1st Time !!

[GP100man]

I pulled my Lyman Orange Crusher II down &

throughly degreased,adjusted some home mede stops

& shimmed the linkage a little so it`s not near as

floppy (the ram only has .007" wiggle in all 90 degree

directions) reassembled/lubed it & now the thoughts

of a new press have been filed for future references.

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0033.jpg

This 1 does all the sizing & forming it`s a Hoss of a press & really has held up well for the amount of attention it has recieved over the yrs.

The really surprising part was there`s not uneven wear (according to wobble measurements.

[jimkim]

Lyman still list Reconditioned Orange Crushers for $87.95 under "specials". IDK what they charge for shipping and handling so that might not be as good a deal as it first appears.

[jlchucker]

I had an Orange Crusher a few years back. Once I bought a Lee Classic Cast to try, I got rid of the Crusher and never looked back.

[WyrTwister]

If you load hand gun ammo , in any significant quantity , once tou try the Lee cast iron turret press with the safety prime , you will never look back .

I used it for rifle loading , too . Now , it sits next to the Lee LoadMaster & it does brass prep and other odd jobs .

God bless
Wyr

[GP100man]

Tried a few progressives fellers ,& I can honestly say "not for me"

Although I have been thinking of a new single stage with the thru ram primer disposal system .

Kinda been eyeing the Redding Big BossII with the primer set up ???

[r1kk1]

GP100,

I understand what your wanting. Ammosmith did an interview with Redding and they have a guy who hand fits and laps each ram to each press. I did check out some used Reddings from over the years and can appreciate the fit and finish. Definetly, not a high production item. Reddings Ultramag press weighs as much as my Champion press but with a hollow ram and smaller diameter ram. Primers dispensed through the ram is not a new thing. The A2s, Champions, and I believe some of the older Redding presses from the 60s did this also. The largest ram I have seen is the OWS Rock Crusher press. It is a brute at a 100 lbs plus. I could see myself with the Redding Ultramag or T-7. The Forster CO-AX is another good one. If your strictly a single stage guy their are so many choices out there. I have a few custom tools and dies in my collection that are a real joy to own and appreciate.

To each his own as that what makes the world go around.

Take care

r1kk1

[WyrTwister]

Tried a few progressives fellers ,& I can honestly say "not for me"

Although I have been thinking of a new single stage with the thru ram primer disposal system .

Kinda been eyeing the Redding Big BossII with the primer set up ???


The Lee cast iron turret press is not a progressive . It is an auto index turret press , the turret rotates with each operation of the handle / ram .

http://leeprecision.com/4-hole-classic-turret-press.html

It can be used as a turret press or remove the indes " bar " and it can be used as a manual index or as a single stage .

The safety prime works very well . The " dead " primers fall through the ram , into a clear plastic tube . You can either let them accumulate in the tube & empty them periodically or position the end of the tube in a tin can and let them fall as they will .

But , if you only want a single stage press , consider the Lee cast iron single stage presses .

http://leeprecision.com/breech-lock-classic-cast.html

http://leeprecision.com/reloading-presses/single-stage/

I believe the Classic Cast Press uses the tube system , also .

But , if you have your heart set on another brand , then best of luck and have fun . :-(

God bless
Wyr

PS Those are list prices . " Street prices " are about 1/4 - 1/3 off .

[1hole]

I have no idea what you shimmed but the value of a tight ram is greatly over estimated. A sufficently loose ram will allow any round case to align itself in a round hole (die) but a tight ram can prevent perfect alignment unless everything else is perfect --- and few mechanical things with moving parts are truly perfect.

My main press is a 30 year old excellant condition Rock Chucker II. The only currently available single stage presses of that type that are equally good and will last just as long are Lyman, Hornady, Redding and Lee. (And, fact is, Lee's Classic Cast is actually the best press in it's class.)

[o6Patient]

I have no idea what you shimmed but the value of a tight ram is greatly over estimated. A sufficently loose ram will allow any round case to align itself in a round hole (die) but a tight ram can prevent perfect alignment unless everything else is perfect --- and few mechanical things with moving parts are truly perfect.

My main press is a 30 year old excellant condition Rock Chucker II. The only currently available single stage presses of that type that are equally good and will last just as long are Lyman, Hornady, Redding and Lee. (And, fact is, Lee's Classic Cast is actually the best press in it's class.)

+1 I agree

[o6Patient]

Lyman sometimes gets overlooked because they are not at either end of the price
spectrum but in my experience they seem to offer great value for what you pay.
I have under appreciated some of my Lyman stuff in the past and bought some thing
more pricy just to discover the Lyman hadn't really been deficient in any way and
generally gave the same or better performance and very good, if not better value for
the buck.