I have had my press for almost a year. I´ve been loading 308 win, 6,5x55 swedish mauser, 30-06, 223 rem and 8x57 mauser. It´s good compared to my old leeaneversary press. I like the smart collecting of the spent primer. For the lamp i use a powebank wich I printed a holder to. This alowes me to use it without a long cable. I also installed hornadys lock-n-load system for faster change of tools. Great review as always!
I have been waiting six weeks for this video. One of my four vendors. Has this in his catalog and I have been waiting to see how it test runs. Thank you for the video. Ya good 👍
Bought the FA F-1 a week ago. Will be returning it in exchange for the MEC Marksman. Received the F-1 and found the spent primer catch assembly (plastic) cross-threaded. Have been trying for five consecutive days to reach FA customer service to get a replacement assembly. Have tried every option they offer to reach them. No return calls or responses of any sort. While they may have been responsive in the past, those days appear to be gone.
I'd like to suggest a side-by-side comparison video to the M Press with results being measured for producing precision ammo for F-class F/TR style competition, specifically 223. Budget-minded shooting fun! - thanks!
If you buy an M-Press I recommend replacing the screws that hold the metal plate that retains the shell holder jaws. They used 6-32x1/4” screws and there just isn’t enough threads if you get a case that is a little stickier than usual. The holes were just short of 1/2” deep so I used 3/8” long screws after getting my press replaced under warranty.
The one thing I have noticed is that using the In Line quick-change adapter plate that all of your presses show a lot of flex when operating them. I like the In Line bases but mine are bolted to my bench using the solid top plate made for the press. Is it your particular setup allow this flex or do all their quick-change plates do this in operation?
I have several pressed on the quick change plates on an Ultra mount and I don't have any flex like that show in these videos, not sure what the go is there
It’s not. My linear bearing fell out the third time I used it. The spent primers fall through the ram, so the lower linkage pin has a hole through it. That pin has two thread-in retaining pins. One of my pins continually threads itself out, and the linkage pin is broken now. Have emailed Frankfort Arsenal, with no response.
Hi, thanks for your videos. You think it's possible to adapt a breech lock conversion or lock n load conversion bushing to this F1 press ? Thanks a lot.
That ram moves quite a bit at top of cycle I would be hesitant to use this press for precision reloading. I would use it for 458 socom and 9mm and maybe 300 blk.
I recently mounted my Zero press with an Inline Fabrication micro, (4”), mount. I get nothing like your video shows concerning flex. I don’t have the quick change plate but mine is rock solid. The flex yours demonstrates is totally unacceptable IMO.
I have been using Ramshot Hunter in my .338 Winny with the 225 grain Barnes TTSX for mv of 2,836 fps from a 23” barrel in Alaska for about ten years. Tiny little 5 shot groups from the bench. Just hammers moose caribou n bears. 💪
I have an older single stage lee press given to me from a relative that had owned it from the 70's . I only reloaded rifle cartridges. Would like to upgrade not sure which to go. Want to be a little more productive. I
I am looking for something to reload 357 mag for both pistol and rifle. I have found reloading the 357mag cartridge to be finicky and prone to case crimping when using a lee press. I suspect the lee press is too rough / aggressive / insensitive when handling such a thin strait walled case. Do you think Frankford's press is sensitive enough to avoid the case crimping issues that I am experiencing? Happy to hear your thoughts. PS: I have not used any other press other than lee so open for suggestions here. Thank you in advance.
Honestly, it's not the press. A cheap Lee progressive press will do the job. But you often get better machining and sometimes better-quality material in more expensive presses. If you want a good press look at a Dillon 550. They are not cheap, but you can do both rifle and pistol cartridges on it progressive. Once you set up a tool head and have the right base plate on reloading is easy and consistent. But if you don't set it up you can still screw up cases. Having said this, I am ordering one of these presses to have one at my farm for developing loads. But honestly a Lee press can make bullets just like this one if set up right. The dies are what sizes the brass not the press. I have had Lee presses, Lyman presses, RCBS presses and have a Dillon 550. They can all make bullets pretty well. If you are wanting precision rifle you need the better presses. Pistol not so much.
