Reloading Equipment Warranties?

RCBS makes you wait in a much longer telephone queue than you had to in the past, but when its your turn they still honor their outstanding warranty.

I haven't had to call any of them for so long about a broken part, I honestly can't answer that. I know that Dillon still honors their "No BS Warranty if you bought the press from them, but they had to start charging for rebuilding presses due to people abusing their warranty. Buy a beat up old press off EBAY and sending to them and expecting them to rebuild it for free.
RCBS and Hornady, I buy my parts from my suppliers because they would never let me pay for them.
So, I can't really tell you about current events except that with everything that is going on today, and all the current shortages, everything they make is undoubtedly going into new presses for sale. I can't fault any of the mfg'ers for that.

Bwana John said:

RCBS makes you wait in a much longer telephone queue than you had to in the past, but when its your turn they still honor their outstanding warranty.

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With Covid and a baziilion percent increase in business, longer wait times are the norm for any business in the gun industry; RCBS still sends out free parts with free shipping.

Just curious--what damage was done by leaving the powder in the hopper? I would have expected one could leave powder in there indefinitely and at least cause no damage to the equipment.

Tim

Hornady sent me a new primer tube base when mine snapped off. I had the part # but couldn't find a way to order, so I called them. Lady asked my zip code, then read off my address. Not even sure how she had all my info. She told me "it's on its way". I asked how much, and she asked me if I wanted extras. No, just the one I need. "Oh...It's under warranty".

I know Lee has a policy of replacing each part once if you bought the press new or not. After the first part I think it is case by case if I remember the gal I talked to correctly. I ws given a Lee turret press used and it was missing a couple things. Made it clear the press was gotten used and they still refused to take my money.

A couple years back, I lost some parts to my Rock Chucker in a move. I called RCBS and explained what I did and asked them how I could order replacements. The nice lady on the phone told me they would send them free. I stressed that I was at fault and was more than happy to pay. She told me the parts were on the way. That is first rate service.

TimRB said:

Just curious--what damage was done by leaving the powder in the hopper? I would have expected one could leave powder in there indefinitely and at least cause no damage to the equipment.

Tim

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The chemicals in the powder eat the plastic of the hopper

I've had it both ways with Hornady. Last time I paid shipping but no charge on the part, time before that was free. With RCBS it's always been free.

somethingbenign said:

I know Lee has a policy of replacing each part once if you bought the press new or not. After the first part I think it is case by case if I remember the gal I talked to correctly.

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It's been a few years but I remember the first time I had issues with the my turret press I paid to get the parts right from Lee. Maybe they have since changed that policy.

TimRB said:

Just curious--what damage was done by leaving the powder in the hopper?

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The solvents gasing off the powder will brown, and eventually embrittle and crack, plastic hoppers. Add to this the risk of forgetting what you were doing the next day and returning the powder to the wrong bottle, and you could make an ash of yourself.

I am not aware of a hopper or powder manufacturer that doesn't warn against this practice.

brasscollector said:

Maybe they have since changed that policy.

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I think I paid for shipping. Could also be she just liked me more than you.

somethingbenign said:

Could also be she just liked me more than you.

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Could've been pity too, who knows

TimRB said:

Just curious--what damage was done by leaving the powder in the hopper? I would have expected one could leave powder in there indefinitely and at least cause no damage to the equipment.

Tim

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Depends on the powder. With some absolutely nothing happens and with other it could be just a discoloration of the plastic hopper and others could literally melt the plastic hopper, over time. I left titegroup in the hopper for a week or so an it turn the clear plastic a dark gray.


Every manufacturer I've called for replacement parts has replaced every part under warrantee at no charge with the exception of anything electrical motors.

I try to buy from Brownells when possible as they have a no questions asked money back guarantee .
Guaranteed. Forever.®
We make purchasing and returning products as simple as possible. If you buy a product from Brownells and decide you don’t need it, don’t want it, or just don’t like it, we’ll take it back any time… with a few exceptions

Exceptions include:

• Firearms
• Ammunition
• Modified 80% frames & receivers
• Gun powder
• Primers
• Liquids
• ORM-D/Hazardous items

All other products are Guaranteed. Forever.® you can easily identify these products by the Guaranteed. Forever.® Icon.

I think they all tightened up a little when people started calling them up getting free replacement parts, just to then sell them on eBay.

I don’t know who in their right mind pay for parts that are otherwise free but they are there.

Still seems like most are still pretty good, maybe email a photo of the broken part. I think Lee wanted me to mail in a broken part once. Dillon is still at the top of the list.

When the mess up part is due to my own negligence, I always feel a little guilty, so offer to pay, even if they won’t accept any payment.

George P said:

The chemicals in the powder eat the plastic of the hopper

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if you can find it, a great article by Charles "Skeeter" Skelton, tells about leaving Unique in his Lyman 55 measure and the powder being degraded. Bullets loaded with the powder bounced off bull's skulls. He was derided for his "Skelton cow killer" loads. My Lyman # 55 is so etched after sixty years that it is totally opaque.

