Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles new to me Co-ax press

Im not saying the Co-Ax doesnt size cases just fine. It works great. However Ive found at least with Redding sizing dies if I want to bump the shoulder it wont do it useing the universal shell holder the press comes with. The universal shell setup holds the case to low and the press will bottom out before you reach the shoulder. I ordered the standard shell holder attachment but for me its a pain in the ass to have to attach it and then take it back off. For me it was easier to just leave my RCBS rockchucker set up so i dont have to continually swap components.



Trystan [/quote

that's why I have 6 Co ax bolted to my bench, don't need to change the shell holder

Interesting, thanks for explaining. I've never encountered that myself, I think my plates hold the shell at the same height as RCBS shellholders, but I'm sure there's some variation there.

I agree on the shell holder attachment for the Forster; I bought one when i got the press because it seemed like a good idea, but I never use it, it's kind of a pain.

Would someone please explain the "floating die" theory? Is the die not tightened in the slot? If not, how is it secured in the slot? I just don't quite get that.

Thanks

It just slides in the slot, and is located vertically by the lock ring. The die is not screwed into the press.

It's nice to see someone who can articulate the much-vaunted "lock ring problem" with this press.

On the set screw type, have you tried raising the ram to put upwards pressure on the die before tightening the lock ring? That can be done with a case in the die of course.

This is what idea when setting a die up for the first time.

Been a long time for me and don't remember how I came to my conclusions, or what I tried, but one conclusion was that the set screw type rings were inconsistent and the others were not. Simple answer was to dump the set screw rings for the Lymans and Forsters. Besides, if the die canted with the other rings there had to be an inherent mismatch that could revert under certain circumstances, or just hard use. Preferred to set the dies up once, be certain, and not have to chase problems later. Thanks for the compliment.

I've been eyeballing the Co-Ax and similar presses and I have a question. I use the Redding Competition shell-holder set for shoulder setback. How do you do it with the Co-Ax style press? Is it just trial and error; or, better stated, trial then measure and work your way back and then leave the die set there? Thanks in advance.

I don't think I quite understand the issue or the question?

I swap out the shell holder adapter and install a best guess Redding Competition shell holder. Typically but not necessarily I'll start guessing what I expect to be long and get shorter to avoid getting the case too short in the process.

I do find that spring back and maybe work hardening mean that I don't get best results by progressively shortening the same case.

Rather I will use a different case with each shell holder change until set.

Results vary dramatically between body dies, full length sizing dies and small base body dies and small base full length sizing dies. Range scrap and commercial once fired brass, maybe machine gun? typically shows some variation from one case to the next after sizing. I try to be sensitive to case head burrs.

Once set for a lot of brass I don't hesitate to return to a previous setup of shell holder and die adjustment and expect good enough results. I am not measuring head to datum ring to half a tenth.

I use a T-7 to hold the several Redding Instant Indicators so that there is no question of going back and forth between the sizing die and the indicator.

If I had to swap Instant Indicator dies with case sizing dies while swapping shell holders I wouldn't much.