Are New Rock Chuckers Sloppy?

[BADUNAME37]

No, in fact at one point, it is so tight, I can actually feel a bit of resistance where tight pins, arms, etc are so tight, but not perfectly lined up, so I can feel the slightest resistance!

Better tight than sloppily-loose!

 

[altitude_19]

If the linkage is sloppy and the ram rotates a little, IT DOESN'T MATTER. A cartridge rotating a couple degrees inside a die makes no difference, and it probably won't rotate anyway, given most shell plates don't hold the casing securely enough to transfer that torque. I notice some play on my Lyman Crusher and it still produces cartridges consistently with .001 in OAL of one another. Worry about something with functional impact, not something that looks scary.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

I bought a Rockchucker Supreme and began reloading for the first time this past summer and don't notice any "slop". I do,however,pull the ram down until I feel it start the bullet in then raise the ram a bit,then finish with a single pull. My thinking may be flawed but at least in my mind this helps center the bullet and case.
Otherwise,a guy could always heat and bend the handle if he thought the angled design caused inaccurate rounds

 

[918v]

IT DOESN'T MATTER

It matters if you appreciate quality. It's called fit and finish. High end products have better fit and finish. If you don't care, a Lee press will do. Why spend all that money on a RC?

 

[Walkalong]

That's right. People pay the extra bucks to get something "better", and fit and finish is a big part of that.

 

[brickeyee]

I removed the spring that hold the shell holder in long ago and relaqced it with an o-ring.

This allows the case holder to move slightly as the shell enters the die.

There are times when 'play' is a desirable thing.
It allows the shell to center up in the die more freely.

The same applies to floating reamer holders.

I have a nice on on my lath.
The reamer will align itself very nicely if you allow it (or you can force it and ream an egg shaped hole).

 

[918v]

I'm not talking about the play between the frame and the ram. I'm talking about the play in the linkage between the ram and the handle.

 

[Horsemany]

I'm not talking about the play between the frame and the ram. I'm talking about the play in the linkage between the ram and the handle.

The nuts on each side of the linkage adjust this "slop". Mine needed to be tightened a bit after the first year or so. You can set it so loose the handle practically drops on it's own, or really tight so there's no slop but a lot more friction than necessary. Sounds like yours needs a tweak.

 

[GW Staar]

That's right. People pay the extra bucks to get something "better", and fit and finish is a big part of that.

There's nothing wrong with buying something you perceive to be better or best.

I don't have a problem with 916v dumping a Rock Chucker for a Redding. If he likes it better then it is better...for him.

I do have a problem with him influencing new reloaders looking for quality equipment, when he does that by making false statements like "All RockChuckers are sloppy POS" when they are in fact on the upper end of quality. The purpose of this thread was to see if other users of the product share his derision. No posters so far do....unless you do.

I already know you like Redding stuff...and there's not a thing wrong with that, but do you also agree with him that the RCBS Rock Chucker, no, that ALL RCBS Rock Chuckers are sloppy-machined POS?

 

[918v]

You are making false statements by elevating a product to a level where it does not belong.

 

[Walkalong]

I already know you like Redding stuff...and there's not a thing wrong with that, but do you also agree with him that the RCBS Rock Chucker, no, that ALL RCBS Rock Chuckers are sloppy-machined POS?

No, I was just agreeing that when people pay for "better" they expect to get it when they do. I think RCBS is "better" than a lot of stuff out there. I like their stuff and have plenty of it. My last three dies set purchases were RCBS. I did put a Redding carbide expander ball on two of them. If they made one in .35, it would be three.

I have never used a RC, old or new. I do like my Partner press. I have sized cases with it for my Bench gun and won.

I do have a fancy little press I bought later. It is very nice, compact, and easy to use, but doesn't really work any better.

 

[ranger335v]

Ridgerunner: "...I could do the same with any other press given a little time to learn the quirks. Talk about splitting hairs.... I'm sorry, but that really needed to be said! "

Yeah. it did, and you did it well.

I have four presses now and have used 6-8 others, all of which load as well as any of the others. Of all the things to agonise over about reloading tools, presses are perhaps the least significant.

 

[flashhole]

I wasn't going to weigh in on this but the thread is hanging on so I will add my two cents.

Not too long ago I was investigating what it would take to tool up to make my own bullets via a quality swaging process. My thinking was - what does it take to do it right such that the result is match quality bullets.

