O Press: Aluminum vs Steel. Will I Notice The Difference

[jonp]

I was thinking of getting a Lee Challenger and my question is about the aluminum vs iron. If i'm using it strictly for reloading, no swaging, will I notice a difference?

[Petrol & Powder]

Highly unlikely.

The strength of an "O" press is high by design. The additional strength of the material (aluminum vs. steel) is not a huge factor.

The steel body may offer slightly better resistance to wear at the points where there is friction but a properly maintained (clean and lubricated) press will likely out-live you.

[Petrol & Powder]

And just as a side note, I have a 25 year old RCBS RS-5 that to this day is still every bit as tight as the old RCBS Rockchucker.

I purchased it as a spare press and it became my primary single stage press when I moved years ago and set up a new bench.

I do take it apart every few years and clean it. The ram is lubricated with 30W oil and the pivot points all get wheel bearing grease.

[Winger Ed.]

If you keep it clean and lubricated,
the only difference you'll notice is that a magnet will only stick to one of them.

[country gent]

The o frame is a very solid design with the supports front and back this stops a lot of "spring / flex" in the press. Another thing to look at is the cross section of the frames if the aluminum frames is thicker or beefed up it may be stronger than the cast iron one with thinner frame members. The benefits of aluminum in manufacturing is the easier machinability and ease of working with it compared to cast irons and steels. Aluminum is easier to melt and cast easier to machine. Cast iron requires much higher temps to cast and machines harder. A well designed o frame press in aluminum should be just as strong as a cast iron one.

[EDG]

Get the Lee cast iron press.

239422

[Bazoo]

EDG ya know that press can be sent back to Lee with payment equal to half the current retail price and they'll repair it and return it with a new 2 year warranty. Mighty generous of them huh?

[Petrol & Powder]

You can get a new Lee Challenger for about $70, a RCBS Partner for about $80. Those are both essentially entry level aluminum "O" framed presses.
You can then step up to Lee Classic cast for $125 (iron) and a RCBS RS 5 (aluminum) for about $145.

When you get past the RCBS RS5 (which is aluminum but gets the great RCBS customer service) the next logical step is probably the iron Redding Boss at $155.

As you can see from the numbers, there are no huge surprises.

[L Erie Caster]

EDG ya know that press can be sent back to Lee with payment equal to half the current retail price and they'll repair it and return it with a new 2 year warranty. Mighty generous of them huh?

Not all that generous, because half of the manufactures suggested retail price is about what they sell new presses to distributors and retailers for. So they are really just cutting out the middle man. If it was a RCBS, Redding, Dillon, or Hornady press they would repair or replace it free of charge.

[cwlongshot]

100% Buy the STEEL/Cast IRON press... You aint carrying it around!

CW

[georgerkahn]

I am a fan of iron/steel presses! With the "O" design, as others indicated, it is this design which imparts the lack of movement. Probably with zero real world correlation, I think of firing a .357 magnum round in a 6" barrel steel revolver VERSUS same round in a short-barreled aluminum air-weight (which I've done: OW!!!).
My only aluminum press is a Lee hand one, which is indeed great -- but, for the benches -- I have four -- all steel -- mounted and in regular use. Note some folks like beer; others wine -- this is but a (my) personal preference.
geo

[EDG]

It would be even more generous if Lee would test new designs better so they don't break and have to be returned.
I spent many years in manufacturing and have seen most companies try to double their money when pricing products.
Lee's production cost AKA COGS = cost of goods sold is probably about 25% of the retail price. So they are still breaking even if they charge you half price. Half price is probably what they charge distributors.
The sad fact of retail is the distributor's mark up, retailer's mark up and shipping charges are larger part of the consumer's cost than the cost of manufacture.
If we did not have the expensive supply chain Lee could sell a berrer press for the same cost or reduce the selling price of the cheap die casting.
I suspect that Lee pays less than $4.00 for that aluminum die casting.


EDG ya know that press can be sent back to Lee with payment equal to half the current retail price and they'll repair it and return it with a new 2 year warranty. Mighty generous of them huh?

