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Ponsess/Warren Reloading Press

Ponsess/Warren Reloading Press

You may not be aware of the name Ponsness/Warren but they are an American manufacture of reloading machines. I knew the name but little else about them. Research showed that the majority of their product line is aimed at the shot shell reloader, as it’s still viable in the US with the high cost of ammo. Not so in the UK and of more interest to us are their metallic case reloading rigs. These are distributed by Henry Krank & Co Ltd and consist of the Metal Matic P-200 (on test), which is said to be primarily for straight wall, pistol-type calibres and their more universal Metallic II Rifle & Pistol press that can do anything.

10-stations

The P-200 is certainly an unusual design and I suppose you could liken it to a hybrid turret or semi-progressive machine, though in this case the turret does not rotate, instead the shell holder rotates underneath it on an arm to accomplish the complete reloading process; sounds intriguing so far! The beauty of any turret-type machine is that the tool head that accepts the dies can be set up for all the functions size/de-cap, prime, bullet seat/crimp etc. Meaning you are not constantly swapping dies, which not only takes time but also could lead to deadjustment of their critical settings.

Ponsness/Warren have obviously taken this to heart, as the top turret offers a staggering 10 die stations, threaded the industry standard 7/8x14 tpi, so it will accept any standard die set. However, and Different strokes – the Ponsness/ Warren rotary reloading press due to the design, which has a fixed priming station, you can only do one calibre at a time and have to work right to left. Changing to another calibre either requires the top turret to be unlocked and physically rotated, so the second die set are repositioned, or unscrewing the dies and refitting them, personally I’d sooner leave them in place and move the turret!

Pros & cons!

However, the major advantage is that you have multiple die stations; so for example, you can go size/de-cap, re-prime, bell the case mouth, powder-through charging, bullet seat/ crimp and even a taper crimp in one continuous process. Ponsness/ Warren say the P-200 is primarily a pistol press and I would agree, as you have a maximum complete cartridge overall length (COL) of 2” measured from the top of the shell holder to the underside of the turret. As the priming system uses a fixed-height plunger that the primer is inserted into and the case in the shell holder has to be raised up enough, so it can be positioned over it.

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However, if you prefer to prime off-press, as I do, with something like a Lee Auto Prime, then normal bottlenecked rifle calibres can be processed too, as the P-200 has a strong, compound leverage system. A word of warning though, you will need to set your dies so that the linkage does not go much over top dead centre, otherwise it will lock up!

Build

The P-200 is made from heavy, die-cast, aluminium alloy coated with a silver vein, black powder finish applied electrostaically and baked on for durability. The base section incorporates a removable spent primer box, a buffer for when it’s at bottom dead centre and the priming system (small and large) included. The non-rotating lower plate is a heavy alloy casting and really serves to act as a strengthening piece that the rotary case holder braces against in operation. Standard shell holders, as used on single station machines, are accommodated in a horseshoe-style clamp. This is a bit slow to change as you have to slacken off three Allen bolts to allow it to be removed. Stability is brought about by twin, vertical, steel rods. Should you prefer to swap the dies by repositioning the turret, then the two Allen bolts on top are removed for the job. Allen keys and tools for all functions are provided. The base is drilled at all four corners for bench mounting.

The steel handle, with plastic ball end, is cranked to give better operating clearance and long enough to offer good leverage. The machine is set up for right hand operation only and when mounted correctly on the bench the priming post sits at 6 o’clock facing the operator. A primer trap system captures the spent one and directs it into the collector box (front left). The rotary shell holder assembly is retained by a sprung ball and detents at each station, to ensure perfect alignment.

Load!

Assuming for example we are loading 357 Magnum, then the die placement is as follows; size/de-cap at 5 o’clock, priming-6 (die station empty), neck expand-7, powder dispenser (optional)-8, bullet seat/crimp-9. All you do is rotate the shell holder/case to the next station and process it; at no time until you have finished does it have to be removed. The fiddlly bit is priming, as you have to manually position the primer in the cup (anvil -up). Ponsness/Warren state that a cyclic rate of 200-rounds an hour is possible, which I agree with!

This is an interesting machine that offers reasonable production rates of pistol and smaller rifle calibres of a certain COL. Longer calibres can be accommodated but you will need to omit the priming function and do it off-press, which to a degree defeats the object. Equally, even if pre-cleaned, the brass will need lubricating and the excess must be wiped off the completed round, unless you opt for a carbide sizer die. The P-200 uses any standard 7/8 x 14 tpi die set and shell holder and will also accept specialist dies like power-through and taper crimp etc.

 

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  • Name: Ponsness/Warren Metal Matic P-200 reloading press
  • Price: £425
  • Contact: Henry Krank & Co Ltd,0113 256 9163, www.henrykrank.com
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