What are the better brands of single stage presses for beginning to reload ammunition?
I am preparing to reload my own ammo. I am planning on reloading rifle ammo but would like the ability to load shot shell too, once the prices of all of our ammo gets too expensive. I have been reviewing several single stage presses and was wondering why choose one brand over the other. How much better is RCBS vs. Redding vs. Lyman vs. Forester vs. Hornady vs. Lee. Dillon is our of my price range right now but maybe in the future I will upgrade to it. I would like something that will last a long time. I will be loading .308 win, 7.62 x 39mm, and .30 carbine. I have been leaning towards the Lyman Crusher 2 or RCBS Rockcrusher , but would like anyone’s input on the other brands as to why they might be the better choice. Thanks.
If you just need the press then RCBS,Redding,etc with their cast metal single stage or the most robust ones will last generations. If you need the whole kit then RCBS seems to offer the best value for their kit. You will still need a case trimmer of some sort.
Rifle and shotgun use totally different set-ups, so getting a cartridge reloading system won’t do anything for shot shells.
There really isn’t ONE better press, they all have their strengths. I just learned on an RCBS and they are the most straight-forward and worked every time I used it. Some of the presses use collars so you don’t have to reset depths when you swap out caliber dies, but the set-up for any of the dies only takes a second anyhow
I personally like the RCBS Rockchucker over their Pardner press;much more solid.
You can’t go wrong with any of the heavy duty presses and that is for sure.
RCBS APS Strip Press Priming tool and strip loader