omgb
03-12-2023, 03:33 PM
I know this forum is mostly about metalic reloading but...if you love good machinery then you will appreciate this post. I have several shotshell presses. My first, which I still have, is a Lee Loadall from 1978. It actually makes a pretty good shell. I ought to know, I killed loads of ducks and upland game birds with shells made on that machine. I even took a white tail deer with a load of number five assembled on that machine. However, it could be picky about the hulls and, it had limited load selection. I replaced that machine with an Eagle single stage. It was ok. It used the same bushings Hornady used so I bought a bunch of them. As my shooting needs grew, I invested in a couple of Hornady 366s. They were great for 12 gauge but there was no tooling available for 16 ga. So when I moved away from 12 into 16, I needed a new press. Along came a Hornady 266. This was great. Same bushings, same everything but, man did this press struggle with Black Remington game loads. Those crappy hulls would wrinkle, refuse to crimp, bulge, you name it. Use Fiochi and it worked slicker than snail snot. I also acquired a DL155 about this same time. I set it up for my new "best gauge" the 28. It works fine. Somewhere along the line, I bought a very old, as in 1960s, Ponsness Warren 375. I tried loading 16 gauge on it but the old die was set up for paper hulls and I suspect, short hulls. At any rate, I couldn't get it to work and set it aside for about 15 years. Then came a month ago as I was moving it to clean. I got fed up with it not doing anything but it looked too finely made and machined to get rid of it. So I called PW and ended up sending them the tool head to get dialed in. They updated the dies, cleaned the head and added the new upper cap that allows you to change bushings without draining the hoppers.
Well, it arrived two weeks ago and I set it up. Dang if that machine didn't make the most beautiful crimps! Those old Black Remmys? Piece of cake. This is absolutely the best single stage shotshell press I have every used and is far less finicky that my progressive. 100 rounds and hour is easy. 150 if I rush. Those folks at PW make a really fine piece of machinery. Oh, I have a Mec Grabber I won't be using. I may have to sell it here. It's almost factory new.
Reece
Well, it arrived two weeks ago and I set it up. Dang if that machine didn't make the most beautiful crimps! Those old Black Remmys? Piece of cake. This is absolutely the best single stage shotshell press I have every used and is far less finicky that my progressive. 100 rounds and hour is easy. 150 if I rush. Those folks at PW make a really fine piece of machinery. Oh, I have a Mec Grabber I won't be using. I may have to sell it here. It's almost factory new.
Reece