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SPECIAL FEATURE: UNDER PRESSURE

Created on 15th May 2009

LAURIE HOLLAND tests out a selection of today's best handloading presses

When discussing brass and bushing dies, when did you last hear anybody talk about the heart of a handloading set-up, the press? Dull, aren't they? Not really - the modern press is a surprisingly sophisticated machine and there are probably more significant differences between models than you'll find in many other tools. Having said that, one of the most difficult handloading questions to answer is: "What is the best press?" There is no ‘best' press, as that description depends on the kind of shooting you do, the type of cartridges involved, and the number you need to load. There are practical factors too - affordability, space and what you'll need to mount it on.

Types

When looking at presses, classifications that affect usability and performance include the way in which presses are mounted. There are three categories: hand (held), bench (mounted) and portable/speciality. Out of these, the bench category covers most designs on the market. There are also sub-types based on the number of dies they hold and loaded cartridge production rate from low to high: single-stage (one); turret (three or more in a tool head or turret); and semi- or fully-progressive (multi-die with several actions performed simultaneously on a single pull of the press handle). Why doesn't everybody use high output presses? Apart from cost and set-up time factors, they rarely provide the power or precision of a good single-stage design. This means they are fine for loading large quantities of pistol or some types of small rifle cartridges, but aren't used by precision shooters or those handloading large rifle cartridges. The frame shape provides a further set of distinctions, primarily C-form (one side open like the letter C); O-form (fully enclosed); and the H-form (rarely found outside shotgun cartridge loading machines). The H form is a multi-die set-up involving two horizontal platforms. The top (die) platform is fixed and the bottom holds the shellholder(s) and case(s). Two vertical rods slide up this, one at each end, to give us an H shape. The commonly found O is the strongest, but adds weight over a C and may make user access to the shellholder and case more difficult.

Choosing a design

The press designer, and ultimately the buyer, is searching for a design that provides concentric operation and sufficient power (ram pressure), and that maximises strength and rigidity while minimising weight. Size and weight largely depend on how much (mechanical) work the press is expected to do. Full-length resizing a .378 Weatherby Magnum case requires a different magnitude of work to reducing the neck diameter of a 6PPC by a couple of thou', as well as needing a larger frame and longer ram travel simply to accommodate this cartridge. The ram, shellholder and die must line up precisely in order to produce sized cases and finished cartridges with little or no runout.

The amount of work the press can undertake depends partly on the design of the handle and linkage in terms of how much mechanical advantage they produce. The robustness and metal quality of the press components has an effect on this - heavy-work presses need thick frame members, large-diameter rams, and hardened steel pins in the operating links. As well as resisting wear and tear, they are needed to avoid the press flexing under pressure, which not only ruins case concentricity but can also produce variations in sized case shoulder position affecting headspace. Cast iron is the material of choice for the frame in most bench models with a threaded hardened steel insert holding the die. The overall size of the frame and length of the ram (hence the length of cartridge that can be handled) obviously affects weight too, but bear in mind that large size and great power are not always needed, while precision in use and operator ‘feel' are key attributes in some situations. So, the BCM Europearms portable models illustrated have aluminium bodies and will produce nothing like the power of an RCBS Rock Chucker. They won't handle the Weatherby Magnum, but will do a superb job on small precision cartridges and are attractive to benchrest shooters who handload on the firing point.

Primers

Many handloaders do everything except powder charging on the bench press (and that can be done with a powder measure and special die). All ‘mainstream' models come with priming attachments, usually an arm and spring-loaded cup swung into play as the case is extracted from the sizer die. This is a sensitive job that places great demands on a big press, a prerequisite being a linkage that gives variable leverage so the ram moves less when the press-handle is at the top of its stroke to give more ‘feel'.

Most people decap cases on their bench press when sizing and that produces spent primers. Having small brass cups rolling around the floor shedding a nasty residue is best avoided, so collection systems of variable effectiveness are provided. Most commonly, a hole is drilled through the top section of the ram which exits to one side a couple of inches down. The primers will drop into a type of plastic cup primer-catcher clipped to the frame. Unfortunately, catchers can fall off or get lost and primer residue may slip between them and the ram to be carried to the bottom of the frame and accumulate as oily, abrasive muck. Better designs see primers drop through the bottom of the tool into a container or length of polythene pipe.

L-N-L and Breech-Lock

Although they're apparently simple machines manufacturers keep improving presses, in particular the accuracy of the machining. As a result of this ram to die alignment is much better today than even a few years ago, especially on budget models. A recent innovation is rapid die change patented by Hornady as its ‘Lock-N-Load' system. This was regarded as so significant that the company renamed all its handloading tools as such, or L-N-L for short. Lee Precision has now come up with a similar system called ‘Breech Lock'. In both, the die is screwed into a cup-like holder or collar which only needs a part turn to be locked solidly in the press frame. The die is adjusted the usual way and retains that setting in the holder. Changing dies is literally a snap, speeding things up, which is a particular advantage to older shooters suffering from a bit of arthritis. (On Forster's Co-Ax the die is not screwed into anything at all other than its lock-ring. This is simply slid into a recess in the press body: a ‘floating' arrangement which provides automatic case-in-die centring.)

