

Casting 40S&W, this has been my experience also.

I chose to stick with a US manufacture that stands behind their products.

Absolutly

[Longwood]

I would JB weld a strong-back inside the hollow casting of the new one Lee sends.
A piece of rebar etc, etc, cemented to the front part of the casting, with some good epoxy like JB would make it way stronger for fairly cheap.
If you try it, remember that JB sticks to a rough/scratched surface many times better than a smooth one.