Spare Tool Head

A common question we're asked here at Mark 7® is “Why do our presses have 10 stations?” While a simple question for the seasoned reloader already familar with 7 station presses, it's not as obvious to those new to reloading or even progressive reloading. The core strength of a 10-Station toolhead is how it allows you to seperate certain die operations, letting them perform a single, dedicated job. Some of these operations include:

Sizing and Decapping are Separated
By utilizing a universal decapping die, you can remove the decapping pin that comes inside of the sizing die and install it over the priming station. This allows the sizing die to have it's own station, as well as serve as a centering/hold down for more consistent priming.
Flaring and Powder Drop are Separated
By seperating these two stations, you're given both better quality and control over the flare of the case mouth. This also allows the powder measure to only drop powder. Historically, systems that combined these two functions could have brass stick to the flare plug and can “pop off” when the Toolhead is lifted. This would jar the powder measure and could cause inconsistent charges. Our powder measures are also not capable of flaring, damage can occur to the powder measure if flaring is attempted.
Bullet Feeder, Powder Check, Seating AND Crimp Die are all Separated
A press with less toolhead stations means having to sacrifice at least one of these, and often times two. This not only gives you more effective rounds when reloading, but also saves large amounts of time since you don't need to constantly switch between different dies.
Separating Stations Produces Superior Results
Some die makers combine certain processes, such as seating and crimping, but this produces subpar results. The reason for this is because if you try to crimp the case mouth while you are seating the bullet, you will likely damage the jacket of the bullet. This then causes poor accuracy and inconsistent ammunition at best. Separating each station allows you to maximize each round reloaded.
Freedom of Customization
Despite the name, you don't actually need to utilize all 10-stations. If, for example, you currently only have dies for basic pistol reloading, you can still use our 10-Station toolhead the same as any other toolhead. With the extra stations at hand though, it makes expanding your reloading setup a much smoother process.

These are just a few of the many reasons why 10-stations is far and away the best option for a serious reloader. If you're not sure where to start, check out some of our recommended setups below. By clicking the image of the toolhead itself or the button below labled "Setup", you can take a closer look at each individual station on the toolhead.

10 Station Toolhead Setup -
Full Loading

This is how you’d set up your tool head when fully loading ammunition. This would be the most common "out of the box" way you can set up an Apex 10.

Overview

Station 1: Case Feed
Station 2: Universal Decap Die
Station 3: Universal Hold Down Die
Station 4: Size Die
Station 5: Case Flare Die