MEC marksmen vs redding big boss ii vs RCBS RC supreme.

[hunteatfish]

looking for a new press soon, i have used redding and rcbs in the past. there great presses rcbs have the very good customer service. the MEC looks good to me, having used there shotshell presses when i was younger i now they make good stuff. the mec in some videos proved to show little run out.

i don't like priming on the press so the mec not having a press priming system is just fin with me. i reload mostly rifle rounds including some magnums. i do some pistol ammo to but my lee is fine for that. i do a good amount of case forming, so a strong press is needed.

so what would you get, there all about the same price.

[jmort]

I would be happy with any of the three
I also prime off the press so that would not be a consideration
I cannot say that any one of these is clearly superior to the others
Will be interested to see which one you choose
I have a few single stage presses
The closest to these would be a Hornady Iron Press
I also have two A2s and a Big Boss among others, which are serious tools no longer in production
I like the Iron Press but cannot say I would pick it over the three you have under consideration.
Forced to pick, I would get the Big Boss if you are weighted towards rifle reloading

[pertnear]

I went through the same dilemma & bought the RCBS RC Supreme because I was a dyed-in-the-wool RCBS fan. But I got tired of primers flying everywhere so I sold it off & bought the MEC Marksman. Been very happy ever since. You'll need the "raised mounting kit" but that's all. The short handle & extra holder bracket are just a waste. I'm sure the Redding would be great too, although I have no personal experience with it. Forget the RCBS RC Supreme & all the after market junk to catch primers.

JIMHO

[EDG]

Probably just a matter of personal preference.

[onelight]

There are several of the best presses out there with sorry control of spent primers , there are systems that work great . they get the premium price they need to fix the primer retention.

[jmort]

Since he primes off the press, as all smart reloaders do, that is not a consideration.

[onelight]

Since he primes off the press, as all smart reloaders do, that is not a consideration.
I was not clear I was referring to depriming and winding up with many in the floor.

[jmort]

I do all my priming and depriming off the press as all smart reliaders do

[hunteatfish]

Ya I use a hand priming tool, don't like priming on the press. I like the strength of the Redding, on the mec the floating shell holder is nice,also like the handle is attached in the
middle.

[hunteatfish]

I went through the same dilemma & bought the RCBS RC Supreme because I was a dyed-in-the-wool RCBS fan. But I got tired of primers flying everywhere so I sold it off & bought the MEC Marksman. Been very happy ever since. You'll need the "raised mounting kit" but that's all. The short handle & extra holder bracket are just a waste. I'm sure the Redding would be great too, although I have no personal experience with it. Forget the RCBS RC Supreme & all the after market junk to catch primers.

JIMHO
Do you load any big cases or form them, just wondering how the leverage is on the mec.

[Conditor22]

I love my RCBS BUT ------ I'd have to go with the MEC easier access, great reviews and I like the looks :bigsmyl2:

[15meter]

I was not clear I was referring to depriming and winding up with many in the floor.


I put a short piece of plastic drinking straw in the slot in the ram, this eliminated 99.9% of the primers not making it into the RCBS primer catcher. And it's free at any fast food joint. [smilie=w:

[hunteatfish]

The mec deals with the residue for the primers very well form the reviews, it's about $45 for the riser, if I have the steel it looks easy to copy.

[jimkim]

Redding 700 Ultramag

Sent from my VS880 using Tapatalk

[EDG]

My first generation Rockchucker has never lost a spent primer and has never had primer ash on it because 50 years ago I had started hand decapping before I ever bought it.

[hunteatfish]

ya i use my lee hand press most times to decap.

[str8wal]

I do all my priming and depriming off the press as all smart reliaders do

Pffft

[CamoWhamo]

I have owned all 3 at some point.

The MEC is smooth to operate with good leverage.
The floating shell holder works for making accurate ammunition but is also a major annoyance. It lets the shellholder rotate which is a real PITA when trying to smoothly insert and remove cases.
It also has enough float that the occasional case is misaligned enough to smash the case mouth on the decapping pin with bottleneck rounds or the edge of the die with straight wall cases. I lost quite a bit of brass that way.
My other concern was how long it would last because many of the linkage components are made of stamped sheet steel (albeit very thick) rather than castings like most other presses.

The Big Boss II is a great press. It has the best primer catch and performance on par with the RCBS.

The RCBS is also a great press. I agree the primer catch could be way better but for everything else i have have no issues at all. It's my current main press. I prefer it over the Redding because i feel it swings a lot smoother and the linkage is designed such that side load on the handle don't transfer to the ram.
I have the Hornady Lock'N'Load bushing on mine which allows for quick die changes.

[Taterhead]

Redding 700 Ultramag

Sent from my VS880 using Tapatalk

Great press, but could never recommend it unless one already has another O/D atyle press. The ergonomics don't marry well with going fast. Super long throw and loading the shell plate from the front, around the linkages, is much slower than the ergonomics of a RC, in my opinion. With an RC componemts have a straight path from bench to shell holder. The UM is more like a horseshoe motion in and out of the shell holder.

It is great for what it excels at, however: resizing things as large as VW Beetles. Alas, i didn't find myself having thr need as much as anticipated, so I sold it.

I've owned 5 different SS presses, and the Rock Chucker IV is the one that remains on my bench. Mine's seen some good use in its 15 year life.