[str8wal]

Get the Lee cast iron press.

239422

Seems an odd place for a breakage.

[Petrol & Powder]

I prefer iron presses but I responded to the OP's question concerning whether he would see a difference. In my experience, aluminum framed "O" presses are strong enough for most situations.

Then you get into the prices.
As I posted earlier, there's a clear progression in cost and by the time you reach the low $140 range, you're in different territory.

I don't recall what I paid for my old RCBS RS5 but it was far less than the comparable steel framed presses at the time. At today's prices I'm not sure I would lay out $145 for an aluminum RS5 when I could spend $10 more and get a steel Redding Boss.

It really just comes down to money. The RCBS Partner is about $80 and that puts it about $10 over a Lee. For that $10 you get the excellent RCBS customer service.

[kmw1954]

Get the Lee cast iron press.

239422

I certainly would love to hear the full backstory on how that broke!

[Sig556r]

I certainly would love to hear the full backstory on how that broke!

Me too! that might be some muscled downstroke

[1hole]

I certainly would love to hear the full backstory on how that broke!

Ditto. I suspect that break occurred from a user following Tim Taylor's ham-fisted method of dealing with tool difficulties: "More POWER!" I've seen web photos of snapped top straps on the supposedly indestructable RCBS Rock Chuckers; I don't blame things like that on the press.

Moral: Anything, even cast iron, can be damaged in use because nothing is foolproof to a sufficently talented and determined fool.

Presses are tools. Buy your tools for your needs, not someone else's. Take care of your tools, use them intelligently for the work they are built for and whatever tools you choose will work well. Lee didn't become the highest volume reloading tool maker over the past 60 years by making junk.

Fact is, alum alloy presses are quite able to handle any normal reloading tasks and they are not "entry level" tools, most users will never need anything else. Very few reloaders will ever get as fanatic about shooting as some of us do so very few will ever see any benefit to buying tools that satisfy our need - or desire - for more power.

[44magLeo]

I'm in the "I don't think you will find a difference" camp.
On the broken Lee press, perhaps that press had a flaw in the casting. How old was that press when it broke. If more than a few years and had been used beyond it's designed limits I say you got excellent life from it.
I've done some pretty heavy work on my Challenger. Was that press modified by altering the linkage to gain more leverage to swage bullets?
Aluminum is more rigid than cast. That's the main reason Lee's die adjustment differs from other manufacturers. For sizing, Lee you turn die into touch the shell holder then turn 1/4 to 1/3 more. Others require more, I don't have but one set of dies that are not Lee, an RCBS I got at auction and has no instructions.
Cast having a bit more flex is why it works so well for many of it's uses, like engine block and heads.
Leo

[Baltimoreed]

Buy or build bigger than you think that you will ever need, you will eventually move from little pistol cartridges to big rifle cartridges, you will outgrow the 6x6 reloading area. I’d look for an old used cast iron ‘o’ or ‘c’ press. There’s a bunch on eBay.

[Harter66]

I used to recommend Lee for a start kit . Lee builds tools to do a job that they do . But there's just not that much cost difference between the Lee and RockChucker kit any more .

I have about $300 in all of my presses 1 Partner , 1 RC ,1RCII , 1 Big Max , 1 Pacific 007 , 4 assorted C presses . I've had and used several Lee's they just weren't for more . Nothing in particular , maybe the lack of an absolute stop .

[jonp]

Buy or build bigger than you think that you will ever need, you will eventually move from little pistol cartridges to big rifle cartridges, you will outgrow the 6x6 reloading area. I’d look for an old used cast iron ‘o’ or ‘c’ press. There’s a bunch on eBay.

That's what I'm looking at. I have used a Lee Single Stage C Press for years with both rifle and pistol and have been quite happy. I just picked up a 416 Ruger and the opening is not big enough. I can make it work and have but I'm going to use something different I think. I was pretty specific in that this will be a reloading, brass sizing press and not used for swaging.

[RED BEAR]

No you won't notice the difference. I have been using a lee single stage for more than 40 years on everything from 25 acp through rifle cartridges 30/06 , 8 mm , 444 ect. Never had a problem and its still going strong.

