Ugrade Rockchucker or buy Dillon?

[ezypikns]

I've got a Rockchucker single stage press. RCBS say's you can upgrade with their piggyback 3 or piggyback 4 attachment. The problem is that the attachments themselves cost 250.00. That doesn't even include any other accessories to upgrade to a progressive system. Should I just buy a Dillon progressive system? All I reload are .45 ACP, .38 spl, and .357 mag.
What do you think?

 

[Cortland]

No, and no.

Look at the Hornady LnL before drinking the blue Kool-aid.

 

[JSR]

I LIKE the blue kool-aid! I ran across a new Piggyback II at going out of business sale 3-4 yrs ago & got it for 1/2 price. Thought I'd really made a score. While I know theres some that have had good luck with them,mine drove me up the wall. Theres a multitude of springs,lever,pushrods,etc that easily get "un-sprung",bent,broken and out of alighnment. While RCBS will replace any broken parts,the last time I used it and something miscued (*a full powder measure hit the floor and was full no more),I waited a week & 1/2 for the part. And they won't sell you a spare parts kit. Dillon or Hornady L&L,whatever,you'r better off.
PS I'm happy with the job my Piggyback is doing now. They make a FINE doorstop!

 

[Tory]

I have no experience with the Hornady.

Then again, you did not ask about it.

Your question was whether you should upgrade your Rock Chucker or buy a 550.

I had a Rock Chucker. I now have a Rock Chucker and a 550. I use the former (very infrequently) to load .30-06 and to deprime military .333. I use the 550 for .38 Super, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and the occasional run of .223.

Your money; your choice.

 

[JSR]

Uh,I don't think he mentioned the 550B either. But since it was brought up thats the one I'd go with (and did) partually because of Dillons No BS warranty. If you should ever start loading rifle calibers,you'r limited to only pistol calibers,and Dillon dies with the Square Deal B press. If want to hand weigh your pistol or rifle loads with the 550,you can use the AT500 powder die and funnel setup. Did I mention the warranty? Drink the Koolaid!

 

[Valkman]

I say get a Dillon and not worry about it again. But as Cortland says, check out the LNL and see what works for you. I've got 2 550B's so I'm a huge koolaid drinker!

 

[redneck2]

I'm using a new 550

I had several other presses. Ended up selling them. I'd keep the Rockchucker for single stage (rifle stuff) and go for the Dillon. Until you use one you can't believe how nice they are.

At some point, I'd like to load a thousand or so on a Hornady just to see how it compares to the Dillon. I do know that, once I get the 550 set, I just crank out the rounds. A thousand may sound like a lot, but it's maybe 90 minutes on a 550.

One of the downsides of the Dillon is that you have to buy components in multiples of 1,000. You use up stuff real fast. 500 empties looks like a lot, but you can fill them in less than an hour.

 

[taliv]

1000 in 90 minutes is pretty sweet. it took me about 3 hours to load about 500 on my dillon last night. of course, that was like, 20 minutes of loading, followed by 30 minutes of surfing the web and THR, then going out to eat for 2 hrs, then coming back and loading for another 10 minutes. i tell you, the NEXT dillon reloader i buy is going to be able to cook a good mexican dinner. hmm... reloaded beans?

 

[RUT]

>>I've got 2 550B's so I'm a huge koolaid drinker!<<

Same here, so the 550 gets my nod.

 

[redneck2]

90 minutes may be a bit optimistic. You'd need to have extra primer tubes full, the powder hopper full, and the brass all cleaned and ready to go and in easy reach. Once you have everything arranged and set, it goes fast

If I had to guess , I'd say it's real easy to do one every 7-8 seconds. That's 500 an hour. At any rate, it's not a race, and that's not the point. Point is, I really don't like taking tons of time reloading....I like to shoot.

I've never used the Hornady, and it may be just as good. I did use a Lee (1000 maybe???) Stuff kept "shifting" and it wouldn't hold adjustment.

One thing I think is REAL important about a progressive is to get into a rhythm. Once something messes up, it's too easy to get a squib or double charge since you've got 4 things going on at once.

YMMV

 

[Cortland]

Oh the Hornady is better than "just as good" -- in fact, it's better.

You can read my Dillon/Hornady rant/feverdream here.

For about the same price as a 550, the LnL adds auto-indexing, a superior die change out system (resulting in a sturdier press), a better powder measure, a better decapping system, a simpler priming system, the ability to add on a case feeder, faster caliber changes, cheaper caliber conversions, etc. etc.

I owned and used a Dillon 550B for about three years, and yes -- I once thought it was the best thing in the world, too. But there are better options out there. Look around, and make your own decisions. Don't be led astray by the blue-blooded hordes of blue Kool-Aid drinkers

 

[larryw]

Yep, the Tucker is a superior vehicle, why, it will take over the roads...

Did they ever fix the priming problems that kept me from buying a LnL and go 550B instead? Seriously, did that happen?

