Hand Press

[Australian shooter]

Gents
I seek your collective wisdom,

I am about to move I am looking at an alternative to my current loading set up for portability reasons.

My question is,,,,, what are the various hand presses that are available like? Any comments or opinion

For me anyway the only one available in the country (Australia) I can find is the lee version.

Note: I load with a lee collet die and neck only. I would set up the big press when full length sizing is required, and an RCBS seating die will also be used in the hand press.

 

[999yards]

Re: Hand Press

Tom Sarver started a good thread about the benifits of an arbor press and inline dies. See Achieving Accurate Long Range Bullet Flight just a few threads down.

With an arbor press, inline dies, and some blood vials with the rubber top you can easily load at the range. Blood vials,btw, are for bringing along pre measured powder loads. This set up is compact and very portable.

 

[packratt]

Re: Hand Press

My first press was a Lee hand press. It works great for testing loads at the range.

The last batch of 308 I reloaded with it (full length sizing) did not properly size. I don't know if I did not set the die up properly or if something in the press stretched out of spec, but the brass which had been fired in a M1A would not chamber in a Remington 700 Varmint.

I would set up the bench press to size a bunch of brass at home then do the seating and crimping where ever you want with the hand press. They are cheap enough you can have a separate press set up for each caliber you shoot.

 

[Carnivore]

Re: Hand Press

LEWilson.com, the choice of bench rest shooters for dies. www.harrellsprec.com for press and powder measures and some dies.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

Re: Hand Press

I have a Lee hand press (started out with it). Mine was poorly aligned, with the ram not lined up with the die hole. The frame has a LOT of spring to it. The former may have been a one-off problem, but the latter is due to the design, but wouldn't be a problem if you are only seating bullets with it.

I switched to a Huntington Compac hand press, and it is MUCH better. The press is aluminum with steel guide rods, with excellent alignment between shell holder and die hole, and practically no spring to it. It does not have the hollow ram to catch spent primers, but it does have a built-in priming punch. Best of all, a small wooden base can be attached to it, which allows it to stand up by itself, if you need both hands for something else. You could even clamp the base to a bench or table, but the twin handles work against each other, so there's really no need. I highly recommend it.

I don't use the Huntington much anymore, but when I need a hand press, it gets the nod. I use a Forster Co-Ax (another great press) on the bench.

Andy

 

[vman]

Re: Hand Press

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 999yards</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Blood vials,btw, are for bringing along pre measured powder loads. This set up is compact and very portable. </div></div>

Thats very clever, i never thought of that