[BigAlofPa.]

I had a stuck 30.06 case in one of my lee c shaped aluminum presses. I tore the press off my bench trying to get it unstuck. I thought for sure i broke the press. Until i saw the lag bolts ripped out of the bench instead.

[Captain*Kirk]

RCBS and many others are GUARANTEED FOR LIFE (not just yours, but your great-grandchildrens' as well). How do you put a value on that?

[1hole]

RCBS and many others are GUARANTEED FOR LIFE (not just yours, but your great-grandchildrens' as well). How do you put a value on that?

Guess the value of that matters how prone the owner is to break stuff, even if it's cast iron. Fact is, the costs of eternal guarantees are by no means free, it must be added to the original purchase price.

Most any maker will replace failed items for at least a year or two. That's enough time to find any honest manufactoring defect so it's fair enough for some of us. Thing is, IF we buy stuff for the warrantee, those of us who don't break our things are just paying the cost for the clumsy few who do; what's the value of that to us?

[kmw1954]

Fact is, the costs of eternal guarantees are by no means free, it must be added to the original purchase price.

So that is why some items cost 2 - 3 times what other items of the same type cost?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I bought a used, older Lee Challenger press at a gunshow about 8 years ago, it had a light flimsy feel to it, which I didn't like...it looked like new, so I just sold it.
I recently was in a Cabela's, and they had a new style breechlock challenger press on display. It had a much better 'feel' to it. I wouldn't hesitate to use one, but I will say, I am in love with my Lee Classic Cast Single stage, the primer disposal through the ram is just the best system to keep abrasive crud away from wear areas.

[Captain*Kirk]

Guess the value of that matters how prone the owner is to break stuff, even if it's cast iron. Fact is, the costs of eternal guarantees are by no means free, it must be added to the original purchase price.

Most any maker will replace failed items for at least a year or two. That's enough time to find any honest manufactoring defect so it's fair enough for some of us. Thing is, IF we buy stuff for the warrantee, those of us who don't break our things are just paying the cost for the clumsy few who do; what's the value of that to us?

Let me give you an example. A few years ago, somehow the powder pan for my 5-0-5 scale (which I'd had for over 20 years) got misplaced. After I got over being upset, I called RCBS to order a replacement. The website showed one for roughly $25.00 plus S&H of like 10 bucks. When I explained to the CSR what I wanted to buy and why, and offered up my credit card info, she put me on hold and then got back on the line telling me "my money was no good", and asking for an address to ship my FREE replacement pan, which arrived postage paid in 2 days, no charge, with a nice handwritten note included, wishing me well. Several weeks later I located the missing pan. I called back and offered to ship back the replacement, which they refused, telling me to keep it.
Perhaps you are paying for that in the original purchase price, but I find that sort of customer service long after the fact, both refreshing and uplifting.

[JBinMN]

jonp,

Even though I have other presses to chose from for any of my loading needs and now only use SS presses for rifle cartridges, I have an older Lee O-press( forget the particular name but there is no primer setup or the like, but it looks similar to the broken one shown earlier.) & an RCBS R3 that I got in the early/mid 80's & they both work just fine, if one does not abuse them like some folks do & then expect the mnfr to pick up the tab for their abuses, because there is a particular warranty.

Pick one that suits your wallet, and I am sure, if you keep it maintained, do not abuse it by remembering to lube your cases before sizing, etc, and other "proper usage" as described in the mnfr user manuals & reloading manuals, it will last you a long time...


