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Posted: 6/19/2017 4:35:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: tzzler44][Edited]
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Earlier this year MEC released their first metallic reloading press, the Marksman. I was in the market for a new single stage, and knowing MEC's reputation in the shotshell reloading world I figured I'd give it a chance. It touted some nice features, like the floating shellholder.
I had some fully prepped .270 Winchester brass on hand for load development, so off I went. The floating shellholder is a neat set-up, for sure. There's essentially a clip you have to push down with the shellholder when installing whatever size fits your case head, and while the shellholder is allowed all sorts of play in every direction, it is retained by the clip. Theoretically, this should permit the brass to self-align and reduce run-out. The MEC Marksman sure is a handsome looking press. 
It is made from cast iron, and has a very well made feel to it. It's got a very nice weight to it, and the ram feels exceptionally smooth. You feel like you have quite a bit of mechanical advantage when using the press. Out of the box all I had to do was screw the handle onto the mechanism under the ram, tighten down the ram and I was good to go. I had a minor hiccup when removing a die that had tightened itself down when I tightened the set screw on the Hornady lock-ring. When using a large adjustable wrench to loosen the die, the bushing that the die screwed into came right out. Another wrench on the flats of the bushing let me screw it off my die. It seems like there was some machining oil on the bushing threads. I'm not sure if the larger threads are for 1-14" dies or just unique to their bushing. I put some red lock-tite on it, tightening it back down and it hasn't been an issue since. 
I chucked some of my loaded ammo into a Hornady concentricity gauge to see what kind of run-out I was getting where the ogive meets the shank of the bullet. I was loading 130gr Berger Classic Hunters. As you'll see in the video, I'm getting about 0.0005" TIR, which is outstanding. On average, I got about 0.001" of TIR, with very few reaching 0.002". These bullet were seated with Whidden seating die.  VID 20170616 224740 Up to this point, my impression of the MEC Markman was that it was an exceptionally well-made press. Then I unwittingly discovered a severe flaw in my press. 
I was sizing some cast bullets for 300 Blackout, big ol' NOE 247-311-FN bullets. After they were PC'd, they measured about 0.313 in diameter. I ran the first one up into the NOE push through die with a .310 body bushing installed. The bullet got stuck, hard. I put more weight on the press handle and it snapped clean off the press right where the threads begin. 
The most disturbing part of this, at least for me, was that when I moved the NOE sizing die over to my Lee single stage, the Lee was able to shove the bullet through. It was difficult, to be sure, but the press did not break. I have sized many thousands of bullets and have rarely come across one as hard to size as this one was. I measured the inside of the sizing bushing that was supposed to size to 0.310 and the far end of the bushing had an ID of 0.306... way too small. I measured the bullet that I had just sized and it measured 0.308, two thousandths of an inch under where I wanted. I've never tried to size a cast bullet down 0.007", and I doubt I will again. I called MEC today, figuring the least they could do is replace the handle. When I spoke with a rep, he told me I must have one of the first 100 units they released because this was a known issue with those first 100 units. The handle shank where it meets the threads is simply too skinny and prone to breaking. He had a new hinge assembly and properly sized handle shank shipped out today to me, and told me I should never have this issue again. While I'm happy it wasn't any abuse of mine that broke the handle, I would prefer that this not have been an issue to start with. Props to MEC for owning the fault and fixing to problem, though. Anyone who buys a new Marksman should receive one with the upgraded handle assembly and hopefully never have this issue. **UPDATE*** The OD of the threaded portion of my handle, where it snapped, was 0.4905". The OD on the new handle at the same point is 0.608", so there is a little more meat on the new handles. I called MEC on Tuesday and had the new handle assembly in my mailbox on Thursday. |
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Lots of room for your hands around the ram.
Left handers are going to like this press. Let us know when you get your new handle. I'm going to set the archive toggle to keep this thread out of the archives as this is the first thread on this press. OP will always be able to find this thread under MY TOPICS when in this forum. |
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Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
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Originally Posted By dryflash3:
Lots of room for your hands around the ram. Left handers are going to like this press. 
