[Sitting Duck]

I've been looking to buy a used RCBS press and I'm at a loss as to which models came before which models and what made them the "latest and greatest" at the time.

I'm specifically looking at the Rockchuckers. Starting with the Supreme and working backwards chronologically. If you have a knowledge of the history behind these presses, would you please enlighten me.

TIA.

[ranger335v]

"...what made them (RCBS) the "latest and greatest" at the time."

Hype mostly. RCBS gave a lot of magazine writers free, or extra low cost, tools and made special tools for them for a long time. Guess what brand the writers mentioned most often? Guess what impact that had in the market?

I have a 20 year old Rock Chucker II. It is as good in most respects as others in its class; the Lyman Crusher, Hornady LnL, Lee Classic Cast, Redding Boss but no better than any of them. If I had to get all new reloading tools next week, I'd get a Lee Classic Cast if for no other reason than its spent primer catcher actually works! (Not to mention that the Lee's operating lever is fully adjustable, it's all made in the USA instead of from castings from China and it costs a LOT less money, if money matters to anyone!)

[Sitting Duck]

Thanks, for the reply, Ranger.

I was looking at RCBS for two reasons. Firstly, my brother has used his for 20-30 years and swears by (not at) it. Secondly, when last in a Sportsman's Warehouse, when they had inventory, I sampled three presses they had on display and the Rockchucker felt the tightest of them all. Side to side and up and down. I know one of the other presses was a Hornady with the remaining one a Lee... I think.

The above could have absolutely nothing to do with the end, reloaded product.

Thanks, again for the Lee advice. I could drive to a suburb of Phoenix and buy a Dillon but I can't justify the price. Especially when their product offering appears to do the same thing as everyone elses.

I don't mind spending a few bucks on something that I plan on keeping until I fall over. But if I can save money with Lee and accomplish my reloading needs... I'm listening.

[elkhuntingfool]

I have a Lee and it works just fine. Produces the same type of ammo that I produced when hanging out at the in laws cranking them out on my father in laws rockchucker.

I do not know how long my Lee will last, but the rockchucker is going strong for 35 years - I do believe.

Either way you cannot go wrong.

[lgbloader]

I have a Lee Classic cast on my bench and I really like it. I also have an older model Lee Challenger press that I use as well. The Lee Classic press is worlds apart better.

LGB

[A-190]

All I have ever had was a RCBS RS. Its always worked fine, but I dont do a lot of reloading.
I like the RCBS RS well enough to have another around on the bench for two step set up:)

[warnerwh]

One thing I will give RCBS credit for is their customer service. It was my fault that my 30-06 dies got rusty. The kitchen sink pipes above broke. Being as I didn't go downstairs for a few days they were very rusty. These dies were purchased in the seventies.

I called them to see if they could polish the rust out although it looked like there could be pitting. They asked me to send the dies. I had a brand new set within a week. At the time I was using a RL5 press and it got tweaked to where I had to push the brass over so the sizing die would not catch. The toughest thing it had to do had been to resize 06 brass. The rest of it's duty was revolver cartridges.

The Lee press may be the better buy though according to everything I've read. I hope so because I have one on it's way.

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

RCBS Rock Chucker,and RCBS dies I have used mine for close to 30 years for thousands and thousands of rounds. It still works perfect for my .380 all the way up to .458 win mag. I have never regreted this purchase.

[1858]

I have two RCBS RockChuckers, one has a PiggyBackII on it the other is my single stage. They're GREAT presses that I've been using since '92 and I'm sure I'll still be using them 20 years from now. Are they the best, I don't know and don't care since I'm confident that my reloads are of the highest quality and that's all that matters. I buy mostly Redding dies these days but most of my pistol dies are RCBS.

:)

[Landric]

My only experience first hand is with RCBS and Dillon products. Both have been great. I use a Rock Chucker now and I couldn't be happier with it. I am thinking about ordering a Lee Classic Turret to see how that does, can't beat the price, but there will always be a Rock Chucker in my shop.

[Smokey Joe]

Sitting Duck--The RCBS Rock Chucker is the Original and Genuine. It is the gold standard of single-stage presses. I too have one well over 30 years old, thousands of rounds through it, works like a champ.

Now, that said, I don't believe that it is any more competent at making ammo than a Lyman Orange Crusher, a Dillon single-stage whatever, a Redding, or an old Pacific or C-H. OR a Lee Classic Cast. And if you ever see an old Herters' "C" press, you will then know what the phrase, "Built like a brick S***house!" refers to. That old Herters' is really something! But they all work, all do the job.

OTOH, everybody says, "Well, that Lee (or insert whatever brand) is just as good as a Rock Chucker." You never, ever, hear, "Well, that Rock Chucker is just as good as a Lee (or insert whatever other brand)!"

[ADKWOODSMAN]

I started with a RCBS Junior which I still use for most of my reloading.

I also have the RockChucker for larger rifle cases however the Jr. will also handle them,and RCBS dies I have used mine for close to 41 years for thousands and thousands of rounds.

AS for the RCBS guarantee it's great. Had my bench primer start to have problems and they replaced it.