G'Luck! in your decision(s)!
;)


---------------------------------------
{For anyone/everyone... BTW, I typed some longer posts a while back, but just moved them to a safe spot to avoid hurting folks "feelings", & did not post again until now. Every time I went to post I was reminded of how some folks will just not take personal responsibility for their stupid actions & expect others, like the mfrs of a product to replace a product, due to the users mistakes. Do ya wreck a car & then blame the mnfr? How about your house burning down because you left something on the stove, then are ya gonna blame the mnfr who made the pot, the stove, or the homebuilder? You use a jack rated to 1000 lbs to lift something 2000 lbs & expect the mnfr of the jack to replace it... Sheeesh. :rolleyes:
If anyone gets a press, of any kind, and are gonna abuse it, get the more expensive ones. That way they can be hammered on, driven over with a truck, or even something so simple as to forget to lube a case & get one stuck so ya have to put your weight on the handle to try to get the case out, instead of finding a simple less destructive method. Then on top of that ridiculous abuse, put the cost & personal responsibility of their own actions in making mistakes, on someone else, like the mnfr of the press & thus on the backs of others who do not use such methods since they have a bit more common sense & personal responsibility for their actions if they buy that mnfrs. presses when they buy them.} (< I had to put that in there since I have a hard time believing that folks think that "their mistakes" ought to be covered by some warranty instead of owning up to their mistakes & just paying for a new press or getting the one they screwed up fixed. Gonna stop there & now ya know why I removed the other post(s).)}

P.S. - I am not talking about misplacing a part. ;) I am talking about "abuse" of a product. Just to be clear. ;)

[Captain*Kirk]

Just to clarify; I'm not trying to put down Lee (or any other aluminum press) by any means or advocate not buying Lee products. At some point we have to make a decision to buy or not buy based on price; it can mean the difference between having a less expensive piece of equipment or dreaming of a more expensive model that you can't afford.
However, if you can afford the difference, be advised that there IS a difference, both in quality and manufacturers standing behind their product, behind a cast iron press and a cast aluminum one...at least to me. Your mileage may vary, but I've generally found that as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Good luck with whatever you choose, and let us know your decision and satisfaction with the end result!

[kmw1954]

I am having a very hard time understanding this perception of Steel vs. aluminum. There are many alloy compositions of both depending on the parameters one is looking for. I don't think I would like to try and fly in a cast iron airplane or fish in a cast iron boat. Same as I don't think I would like to build an expansion bridge with aluminum. Back in the 70'a after returning from the USAF I went to work for a company that die cast aluminum flywheels, couldn't imagine what it would have cost to cast them in steel.

Today I am finishing rebuilding my reloading bench top. I am adding a pc of 3/8" thick steel plate that will be drilled and tapped to facilitate swapping out presses, Kind of like the In-Line Fab Flush Mount only there will be just one plate. I could have used and found aluminum plate which would have saved a lot of weight only in my mind I would have had to move to a 1/2" plate because the aluminum is softer and does not hold threads as well as steel.

I will concede that Cast steel use in a press would be more ridged and more durable as to the bearing surfaces. One still has to chose material appropriately, in that if all I was reloading were small straight walled pistol cases aluminum or steel would make no difference to me..

[DougGuy]

Well, it isn't even steel vs. aluminum, it's cast iron vs. cast aluminum.

So far nobody has touched on this, if they have I missed it, but... Know why they make machine tools out of cast iron and not cast steel or billet steel? Because cast iron is very rigid, and it does not like movement of any kind, it is a very rigid casting that will resist bending and distortion so it keeps it's shape when stressed. A cast iron O press would actually be stiffer and more accurate than a cast steel O press, and any movement in the casting will revert to the same dimension it was machined to when it was made.

Cast aluminum is more resistant to warping or bending than billet aluminum, but it does not have the rigidity and repeatability of cast iron.

[1hole]

Price is a poor standard of value. We rarely get more than we paid for but we often get less than we paid for. However, everyone should pay whatever it takes to make themselves feel good.

I've been reloading a long time. I have or have used many tools from every source. So far I've needed two replacement parts, both RCBS and both about 20 years ago. One was a cheap broken press ram shell holder circlip, which wasn't my fault, and I indeed got a replacement for no cost. The other was my fault and I called RCBS wanting to pay for a replacement 7-08 FL sizer body that had rusted in storage, and I mean JUST the stripped die body because my original decap/expander stem and seater die was fine. But, they would neither send me a die body nor even sell me one! To be fair, I will say the very nice Customer Service lady did offer to sell me a new full die set for the full retail price, plus shipping. I politely declined her kind offer and immediately ordered a new Lee four die set which included Lee's excellent collet neck sizing die, their FCD (collet neck crimper) and a new shell holder from Midway for a lot less than her price for a standard two die set. ??

