Best single stage press for concentricity?

Yes, I dropped some zeros. Sorry.

Keeping the dies very clean with denatured alcohol and Q-Tips.

I need to start drinking coffee.
 
I find that even a loose press can make great loads, if you use a case/round to align the die to the shell plate. The press can float quite a bit, as long as the die/shell-holder is aligned.
IF you want to minimize run-out (which I haven't found to be a PRESS issue), you need to ensure the seating stem is aligned and coaxial to the case and EXACTLY fits the bullet (as low down the ogive as possible). Most seating stems are not really aligned--they were just screwed in and that was that--not even a matter of leaving them slightly loose and running a good round up and then setting the seating stem to align to the good round before locking the stem down.
The real accuracy freaks use an arbor press (often, a rather inexpensive arbor press) and custom dies made to match the rifle chamber. The DIES and parts to the dies that make the difference.
 
Have had a Sinclair concentricity gauge for about two weeks now.
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Is this the setup you are using?

p_749007271_6.jpg
 
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The reason I ask is up until your post #21, we were talking about one thing and after
Yes, I dropped some zeros. Sorry
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we would be talking about something completely different.

If you started a thread saying you had a rifle that the best you could do was average 10 inch groups despite ammunition and/or conditions then 20 posts in, find out it averages 1" groups. That would be the same factor of ten difference in conversation. Would go from one where I was trying to help you to one were I was trying to learn how to get your same results.

We might be able to help reduce runout from the "up to .004" part but if it's really up to .0004" worst case, you could teach us something.

FWIW the indicator in that photo is graduated in thousandths .001 not ten thousandths.0001.
 
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The worst TIR on the seated bullet was .004. Sorry for my confusion. Am still learning.

What started this was a new AR that would not shoot a decent group with CFE223 and a number of different bullets. It was shooting 2-3 MOA. It has a LaRue barrel and should be capable of much better.

So I loaded up another test using Benchmark and found a charge weight that gave me a sub MOA group yesterday. Progress at last. I'm guessing that rifle just doesn't like CFE223.

Had thought maybe my problem was runout so I started down this road buying a concentricity gauge and Redding dies.
 
The worst TIR on the seated bullet was .004. Sorry for my confusion. Am still learning.
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That's not a problem, we all are or at least should be trying to learn something everyday. I was just trying to make sure we were on the same page.

So now that we know we are talking about thousandths,

After sizing and trimming the brass is divided into two containers. One for 0 - .005 and one for .006 - .001 (going to assume you ment .006-.010) case neck concentricity.
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That sure seems like a lot of runout on a case alone sized or just fired (assuming they are not obviously bent or dented), what do they measure before you size, for them to come out so bad?

If running them through your die makes them worse, take a look at your process. First suggestion would be to lube inside the neck and a different die right after that.
 
The best press I ever had was an Orange Crusher. I wore it out. Never got another one nearly as good as that one. You take 10 different presses that are supposed to be identical and all 10 will give different numbers. Now I am using a RCBS that is old as dirt. It gives much better numbers than any new RCBS press, or Redding press, or Lee press, or Lyman press that I have tried.
Now I size on a Redding and seat on my RCBS.
 
Also use a fired case to square up sizing die, then lock die with locking ring. If you need to use neck expander, you do not need to lock it down tight. Or you can leave it loose than tighten it up after getting it started in neck. Most times am only using neck expander if then going to trim brass, as am using the rcbs power trimmer. Primer removal is handled by smaller caliber expander plug.

Am of opinion the Redding comp seater works very well, but it still helps to square it up. Can use flat washers to do this by setting washer below die, raising ram to tight, then tighten lock ring.

Am not a big fan of does that have hard to remove expanding plugs, but like the Lee lever action caliber dies for other reason.
 
Best Single Stage Press for Concentricity

If you can find an old RCBS Rockchuker in good order it should fit the bill.
Mine is from late 60s and iron.
Loads with 90 grain and 100 and 130 grain Sieras in my .270 Weatherby Magnum hit a dime at one hundred measured yards every time I did my part.
A later posting is about a concentricity gauge. I would like to have one.
The eye is very accurate if you work on using it but maybe not quite as accurate.
 
If you guys would hand seat the bullet in the throat and use the same case indexed all the time you wouldn't have these problems. lol couldn't help myself. was thinking of turn of the last century schuetzen shooters. bob
 
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