The Best Reloading Press for The Money
Over the years, reloading has grown more and more popular. Many shooting enthusiasts prefer reloading their own ammo to buying ammunition. Many reasons attribute to this growth, cutting down on ammo costs and increasing accuracy are among the reasons just to name but a few. Manufacturers have also noted the growing need for reloading presses and have flooded the market with different kinds. So what’s the best reloading press for the money on today’s market?
Here is a quick list
Best Reloading Press for The Money Review
#1) RCBS 9356 Rock Chucker Supreme Press
The RCBS 9356 Rock Chucker Supreme Press is loved by many for its durability and quality. It’s one of the best reloading press for the money for its versatility and exceptional strength. A beginner can easily use this press and the best part? This press can be upgraded to a progressive press just by adding a Piggyback—4. This makes it an ideal press even for an experienced reloader. The 9356 comes with a frame that strongly supports the 1″ diameter main ram by providing four inches of ram bearing surface. What’s more, the handle is ambidextrous so both left-hand users and right-hand users can comfortably use it. The handle is crafted using solid steel with a ball-type handle grip for comfort. Ensure you mount it correctly on your workbench and you have yourself a highly revered press, that will last you a long time.
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#2) LEE PRECISION Classic Turret Press
Its glowing reviews and sturdy construction are some of the reasons why this is one of the best reloading press for the money. It is a turret press that works better than a single-stage press. It allows you to produce more ammunition than a single-stage press. Beginners and seasoned reloaders alike will find this press really great. This press comes with the auto index feature and you can easily load cartridges that have an overall length of 3.313 inches or even less. It comes with a big area for clearance which makes it easy for you to work on larger rifle cases. Its cast-iron design gives this press durability and sturdiness. However, if you want to load a longer cartridge you will need to manually advance the press. Its ambidextrous handle means both right-hand users and left-hand users can comfortably use the press. Pros
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#3) Hornady 095100 Lock-N-Load Auto-Progressive Reloading Press
This is one of the best progressive reloading press for beginners and pros alike. It comes with a 5-station bushing system that allows you to switch from 223 to 45 in under 5 minutes. It is also fitted with the EZject system that is responsible for ejecting every cartridge as soon as it is completed without jamming or needing adjustments. This press comes with a case-activated powder drop that only lets out the powder in the presence of a case. This makes your workstation neat and clean. You will also love the fact that you can swiftly and easily switch dies and load other calibers. This is a Hornady progressive press, which means you can produce an insane amount of ammunition, we are talking over 500 an hour with enough practice. The universal case retainer spring lets you easily remove and insert a case at any point of the process while the built-in priming system and the large-capacity hopper helps in streamlining the reloading process.
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#4) Lee Precision 90180 Breech Lock, Hand Press Kit
This is one of the best reloading press for the money on today’s market. It is a hand press that does the job as well as other single-stage presses, as a matter of fact, it is one of the best single stage reloading press you can get your hands on. Its portability is one of the reasons why it is loved by reloaders. You can literally store it anywhere and you can use it anywhere you feel the need to. Additionally, it is so easy to use that it is highly recommended for beginners. If you want to get into reloading, you can start with this as it doesn’t even require a permanent workbench. This is a great tool to get you started on reloading and even experienced reloaders will find it useful when they are out there in the field and they need to reload. Pros
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#5) RCBS Summit Single Stage Reloading Press
As one of the best reloading press for the money, the RCBS Summit Single Stage press comes with an ambidextrous handle for ease of use for both left and right-hand users. It is one of the reloading press for accuracy on today.s market. It gives you full access to the front area which makes the process easy. As far as single-stage presses go, this really is the go-to press for beginners and seasoned reloaders alike. It might not produce as many rounds as turret presses or progressive presses, but it still does the job well. It improves and enhances your ammo accuracy and precision to give you very reliable ammunition. It is a bench-top operation press so you will need a strong bench to mount this on. Pros
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Best Reloading Press for The Money Comparison Table
PRODUCT | TYPE | NO. of STATIONS | INDEXING | WEIGHT |
RCBS 9356 Rock Chucker Supreme Press | Single Stage-Can be upgraded to a progressive | 5 | Manual | 19.8 pounds |
Hornady 095100 Lock-N-Load Auto-Progressive Reloading Press | Progressive | 5 | Auto | 29 pounds |
MEC 9000GN 12 Gauge Press | Progressive | 6 | Auto | 26 pounds |
Lee Precision Load Master 9 MM Luger Reloading Pistol Kit | Can be used as either Progressive/Single-stage | 5 | Auto | 6.61 pounds |
LEE PRECISION Classic Turret Press
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Turret press | 4 | Auto | 1.98 pounds |
Types of presses
There are mainly three types of reloading presses, single-stage press, turret press, and the progressive press.
Single-stage press
The single-stage press is the cheapest among the three. It produces fewer amounts of ammunition in comparison to the other two. Single-stage presses typically allow you to work on only one round at a time, which makes it a very slow press to use. However, due to the fact that you are producing only one round at a time, you get to produce highly accurate and precise ammo
It is ideal for a beginner as not there are not so many moving parts so it is easy to use. They also come with comprehensive manuals which give you all the information you need to get you started.
Some of the best single-stage presses include RCBS 9356 Rock Chucker Supreme Press and Lee Precision 90180 Breech Lock, Hand Press Kit
Turret Press
The turret press is an upgrade from the single-stage press but it is not a progressive press. It costs more than a single-stage press but cheaper than the progressive press. It comes with a head that is capable of holding multiple dies at once which means indexing them is quick. Reloading with a turret press is faster compared to using a single stage press which means you produce more rounds.
Depending on the model or brand, these presses can either be manual or automatic. It is ideal for pistol or rifle reloaders.
A beginner can also learn the ropes with a turret press as it is not hard to use.
Some of the best turret press on the market include: LEE PRECISION Classic Turret Press and Lyman All American 8 Turret Press for Reloading
Progressive Press
This is the crème de la crème of presses. A progressive press is capable of producing more than 500 rounds per hour if used by an experienced reloader. It is better than the turret press and single-stage press. For this, they are more expensive in comparison to the two.
A progressive press is an investment so you need to make sure you only get the BEST.
Some of the best progressive press on the market include: Hornady 095100 Lock-N-Load Auto-Progressive Reloading Press and MEC 9000GN 12 Gauge Press
Best Reloading Press for The Money FAQs
What is the best press for reloading?
The best press for reloading is the RCBS 9356 Rock Chucker Supreme Press which is a single-stage press or the
Hornady 095100 Lock-N-Load Auto-Progressive Reloading Press which is a progressive press. We have also reviewed more presses that are really good for reloading.
Who makes the best progressive reloading press?
Hornady and Lee Precison. Their best include Hornady 095100 Lock-N-Load Auto-Progressive Reloading Press, Lee Precision Load Master 9 MM Luger Reloading Pistol Kit
What is the best reloading press for a beginner?
Lee Precision 90180 Breech Lock, Hand Press Kit, or the RCBS Summit Single Stage Reloading Press. Beginners can introduce themselves with these easy-to-use and budget-friendly presses.
Final Thoughts
You can start reloading as a way to save on ammo costs and it turns out to be your hobby. Reloading your own ammo means you can increase its precision and accuracy more than manufactured ammo would offer.
We have reviewed the best reloading press for the money and all that are listed have proven to be a worthy investment.
Happy reloading!