Everyone must buy tools according to his own values but I don't buy warranties, I buy tools. Thus, I always buy what I want and need according to the specific features, not its looks, price, or warranty ... or its web chatter one way or the other.

For example, my first press in '65 was a Lyman six hole turret but I came to prefer compound single stage presses. I bought my Rock Chucker II in '93, because I felt it was the best available tool of its type at that time. It's now well used but still in excellent condition. However, if I had to replace that old RC tomorrow I'd get a Lee Classic Cast even if it cost more (it doesn't). Truth is, the CC has much better user features even tho it has no lifetime warranty and I don't think I'd be risking much.

To each his own. :)

[onelight]

One of the advantages I can think of for iron over aluminum for basic reloading would be if you trim cases on the press from some of the posts I have seen (I don’t trim on the press) the filings if not careful can work down around the ram and the cast iron stands up to this better , best to keep them out of either.

[Eddie17]

I would go for the steel over Aluminum. I wore out a cast AL press from Lee. Traded it in for a cast steel press. What ever you chose, keep clean an lubricated!

[JeepHammer]

Highly unlikely.

The strength of an "O" press is high by design. The additional strength of the material (aluminum vs. steel) is not a huge factor.

The steel body may offer slightly better resistance to wear at the points where there is friction but a properly maintained (clean and lubricated) press will likely out-live you.

True.
Normal reloading resizing isn't that hard on presses, not like swaging or wildcatting brass is.

I have a machine shop, I've bolted presses to a 3" thick steel top and used a dial indicator mounted to that top to check for stretch in the press, and it's almost non-existent on an iron frame RCBS Rock Chucker.

It's also nearly non existent on a Lee 'Turret' (Tool Head) press.
These presses have three steel struts between a cast aluminum base and aluminum top ring that locks the tool head in place.

The tool head did move up & down, but that is easy to compensate for with simple die adjustment.

What you will run into is deflect (bend) in the ram, the 1" or less rams are usually slotted weakening them further.
I was surprised to find these are common steel, not even slightly hardened tool steel most times.

Since the ram has the entire length of the press stroke to deflect, meaning it isn't supported from press base to shell holder where it's loaded at the top of the ram stroke,
It never deflects the same way twice, causing different pressures...

Co-Axial press designs that pull instead of push the brass I to a die stop this.
These are inherently more accurate, repeatable pressures than ram up designs, just for the record.

Larger diameter rams (Dillon 'Blue' presses for instance) are ram up designs, but the larger diameter ram deflects less.
Larger diameter rams have more load bearing surface and wear less over time, cleaning & lubrication being consistent.

It's up to you to decide what you need for your volume of production...
A smaller diameter ram & 'O' ring frame works fine for smaller quantities of ammo.
An RCBS Rock Chucker is as simple as it gets and is very reasonable priced.

I believe you will find Lee presses are bottom of the barrel, and the price reflects the use of lesser materials, and lesser fit & finish,
BUT,
If it works for you, then it works for you and you don't need anything else or to debate more expensive units.
If it works, you owe no explanations, and quite frankly, 99.95% of reloaders won't find the limitations of the Lee presses...
They simply aren't set up with measuring equipment to find the difference... If it chambers & fires to your satisfaction, you have a press up to your needs.

There are a lot of reloaders shooting solid MOA groups with Lee presses & Harbor Fright calipers, they don't need to apologise or make excuses to anyone!

---------

When you get into making ammo for several different rifles of the same caliber, the OBJECTIVE turns completely up-side-down...
A total paradigm reversal.

You are no longer making a round that fits & shoots well in ONE rifle,
You MUST make ammo that is SAAMI specification, so it fits, functions and is safe in ALL rifles of that caliber.
(And hopefully you can work up a load that shoots well in all rifles...)