Glad I went with the blue kool-aid gizmo because just plain works great. And should you break something, Dillon won't take your money to fix it, even if you break it due to misuse (think: Craftsman screwdriver used as a crowbar and cold-chisel).

This is the only subject where I'll recommend a "blue" vote over "red".

 

[Cortland]

Did they ever fix the priming problems that kept me from buying a LnL and go 550B instead? Seriously, did that happen?

The priming system was redesigned in February 2003 (I believe). I, too, have heard bad things about the original priming system. All presses with serial numbers >7000 have the new priming system. My press has the new priming system, and it's been more reliable than my 550 was -- no plastic feed lips or anything else subject to wear, it's quicker to empty the primer tube, quicker to change between large and small primers, and doesn't spit spent primer debris all over the press and floor.

And should you break something, Dillon won't take your money to fix it, even if you break it due to misuse

So THAT's why they charge so much more than Hornady! I prefer paying for only my own mistakes, thanks.

 

[swifter]

Cortland,

Very interesting read. Thank you. I've never used a Hornady, but I haven't used my 550 in two or three years, either, mostly because I don't want to readjust that awful powder thrower or deal with the primer system. For the amount of handgun rounds I shoot anymore, by the time I figure in the time wasted with the primer system and powder thrower, my CaseKicker equipped Rockchucker is a lot quicker, and less frustrating.

Perhaps the time has come to replace the stupid thing. Or even just get rid of it: right now, the space that 550 squats in is more valuable to me than it is... I'll need to look into this further, but the more I think on it, the more it pisses me off to have a machine that I won't use because its such a pain in the ass to use!
It won't happen this year, but stay tuned, I may well sell the damn thing!

Tom

 

[roo_ster]

Cortland:

I, too, am considering a progressive after cutting my teeth on a Rock Chucker.

I read your review & it was interesting. Dillon seems to be the default choice for a progessive. They surely have a devoted following.

Yet another point in favor of the Dillon, is the availability of a setup/operation video. Paper manuals are nice, but seeing something in action is worth a lot.

One point in favor of the LnL is the ability to use the LnL bushing system on my Rock Chucker, thus allowing me to use the dies interchangably for load development (Rock Chucker) and production (LnL).

 

[larryw]

Sorry, I poorly made my point. If something breaks or starts to wear out, regardless of the reason, Dillon doesn't argue with you about it, they just drop new parts in the mail. No questions, no hassles, no problems. After about 100K rounds through mine, I sent it in for a ground-up rebuild. No charge, no hassles, no problems. I'm about ready to do that again...

And am glad to hear Hornady fixed the LnL's priming problem.

 

[Powderman]

I also started out my progressive reloading with a Piggyback. It demanded a lot of attention and it took a while to get that rhythm down just right. After I did, though, I loaded up a whole truckload of .44 Mag and Special and .45 ACP with it.

Then, about 3 years ago, a friend made an offer to finance me halfway on a complete Dillon 650 setup. I repaid him with part cash and a complete AR15 upper.

Now, that Dillon gets a heck of a work out once in a while. I load all my calibers on it, except for .300 Win Mag, 6.5x55 Swede and .220 Swift. It works well beyond my wildest expectations. The Rockchucker that held the Piggyback goes with me to the range when I want to work up a load or two, or when I'm loading the calibers noted above.

I have heard good things about the LNL; but for my money, I think I have invested well in the Dillon.

 

[Sheldon]

I would not upgrade a Rock Chucker with a Piggyback. I had an earlier generation one and it was ,as mentioned before, just a jumble of parts and springs. I sold it off. I currently have a 550B and a couple 650s as well, so I'm partial to the Dillon line. I'm not going to say they are the best, but they work for me and I got them used at GREAT discount!! Their warranty makes getting them used a no risk proposition.

 

[Black Snowman]

In only three calibers and if you want to shoot a lot I'd go with the Dillion, even over the L-N-L AP, which is my favorite progressive for loading lots of differant calibers. However, I'd splurge the extra money for the 5th station and auto-indexing of the 650, but that's me.

If you're going to be loading less than 5000 rounds a year and if you want to do it on the cheap, the Lee Load Master (what I actually own) is a good way to get a progressive without breaking the bank. However it has more adjustments and more wear parts than other brands and models. Fortunately parts are cheap and you still get a 2 year warranty with pretty good service which I never needed. Everything that broke on mine was because I did something stupid I have worn out a few parts but I'm still not into it for as much $ as a Dillon over the 4 years or so I've had it.

Keep your single stage seperate from your progressive. You'll want it for lots of other operations even with pistol cartridges.

 

[66gt350]

I guess that I have to be the "devil's advocte" for this thread. I have the RockChucker along with the original piggyback, and I couldn't love it more. There's really not that many small parts and springs...there's a couple but not many. Once you have it all set-up, it plug and play. I can crank out alot of rounds in an hour.

And like Dillon they have a lifetime guarantee. Moveing from South Dakota to California, I lost a few pieces, and a few pieces got wet and rusted. RCBS sent me everything, even stuff I lost, for no charge.