I actually prefer to run the handle with my left, and do all the bullet and case handling with my "smart hand" |
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Just got one myself a couple weeks ago and it is the smoothest I have owned so far. I might even dare say that it feels a little bit smoother than a Forster co-ax I used to own.
Measured mine at the outer diameter of the threads after reading here and it looks like I have one of the updated models. |
Liberal men are pissing their panties like little girls over guns all the time, like wusses, it's really pathetic that grown men can't act like....well, men.
m14brian
m14brian
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"You feel like you have quite a bit of mechanical advantage when using the press. "
Since the RCBS patent on the 'floating' toggle block expired years ago (it was issued in the 1950s) anyone can use that construction. The lever arms change as the ram extends. As one of the lever arms goes through zero the leverage ration becomes l/0. Where L is NOT zero. Expressed more simply the ration goes through infinity. Limited by the strength of materials that 'give' or 'deform' however slightly. The cast iron bends and stretches ever so slightly. By adjusting the die location we place this point in the leverage just at maximum ram extension. The 'toggle over point you can feel when sizing. |
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Bringing this up from the dead. Just received mine today. I don't have my base plate yet so I don't have it mounted, but it seems like an extremely well built press. Ram movement is bearing smooth, there is absolutely zero play in the ram. I pulled out the die bushing and replaced it with a Hornady L&L bushing. Can't wait to try sizing some of the heavier brass I use to compare to my T-7 that (sadly) I let go in anticipation of receiving this. One thing I absolutely love is the lack of priming capability on this press. It's something I NEVER used on other presses and caused more grief than good the way I used the presses. |
Freedom costs a buck-o-five.
7.62 > 5.45 ---- It really does pound shit harder.
7.62 > 5.45 ---- It really does pound shit harder.
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That press looks way more than “robust.” I can see it as a workhorse for forming brass, sizing bullets, and all sorts of other “power intensive” jobs.
What really impresses me is that the street price for the Marksman is really close to a Rock Chucker Supreme. Don’t get me wrong - I love my original Rock Chucker, and the Supreme is even beefier and more sturdy. But the Marksman looks like it is an order of magnitude stronger and tougher. If I was in the market to replace my 1980-vintage Rock Chucker, this is the press I’d get. |
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Originally Posted By lokifox:
One thing I absolutely love is the lack of priming capability on this press. It's something I NEVER used on other presses and caused more grief than good the way I used the presses. And speaking of primers, I like the way the Marksman catches dead primers. Neat and tidy, and it looks like it’s not likely to let tight primers bounce all over creation once they come out. I can’t count the various ways I rigged to lessen cleanup after depriming - most of them only partially successful... |
"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
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After a bit of use I have to say I'm still impressed. I installed a Hornady L&L bushing adapter and mounted it on an Inline Fabrication QC plate then went to town sizing some 1X LC 308 brass. It easily tackles the LC which can be a bit tough depending on what it was shot in originally.
I guess if I had a single gripe about it, it's the fact that the little plastic tray doesn't lock into the primer catch hangar a bit more robustly. I'm going to try to find something that locks itself against the press a bit better. I only deprime one caliber on the single stage though so it's really a non-issue. The little bowl at the top of the press is great. I put my little Allen wrench for the Hornady lock rings and my shellholders in it. It's kind of funny that it wasn't an intentional feature, just a relic of manufacturing. |
Freedom costs a buck-o-five.
7.62 > 5.45 ---- It really does pound shit harder.
