arbor press w/ pressure gauge

[Hunt]

Does a pressure gauge on an arbor press really make any difference?

[gunboat]

It can -- depends on use --
pressing in a bearing with a hydraulic press you have no perceived feedback as to the pressure being used -- so a gage lets you know you are mashing the wey out of it --
a hand operated press will give you that feed back ---
my tuppence

[CGT80]

No. I don't think having a pressure gauge on an arbor press would effect the amount of pressure it generates. The only difference is that you will know how much force you are exerting by means of the arbor press.

How critical is the amount of pressure used on the item/s you are trying to press? Is there a point in which the parts will no longer move, regardless of pressure, or will they cross paths and end up not connected once again?

I thought this was the reloading forum. My dillon 550 and 1050 don't have pressure gauges and they are not arbor presses. Maybe more details would allow us to give a better answer. What are you trying to press?

[ar15barrels]

How critical is the amount of pressure used on the item/s you are trying to press? Is there a point in which the parts will no longer move, regardless of pressure, or will they cross paths and end up not connected once again?

The main reason for a pressure gauge under the seating die is to see how much neck tension you have while seating bullets.
Sorting your loaded rounds into groups with similar neck tension should give lower ES which will give better accuracy at longrange.

Even without a gauge, I can feel the differences and I set aside the really heavy or really light tensioned rounds and use those for positional and short range while saving the main batch for longer range use.

[CGT80]

Thanks for the explanation. I don't do precision shooting, but I do look for loads that have low ES numbers, which also group decent at my intended range. Velocity doesn't seem to matter as much for what I do, as other variables. I figured it had to do with seating bullets for precision ammo, but that was just a guess based on the lack of info from the OP.

I have a feeling that calguns probably has a fairly low percentage of reloaders who would use an arbor press and pressure gauge. Single stage, sure, but not arbor presses.

OP, if anyone here knows precision loading, it is going to be Randall. He also does some great machine work on rifles.

[Ahhnother8]

Don't know, but Tubb showed me a video clip on his phone where his loading press/machine measures the force required to seat each bullet. That is one of the methods he uses to sort ammo into similar batches. He is actually doing this for his commercial ammo. He gave me a box to shoot, but I have not taken the opportunity to try it at the 1000 yard line. Still don't know if it makes any difference.

[ar15barrels]

arbor press w/ pressure gauge

Like I said, I don't USE a force gauge, but I do all my match ammo seating on an arbor press.
An arbor press has very little mechanical advantage do you can easily feel the differences in bullet seating tension.
Most cases have similar feel when seating, but I set aside the ones that feel obviously looser or tighter.
It makes a difference for me on the long lines.

[J-cat]

I agree.

In addition, you can sort your bullets on a comparator, then by cartridge OAL. The ones with the most neck tension will have the longest OAL.

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

I agree.

The ones with the most neck tension will have the longest OAL.

Please explain. This doesn't make sense to me.

[ar15barrels]

Please explain. This doesn't make sense to me.

The lower the neck tension, the bullets will simply slide into place.
As neck tension increases, the bullet is under more tension as it is pushed into the case.
When you withdraw the loaded cartridge from the sating die, that tension releases.
We are only talking about a few thousandths difference here based on neck tension differences, but that's measurable.

The case and the bullet are both elastic.
Think about the ring you see on the bullet from where the seating die presses it into the case.



That ring is from the bullet yielding during seating.
The deeper the ring on the outside of the bullet, the more tension the case neck had.
The deeper the ring in the bullet, the LESS of the bullet that got seated into the case.
The less bullet that got seated into the case, the more that's sticking OUT of the case.
The more that's sticking out of the case, the LONGER the OAL.
The longer the oal, the HIGHER the neck tension.

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

Interesting.
Thank you

[fguffey]

Like I said, I don't USE a force gauge, but I do all my match ammo seating on an arbor press.
An arbor press has very little mechanical advantage do you can easily feel the differences in bullet seating tension.

I have three arbor presses, my gages are not force gages, they are labeled strain gages. My arbor presses can seat a bullet with the weight of the handle. I have the feeling my arbore presses weight close to 30 + pounds more than other arbor presses. then there is that other measurement, the amount of effort necessary to size a case.

F. Guffey

[ar15barrels]

I have three arbor presses, my gages are not force gages, they are labeled strain gages. My arbor presses can seat a bullet with the weight of the handle.

I don't think I would use a steel shop arbor press for seating bullets.
I use a Neil Jones press.
It weighs around 2lbs.

[fguffey]

I use a Neil Jones press.

I made a seater, can not call it a seating die because---it has no die. I sent one to one very fair and objective reloader.

Without a die, for most that would complicate the rational, first thing comes to mind 'it can't be done'. I would like to drop a name on you but it is a simple aluminum can crusher made of injected plastic. I adjusted the stroke with a block to limit travel etc.. Anyhow I seated the bullet, perfectly. Then I dug out an old bottle capper arbor press, same thing. Then I dug out a bottle corker arbor press, there I ran into a small problem with height. All three devises that qualify as an arbor press worked effortlessly..

F. Guffey

[ar15barrels]

I made a seater, can not call it a seating die because---it has no die.

I have seated a few bullets without a die when I am mocking something up and don't have a die, but for my real shooting, I like knowing that the die is aligning the bullet in the case as the bullet is being seated.
That's why I use inline seaters like wilson, forester or redding.