Ergonomics

Sticking to ergonomics, left-handers may need to consider whether a potential buy is ambidextrous. Small budget models mostly have the operating handle in the middle directly ahead of the frame and ram but larger examples have it offset to one side, sometimes with the handle angled out too. Not all designs provide an ambidextrous handle mounting. Likewise, is the handle length adjustable for different operator seating heights and techniques? Few are, but note that despite being the cheapest in the class most Lee bench models manage to provide these features. Another ergonomic issue is ‘frame offset' - some designers position the frame at an angle to the bench/user to enable access to the top of the ram.

Finally, as well as listing presses and describing their features under common headings I put together a large collection of fired Norma and Lapua .308W brass, full-length sizing with 20 or so in each press, using the same die throughout. This allowed me to see how much leverage is provided and also to obtain an impression of how well the press handles collection of spent primers. Another simple trial was the .300 H&H challenge to see how the press coped with the 3.600" COAL cartridge; was there sufficient finger-room above the case-mouth for precise bullet placement and easy feed into the die? (Photographs of bench presses have a .308W case installed to allow comparisons.)

Hand Presses

The Lee Loader isn't a press at all. That function is performed by a soft-faced hammer (not supplied) to insert the case into the die body and eject it with a rod. (Likewise, decapping and bullet seating.) It's here to show you can manage without a press at all, but it's slow, awkward and hard work compared to reloading with even the simplest press and conventional dies. Originally available for many cartridges, the Loader is only available for a handful now. It only neck-sizes cases.

Price: £17.97 - everything for one cartridge except hammer

Further information: www.leeprecision.com or the Lee catalogue from the importers

The Lyman 310 Tool has been around for over a century now. It's nicknamed the ‘nutcracker' for obvious reasons. This little tool comes in two sizes of handle depending on the cartridge to be loaded - the ‘small' version is shown here with a set of 310 .45 Colt dies. (The sizer is installed in the handles; left to right on side: expander, bullet seater and priming tool). It comes with its own type of dies, which are of smaller diameter than normal, and the tool only neck sizes cases. (Standard 7/8x14 dies can be used with an adaptor.) Cartridges covered are .30-30WCF; .38-55WCF; .40-65WCF; .45-70 Govt (large handles); .38 Special/.357 Magnum; .44 Special/Magnum; .45 Long Colt; and .44-40WCF (small handles). Great for wilderness travellers with lever-actions and sixguns, but it looks rather hard work and slow. Definitely not for those with arthritic hands!

Prices:
Handles: £43.46 (either size)
Die sets (i/c priming die): £47.37
7/8x14 adaptor: £5.73
Tool carrying pouch: £9.80

Further information: www.lymanproducts.com; Tim Hannam (see list of importers)

The Lee Hand Press is a proper press that uses 7/8x14 screw-in dies but doesn't need a table or bench. Best used sitting down, it works the opposite way to bench models - as the handle is raised (closed) the ram moves up towards the die. It has enough power to full-length resize cases in the .308W size class, but this is fairly hard work and the Hand Press is at its best neck-sizing, particularly with the Lee Collet die with which it produces surprisingly concentric cartridges. It just handles the .300 H&H Magnum seen below, although there is so little space between the case and die body that the bullet must be slipped partially into the die before raising the ram fully. It's not easy to align the bullet. Spent primers are trapped in the hollow ram and the shellholder has to be removed every 20-25 cases (large primers) or 35-40 (small primers) to allow them to be tipped out. Great for those without any suitable workplace or bench to mount a bench model on.

Bench Presses - General-Purpose Single-Stage

Lee Precision's new Breech Lock is so named as it uses an interrupted thread system like the breech locking mechanism on some artillery pieces. Three collars are supplied with the press and they are also sold as stand alone sets. The black button to the left of the die opening is a locking device - a cutout on the collar mating positively with it - and is pressed to free the collar and die.

Rcbs Reloader Special - 5 (RS-5)

RCBS importer GMK was unfortunately unable to supply an example for review. On the basis of information obtained from reference material, this O-form press appears to be in the same size class as the Lee Challenger. Like this press and its smaller RCBS Partner sibling, the RS-5's frame is made of aluminium but is offset at 30º to give unobstructed access and the press is heavier at around 7.5lbs. It is claimed to be able to handle cartridges up to 3.75" COAL, so will easily handle numbers in the .30-06 class as well as many magnums. Priming is carried out on this latest (fifth in the series) version with a swinging arm on case withdrawal from the sizer die, and some changes have been made to the handle. (This model can be turned into a progressive press using the RCBS Piggyback 2 kit that fits on top of the RS-5 frame.) The price is £116, and information is available on the RCBS website www.rcbs.com (catalogue downloadable as an Adobe Acrobat document.) A printed catalogue is widely available in gunshops or can be requested from the importer.

Importers

Forster Products: North West Custom Parts
T: 0161 408 1155
W: www.nwcustomparts.com
E: enquiries@nwcustomparts.com

Lee Precision: (1) Tim Hannam, near Leeds
T: 01977 681639
W: www.timhannam.co.uk
(2) Henry Krank, Pudsey, West Yorkshire
T: 0113 256 9163
W: www.henrykrank.com
E: sales@henrykrank.com

Lyman Products: Tim Hannam, near Leeds
T: 01977 681639
W: www.timhannam.co.uk

RCBS: GMK, Portsmouth
T: 01489 579999
W: www.gmk.co.uk (trade sales only)

Redding: Norman Clark Gunsmiths, Rugby
T: 01788 579651
W: www.normanclarkgunsmith.com
E: info@normanclarkgunsmith.com