First thing, I want to thank you for your reviews. That being said, I really wish you would have put this press through some more rigorous reloading prior to posting your review of this press (as my decision to purchase this press was moderately influenced by your review of it). Specifically in magnum level cartridges. I purchased this press to be a dedicated press for resizing belted magnum cases with a collet resizing die. Resizing these cases takes a fair amount of leverage as you are targeting the brass just above the belt. I was initially impressed with the press roller bearing function and the design of the press made the use of the collet die (which threads in from the bottom of the press threads) easy. However, after resizing approximately 50 cases the press has failed. The attachment point between the press and the ram assembly broke on both sides leaving me with a mounted press on the bench and the ram and handle of the press in my hand. I would post pictures but dont see a way to upload them. I would imagine that this press would suffer the same issues with any larger magnum cases that do require a fair amount of leverage to full length resize. I will give Frankford Arsenal good feedback in the fact that I contacted the company after the press failed, and in about 20min and submitted photos of the failure, they notified me that they will be sending a replacement press at no cost and apparently no need to send the failed press back. I am not sure if I will continue to try to use this press for this process or be purchasing a press with a little stouter construction.
Hey Gavin, I have an idea for you to test. How about a comparison of recoil pads to see what is the best and if they Iive up to what is claimed. Pachmyer, butler creek, limb saver, vs. falcon strike, etc.
Maybe its just me. Did FA just pretty much copy another press? Looks like a Prazzi press to me. Just like their M press coping the Forster Co Ax. Not trying to be negative. Just seems like close to copyright infringement.
If you don't want flex you need to fasten to a good solid bench or fasten directly to a riser made for the press you are using. Risers are nice if you need the press located higher to use it comfortably. If bench height is good enough you don't need a riser. I have presses mounted both ways. At my farm directly to the bench and using a seat that is the right height to use the press. At my home I use risers on both my presses one being a Dillon 550 and the other a Lyman turret press. But honestly most the time that flex will not matter so long as you are getting your full stroke in. I do like solid though because you can feel that solid contact on your stroke better when the die tops out.
I don’t think anyone can beat the Forster CO-AX and the Redding T-7 the Forster is good for the military sniper damn good for me over 40-50 years or more
The Co-ax is good. All the presses have been already tested, I remember a test that shown that 'O' frame presses had very good results (less flex), the rock chucker was even slightly better than the coax. In benchrest the best are small 'o' frame presses :John Loh, Lenzi's... Basically the same but with very tight tolerances.
in europe this thing costs about 250 eur :-/ would be about 100 USD more expensive then you get it ;-( but it is a hobby, also who cares ;D I also want the Frankford Arsenal M-Press So i have to buy both ;D
The amount of flex in that setup is cringe worthy. With each pull of the lever, I'm thinking, "Will this be the one that pulls the press off the bench and onto his foot?" 🤯
Thats because of the quick change mount he is using. Half the press is hanging in mid air with no support bellow. If you use the standard mount from Inline Fab, it will not move at all.
@@lancevaughn5337 I have 2 Dillon 550s and a FA X-10 which is very well engineered press for the money and cost 3x less then a Dillon 1100 fully loaded. I cannot justify such cost for a Dillon progressive press for the volume I am loading. Time will tell if the X10 will last as long as a Dillon. Nowdays its impossible to have a lower priced competitive product if its not manufactured outside the US. Happy reloading.
So that’s all it does? So one would need a whole other machine that will load the powder and prime it? Is there a machine that just does everything like an assembly line…
not in a single stage press. Hench the name "single stage". This press is designed to perform one function at a time. There are pressed that will do everything in an "assembly line" fashion. They are called progressive presses and will run significantly more money
This video appears to be more of a "reloading the 6.5 PRC" video than a "New: Frankford Arsena F1 Press" video. I found this to be an interesting looking press, but what's with the top of the ram flopping around at the bottom of each stroke? Every time you raise the ram it visibly wobbles as it makes contact with the die. Looks like a piece of garbage to me and I'll stick with my Rock Chucker.
There is a lot of flex in the press using your mounting system.
Yeah that made me cringe a little bit 😅
Too much flex. I like mine with zero movement.
I have had my press for almost a year. I´ve been loading 308 win, 6,5x55 swedish mauser, 30-06, 223 rem and 8x57 mauser. It´s good compared to my old leeaneversary press. I like the smart collecting of the spent primer. For the lamp i use a powebank wich I printed a holder to. This alowes me to use it without a long cable. I also installed hornadys lock-n-load system for faster change of tools. Great review as always!
As soon as this press got announced I was hoping you would do review on it! Glad u did.
I have been waiting six weeks for this video. One of my four vendors. Has this in his catalog and I have been waiting to see how it test runs. Thank you for the video. Ya good 👍
Bought the FA F-1 a week ago. Will be returning it in exchange for the MEC Marksman. Received the F-1 and found the spent primer catch assembly (plastic) cross-threaded. Have been trying for five consecutive days to reach FA customer service to get a replacement assembly. Have tried every option they offer to reach them. No return calls or responses of any sort. While they may have been responsive in the past, those days appear to be gone.
