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Images by the author unless otherwise noted
When you speak of manufacturers of reloading equipment, certain brands might pop into your head… RCBS, Hornady, Lee Precision, Lyman, Dillon Precision, Redding, Forster… but maybe not Frankford Arsenal, at least on the first go-round. I know that I was a bit surprised to find that they make not only case prep tools like tumblers, but are a full-line manufacturer of all things reloading. (Read: presses.)
The reloader in me got interested, so I checked their website and saw one co-axial press, two single-stage presses, a turret press, and the only 10-stage progressive press I’ve seen in person, the X-10. (I know that others make 10-station presses such as the Mark 7 Apex 10, but I have no personal experience with that.) Plus, F.A. makes all sorts of other things… here’s a quick summary. (All of these are accessible from the link above.)
- Intellidropper and Intellidropper 2.0 Powder Measure
- Pile Driver Bullet Puller
- Hand Primer/Vibra Prime
- Platinum and DS-750 Digital Powder Scales
- Hand Deprimer
- Platinum Series Primer Pocket Swager
- Bench Top Powder Measure
- Aluminum Powder Funnel
- Platinum Series Case Prep Center (and Trim Center)
- Two Rotary and one Vibratory Tumblers, with Media Separator
The above lists only the “big stuff”. They also make calipers, ammo boxes, and a host of other smaller items. Again, check the link above for specifics. I own a Platinum Precision powder scale and use it a lot; I also own one of their powder tricklers. I tested their digital powder scales a few years ago, along with about 13 others, and they performed very well. I knew that they made some of the smaller items, as I call them, but I really wasn’t familiar with their line of presses. Larger items are covered by a limited lifetime warranty, a good thing. I’ve had no trouble with anything of theirs that I own or have reviewed.
Speaking of reviews, I asked FA for a few items to review. They sent me their vibratory tumbler/media separator kit and a Vibra Prime hand primer. They also sent an X-10 Progressive press…
The X-10 Press
(No, the case feeder does not have “ears” … that’s a 2-blade propeller from a friend’s airplane. It appears below, too… my camera angle choices were a bit limited.)
I am more than a little familiar with progressive presses and other types, as well. I own four of them, plus four single-stage and two turret presses. You could say I’m into reloading. After seeing this thing in action, I am duly impressed.
One of our sons is an engineer at a nearby plant and is an avid shooter. He’s also been reloading for a good while. He tends to look at things from an engineer’s perspective in terms of materials, construction, function, etc. His overall verdict was very positive in terms of materials and construction.
So, we mounted this press on his (less-cluttered-than-mine) reloading bench. It sits beside a Dillon XL-750 and an RCBS Pro Chucker, both excellent progressive presses. He set the X-10 up for 9mm, as he is getting into Steel Challenge in a big way and wants to “graduate” from the rimfire classes up to centerfire. Consequently, he will need to churn out the rounds, and this X-10 should be just the ticket to do that.
Let’s look at a few photos…
First, know that this is a 10-station press. The tool head has 10 shell holders. That allows you to install all sorts of “powder cop” and other types of add-on dies, such as a swage die…
image: frankfordarsenal.com
This die’s function is to hold the case steady during priming or primer pocket swaging operations., preventing misalignment. They sent us two of them. It’s a great $22 investment.
Note the blue “on” switch. This head has built-in LED lighting… NICE! You also see our workaround bullet feeder tube. We rigged that up before the actual bullet feeder parts came in,
Also, notice the case buttons that keep the case firmly against the tool head. They are spring-loaded… can I say “NICE” again? You don’t have to turn or pull anything out. Just push it down and remove the case, and push it down again to re-insert the case. The small, seemingly-insignificant touches like the ergonomic station buttons and built-in lighting go far to help make this press very easy and effective to use.
Many press companies will sell you a riser to put the press at a good working height. FA includes one.
The clear tube is for spent primers… no more dead primers all over the floor or bench!
Case Feeder
Also included is a case feeder.
This is an extra-cost option for some other brands of presses. It comes in the box with the X-10.
Your plain-old-ordinary die set will work here… there are no specialized dies needed.
Bullet Feeder
If you are loading pistol calibers (rifle bullets are too long as a rule), an option that you should consider ordering when you get the press is the bullet feeder. This consists of two items…
– the bullet collator, $169:
:
… and a conversion kit for whatever bullet and caliber you’re loading, $197…
Above two images courtesy frankfordarsenal.com
Here is what they look like when added to the press:
The bullet collator sits just below the case feeder. There has been some pretty slick engineering performed to fit everything in. The bullet slides down the spring feeder tube into the body of the conversion kit, where it is placed at the top of the bullet seater die. A handle cycle seats the bullet.
You need to know how long your bullets are, as a different conversion kit may be required. I don’t know how many bullets the collator will hold… It’s a lot. We dumped 9mm bullets from a bulk container, and it didn’t choke, but we were judicious in the amount we placed in it. Suffice it to say that you won’t be reloading the bin every five minutes.
The bullet feeder system is a good addition to the press and will save you time once it’s set up.
Powder Measure
Above and below, we see the powder measure…
Note that it uses a micrometer meter. Ultra precision is the key here.
You also get a lot of extra equipment, to help in setting up or customizing your press.
The large, gray, round thing in the back is the case feeder plate for rifle cases. Extra primer tubes are visible, as well… you can load more than one at a time.
I would say that the X-10 represents a great bargain in a progressive press, after all of those that I’ve had experience with. You don’t need expensive dies, the case feeder is included, aftermarket lights are not necessary, and the 10-station tool head allows for lots of customization. All of this is placed at the correct operating height via the included riser. I’ll say it again: NICE!
Other Equipment
Here are a couple of other items they sent…
First, I’ll use the only image I had to download from the FA website. It’s for the Vibra Prime, $79.
This little battery-powered gizmo will fill your primer tubes faster than a chubby kid can eat a Twinky. I don’t have an operational photo, as we ran into a battery issue (didn’t have the right ones), so the published photo will show you how it works. Just put primers in the reservoir, attach a primer tube (it does both large and small), and squeeze the trigger. It vibrates, both orienting and loading the primers into the tube. This thing alone will save you a ton of time. It gets old, pressing the tube over individual primers… this will let you avoid that pleasure.
There is also a hand primer for $115, if you want to prime off-press. (And, if you want to go the other way, you can get a hand de-primer, $64, if you need to kick the spent primers out of a few cases.)
Cases load best when they are clean. We got the Quick-n-EZ Case Tumbler Kit, $143.
It consists of a vibratory tumbler with media…
… and a media separator that fits over the included bucket:
If vibration isn’t your thing, or you just plain want to use a different style, there are two different rotary tumblers to choose from, along with stainless steel media if you want something other than crushed walnut hulls or corncob… they sell it all. There’s even a case dryer, if you choose to go the wet route.
Summing Up
This quick peek at Frankford Arsenal was not meant to be comprehensive, but hopefully you learned some things you didn’t know before. I know I sure did, after research for this article.
I was impressed with the engineering behind these items, especially the press. You can tell that reloaders had a hand in designing it… I mean, spring-loaded retention buttons? Ten stations? Built-in case feeder? Included riser? These are things that actual reloaders would think of. Add in the reasonable prices, and I believe you get at least, if not more, than you pay for.
I can’t wait to start rolling out 9mm reloads in quantity… we’ve run about 1000… that’s a good start. Quantity ammo loading is very doable with this press, and with the tumbler, we can easily clean all the cases before loading them. Add in the filling of the primer tubes via the Vibra Prime, and you have a combination for success. I know four 9mm shooters in my immediate family that will benefit from that!
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