This is where Co-Axial (puller) presses shine for low volume,
And the big ram/solid tool head presses shine for high production volumes.
(Read: Cubic $$$ for repeatable accuracy)

And even more $$$ for adapters, jigs & measuring tools that can find micro changes in the brass/loaded rounds since it has to be tight tolerance SAAMI specification product...

[Captain*Kirk]

I would go for the steel over Aluminum. I wore out a cast AL press from Lee. Traded it in for a cast steel press. What ever you chose, keep clean an lubricated!

Has anyone ever worn out a cast iron press?

[Livin_cincy]

Generally speaking a heavy duty cast iron press is for bigger rifle calibers where you are forming cases. The other operations do not require as much force. This is where a shorter stroke of smaller cast aluminum press is nice. Many people like a separate press for depriming to keep the "gunk" off of their "precision press".

Blue Presses use cast Aluminum like some Red & Green Presses. A Red or Green press does not have to be Cast Iron to be 'good' or is it the better choice. Look at the functionality differences and see how you like the features.


You can easily invest more in "accuracy & precision" on your reloading bench than you will ever see at the range.

[JeepHammer]

*Edited*
You can easily invest more in "accuracy & precision" on your reloading bench than you will ever see at the range.

True.

When punching little pistol brass, it doesn't take much.
When you try to swage or completely resize a case into a different caliber, it takes quite a lot.

The old adage is still true,
"The first three considerations are,
1. Application
2. Application
3. Application"

I started with an RCBS Rock Chucker because it was 'Available'.
The store simply didn't carry any other presses.
I haven't regretted it since 1977 when I bought it.

It's maddening changing dies, no quick bushings, but it's rock solid and I still use it for bench rifle ammo, since I have to 'Bump' rifle brass to get it precisely where I want it.
The iron frame allows me to do that quite well.

I've since owned, and discarded several 'C' frame presses, iron or aluminum, they stretch & spring around.
Doesn't matter how strong they look, the true Turret presses included (not tool head) they all stretch & spring around.
The closed 'O' or caged presses are simply more rigid and therefore accurate in my experience.

I would like to see larger diameter, and/or harder rams in these presses, but since I don't make them...

[Traffer]

My brother has an old lee challenger aluminum press. He had the linkage glued together. It was awful. When I told him about my Lee Classic Cast (cast iron) press he looked at the pictures on the internet. They look almost identical. He kept laughing at me for spending $100 for a used press. I tried to explain to him that there was no comparison between the presses, they just look the same on pictures. But his dull mind could not comprehend what I was saying. He just laughed and mocked me for spending the $100. So I went home, unbolted my classic cast and took it over to him to show him the difference. I never saw him looked so shocked. Jaw on the floor and eyes bugging out. drool running down his slack jaw...when he came to. I asked him if he understood the difference..."wow, this is heavy" was all he could say.
Moral of the story GET YOURSELF A CLASSIC CAST. The challengers are like junk toys.

[JeepHammer]

Has anyone ever worn out a cast iron press?

In a word, yes.
It wasn't the fault of the press, if it had been properly cleaned & lubricated, it wouldn't have gone south.
Rust will kill steel/cast iron no matter how high quality.
Rust on a steel ram will kill aluminum in no time, so you can't stress cleaning & lubrication enough.

Keep that ram from rusting!

Most people would just bush the frame and install a new ram, but I bored/polished the frame and made a new ram that was larger diameter so it didn't deflect as much, but that's outside the price range/skill set of most people...
(I have a tendency to waste time & money on things easily replaced...)

Cleaning & lubrication, rust prevention is a must for long life, but that done, an iron frame press *Should* last a lifetime for the home reloader.
This is evident by how many old cast iron frame presses people find at estate sales!

[lightman]

I doubt you would see much difference between aluminum and iron. But, I like iron in a press. Its hard to go wrong with an "O" frame press with compound linkage made of cast iron. The Rockchucker or the Boss, or Big Boss, would be hard to beat.