My other RCBS tools I couldn't be without are the Little Dandy, the Uniflow powder measure and the Charge master and Dispenser.

[Thomas Garrett]

Just picked up a RCBS JR3 press with powder, primers, bullets,and 5 sets of dies, don't know what i'm going to do with it. any takers?

[viking499]

1858

What calibers do you load with your piggyback?

[1858]

1858, What calibers do you load with your piggyback?

9mm, .38spl/.357mag, .44spl/.44mag, .45ACP, .223 Rem (55gr for plinking, use single stage for long-range 77gr stuff). I haven't used it for .45 Colt yet since I shoot .45 Colt in a rifle/revolver so I'm using a single stage for that at the moment. I will be using it for my SAA .45 Colt loads though when I finally get a around to shooting some CAS matches since I don't like the idea of loading hundreds and hundreds of rounds per week the slow way.

:)

[ranger335v]

"I sampled three presses they had on display and the Rockchucker felt the tightest of them all. Side to side and up and down. I know one of the other presses was a Hornady with the remaining one a Lee... could have absolutely nothing to do with the end, reloaded product."

You may be right about the ram tightness but, as you correctly observe, it has nothing to do with the finished product, ie, the ammo produced. Unless it's hindered, a round case will slide perfectly straight into a round die, every time, we don't need to force it in straight! A little slop in a raised ram can actually be an asset in that respect.

RCBS hype was fact back in the 50s, early 60s when Fred Huntinton developed the first press with a compound toggle linkage. That simple change suddenly made the effort of resizing a case easy. It was great. But, the patent rights were soon purchased and others rapidly made equal presses. "Just as good as ...."

Most people who bought Rock Chuckers did so based on the prevailing hype, I did too. But those of us who actually used other quality presses of the same general type soon realised the others are just as good. So, the saying, "Just as good as ..... " became common, but only because the others don't have the RCBS hype. So, that saying as a standard of quality really doesn't mean anything now, and really never did if folks had seen it in the right light. Okay? :)

NO iron press, certainly none made since the 70s, will "wear out" in anyone's life time. (And they all have the easy to use compound leverage system too.) So, with due respects, mentioning that as if it were a standard reserved for the Rock Chucker is off base. And it's easy to understand RCBS' "great Customer Service" when we consider the prices, that great service isn't "free" at all, we paid for it to start with! :neener:

Let no one misunderstand me, I'm not saying an iron RCBS press isn't very good (they do make alum alloy presses too, same as Lee and Hornady). In fact, they are all fully as good, functionally, as any other press of the type! I just wish they had a primer catcher that works. :banghead:

In 45+ years of reloading, not only have I NOT worn out a press or set of dies or powder measure or scale, etc, I've never even heard of anyone who has, regardless of brand. I do know of some ham-fisted owners who have damaged or destroyed their tools. Some of them have blown up guns to, but most of us never have so maybe simple competence counts more than the brand of anything. ??

[Savage99]

I have been handloading since 1953 and I have used a RCBS A2 press for most of that period. I also have a newer Supreme by RCBS.

I feel that RCBS dies and presses are top quality and so is the company back up.

[coyotehitman]

I have the Lee Classic Cast and a USA made Rockchucker II. Specifically, I like the way the lee primes and catches primers better than the RC, but anyone who says the Lee is as stout as the RC is confused.

[Sitting Duck]

Thank you, to all, for the valuable information.

I really do appreciate everyone's input. The opinions without the overzealous recommendations is not something you find on a forum every day.

An enjoyable read.

Yesterdays ammo pricing: Remington 22-250/50 gr. ammo at Dick's $32.99 per 40 count. The Sports Authority had the Winchester 22/250 white box 45 gr. selling for $29.99 per 40 count.

Ouch!

[realbuffdriver]

Much is posted about RCBS's customer service, and I absolutely agree that it is second to none. Perhaps to a fault.

It's always nice to have something replaced for free when you've screwed it up due to your own mistake or carelessness, but someone has to pay for that "free" replacement.

RCBS equipment goes up in price pretty substantially every January. The Pro 2000 press that I paid $400 for 3 years ago is now nearly $500. A couple of years before I bought it, guys were getting it for just over $300. That's a drastic price increase in only 5 years or so.

RCBS subsidizes their customer service policy by charging these premium prices. It's a market strategy that will choke off their business if they continue it. In fact, some of their newer items don't come with lifetime warranties. For example, the Chargemaster combo now has a 1 year warranty. The newly announced automatic bullet feeder has, if I recall correctly, a 2 year warranty.

Just something to think about when you hear someone say "I took a ball peen hammer to my reloading die and RCBS replaced it for free."

Cheers,

RealBuffDriver

[Poper]

the Chargemaster combo now has a 1 year warranty.Mmmm, maybe.
I had a 3+ year old ChargeMaster dispenser/scale combo unit that went bad and sent it back to be repaired and expected to be charged. They sent me a complete new unit at no cost in a timely manner. I was quite surprised.

Expecting more than a year or two on an electronic device is asking a little much, IMO. Having it warranted 3+ years later is above and beyond my expectations.