7.62 > 5.45 ---- It really does pound shit harder.
|
Originally Posted By lokifox:
...then went to town sizing some 1X LC 308 brass. It easily tackles the LC which can be a bit tough depending on what it was shot in originally. |
"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
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My take on the press, so take it with a grain of salt. The top/bottom of the bushing die (4), and even the part of the press that the bushing die is going to mate to, painted parts, so as the paint wears, your going to have to do a lot of readjustments of the die sets. Hence the bushing die top and bottom of collar, and the seat to the body for it, should have been left in the white, and precise milled instead. Linkage arm plate, with it such a thin metal piece, it's going to wear against the pins, meaning that your going to have do a lot of readjusting of die sets over time as well. Ditto with cam block/dual link as well having problems long term, and with the handle snapping, tells you that the metal used for the handle is not of that of high quality metal as well. Is it better/stronger than way a lee press, yes. But at its selling price point, does not hold a candle in strength and longevity as a chucker press for around the same cost isntead. As for LC 308 brass and a chucker press, if you are having problems, then when was the last time you pulled the chucker apart to clean and lube it? If you need a write up on how to do such, then I can post a quick write up with photo how to do such. Hence chucker cleaned and lube, and it does not take much handle pressure to even resize lubed once fired LC 308 cases from over sized M240's. |
Posted By PlaymoreMinds:
'Twas not the <cough> sweet and innocent <cough> PlaymoreMinds...
<---skips away in frilly skirts to Candyland, leaving gutters and snorkels FAR behind.
'Twas not the <cough> sweet and innocent <cough> PlaymoreMinds...
<---skips away in frilly skirts to Candyland, leaving gutters and snorkels FAR behind.
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Originally Posted By Dano523:
As for LC 308 brass and a chucker press, if you are having problems, then when was the last time you pulled the chucker apart to clean and lube it? If you need a write up on how to do such, then I can post a quick write up with photo how to do such. Hence chucker cleaned and lube, and it does not take much handle pressure to even resize lubed once fired LC 308 cases from over sized M240's. |
"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
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Heinlein
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The huge trick on the Chucker press, is grease the every loving piss out of the bottom pin channel on the toggle block long channel for the pin that goes through it.
The rest of the pins and points get the normal amount of grease, but the toggle block long channel (5), this is where most of the bearing force is going to be as you are levering, and it gets extra grease. Hence will pack the channel with grease to start with, then as I pushing the pin through it, will put my finger over the end of the channel so the excess grease if forced back around the pin as it being driven through the channel to keep the channel packed with grease around the pin(6) and the wave washers both side will hold the grease in the channel.  Also, before you put the press back together, check the toggle block long pin channels against the pin. The pin is hardened so it will stay polished if kept greased correctly, while the toggle block is cast iron, so if you have more than say .005" difference between the Pin OD and the toggle block ID channel, then get RCBS on the phone to send you a replacement toggle block for free. Hence as the toggle block channels wears from lack of lube (or just decades of use when greased correctly), it cause the long channel to egg out, and instead of a smooth cam surface for the pin to roll on as the block moves through it stroke, you end up a stiff part of the leverage as the toggle block is camming through the egged surface channel to the original round surface isntead. As for the main ram to the body of the press, I will start with just a very light layer of grease when putting the press back together to start with, then use a thin oil to keep it lubed on it cleanings. Hence you can pull the ram as needed to clean it and the ram body channel by just removing one of the C clips (19) to drop it out of the press body to kept them clean the first sign on of any fouling, where as the rest of press, I break it down once a year to clean and grease the rest of the parts. Simply put, you have cast iron parts that are going to wear to cause iron fouling over time, and if you don't pull the press to clean the cast iron fouling as it build up before re-greasing (not to just pack in more grease with the iron fouling still in play), it just compounding to the wear of the parts and gritty harder than normal leverage feeling of the press isntead. |
Posted By PlaymoreMinds:
'Twas not the <cough> sweet and innocent <cough> PlaymoreMinds...
<---skips away in frilly skirts to Candyland, leaving gutters and snorkels FAR behind.
'Twas not the <cough> sweet and innocent <cough> PlaymoreMinds...
<---skips away in frilly skirts to Candyland, leaving gutters and snorkels FAR behind.
|
I think I had wiped the ram down a few times in the past, but never tore it down to clean and lube it until recently. It doesn’t have tens of thousands of rounds through it, but it’s gotten some use over the years, and that combination of iron fouling and my neglecting to lube it were certainly not helping with sizing.
Once I finish a couple other projects, I’ll size some more LC 308 and see if it seems different since I cleaned and lubed the press. |
"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
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