[tankgunner59]

I have both the Lee Challenger and the Lee Classic Cast (Iron). I use the Challenger for my day to day reloading and the Classic Cast for all of my heavy duty, such as case re-forming, primer pocket swaging etc. As stated above I regularly clean and lube both, and more often if needed. I have had no issues as of yet, and don't expect to.

[RED BEAR]

Now i like my lee but i will agree that rcbs guarantee is worth something they have replaced parts on stuff i bought used that was decades old no questions asked.

[gumbo333]

Probably not a lot of difference most of the time. Me, I might look on E-bay or gun show for used. Buy both, a pre-owned cast iron O press and a cheap used Lee C press for the easy simple stuff. The openness of a C press is very handy. The heavyier iron press for resizing bottleneck. Just me.

[onelight]

I would say if the difference in price fits your budget buy iron I can’t help but think in the long run it would hold up better to foreign material from primers case trimming brass filings neglect but there are so many here that have used aluminum for years with no problems. I think most of us would probably see no practical difference.

[lightman]

If I could go back in time and still know what I know now I would buy a cheaper, lighter smaller press to deprime on and save the wear and tear on my Rockchucker. But its still tight after being cycled for 10's of thousands of times. So, maybe its a mute point? And universal depriming dies were not as popular 40 some years ago as they are now.

[kmw1954]

I was thinking of getting a Lee Challenger and my question is about the aluminum vs iron. If i'm using it strictly for reloading, no swaging, will I notice a difference?

I have an RCBS JR3, Lee Value 3 hole turret press, Lee Pro1000 and a new Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro.

I have 9mm, 380 and 45acp ammunition that has been loaded on each of them.. If I took 10 rounds each from each press and lined them up you would not be able to tell which press they came from. Same if you shot them all.

[john.k]

The best advice here has been to keep the ram clean and oiled in an ally frame ,or the wear will be rapid and excessive.While cast iron has a certain degree of self lubricating property,dry ally does not and is cut to pieces by dust,grime,or dry wear......I was given one of the little cheap Lee basic presses,by someone who won it in a raffle,and would not even use it........ the ally is very thin,but mine has never broken,and leverage seems little different form a big press........its so light I take it down the range in my ammo box.......try doing that with your A-2.

[EDG]

I bought a Rock Chucker about 1971 and I approached the problem in a different manner.
The RC was my second press and I was really proud of it and I wanted to keep it pristine.
My first press was a heavy cast iron C press that I used in the normal fashion. That meant a lot of primer
ash fell down on the ram and into the press bore wearing on the ram and the casting. After a while the ram would get dry and well powdered with ash and it would groan as I sized cases. I decided I did not want that and I began decapping all cases separately with a hand punch. Then I cleaned all primer pockets.
To keep the RC free of ash I continued the hand decapping and I still do that to this day nearly 50 years later. It is a little extra work but my press and the area around the press stays clean. There are no spent primers bouncing on the floor. I have never broken another decapping pin or decapping stem. I have never broken either one of the two hand decapping punches that I use.

As far as the disadvantage of the A2's mass. It FL sizes oversize cases with little effort. Some of those same cases would kill the little Lee press permanently. Life does not have to be all one way or the other. It may be better to own 2 presses. I own 6 or 7. The extremes on the big end is an A2 and an A4 Big Max.
On the little end I have the Lee hand press we call the thigh master, the small Lee C press and a Harrell's bench rest press with a C frame. That is 5 presses that I do not use much. I also have a couple of RCBS Juniors that I do not use at all. 99% of my press work is done with an old Rock Chucker. The other 1% is done with a small B Square arbor press used with straight line dies.
And I forgot the 450 Dillion which has not been used in maybe 25 years.


The best advice here has been to keep the ram clean and oiled in an ally frame ,or the wear will be rapid and excessive.While cast iron has a certain degree of self lubricating property,dry ally does not and is cut to pieces by dust,grime,or dry wear......I was given one of the little cheap Lee basic presses,by someone who won it in a raffle,and would not even use it........ the ally is very thin,but mine has never broken,and leverage seems little different form a big press........its so light I take it down the range in my ammo box.......try doing that with your A-2.

