reloading: swappable bench plate kit for the reloading “bench”
preparing the Challenger press
I got the Challenger O-frame press, removed the aluminum BreechLock insert and blue loc-tited in a steel bushing.
changing the “bench” setup
My bench is actually a wooden stool. Previously I bolted the C-frame Lee reloading press directly to it. I originally wanted this press because I had extremely limited vertical room to store the stool+press.
Then I realized that a taller press wasn’t out of the question because it could be hot-swapped with a bench plate setup. An extra base would mean either press could be swapped in as needed and stored without vertical limits.
The swapping is handy enough that I would have done it anyhow, but the previous-generation Challenger III O-frame press with .38 special /.357 magnum dies was on sale at Graf’s for $80.09. The C-press has worked well but cannot be expected to fare well very long under the stresses of forming 8mm Mauser from .30-06 brass.
So before the rain started today I took off the C-press, modified the stool top, and installed the bench plate system. I put a base plate on the O-press and checked fitment. Good. I cleaned and lubed the press the removed it.
The C-press took some futzing because it ejects spent primers into the press base. Previously I had routed a tube though a hole cut in the stool to route the primers but now there was a steel bench plate and base in the way. I re-used some scrap wood to elevate the press and punched a hole in that riser. Now after decapping I can tip the press forward to dump the caught primers out that hole. Ugly but functional.1
Cleaned and lubed that press too then removed it for storage. Thinking about doing some ‘loading this week so I will report back on the new setup.
Srsly: do not take my word (or anyone else’s) on matters of reloading. Get some manuals, start with light charges and work up, etc. You are responsible for your own loads as I am mine.
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Ugly-but-Functional was my nickname in college. ↩