Select recommendations from experts who use this product

Good build quality, great consistency.

Love the press. Would like to see the detent hold the die blocks a little better for decapping

Good press but needs updates to make it a great press.

The press is very easy to set up and the stroke is much more comfortable than typical single stage presses. The only downfall is the shell holder design. It looks like I got two of the same side holders. Like two lefts or two rights. They don’t line up to each other so I find myself constantly guiding the round into the die instead of setting and go. My one stud that the plate shell holder is attached to started to pull out. I was able to correct this before it got worse. I personally would like to see if Frankford have a stainless steel machined shell holders and plate as an upgrade to the press. Made in America. I would happily pay for upgraded parts. The other issues I came across is halfway through the stroke if you went slow it would bind and not move. Speed was the way to go to prevent this. But I wiped the shafts down then put hornady unique case lube on the shafts instead of oil. This made the press much more slick and now you can move as slow as you want without it binding. Minus the shell holder design which isn’t terrible but the parts are just not the quality you need to get the most out of the press, if this was corrected or upgrades available it would take this press to a whole new level. I love this press and will continue to use it.

Good press, but has a shortcoming

I purchased this press, specifically for my .308 reloading after reading a couple reviews online. I currently have a couple hundred rounds or so built through it and all rounds have come out nicely. However, there is a cautionary tale to this. After the first 5 rounds or so I noticed that the press was VERY difficult to remove rounds from and finally one pulled out, leaving it in the sizing die. This was not a lubrication issue as the difficulty removing rounds was gradual across 5-10 rounds with the same amount of lube I'd used in other presses and the same die without issue. I had to drill out the pocket and tap it and then use a bolt to remove the shell casing from the sizing die. The next round did exactly the same thing. It was then that I noticed that the lower plate was bowed outward and allowing the shell holders to pull free from the shell. On closer inspection I noticed that the center socket cap screw had stripped and pulled free and allowing the plate to bend outward. This is a 6-32 x 1/4 cap screw and was only held by a single thread (which stripped). I was able to use a bench press and true the plate back to flat and bought a 6-32 x 1/2 (which I cut to 3/8) and it seated fully with more than enough threads catching. I replaced all of the cap screws in this manner to ensure the plate was secure. I now have between 200-300 rounds pressed without any issues. With the exception of the cap screws (which I would recommend FA source and replace w/ 3/8) this press is still working away.

Solid press won't work with Hornady micrometer dies

I'm going to take a few stars off for a couple reasons. The shellholder system needs work and is a pain to change. When lowering the press the pin that opens the shellholder sometimes catches and you have to raise the press a bit for it to align. My biggest gripe is a known issue from the Forester COAX they copied from. You cannot use Hornady Micrometer Dies. The seating die micrometer doesn't have clearance under the handle. I think I may modify my press since it was so economical but these issues were known for a very long time with the Forester and FA didn't bother to design that into their press. I think for the price it's ok but it missed on being great.

Great value

Works great and doesn’t break the bank. I use custom dies (widden gun works) and it works great, it does require a bit of thinking to set correct height in normal dies since there is no shell holder to turn down and back from. Obviously this is not the press for cranking of 1000s of rounds but for precision it’s awesome.

Great press

Press is so smooth and easy to use. The die block system takes some use to get used to and since it floats you must pay attention when going up. The light is a nice feature. I highly recommend this press and the built in shell holders are so nice not having to buy new ones for every caliber

The shell holder system can be a pain sometimes otherwise does a decent job holding tolerances. Very heavy construction and the lighting is where it is needed. For the price it makes a great back up station or even entry level press.