Press ram play

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  • cyclops

    Active Member
    Dec 31, 2016
    134
    Western Md.
    So I've been using my rock chucker press since 1983 and recently I watched a video where the person replaced his older press because of play in the ram. He claims he was getting flyers because the ram had play and therefore his loaded rds weren't concentric or perhaps they weren't consistant would be the better discription. Looking at my old press with the ram fully extended there is some play forward and back and side to side but I've not noticed any flyers or for that matter any irregularities in my loaded rounds. I must say that I recently acquired one of lymans small c frame presses for use as a decapper etc. This press has no play what so ever in the fully extended ram. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks
     

    K31

    "Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 15, 2006
    35,632
    AA county
    For the rounds to not be concentric it would seem to me that there would have to be something wrong with the die, not the ram.
     

    GunBum

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2018
    751
    SW Missouri
    I’ve been watching “precision shooters” replace the rams on their Rock Chuckers for 30 years. I never understood the reasoning. The brass floats in the shell holder anyway, so any play you remove from the ram is far overshadowed by the play in the shell holder to brass fit. The brass self centers in the die anyway.

    Still... some guys swear it improves the precision of their hand loads.
     

    Blacksmith101

    Grumpy Old Man
    Jun 22, 2012
    22,156
    So I've been using my rock chucker press since 1983 and recently I watched a video where the person replaced his older press because of play in the ram. He claims he was getting flyers because the ram had play and therefore his loaded rds weren't concentric or perhaps they weren't consistant would be the better discription. Looking at my old press with the ram fully extended there is some play forward and back and side to side but I've not noticed any flyers or for that matter any irregularities in my loaded rounds. I must say that I recently acquired one of lymans small c frame presses for use as a decapper etc. This press has no play what so ever in the fully extended ram. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks

    Load a batch with each press and see if the results are different. The targets will tell you if it makes a measurable difference. Be sure to post the results.
     

    cyclops

    Active Member
    Dec 31, 2016
    134
    Western Md.
    A test firing sounds like a good idea. I might order up a concentricity gauge and check the runout on loads from both presses.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    I’ve been watching “precision shooters” replace the rams on their Rock Chuckers for 30 years. I never understood the reasoning. The brass floats in the shell holder anyway, so any play you remove from the ram is far overshadowed by the play in the shell holder to brass fit. The brass self centers in the die anyway.

    Still... some guys swear it improves the precision of their hand loads.

    And some measure the charge to 1/100 a gram. Sometimes to less than one granule of powder.

    Most would be better served by SHOOTING more and reloading less. :D
     

    bigcountry

    Active Member
    Jan 4, 2013
    105
    Carroll County
    I am die hard <5mil concentric guy.

    I have looked into it for 30 years. The shell hold is usually the culprit. You want a floating shell holder. What I do I to touch the bullet with the ram and lift off a time or two, seat in .1" and pull off. Then seat. It centers the round. Faster then you think.

    Some rounds that have a bunch of freebore, it really makes a difference. Some not so much. But I figure why be mediocre at anything I do. I have proved over and over to folks that rounds with <.005" of wobble will outshoot ones that have >.01"

    Thats the fun of it.
     

    cyclops

    Active Member
    Dec 31, 2016
    134
    Western Md.
    I've seated the bullet about half way and then lowered the ram and turned the round 180 degrees and then seated it the rest of the way but right now I don't have way to check my results...I think I need another tool.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    So I've been using my rock chucker press since 1983 and recently I watched a video where the person replaced his older press because of play in the ram. He claims he was getting flyers because the ram had play and therefore his loaded rds weren't concentric or perhaps they weren't consistant would be the better discription. Looking at my old press with the ram fully extended there is some play forward and back and side to side but I've not noticed any flyers or for that matter any irregularities in my loaded rounds. I must say that I recently acquired one of lymans small c frame presses for use as a decapper etc. This press has no play what so ever in the fully extended ram. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks

    My thought is, maybe he actually discovered that the neck and bullet portion of his chamber had been initially reamed to a diameter larger than the precision part of a cartridge, the bullet and aggregate wear in the throat is becoming evident, resulting in inconsistency.
    Saami specs for some reamers are already oversize .001-.005 than bullet diameter to accommodate cartridge necks, leaving the cartridge case as the only thing to support the bullet as it enters the bore.
     

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