Been looking at this press and waiting for it to be released and you test it before I bought it. I am sold now just what I thought it would be.
can we get some 6.8 western content? would be nice to see the ballistics you can squeeze from handloading them
I'd like to suggest a side-by-side comparison video to the M Press with results being measured for producing precision ammo for F-class F/TR style competition, specifically 223. Budget-minded shooting fun! - thanks!
If you buy an M-Press I recommend replacing the screws that hold the metal plate that retains the shell holder jaws. They used 6-32x1/4” screws and there just isn’t enough threads if you get a case that is a little stickier than usual. The holes were just short of 1/2” deep so I used 3/8” long screws after getting my press replaced under warranty.
The one thing I have noticed is that using the In Line quick-change adapter plate that all of your presses show a lot of flex when operating them. I like the In Line bases but mine are bolted to my bench using the solid top plate made for the press. Is it your particular setup allow this flex or do all their quick-change plates do this in operation?
I have several pressed on the quick change plates on an Ultra mount and I don't have any flex like that show in these videos, not sure what the go is there
I'm wondering if it's the T tracks in the bench.
I'm not loading for custom actions with perfect firing pin holes and bolt faces, so I prefer to decap before taking head to datum line measurements.
It looks like a Präzipress press for a lot less money.
Mindless Rock Chucker chant followed by cast iron is better.
Looks like a great work horse! Sizing & wildcat work
It’s not. My linear bearing fell out the third time I used it. The spent primers fall through the ram, so the lower linkage pin has a hole through it. That pin has two thread-in retaining pins. One of my pins continually threads itself out, and the linkage pin is broken now. Have emailed Frankfort Arsenal, with no response.
Hi, thanks for your videos. You think it's possible to adapt a breech lock conversion or lock n load conversion bushing to this F1 press ? Thanks a lot.
That ram moves quite a bit at top of cycle I would be hesitant to use this press for precision reloading. I would use it for 458 socom and 9mm and maybe 300 blk.
I recently mounted my Zero press with an Inline Fabrication micro, (4”), mount. I get nothing like your video shows concerning flex. I don’t have the quick change plate but mine is rock solid. The flex yours demonstrates is totally unacceptable IMO.
Thank you. Glad I'm not the only one
I'm wondering if it's the T tracks in the bench
Can you put the hornady lock n load conversion on it.
Looks like the 7/8's bushing comes out of the press for larger die bodies ?
I wish that would of been in the video.
I have been using Ramshot Hunter in my .338 Winny with the 225 grain Barnes TTSX for mv of 2,836 fps from a 23” barrel in Alaska for about ten years. Tiny little 5 shot groups from the bench. Just hammers moose caribou n bears. 💪
I have an older single stage lee press given to me from a relative that had owned it from the 70's . I only reloaded rifle cartridges. Would like to upgrade not sure which to go. Want to be a little more productive.
I
I am looking for something to reload 357 mag for both pistol and rifle. I have found reloading the 357mag cartridge to be finicky and prone to case crimping when using a lee press. I suspect the lee press is too rough / aggressive / insensitive when handling such a thin strait walled case. Do you think Frankford's press is sensitive enough to avoid the case crimping issues that I am experiencing? Happy to hear your thoughts. PS: I have not used any other press other than lee so open for suggestions here. Thank you in advance.
Honestly, it's not the press. A cheap Lee progressive press will do the job. But you often get better machining and sometimes better-quality material in more expensive presses. If you want a good press look at a Dillon 550. They are not cheap, but you can do both rifle and pistol cartridges on it progressive. Once you set up a tool head and have the right base plate on reloading is easy and consistent. But if you don't set it up you can still screw up cases. Having said this, I am ordering one of these presses to have one at my farm for developing loads. But honestly a Lee press can make bullets just like this one if set up right. The dies are what sizes the brass not the press. I have had Lee presses, Lyman presses, RCBS presses and have a Dillon 550. They can all make bullets pretty well. If you are wanting precision rifle you need the better presses. Pistol not so much.
