REDDING BIG BOSS 2
RCBS BENCH PRIMING TOOL
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: both these work well.
I just loaded up fifty .357 magnums on the new Redding Boss 2 press. (13.0 of AA9 under 158 grain JSP, in case anybody cares. Not mega-hot, but not .38+p either).
This press has a compound-arm system that generates more force than the simple RCBS Jr. press I had. But it still has the "feel" you need when setting up a roll crimp die. It seems very well made. It's a bit stiff to operate, but I figure it'll wear in with a bit of use. I had to reset my dies because the dimensions are different from the old press. Once done, this need not be changed. My RCBS shellholder snapped in and out perfectly.
I set it up for .38 spl and then used the spacer ring that you can get from RCBS to create the additional distance required for the longer .357 case. You can do this with .44 spl /magnum as well. The sizing die doesn't need this, but the flaring, seating and crimping dies do. Beats having two die sets, or having to reset your die when switching back and forth.
Overall impression is positive. The handle is long enough for leverage, and there is a big smooth ball on the end so your hand doesn't get tired. The spent primers fall through the hollow ram. There is a metal fitting on the bottom of the ram for a plastic tube (supplied) but I didn't hook up the tube. I just put a trash can under the press and the primers are deposited neatly in the trash can.
This feature has two benefits over my old RCBS press. (1) Spent-primer dooke does not pollute the press and the work bench. (2) No chance of what used to occasionally happen with the RCBS, which used a plastic tray to catch the spent primers, namely, bumping the tray and spilling a hundred old primers and spent-primer dookie on the floor. Very nice feature.
RCBS bench priming tool: This is what's really cool. All this time I've been priming on the press, when the ram comes down from the expand/flare cycle. But with the new press I got the RCBS bench priming tool. It works very well. You can feel the seating action much better than when using a press. Everybody should get one of these. True, it is one more step in the process, and takes more time. But I guess I don't mind, because I already use a four die set for all handgun calibers, and that's an additional step as well.
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