RCBS Summit vs Redding Ultramag

[Fish2table]

Does anyone out there have any experience with either presses? I’m looking to upgrade my setup with the ability for large cartridges. Thanks for any input.
Fish

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

I have the RCBS AmmoMaster 2 for my large cartridges and it’s been fantastic. No complaints whatsoever. No experience with the Summit or Ultramag.

 

[Fish2table]

I was looking at that one also. I probably need to dig into that one a little more.

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

I’ve had my AmmoMaster 2 for over twenty years. I load my .500 Schüler, .470 NE, .416 Rigby etc with it. Also use it to disassemble ammo when needed. It’s been super powerful and dependable.

 

[tealish]

I’ve had my AmmoMaster 2 for over twenty years. I load my .500 Schüler, .470 NE, .416 Rigby etc with it. Also use it to disassemble ammo when needed. It’s been super powerful and dependable.

For the really big stuff, twenty years without drama says more than a spec sheet. The AmmoMaster sounds like the sensible third option here.

 

[pc3]

I have an ammo master for the bigger stuff and an original rock chucker for the smaller rounds. Ammo master is very good.

 

[Twraska]

It’s been posted…. Summits have been prone to the handle breaking right at the end of the threads. Son’s lasted only a few months, but to be fair…. RCBS replaced it no questions asked. Personally I think it’s due, at least in part, to the paint (powder coat?) on the shoulder that it tightens against allowing a little flex. I cleaned it all of the replacement and so far haven’t had a problem with the second one.

 

[Same'Ol]

I have both a RCBS single stage press and the Redding T-7. Both have been entirely satisfactory but it's real handy to have 7 stations on the T-7 so I can leave several sets of dies set up. That said, I used the RCBS press exclusively for years and was quite happy with it.

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

Very happy with my AmmoMaster2 for the largest of rounds. I've even reloaded little 300 BO and .223 rems on it by not entirely cycling the press along its full stroke.

I have it mounted on an elevated platform system (I forget the maker, right now), and a small Lee O-press next to it. I do all of my case prep in batches, depriming and resizing on the AmmoMaster. Once I've prepped, I'll set the AmmoMaster to seat, and the smaller Lee to factory crimp, consolidating the cartridge touch to once for seating and crimping, if that makes sense?

 

[Kiwifire111]

I decided to upgrade my bought new 1973 JR3 RCBS press that has worked faultlessly for decades as I was struggling to fit bigger belted magnum cases in it for my Ruger No1 collection. I shot 338WM, 300, 375 and 400H&H among others.
I looked around, mainly at RCBS, and others and decided on a Summit press. The YouTube videos I found, along with other sources all praused the Summit, so i paid $840AUD and so it arrived.
Summit presses depicted in video and stills showed the locking ring off the die sliding into a slot allowing the die to float and find its own centre, but unboxing mine revealed a change in design that reverted to the more common system of screwing the die in a threaded hole.
Fitting dies was a little problematic as the die sits between 2 steel connecting arms and limits how much grip you can get to turn the die, both with the handle fully up or down, but persistence will prevail.
The first 2 or 3 cases sized normally, the I struck one that was behind the door when lube was being applied, so it was a bit sticky!
It wen8t in OK, but needed quite a bit more effort to remove it, resulting in the handle failing at the beginning of the mounting thread, snapped clean off.
I was able to get the threaded stub out of the cast iron easily enough and did a bit of measuring, the handle shaft was near as dammit 20mm and thread was just on 10mm and the neck between the shaft and start of thread was 9mm!!
Barely enough!!
The steel seemed 2nd rate, it definitely wasn't a hard steel I'd use to make a knife. It was powder coated, so i used the touch test, held it to my lips and it felt warm compared to the handle of the JR3.
I got in touch with the retailer and they didn't have anything to offer in the way of a replacement, neither did the import agent, except for a complete replacement press which would only put me in the same place I had been previously, except I'd know the handle was a serious weak link.
I sent the broken handle to friend in Brisbane who is a brilliant Tool and die maker, trained by his Father, Peter Barnard, of Barnard Rifle fame.
He cut a new thread and created a shoulder on the shank to help distribute the load to the thread.
First time I tried it with the modification I felt it start to give and bend!!
So, I put it all back in the box and sent it to the importer and duly received a full refund.
I have since bought a second hand Rock Chucker 4 and haven't looked back!!
Had the handle been made of a suitable material, it would be a press to last a lifetime, but obviously it was designed by an accountant!!

 

[skydiver386]

I have 5 presses around my loading bench including an RCBS Ammo master 2 and a Lee Classic Cast. Both are capable of reloading cartridges as large as 50 BMG.

I also have an old RCBS Rock Chucker and a Lee Challenger press that gets 90% of the work. These presses will load anything up to 460 Weatherby length.

The Lee Classic Cast is used the most for the big stuff. The 375 H&H, 416 Rigby and 450 Rigby are easy to load with this press. I actually like it better than the big RCBS, and it cost less than half at around $180. The RCBS Ammo Master is $530, and the Summit around $300. The Redding is about $490.

Even when money is no object, I like the big Lee press better. In my experience, the Lee Classic Cast with a roller handle upgrade and a proper mount from Inline Fabrication is the best money you can spend. Use the money you save to buy a nice reloading stool to sit on.

I've owned Dillon, RCBS, Lyman and almost every other brand, and I keep coming back to Lee because they are simple and work with no fuss.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I have a Redding Ultramag I bought to use for the big boys, basically 416 Rigby, all my doubles and 505 Gibbs. Great press but I rarely use it. Last year I lucked into a
Mint old RCBS A4 BigMax. Love the press so much. It was a little bit of a pain getting the step down adapter for 1” die bodies of my Gibbs dies and 500NE taper crimp, as the actual press hole is larger than others. But CH4 makes them and once found it’s quickly become my all time favorite single strage.

 

[Luederitz]

I use since approximately 10 years the RCBS summit without any problems, also loading larger calibers like .378 Weatherby or .450 Rigby.
Would I buy again the Summit? Yes.

Is the Redding Ultramag a very interesting alternative? For sure it is.