Dear All,

Can anybody tell me what the differences between the Redding Big Boss and the (new?) Big Boss II presses are??

As far as I could glean from the Redding website, the Big Boss II has a different system for collecting spent primers... Im not sure if that means, the Big Boss has no mechanism of collecting spent primers, and just drops them on the ground?? Or whether the regular Big Boss does indeed have a system to collect spent primers - just different from the one employed by the Big Boss II??

The Big Boss II seems to sell for 15-25$ more than the regular Big Boss press.

Thanks for any help in advance.

- mike

mho.

The Big Boss has the drop tube for the primer coming out of the back of the press, this should then lead to a magnetic based plastic box which collects the spent primers. l like this system as you can put the box right out of the way when you don't need it.

D

The Gen 2 design is cleaner in disposing of the spent primers and their residue, but there is still residue to find its way into the bore. It makes a great grinding compound when it mixes with the lube on the ram.

What I'm working toward is questioning the desirability of de-capping on a good press. A dedicated junk press or a punch and base combo make better sense to me.

Carrying the sanitary concept one step further, Redding has available what they call a "blank" ram, lacking the milled slots for the on-press priming feature and the de-capping guide-way. These slots channel contamination directly into the bore. I had inquired about one for my smaller Boss press. They don't provide it for my press so I don't have an idea on price, but they have it for the Big Bosses. Obviously, my approach would be to get the original Big Boss and a blank ram, performing de-capping in another manner.

BTW, if any of you Baby Boss users like the idea of the blank ram, Pat Ryan said they would consider making up a few if there is a demand.

Just my thoughts.

quote:

Originally posted by mho:
Dear All,

Can anybody tell me what the differences between the Redding Big Boss and the (new?) Big Boss II presses are??

As far as I could glean from the Redding website, the Big Boss II has a different system for collecting spent primers... Im not sure if that means, the Big Boss has no mechanism of collecting spent primers, and just drops them on the ground?? Or whether the regular Big Boss does indeed have a system to collect spent primers - just different from the one employed by the Big Boss II??

The Big Boss II seems to sell for 15-25$ more than the regular Big Boss press.

Thanks for any help in advance.

- mike

Mike here's a link to the Redding site:

http://www.redding-reloading.com/pages/bigbosspress.html


The older press has a box that catches the primers when they come out the side. The newer model spits them out the bottom through a tube - much better.

For me the thing I like the best about them is the offset window, if you work the press with your right hand the offset window makes it a lot easier to get stuff off and on the Ram.........................DJ

It seems to me that the biggest problem with depriming on most presses stems from what is required to prime on them: the slot in the side of the ram. Whether the ram is hollow or not, the slot is what directs some or all of the debris into the ways of the press. Since many of us prime with a separate hand priming tool anyway, why don't they offer a hollow ram with no slot rather than a solid, blank ram? That way virtually all of the debris goes down the tube with the spent primer, and stays out of the press ways. This essentially what the Forster co-ax press does, since the on-press priming facility is located elsewhere, allowing a tube with no slot to direct all of the spent primer/debris into a catch bottle.

Thanks Guys, much appreciated!
- mike