I was in a dialog with a tool & die maker who modifies RCBS presses and makes them suitable for use for the swaging process that uses his custom dies. What he told me was this - he has seen a noticeable loss of quality machining over the last two years with Rock Chucker presses he buys new to be modified for swaging. In some instances the ram is so far off center they can't be corrected and he has sent presses back to RCBS for replacement. Even with replacement units he had to go to some effort to make them suitable for use. He told me he switched to the Lee Classic Cast and they have much tighter tolerances and he seldom sees any misalignment. I have no idea what RCBS is doing but just thought I would share this information.

 

[ranger335v]

"He told me he switched to the Lee Classic Cast and they have much tighter tolerances and he seldom sees any misalignment."

Now Flash, you just have to know you gonna cause heart palpations posting such facts as that! All reloading EXPERTS know Lee stuff is marginal, at best.

 

[Glock20]

If the RCBS Rock Chucker was a poorly manufactured press, we would have all heard about it by now.

Like GW Staar mentioned above, the majority of actual users of the RC that answered the OP's question find no slop in their PC press.

 

[flashhole]

"Now Flash, you just have to know you gonna cause heart palpations posting such facts as that! All reloading EXPERTS know Lee stuff is marginal, at best."

I thought I had archived an article from a guy who makes bullets for a living but I can't find it right now. When I do I will post the link. In the article the guy stated he bought a dozen Lee Classic Cast presses that showed no measurable misalignment. That's quite a statement for someone who needs quality equipment to make their product. That helped my decision to buy a Lee Classic Cast press.

GW, I purposefully did not list the persons name. He will share information with anyone, just like he did with me but it's not my station in life to offer him up to the masses. What possible reason would I have to degegrate RCBS or any other manufacturer's equipment? I happy they make what they do. I use a lot of RCBS equipment and like it. I was just sharing information. I read lots of things I may not agree with but I don't go after the people who wrote it in a negative way.

 

[altitude_19]

High end products have better fit and finish.

If you purchased RCBS for that reason, you wasted some greenbacks on a green press. Condolences.
The proof is in the pudding. It's designed to crank out ammo, and it does so with remarkable consistency/durability. If anybody here wants something to look purdy while it operates, my little sister has a very nice music box with a twirling ballarina that pops up when you open it for sale. If you pay extra, we'll even throw in the the "fit and finish" package and polish it with minwax before shipping.

 

[ranger335v]

Have to agree with Mr. Altitude, I buy mechanical stuff for it's perfomance, not how pretty it looks. Pretty things, like pretty women, cost a lot more but rarely perform any better. (Sometimes not even as well!)

The Rock Chuckers have only been made in Chine a few years and I have been hearing of quality problems.

Makers can only coast on previous hype for so long before the bottom will drop out - check the history of the once excellant Redfield rifle scopes!

 

[918v]

This thread isn't about looks. It is about the clearances in the RC linkage and the effect of the angled handle. Pretty has nothing to do with it.

 

[hAkron]

I got my Rock Chucker in December and it seems solid to me.

 

[altitude_19]

This thread isn't about looks. It is about the clearances in the RC linkage and the effect of the angled handle. Pretty has nothing to do with it.

Nobody here has established linkage "slop" has had any discernable effect on function. Until it has an effect, it is merely an appearance. So yes, you've made it about looks until you prove it affects the ammo quality.

 

[Offfhand]

Mr. Walkalong, your "fancy little press" is nice. I have one that I got 2nd hand (or 3rd or 4th hand) and don't know for sure who made it. Mine was identical to yours when I got it but have since had clamping fixture attached and Carstensen die seat installed. (Photo attached) I suspect is was made by Mike Lucas, but not positive. Ed Watson sold rod guides made by Lucas so it is logical that he would have had your little press as well. I have a couple of Lucas arbor presses, which are very well made and the press is of similar quality. Hope you can give me a positive identification of maker.
Thanks, Offhand

 

[altitude_19]

That thing looks IN-DE-STRUCTABLE!

 

[918v]

Nobody here has established linkage "slop" has had any discernable effect on function. Until it has an effect, it is merely an appearance. So yes, you've made it about looks until you prove it affects the ammo quality.

Do you understand the word "looks"???

Do you understand the word "linkage"???

Do you understand that mechanics differs from appearance? Just because the ammo comes out OK does not mean the product is worthy of the term "high quality". Lee hand presses make decent ammo too.

 

[altitude_19]

Do you understand the word "looks"???

Do you understand the word "linkage"???

Do you understand that mechanics differs from appearance? Just because the ammo comes out OK does not mean the product is worthy of the term "high quality". Lee hand presses make decent ammo too.

I'll make this part simple: Don't be a jerk.
Onward! Worrying about linkage slop that doesn't affect the final product is sort of like complaining that you can see your brake calipers through you wheel rims. A man who does so is a little to worried about form over function.