What Was the Worst Press You've Ever Owned?

[bloodyknife]

This thread has inspired me to make my first post and to thank you guys for the knowledge I have gained in the last month while exploring this forum. I have been using a Rockchucker for 33 years and it is still tight but it throws primers all over the place. Several years ago I bought a Barret 50 which I really couldn't afford and bought the Lee Classic 50 BMG kit. It is a real bargain compared to the other 50 BMG options. It didn't take long to notice how nice the primer disposal is. I have been so pleased with it that I purchased the Lee Classic Turret. I was totally unaware of this press until I read the good reviews here. I would love a Dillon but I load a little for a lot of cartridges and it seems more appropriate as to cost and caliber change. As to the original topic, the worst press is one I recently took a chance on for $15.95, the little Smart Reloader. It made me feel dumb for buying it.
bk

[guidogoose]

This thread has inspired me to make my first post and to thank you guys for the knowledge I have gained in the last month while exploring this forum. I have been using a Rockchucker for 33 years and it is still tight but it throws primers all over the place. Several years ago I bought a Barret 50 which I really couldn't afford and bought the Lee Classic 50 BMG kit. It is a real bargain compared to the other 50 BMG options. It didn't take long to notice how nice the primer disposal is. I have been so pleased with it that I purchased the Lee Classic Turret. I was totally unaware of this press until I read the good reviews here. I would love a Dillon but I load a little for a lot of cartridges and it seems more appropriate as to cost and caliber change. As to the original topic, the worst press is one I recently took a chance on for $15.95, the little Smart Reloader. It made me feel dumb for buying it.
bk

Welcome aboard!

[guidogoose]

Question for the current or former Lee Pro 1000 owners. From what I understand the powder and primer system, is well, less than desirable. How is the indexing function? I am looking to upgrade my press and the Lee Pro 1000 sounded interesting. If I were to upgrade, I am still planning on FL sizing and decapping on my single stage. I also clean every primer pocket, pistol included. It may be unnecessary but that's me. I also hand prime off the press which I plan to continue doing. I use a Hornady electronic powder thrower that weighs every charge. Plan on sticking with that too. So I would just be using a progressive for belling/ powder insertion, bullet seating, crimp depending on caliber. What a Lee Pro 1000 fit the bill for only those 3 operations? I am also considering a Dillon BL550. Dillon is twice as much and is manual index vs the Lee with auto index. Money isnt tight or anything, just wondering for my needs would the Dillon be worth the extra cost? I noticed that the BL550 doesn't even include a caliber conversion. I currently load for 3 pistol and 2 rifle if that helps/ makes a difference. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Splatter]

The worst press I ever had was an old Pacific C-press I bought on Ebay. It had a dedicated case head ram and operated on the handle up stroke....

The press I started on was my father's RCBS Jr, and the linkage could be reversed to operate in either direction (apparently in the early 1960's that was a selling feature!). Your ram would have been a problem; but is it possible that the linkage could have been be easily reversed?

Worst press was a Lyman turret that I bought in the mid '80s, just before the turret press got the updated compound leverage linkage of the Orange Crusher.
The turret was sloppily fitted and would rock under pressure, creating noticeable bends at the base of full length sized cases.

[HighHook]

Worst sloppy press for me was the Lyman Turret.

Love the Lee classic Cast... will deprime anything with ease

Dillons are still running strong 30+yrs later

[altheating]

Guidogoose. Money not being an issue for you. GO BLUE! Dillon makes great products that will last you a lifetime and most likely your kids lifetime as well. I currently own three of them myself and am partners on two others. Two of them, the 550's were purchased back in 1983 or so. We have never had a single issue with any of them. My newest , a Super 1050 was purchased last month. Set that one up for 223's only. LEE makes some great stuff, like the collet neck sizing dies, factory crimp dies and the case mouth flaring tool. IMHO, the presses don't make that list. Many people would not be able to reload if it wasn't for the low price of Lee products and I understand that.

[marlin39a]

Hornady Projector I bought new 20 yrs ago. Timing was always a problem.

[41 mag fan]

Worst press for me was the Lee pro 1000. I bought it off their closeout website. i never could get thetiming right with it, I sent it back to them and got my refund.
Bad thing is this is the first Lee product other than their molds that i had problems with.

