Press Upgrade

[BackofBeyond]

I’ve been reloading on my grandpa’s old RCBS Jr. press (he bought it back in the 70’s) for 10 years now, and with the addition of .300 PRC to the stable, I’m due for an upgrade.

Why you ask? Well, The Jr is just that. Works great for everything up to .30-06 length COAL, my 7mm RM gets a little cumbersome, and .300 WM is too long to get case and unseated bullet into it. .300 PRC is even longer…

If ya’ll had a ~$200 or so budget to upgrade, what would be at the top of your list? I’ve already got the sunk cost into standard dies for every other caliber I have so I’d rather stick with a press that takes standard dies.

 

[Caseknife]

The RCBS Rockchucker should fit the bill, price is about there and has a 4.25" stroke.

 

[mtmuley]

The Rockchuker 2 will work for the PRC. I load RUM cases in mine with no issues. The Supreme has a longer throat area and ambidextrous handle attachment. I might get a Supreme some day, as long bullets in the RUM require feeding up over the case to seat. Inconvieniet, but not a big deal. mtmuley

 

[morgaj1]

After having a few traditional presses, I will say that the Lee Classic Cast is my favorite. I sold a couple of different RCBS presses and kept the Lee. It is smooth, tough as nails, and loads concentric rounds. I also really like the spent primer collection tube. Some of Lee's bad press is deserved for some cheap products, but this press is solid.

 

[Dakotakid]

I championed the Redding T7. I have dies for each rifle set up with no change or adjusting. Want to do PRC, turn the turret, or a different cartridge, turn again.
I have a Rock Chucker that has been relegated to bullet puller.

 

[blackbeard]

I second the redding 7 turret, I got 5 different dies in it and is easy as turning the turret to a different caliber. I leave one spot open for resizing.

 

[Don Fischer]

I think you just want a new press. I loaded 7mm Rem Mag on a JR for a l,ot of years. Also 338 Win Mag and some 300 Win Mag. I use a Rock Chucker now because an ex decided to sell my reloading gear while I was gone!

 

[VikingsGuy]

I like my Lee's Classic Turret, but don't have experience with others to compare.

 

[std7mag]

@VikingsGuy beat me to it!

I started out with the Lee 4 hole turret.
Still my go to press.
I load everything from 380 Auto through 300 Win Mag on it.
Not as fast as a progressive for pistol, but still faster than a single stage.

And still strong enough to do some forming with it.

 

[Seamaster]

I use a turret press for pistol rounds but use either an "O" (Rockchucker, etc.) or "H" press for rifle cartridges. The turret has a bit of flex, but it is fast.

 

[Dakotakid]

I checked run out using Hornady and rcbs tool on the Redding and it was minimal if a little less than with the rock chucker.