New Hornady Iron Press

[omgb]

So Hornady sent me a new catalog or "book" (the dang thing is thick and bound) and what do I spy? A new single stage press called the Iron Press. It looks stout and it seems designed well. I love the primer system (not a standard feature). Any of you guys have one?158198

[salpal48]

It remains to be seen If This Turns out as Good Or bad. With the Glut of machines on the market Today. I see that useless holder On top. looks nice but Looks impractical . For price of that machine, You can Buy several Older machine That are stronger and Better.
Also Reloaders are Cheap. Last thing They want to do Is spend any Money.
Maybe RCBS is after The Handloader and wants His new Bench is Look good and Be a show Piece .

[jmorris]

If I were going to spend that kind of money on a single stage I would get a co-ax instead.

[mdi]

I first heard mention of this new press a few months ago in a discussion. Since then I have not read any actual user's comments, just opinions from the pictures....

[dragon813gt]

W/ all the add ons the cost is close to a Dillon. Why anyone would buy one of these is beyond me. I tend to look at presses as reloading duty and swaging duty. The Lee Classic Cast is more than enough for reloading duty. Buy a swaging press if you want real strength.

[VHoward]

I do like the looks of it and a couple of different features like wide open front access and the easy shell insertion platform at the level of the shell holder. Hornady says it is available, but have not found it in stock anywhere online or otherwise.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

It does look quite futuristic and I'm sure that it is a solid machine, but the price tag is significant. If you are concerned with budget/value issues there is certainly a lot to choose from in the vintage field. I would also suggest that a Lee Classic unit or an RCBS Rockkchucker or a Redding T-7 would suffice as a strong and more economical choice. LLS

[ReloaderFred]

I'll see it Tuesday at the SHOT Show. Not that I'm going to buy one, but I'm curious about the size of it.

Fred

[dkf]

If I were going to spend that kind of money on a single stage I would get a co-ax instead.

My thoughts as well.

[jmorris]

It does look quite futuristic

I always thought it looked like the old Bonanza 68.

http://www.atreeserviceinc.com/images/BonanzaPress.jpg

[flashhole]

I've had such poor experience(s) with Hornady customer service I would never consider purchasing one of their presses.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I a;ppreciate the pic and info, but.....

I bet it won't beat my cast STEEL, CH Champion!!!

[Mike Kerr]

Priced out of the Single Stage Class when all of the kit items are included. Looks cool though.

[flashhole]

seagiant - that's an awesome press. Much more press than the Hornady.

[seagiant]

seagiant - that's an awesome press. Much more press than the Hornady.

Hi,
Roger that!

Took me years to find one at a decent price!

[r1kk1]

158379

Seagiant,

mines better! Lol

r1kk1

[seagiant]

Hi,
No, it's not! Ha!

Hornady can keep their IRON press!

[r1kk1]

Oh I will add one to the bench later in the year. Right now I'm gearing up for two cast steel turret presses and another steel single stage to complement my Champion!

stay tuned seagiant! I have been blessed this year!

My pic either shows a side mounted Champion or the pic didn't rotate!

Take care

r1kk1

[VHoward]

I just figured you lived on the right side of the earth. :-)

[r1kk1]

I just figured you lived on the right side of the earth. :-)

Lol

its the the way the warden slaps me! My world is tilted. . .

take care

r1kk1

[ReloaderFred]

I inspected the new Hornady press at the SHOT Show last week. It's made from cast iron, not cast steel, which in my estimation would have made it strong enough for some serious bullet swaging, however the ram's wink point for swaging is the shell holder slot, just like all reloading presses. There is really good access to the shell holder from the front of the press, which is a big plus.

One thing that I noticed was the linkage is the same as the other Hornady single stage press, so it really doesn't have a leverage advantage over it's predecessors. When I asked what the largest case was that they had full length sized, it was the .338 Lupua.

While it's a nice press, I'll just stick with what I have for the present.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Mike Kerr]

Fred, I think your post helps a lot. If I read it correctly the true mechanical strength of the press is not any more than prior Hornady units. Which is to say its an acceptable press with a cool looking design.

[ReloaderFred]

Mike,

The pretty much sums it up. I didn't have a tape measure with me to measure the opening, but If I remember correctly, it should handle seating bullets in some of the longer cartridges, such as the .338 Lapua they said they'd sized on it. I'm not sure it would handle my .45-120 Sharps, with it's 3 1/4" long case, though. It would fit in there to size just fine, but I'm not sure if you could just set the bullet on top of the case and then pull the handle? I have my tall Hollywood Senior for that, so it's not really an issue for me.

The spent primers are ejected out the back of the ram, into a smallish plastic container that would probably have to be emptied about every 200 or so rounds, but it looked like it would be hard for a spent primer to escape and end up on the floor. I didn't really look at the primer seating to see how that was done, though.

It also has a pretty slick little sleeve that slips over the shell holder and gives you a flat surface around the shell holder and makes it really easy to slip the case right into the holder. Once you hit the front of the sleeve in front of the holder, you just guide the case right in. I liked that feature, and the easy access to the working area at the front of the press.

It's a nice press, but expensive.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[seagiant]

Hi,
I don't want this to sound wrong, but having reloaded for probably a good quarter of a century, I'm not impressed with the press.

However owning the RCBS Big Max,RCBS A2, CH Champion, and the Bair Kodiak 150, I do know what a stout press is!

Cast STEEL, will trump iron, every time!

For me a good strong presses number one advantage is not really the raw strength, but the smoothness and feel of the press while using it.

This is something that takes time to appreciate and probably what the young reloader has yet to figure out!!!

[jmort]

One of these days I am going to get a Rock Crusher and you all will bow at its shell holder.

[flashhole]

Make sure you post a pic. I will stand on line to bow. That's one heck of a press.