OTOH, I have had two different calibers of Lee collet dies break. It was just as cheap to replace them as it would have been to send them back to Lee. But then, when the product is half the price, one must expect a compromise somewhere.

I have to agree; the RCBS method of catching spent primers leaves much to be desired.
Just my two cents...

Poper

[1858]

Let no one misunderstand me, I'm not saying an iron RCBS press isn't very good ... I just wish they had a primer catcher that works.

That's never been an issue for me in tens of thousands of rounds. What "doesn't work" with the primer catcher? 99.9% of them end up in a plastic "trap" and go in the trash. :confused: Occasionally a spent primer will end up on the floor but big deal ... I don't want it anyway and it encourages my wife to dust off the Dyson ... if it were a new primer THEN I'd be annoyed. The PiggyBack II has a tube that delivers the spent primer to a small container without any drama.

Let me see, last week I measured the bullet runout on 10 .300 Win Mag 208gr A-MAX loads that I'd put together. 9/10 were +/- 0.0005" and one was +/- 0.001" using a 16 year old RCBS RockChucker and Redding Competition dies. I have no plans on changing anything.

:)

[Ala Dan]

Well, I got started handloading on an old R.C.B.S. "JR" press in the fall
of 1972; specifically loading for the S&W model 57 .41 Magnum. Then
eventually, I wanted to branch out further; so I added, the .38/.357-
and .44 Magnum. At the time, I did not own any centerfire rifles so I
was content with loading only handgun cartridges. Later, I added the
9m/m Parabellum to the list. Most of my dies of that era where of the
Lyman Gunsight manufactuer, as they were really easy too use.

'Bout two years (and countless hours) later I decided to try my hand
at a few rifle caliber's; as I had acquired a few Remington model 700
BDL's. I started with my all time favorite, the .243 Winchester; later
adding the .22-250 Remington and the .25-06 Remington. The little
R.C.B.S. "JR" press handled these chores with NO problem. Later in
life, I got a wild hair up my a$$ and sold the rifles; returning too
handloading only handgun caliber's. That is all I do today, but I
have moved up to the R.C.B.S. "Rockchucker" press. In all of my
past experience, I have NO quarms with R.C.B.S. equipment; and
today their dies can be found in my handloading work area~! ;) :D

[ironhat]

When I began the craft of reloading I bought a used Rockchucker II and through the years have had parts and whole pieces of equipment replaced at their expense. I've also heard of just about every equipment company doing the same.

[mija]

Have used a Rock Chucker for 30 yrs or more without fault.

Have considered a Dillon but would rather put the money in more supplies. I've got the time.

[bonza]

Bought my first RCBS Rockchucker back in 1976. I'd still be using it, except when I moved to the U.S. from Australia in '93 there wasn't room in the suitcase. Bought another in '94 from Midway & still the only press I own. Must say, though, that the machining on the newer one isn't quite as good as the first, especially in the S/H slot on the ram.
The only other metallic cartridge press I've owned was a Texan turret press back in the '80s. I don't recall the model, but seem to recall it had nine holes in the turret & it was some serious piece of machinery. Had a spade-type handle & a toggle linkage, I swear you could have swaged a V8 down to a V6 with that sucker!

[Woodstock45678]

I've got a Rockchucker supreme and it's a great tool; along with the dies and Uniflow powder measure. I've looked at other flavors of presses (except the Dillon) and to be honest, they all look like they will get the job done and be a quality tool that will be around for a while. I wouldn't have a problem reloading on any of the major brands.

I'm not sure what the problem is about the primer catcher. There is no tube leading spent primers to a trash can (which I do wish it had), but the tray seems to catch about 99/100 every time. About the most frustrating thing is trying to get the tray off the press; if you're too overzealous in pulling it off you might spill spent primers all over the floor. I suppose a shop-vac would save you from pulling the tray off the press.

[Poper]

the tray seems to catch about 99/100 every time. Not mine. I estimate 25-30% make their way to the floor of the shop. Quite often, when decapping cases with nice, tight primer pockets, they pop noticeably, bounce off the base of the press and clear the plastic tray with inches to spare. When I feeling my best, I have on occasion, been able to catch one with my hand. Though once when attempting this I struck the edge of the tray with my hand and sent the tray and all of the caught primers flying. :cuss: :cuss: I really felt coordinated and 'handy', of course. :o
Also, it is not unusual for spent small pistol or small rifle primers to pass between the plastic tray and the press and find their way to the floor. :cuss:

Maybe my Rockchucker is deffective? :scrutiny:
Eh... Probably not. :neener:

Poper

[Smokey Joe]

My Rockchucker used to bounce primers out of the primer catching tray occasionally. I solved it by doing 2 things:

1. Taped over the slot where the re-priming mechanism goes. That stops 'em from falling through to the floor.

2. Made a paper sleeve-like, and taped it around the primer catching tray. Cut enough clearance in this for my left hand and the case to be de-primed and sized. The rest of the tray is surrounded. This sleeve sticks up abt. 4" above the tray--that's probably more than I need. But, 99 and 44/100% of the primers now stay in the darn catch tray. Yes, one still gets loose very occasionally, but that'd probably happen with any machine.