Some powders are worse than others; some will not only etch the plastic, but weaken it enough that the hopper can fail resulting in a powder spill

In 1982 I bought a Dillon 550 in 2015 they completely rebuilt it for the price of shipping it to them. The ram and or bushing had worn to the point that there was excessive side play.

RCBS has always been free. Lee will replace stuff for free if you send the broken bits back. Lyman and Hornaday have charged me for whatever I needed. My old Ideal #55 measure had an etched and broken hopper and I got 2 of them from Lyman for not much money IIRC.

All have been good to me so far, which is amazing. Their is no other hobby like guns or reloading when it comes to warranties.

Lee: I completely rebuilt a old 10lb Lee lead pot, for $16.00 in shipping. Went to the website and started adding parts to the cart. Went to check out and the price had changed to $0.00 for all the parts. Shipping only.

RCBS: kinetic hammer parts. Called them and they asked me name and address. Parts showed up a week later.

Dillon: Learning while setting up my 550. Smashed a primer tube tip, and got a primer wedged in the extra tip they give you. Sent new ones in the mail after calling. Also broke the primer feed rod. Again a call, and the parts were in the mail.

I just bought a used 550 that was missing some parts. I had some parts that were missing , but some were in the spare parts kit I bought. I wanted to replace the replacement parts and the other parts I was missing, so I just went ahead and paid for them online. Wasn't their fault they were missing.

Not reloading related, but my wife bought me a used Henry rifle. It had a rough chamber. I emailed them and they said send it in, and they will fix it. They said it didn't matter if it was used. It cost me $8 for a box, but they paid the shipping and all the repair costs.

I've also had Ruger and Taurus guns I had to send back both no charge to me.

When I got back into reloading i bought a used set if Lee dies that did not have the instruction on how to set them up and i had something else that was a Lee product that I needed a part for. I called lee and talked with a woman and told her what I needed and all I got in the mail was a Lee product catalog.

Since then I kind of stayed away from Lee products.

I buy a lot of used reloading equipment from the gun forums, ebay and a couple of local guys who sell used reloading equipment.

On used dies RCBS you will send you for free bent or missing resizing and seating stems or any other part you may need.
I have had the same srevice eirh Hornady.
After my expierance with lee I don't buy much of their products.
I do.like a couple things they sell however.
The older Lee Auto Prime.
Press & auto prime shell jolder.
Lee bench prime.

On several cartridegs I load the Lee data begins higher then Hornady's highest load.
And I don't like the way he constintly slaps his own back over & over again in his reloading manual.

I had a bunch of lee dies and sold most of them and have more to get rid of that came in bundle deals.
I also bought a lee turret press kit in a bundle deal that needs to find a new home.
I bought a Redding T7 turret press for out in my shed.

david bachelder said:

I was away from reloading a couple years so I'm not up on current practices. Back a few years every manufacturer of reloading equipment would replace any thing that broke, cost free. I see now that the practice has stopped.

I can remember emailing RCBS or Hornady or anyone for that matter and explain what broke and how I broke it. I was always honest and always told the truth. Like a dummy (and I knew better) I left H110 in my powder hopper a couple of years. This was in my Hornady LNL, I had it draped and honestly forgot about it. Recently I uncovered it and found the damage I had created. I called Hornady and explained what I had done. I was told to contact a woman in parts and she would take care of it. He also gave me the part number. The quoted me a very reasonable price with shipping, I gave the credit card number and that was it done. Afterward I got to thinking about the parts that had always been replaced cost free. I figured it became a burden to the manuf's and they gave it up. Now I'm curious? When did they stop handing out free parts? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the practice was abused over and over, I was just wondering how long that had been going on?

David Bachelder
Trinity, Tx.

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Your powder hopper did not "break" It was not a defective part.
If you do not change your oil is that a car defect?

Of course the Dillon Blue Boys will chime in here.

I had a hopper that became loose in the base from being out in my garage during Texas heat. I had already flipped it over once when it became loose again. They sent me a replacement free. I had a little discoloration but not bad since I do not leave powders in the hopper even if it's only going to be 1 night.

I had some parts on my LNL-AP that went bad. Some I had to ship to them for evaluation others they just sent out a replacement. On a couple items they said they were classified as consumable and not covered under the warranty. Had to pay for a few items but most were covered.

TimRB said:

Just curious--what damage was done by leaving the powder in the hopper? I would have expected one could leave powder in there indefinitely and at least cause no damage to the equipment.

Tim

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Brownells used to sell Sinclair powder bottles and adapters that worked great. You could leave powder in the one of these bottles on your powder dropper with no problems whatsoever. The bottles look like Nalgene and the powder has no effect on the bottle at all. I bought a black cozy (the kind you use to keep a water bottle cold longer) and slip it over my powder bottle when not being used to protect the powder from the light.

Sadly, the product has been discontinued by Brownells (the techs there have no idea why they stopped carrying them). I wish I had bought another adapter and another bottle when I had the chance.