Love these videos
First thing, I want to thank you for your reviews. That being said, I really wish you would have put this press through some more rigorous reloading prior to posting your review of this press (as my decision to purchase this press was moderately influenced by your review of it). Specifically in magnum level cartridges. I purchased this press to be a dedicated press for resizing belted magnum cases with a collet resizing die. Resizing these cases takes a fair amount of leverage as you are targeting the brass just above the belt. I was initially impressed with the press roller bearing function and the design of the press made the use of the collet die (which threads in from the bottom of the press threads) easy. However, after resizing approximately 50 cases the press has failed. The attachment point between the press and the ram assembly broke on both sides leaving me with a mounted press on the bench and the ram and handle of the press in my hand. I would post pictures but dont see a way to upload them. I would imagine that this press would suffer the same issues with any larger magnum cases that do require a fair amount of leverage to full length resize. I will give Frankford Arsenal good feedback in the fact that I contacted the company after the press failed, and in about 20min and submitted photos of the failure, they notified me that they will be sending a replacement press at no cost and apparently no need to send the failed press back. I am not sure if I will continue to try to use this press for this process or be purchasing a press with a little stouter construction.
Hey Gavin, I have an idea for you to test. How about a comparison of recoil pads to see what is the best and if they Iive up to what is claimed. Pachmyer, butler creek, limb saver, vs. falcon strike, etc.
Dang, that seems like a good press for a great price
Can someone explain the lube on the outside of the neck and shoulders of the case? I thought these were places to avoid putting lube?
Brass will gall onto the steel if theres no lubricant. A little goes a long way.
Still waiting on comparisons on different dies
Maybe its just me. Did FA just pretty much copy another press? Looks like a Prazzi press to me. Just like their M press coping the Forster Co Ax. Not trying to be negative. Just seems like close to copyright infringement.
Depends on if there's patents lodged anywhere
I like the primer catch, the linear bearing, handle/linkage engineering....but not the mounting setup.
Quick change mounting options always have too much flex. since half the press is hanging in mid air with no support bellow.
If you don't want flex you need to fasten to a good solid bench or fasten directly to a riser made for the press you are using. Risers are nice if you need the press located higher to use it comfortably. If bench height is good enough you don't need a riser. I have presses mounted both ways. At my farm directly to the bench and using a seat that is the right height to use the press. At my home I use risers on both my presses one being a Dillon 550 and the other a Lyman turret press. But honestly most the time that flex will not matter so long as you are getting your full stroke in. I do like solid though because you can feel that solid contact on your stroke better when the die tops out.
I don’t think anyone can beat the Forster CO-AX and the Redding T-7 the Forster is good for the military sniper damn good for me over 40-50 years or more
The Co-ax is good. All the presses have been already tested, I remember a test that shown that 'O' frame presses had very good results (less flex), the rock chucker was even slightly better than the coax. In benchrest the best are small 'o' frame presses :John Loh, Lenzi's... Basically the same but with very tight tolerances.
Lyman 8
Redding Big Boss
in europe this thing costs about 250 eur :-/ would be about 100 USD more expensive then you get it ;-(
but it is a hobby, also who cares ;D
I also want the Frankford Arsenal M-Press
So i have to buy both ;D
Getting my first big game rifle (30-06) just gonna see what fun i could have without spending 400$ on a press alone
The amount of flex in that setup is cringe worthy. With each pull of the lever, I'm thinking, "Will this be the one that pulls the press off the bench and onto his foot?" 🤯
Agreed, I saw this and thought I'd have to mount this 1/4 plate steel
Thats because of the quick change mount he is using. Half the press is hanging in mid air with no support bellow. If you use the standard mount from Inline Fab, it will not move at all.
Like it, but I won’t reload on Chinese equipment
Lol
Interesting slant.
but you are fine watching this on a computer and phone made in China.. LOL
@@jolebole-yt
Yes, I suffer from conditional hypocritical syndrome! Lol
@@lancevaughn5337 I have 2 Dillon 550s and a FA X-10 which is very well engineered press for the money and cost 3x less then a Dillon 1100 fully loaded. I cannot justify such cost for a Dillon progressive press for the volume I am loading. Time will tell if the X10 will last as long as a Dillon. Nowdays its impossible to have a lower priced competitive product if its not manufactured outside the US. Happy reloading.
So that’s all it does? So one would need a whole other machine that will load the powder and prime it? Is there a machine that just does everything like an assembly line…
not in a single stage press. Hench the name "single stage". This press is designed to perform one function at a time. There are pressed that will do everything in an "assembly line" fashion. They are called progressive presses and will run significantly more money
@@TimPowell-zx5ot Good to know 😎
@Neil Browning
✌️👍‼️
This video appears to be more of a "reloading the 6.5 PRC" video than a "New: Frankford Arsena F1 Press" video.
I found this to be an interesting looking press, but what's with the top of the ram flopping around at the bottom of each stroke? Every time you raise the ram it visibly wobbles as it makes contact with the die. Looks like a piece of garbage to me and I'll stick with my Rock Chucker.
Hmmm
Frankford Arsenal is the worst reloading company. Zero product support or backing. Go with anyone but them.
Buy USA.