I've got the 4 hole turret and love it, but i also have an Orange Crusher and an LNL and they all get used.

[L Erie Caster]

The Lee classic single stage and the Lee classic turret are good presses. Which proves even a blind dog can find a bone once in a while. As for any of the other Lee presses, they are not worth the price of the box they came in.

[Blackhawk Convertable]

Man, if you don't want the All-American, please send it my way!

[cbrick]

Worst press? Easy question . . . The only bad press I've ever even used much less owned is the Redding Turret. Not in any of the die stations did the ram line up straight with the dies. Called Redding and was told . . . That's impossible with Redding, no do not send it back there is nothing wrong with it and if you don't like it then buy RCBS.

That was wise advice that I now follow. Such incredibly bad customer service I will no longer have anything Redding even if someone stuffed it up my hieny.

Rick

[xd4584]

Anyone who is fed up with the *** lee 1000 they own please feel free to send it to me! Seriously don't throw it away ill pay the shipping

[1hole]

Deleted.

[1hole]

"Confucius say, no such thing as bad press, only bad operator. "

Ol' Confuseus was a smart man. He actually understood what he knew about press operation, set up and maintainance; it's clear that a lot of people don't.

"I have an old Lyman All American which I want to replace."

Why? I mean what do you find lacking in your AA, what do you want your new press to do better?


I do observe that RCBS' Green Machine and the Piggyback contraptions were finally removed from the market. Ditto all the 60s presses that had the original single toggle lever system. But all that hardly matters since they haven't been built tht way for several decades.

There are no better single stage or turret presses on today's market than Lee's Classic Cast and Classic Turret. The only people who need a progressive are those few who shoot hundreds of rounds at a time, and often; that's not very many of us.

[r1kk1]

There were three presses that went down the road. Bought them direct after told they would work for the job intended and didn't. 30 day money back worked. I bought my single stage years before Lee thought about classic cast anything.

I may not own hardly anything Lee production, but I do own quite a bit from their custom shop. I own every manufacturers reloading book and noticed one thing: I've never seen one equipment manufacturer compare itself to another but one book. It was stated that my press was 40x stronger than necessary. I'll let you know when it should have been 41x stronger. I didn't know equipment bashing was until I picked up that one book.

My Dillon has been around longer than LNL, the latest RCBS, Loadmaster. I have noticed so far that two RCBS products people didn't like and there wasn't a reply or a label as piggyback basher or whatever. The same for Lyman. I fail to understand this. If a fellow has a problem with a Lee product, I've seen them referred to as idiots, incompetent, basher, etc. I have a hard time understanding this concept.

Some of my equipment is at least three decades old. Predates stuff currently out. It works. If it didn't I would have replaced it with something better. I like my 2nd old 30 lb Champion press. I like my 2nd old 550 as the original presses plus a few other things were stolen in the mid 80s. With insurance I replaced them. The A2, Texan, 266, and Others are forever gone and not easily replaced.

Sorry for rambling and take care,

r1kk1

[o6Patient]

I was lucky enough that when I started loading that I had friends that had already made mistakes so my first press
was / is the rock chucker, I kept it lubed and it got nothing but better over the years, I have other presses now but
one would be hard pressed to beat an old green.

[Kent Fowler]

I have a Texan C-press which is beginning to get a little sloppy in the ram bore after only 43 years of service. Unacceptable. Will call their customer service tomorrow and tell them I threw my back out bolting that ancient 30 pound #205 C-H press to the bench as a replacement and demand compensation. They just don't make things like they used to.

[r1kk1]

I have a Texan C-press which is beginning to get a little sloppy in the ram bore after only 43 years of service. Unacceptable. Will call their customer service tomorrow and tell them I threw my back out bolting that ancient 30 pound #205 C-H press to the bench as a replacement and demand compensation. They just don't make things like they used to.

AMEN!

It's amazing the cool old stuff guys on this list find on the cheap or had for years. Gotta love the old stuff!

Take care

r1kk1

[Kent Fowler]

There's a nifty old Lyman Comet press on flea-bay I'd like to have, but think the $44.50 shipping charge is a tad excessive for my tastes.

[Bwana]

Lyman Spar-T. I went to a RCBS Rock Chucker 42 years ago and haven't looked back. I do prime and seat with one of my Lee hand presses.