Hi and welcome to the forum. The Big Max was, in the opinion of some, the most powerful press ever made. It had a universal shell holder and a hollow ram that caught all the spent primers in a cup that attached to the bottom of the ram. You could swage bullets or reform cases with ease....a gorilla would be satisfied working the handle which was also adaptable to left hand use. I never understood why RCBS stopped making them; it was a great press. LLS
Yup, that is a beauty!!
I have two. I only need one. Where in ND. I get up there often.
I am close to Minot ND. I will brobably end up buying a Corbin, RCE makes a Sea Grit or a wall nut hill press. I am interested in buying The rcbs M-TECS I like to collect nice reloading equiptment as much as use it. It will be a few years befor I retire but I hope to use all my spare time playing with my toys in my golden years.
my spelling can suck, but it is worse when I dont weare my glasses.
Last edited by Randy C; 12-04-2012 at 11:01 PM.
I got a big Max. Its great for forming or necking up brass.
I have 3 and they are great. I recently gifted a 4th to Sniperdoc on here. My prized one has serial number 3 and was reportedly owned by Fred Huntington of RCBS fame. It has a custom bent handle that is the bee's knees.
At one with the gun.
I have one in the works, and if I dont get it M-Tecs said he is going to be close by and I could by one of his. I would have bought his first but I did not get his pm in time.
I have one that I have not used yet. I have some 5/8 stainless rod that I am going to use to make a dual arm handle that is much longer than the original . It is my intent to extend the handle upward and bend it back ward to clear the top of the dies. I just want it to be able to form brass. I am not sure if it will swage case heads. I know that 7/8" dies some times split with used for forming .308 brass down to .455 dia on the head.
EDG
Thank you for your reply and offer I did not win the one on ebay but I went in the gun store and bought a 45 70 Sharps I put $500 down so my wife don’t give me grief it cost $1300 That sharps talked me out of your press money I have wanted one for a long time it was $2000. They gave me a price I could not turn down, I am going to buy a Swaging press and several Progressive presses also. This is a lot to get by with at Christmas time .I am remodeling my reloading room here and in town for what family I have left before summer my mother is gone now That sucks. If you still want to sell it this summer I will be first in line.
Thank you Randy I am still on a mission to get my room done.
Last edited by Randy C; 12-19-2012 at 03:54 AM.
I just sold mine Sat. Was $150.00 a good price. Thanks- Joe
They sell on ebay for $300 to $550
The want rate is high with this one!
The old "A" series presses were massive but that great strength mattered not unless the user was swaging jacketed bullets. Swaging lost favor when commercial bullets got less costly and swaging dies and jackets went out of sight. I would love to have one for the novelty value but any conventional press will do any common reloading or case reforming chores most of us will ever need to do.
I bought a Big Max when it first came out. Never have I been unhappy with it. I would never part with it.
I think that the big max is one of the best looking and strongest presses made as long as you don't over work it swaging the hollow ram is its down fall when swaging, that is what I have read, you can buy a RCE cheaper now days.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |