Looking for single stage press to de-cap 50 bmg

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I've been searching around for a single stage press - that is large enough that I could use it to de-cap 50 bmg brass.

My first choice - I think - would be a Lee Classic, but I can't seem to find one in stock anywhere. I've bid on some Ebay auctions and been scouring Craigslist to see if one appears - and so far anyway Craigslist nationwide has been a bust, and they seem to be going for retard money on Ebay.

I've looked around to see if there are any other options out there but can't seem to find anything that is relatively inexpensive that will accept 50 bmg.

Right now I've got a lot of spare time - but not a lot of money. I've also got a load of 50 bmg brass I could at least get de-capped and cleaned up and ready to load for whenever I can hunt down the components for non-rapey prices.
 
Would a Herter's #3 work? I have one stored away, but I don't recall if it's large enough for the .50 BMG.

Hmm - don't know. Do you know what size dies it takes? For .50 BMG I can get either Lee dies in 1.25x12 or other brands at 1.5x12.

The OAL of the .50 case is 3.91 inches.

I did a little bit of searching on what thread size dies the Herters #3 takes , but haven't run across anything yet that calls it out specifically.
 
I've been searching around for a single stage press - that is large enough that I could use it to de-cap 50 bmg brass.

My first choice - I think - would be a Lee Classic, but I can't seem to find one in stock anywhere. I've bid on some Ebay auctions and been scouring Craigslist to see if one appears - and so far anyway Craigslist nationwide has been a bust, and they seem to be going for retard money on Ebay.

I've looked around to see if there are any other options out there but can't seem to find anything that is relatively inexpensive that will accept 50 bmg.

Right now I've got a lot of spare time - but not a lot of money. I've also got a load of 50 bmg brass I could at least get de-capped and cleaned up and ready to load for whenever I can hunt down the components for non-rapey prices.
 
This was in stock a couple days ago. Maybe sign up for email notification?
 
The Herters takes standard 7/8" dies. It has a proprietary shell holder (some are at a local shop). I do have an adapter to accept regular RCBS, Lee, Lyman, etc. s/h, but this will deduct from the case length capacity.
I'll have to dig this press out of storage and see if a .50 BMG case will fit. For decapping only or for bullet seating, too?
 
I've been searching around for a single stage press - that is large enough that I could use it to de-cap 50 bmg brass.

My first choice - I think - would be a Lee Classic, but I can't seem to find one in stock anywhere. I've bid on some Ebay auctions and been scouring Craigslist to see if one appears - and so far anyway Craigslist nationwide has been a bust, and they seem to be going for retard money on Ebay.

I've looked around to see if there are any other options out there but can't seem to find anything that is relatively inexpensive that will accept 50 bmg.

Right now I've got a lot of spare time - but not a lot of money. I've also got a load of 50 bmg brass I could at least get de-capped and cleaned up and ready to load for whenever I can hunt down the components for non-rapey prices.
.50bmg will not fit in a Lee classic. You really need a larger frame press for .50bmg. Decapping them takes a fair amount of force as the primers are usually heavily crimped and the crimps are almost never centered. .50bmg cases will not fit in a standard die body either.
 
.50bmg will not fit in a Lee classic. You really need a larger frame press for .50bmg. Decapping them takes a fair amount of force as the primers are usually heavily crimped and the crimps are almost never centered. .50bmg cases will not fit in a standard die body either.

Well maybe that depends on which "Lee Classic" you're thinking about.

According to Lee - this one will do .50: 50 Bmg - Lee Precision

You take out the bushing - and you can use Lee 1.25x12 thread sized .50 dies. I believe there's one other brand of 1.25x12 dies I've seen as well Most of the other press brands that will do .50 are sized 1.5x12 . "Normal" sized dies for smaller cases all appear to be 7/8x14
 
This was in stock a couple days ago. Maybe sign up for email notification?

Crap - I must have just missed it. I did sign up for the email. Been looking around - and everything seems to be sold out everywhere. Just like with reloading components - and ammo.
 
I've been searching around for a single stage press - that is large enough that I could use it to de-cap 50 bmg brass.

My first choice - I think - would be a Lee Classic, but I can't seem to find one in stock anywhere. I've bid on some Ebay auctions and been scouring Craigslist to see if one appears - and so far anyway Craigslist nationwide has been a bust, and they seem to be going for retard money on Ebay.

I've looked around to see if there are any other options out there but can't seem to find anything that is relatively inexpensive that will accept 50 bmg.

Right now I've got a lot of spare time - but not a lot of money. I've also got a load of 50 bmg brass I could at least get de-capped and cleaned up and ready to load for whenever I can hunt down the components for non-rapey prices.

Paging @Mountain .
Although he shoots that silly 12.7mm, he might be able to point you in a direction for .50

LOL, metric is SO much better...

The problem for accommodating 50 BMG is not only the length, it's the diameter of the case too. You're pretty much stuck with a dedicated 50 BMG press to accommodate the dies. You're going to want the extra beef and longer lever for sizing especially. I picked up the RCBS package years ago on sale, so no idea what they cost now. I'm happy with the press and with an adapter it works well with standard rifle calibers too.
 
Crap - I must have just missed it. I did sign up for the email. Been looking around - and everything seems to be sold out everywhere. Just like with reloading components - and ammo.
Crap you missed the Hornady press I linked above too. Damn these sell fast.
 
LOL, metric is SO much better...

The problem for accommodating 50 BMG is not only the length, it's the diameter of the case too. You're pretty much stuck with a dedicated 50 BMG press to accommodate the dies. You're going to want the extra beef and longer lever for sizing especially. I picked up the RCBS package years ago on sale, so no idea what they cost now. I'm happy with the press and with an adapter it works well with standard rifle calibers too.

Thanks - Understood. Longer-ish term , when I get back to having a job and have some $$ - I was thinking of getting a dedicated press big enough to do all of the operations. I was thinking of the Lee (or something similar for now) because they're cheap and I could just dedicate it to be a decap station going forward. Pretty much all of the presses big enough to do stuff like sizing - are out of my price range at the moment , unless I can pay for it thru Paypal (which typically doesn't "do" gun related business).

Since finding components and powder is such a PITA right now anyway , I figured I could at least decap and clean up all the cases I have so at least that was done for whenever the rest of the components become available in the future.

There's nothing I currently have (Dillon and smaller Lee) - that will even come close to handling the .50
 
Well maybe that depends on which "Lee Classic" you're thinking about.

According to Lee - this one will do .50: 50 Bmg - Lee Precision

You take out the bushing - and you can use Lee 1.25x12 thread sized .50 dies. I believe there's one other brand of 1.25x12 dies I've seen as well Most of the other press brands that will do .50 are sized 1.5x12 . "Normal" sized dies for smaller cases all appear to be 7/8x14
That's a larger press, pretty sure it used to only be sold with their .50bmg kit, it's not the old cheap cast Lee press that everyone has. I think they've changed the names and call the regular one the challenger now and that one with the 4" stroke is called the "classic." I'm pretty sure all of the the older lee O-frame presses are only 3.5" stroke. I reload .50bmg, I use the RCBS .50bmg kit with the ammomaster press. I don't do a seperate decapping operation for .50bmg I just tumble with the spent primers in and then clean up the primer pockets and remove the crimp after re-sizing.
 
Thanks - Understood. Longer-ish term , when I get back to having a job and have some $$ - I was thinking of getting a dedicated press big enough to do all of the operations. I was thinking of the Lee (or something similar for now) because they're cheap and I could just dedicate it to be a decap station going forward. Pretty much all of the presses big enough to do stuff like sizing - are out of my price range at the moment , unless I can pay for it thru Paypal (which typically doesn't "do" gun related business).

Since finding components and powder is such a PITA right now anyway , I figured I could at least decap and clean up all the cases I have so at least that was done for whenever the rest of the components become available in the future.

There's nothing I currently have (Dillon and smaller Lee) - that will even come close to handling the .50

Why not clean without decapping? I rarely bother to clean primer pockets until they look extra bad then take a quick couple twists with a pocket cleaner 'brush' type tool. Saves me time to not have to pick out media and no negative effect on my match results.
 
Why not clean without decapping? I rarely bother to clean primer pockets until they look extra bad then take a quick couple twists with a pocket cleaner 'brush' type tool. Saves me time to not have to pick out media and no negative effect on my match results.

I could do that. I've seen people do it both ways - and I've probably just gotten in the habit of depriming first and then cleaning/tumbling/polishing because most of the reloading I've done has been of military once fired brass and the stuff is usually pretty dirty. So I just deprime first and clean the whole case after that.
 
I've been searching around for a single stage press - that is large enough that I could use it to de-cap 50 bmg brass.

My first choice - I think - would be a Lee Classic, but I can't seem to find one in stock anywhere. I've bid on some Ebay auctions and been scouring Craigslist to see if one appears - and so far anyway Craigslist nationwide has been a bust, and they seem to be going for retard money on Ebay.

I've looked around to see if there are any other options out there but can't seem to find anything that is relatively inexpensive that will accept 50 bmg.

Right now I've got a lot of spare time - but not a lot of money. I've also got a load of 50 bmg brass I could at least get de-capped and cleaned up and ready to load for whenever I can hunt down the components for non-rapey prices.

Until you get a 50-capable press, you can easily decap brass with a punch and a hammer. I have the press, and I still do it this way before I tumble. I wouldn't run dirty brass through my sizing die, and universal decapping dies don't fit a 50 case so the punch is a good solution.
 
Until you get a 50-capable press, you can easily decap brass with a punch and a hammer. I have the press, and I still do it this way before I tumble. I wouldn't run dirty brass through my sizing die, and universal decapping dies don't fit a 50 case so the punch is a good solution.

Thanks, if it gets to the point where I'm itching to get going on cleaning up the 50 brass and I can't find a press by then - I can always pull out the punch and hammer.

What you mentioned about dirty brass in the sizing die was one of the other reasons why I got in the habit of decapping and then cleaning. I just remember reading up on people's differrent approaches to reloading when I was first getting started, and recall a number of people saying they would run into problems when they tried to resize dirty brass.
 
Never mind...................

Screen-Shot-2018-02-12-at-12.08.50-PM.png



Cleaning up my reloading area this morning and early afternoon - fixing a few things, and finding stuff I had totally forgotten I had.

Opened up the bottom drawer of the toolbox - and I've got an RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme in there. Didn't even remember I had that. I think I picked it up at Kittery years ago for a good price and just stuck it in the toolbox thinking it might come in useful some day...............

Now to find some dies................
 
Never mind...................

Screen-Shot-2018-02-12-at-12.08.50-PM.png



Cleaning up my reloading area this morning and early afternoon - fixing a few things, and finding stuff I had totally forgotten I had.

Opened up the bottom drawer of the toolbox - and I've got an RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme in there. Didn't even remember I had that. I think I picked it up at Kittery years ago for a good price and just stuck it in the toolbox thinking it might come in useful some day...............

Now to find some dies................
I don't think the chucker supreme can do 50 BMG, RCBS advertises the ammomaster for 50 BMG duties.
 
I don't think the chucker supreme can do 50 BMG, RCBS advertises the ammomaster for 50 BMG duties.
I think it's big enough to at least do the de-capping - which is all I want to get done right now. I don't think it's tall enough to fit a loaded 50 BMG round, which is why they have the Ammomaster. The Chucker Supreme will take the 1.25 thread sized dies - which is big enough to accomodate a die big enough to deprime the .50 round.
 
I've been searching around for a single stage press - that is large enough that I could use it to de-cap 50 bmg brass.

Shoot a message and see if if the opening is big enough to fit-

 
Shoot a message and see if if the opening is big enough to fit-


Thanks ..... and damnit.

I found a good deal on one of those Frankford Arsenal presses last week - the thing is supposed to get delivered today. It wasn't as good a deal as what EddieCoyle had though - I should have searched further back in the listings I guess. EC just bumped his posting on Wed. I'll see how good the thing works , if it is a good press I could grab another one to dedicate to decapping or something.
 
Thanks ..... and damnit.

I found a good deal on one of those Frankford Arsenal presses last week - the thing is supposed to get delivered today. It wasn't as good a deal as what EddieCoyle had though - I should have searched further back in the listings I guess. EC just bumped his posting on Wed. I'll see how good the thing works , if it is a good press I could grab another one to dedicate to decapping or something.
The link to midway is an even better deal:
1615083053558.png
 
The link to midway is an even better deal:
View attachment 458561

I got that Frankford press delivered on Friday. I think it's got enough throw to do a 50 BMG round, but it's got a built-in shell holder mechanism - which won't hold a 50 case, and it has a quick change die block setup, that is only large enough to accept standard 7/8-14 thread sized dies. So there doesn't appear to be any way that the M-press is going to do a shell case the size of 50 BMG. Seems like a good press for any sort of operation on smaller caliber cases though where you don't mind hand feeding each case in. (no provision for a case feeder)
 
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