[GONRA]

GONRA sez save up until you can purchase a Large Robust Press. Do NOT cheep out!
You will need it with necked rifle cases to maintain headspace when dealing with range brass - if nothing else.
Probably any cast iron press manufacturer will do.
Get first class dies - RCBS, CH4D, others...
For serious resizing jobs, be sure to use STP Oil Treatment or TriFlow Synthetic Grease for a Case Lube.

[Ozark mike]

I'm just going to jump out there and say buy a turret if you're going to be making a lot of Rds or if you're doing more than one caliber it makes life a whole lot easier if you like spending your time doing other things like me

[john.k]

Its strange reloaders worry about primer ash wearing a $30 press ram,but are unconcerned about primer ash wearing a $500+ precision barrel.

[6bg6ga]

You won't notice any difference until it breaks.

[EDG]

I think that they would worry about it if there was a good way to deal with it.
However cast bullets do seem to mitigate the wear from ash. The soft bullet metal permits the ash to embed much like soft metal inserts for connecting rods and main bearings.
The much harder metal of jacketed bullets running over the ash probably cause a lot more wear.

If you want to try you can wipe your bore between each shot to remove any ash left behind by each round. Doing so makes for a very nice fouling free bore surface.


Its strange reloaders worry about primer ash wearing a $30 press ram,but are unconcerned about primer ash wearing a $500+ precision barrel.

[JBinMN]

:popcorn: .....

[Lance Boyle]

Has anyone ever worn out a cast iron press?

My first press, a RCBS reloader special 3, is iron unlike the RS5, has a bit of slop in the linkage. It’s been in service since the mid eighties.


I am another swimming in presses. The little RS3 is still in use, the used CoAx is in use, as well as the Dillon 550b.

I have a used rock chucker and a brand new big boss2 on the shelf.

I should probably pare down to an o frame, the coAx and the Dillon. I figured on using the tired rs3 for a dedicated decapper and bullet puller.

[AllanD]

My single stage press, which I bought in reaction to the growing "wobbliness" of the first metallic press, which I got at a garage sale (a Lyman SparT turret press) was an RCBS RS2 aluminum O-frame, it is still going but I want to retire it

The new press


I want to replace it with is the New MEC cast iron O-frame press, because of the way it handles spent primers and their dust or to be more precise because of the crappy way the RCBS press does.

[EDG]

Use a little imagination and hand decap all your brass off of the press first. Then your tumbler can remove the primer ash from the primer pockets and your press is never exposed to the primer debris.

[richhodg66]

I don't have much to add to this, been using the same Rockchucker for 30 years now and probably will til I die, though I have a few other presses.

My questions is, what benefit does aluminum have other than weight? For a reloading press that isn't going to be portable, why would aluminum even be a consideration?

All that said, I just passed on an old Lachmiller in an antique shop for $22 which after a couple of evenings of penetrating oil and evaporust would work fine. Also have an old Pacific C press I got for $15 at a gun show that would work fine now, even had the ram installed to take new shell holders. I'd personally never buy a new Lee press with so many high quality old ones out there dirt cheap.

[Pressman]

Aluminum was the hot new material for reloading presses inn the 1950's. Cheap to buy raw material, easy to cast and machine, tooling lasts a lot longer and reduced weight makes cheaper shipping. The down side is that it breaks easy. C-H got their start making only aluminum presses. Herter's made one but people kept breaking them so it was dropped. RCBS looked at making an aluminum JR, going so far as having it ready to box, ship and sell when the project was scrapped. Only a very tiny number survive today, I know of two.
Lee has made good tools of aluminum that many here swear by. They work and don't break, well not too easily.

Cast iron is nearly impossible to wear out, and it is more expensive to produce an iron frame press. I have a Forster automatic turret press that weighs nearly 60 pounds. It's a great press but too heavy to practically ship, and the project was dropped after the initial product run.

Ken

[TK6411]

I can definitely recommend the Lee Classic Cast Single Stage over the aluminum I once owned. The Lee Classic Cast is a much better and more durable press.