basic kit comparison question

starter kit

  • RCBS ($319)

    Votes: 23 79.3%

  • Hornady ($319)

    Votes: 6 20.7%
  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
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DirtyDiesel

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Joined
Dec 29, 2012
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57
Location
WA
Done a bunch of reading past couple days on here. Excellent information and basically all my questions were answered! :)

But, now i think im ready to purchase a basic kit. At a local sportsmans warehouse they have the following:

Hornady $319.00

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/...ail/Reloading-Kits/prod999901360297/cat100150

RCBS $319.00

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/...ail/Reloading-Kits/prod999901361918/cat100150

Now, since the price is identical that makes it hard for me to choose. Ive read nice things about both kits. Havent read to many downfalls other than it being single stage. One thing i did notice though is the difference of a mechanical scale vs electric scale....not that i have an issue with either styles but wondering on quality of the electrical unit.

This being my first actual reloading purchase i want to make a good choice. the calibers i have are: .38sp, .357 mag, 30-30 win, , 30-06, 7mm rem mag, 300 win mag and my neighbors .223. im not looking to create bulk, but more so better range/hunting rounds for the larger calibers.

So if anyone can recommend one pf these starter kits, ill pull the trigger :D
 
Welcome to the forum and reloading. Thanks for asking our advice.

I have an RCBS RockChucker (have had it for 30 years) and can attest to the strength of that press.

The kits are another matter. The Hornady kit has an electronic scale. I trust beam scales more. The RCBS appears to lack a powder trickler (a $10 to $15 item, I think). The only permanent difference is that the Hornady is a breech-lock mounting press and the RCBS appears not to be. So, if you spring the money for the bushings, die swaps are easier and quicker. Other than that, I don't see any substantial differences.

Sorry I can't give you a more substantial answer to your question.

Now, for what I think is a more useful opinion.

Considering the number of different chamberings you listed, I would consider an auto-indexing turret press.

For about the same price, you can assemble your own kit around a turret long enough to fit the 300 Win Mag that will allow swapping dies in seconds and easily double or triple your throughput (if you do continuous vs batch processing). If you want to know more, PM me. I don't want to clutter the thread with an answer you did not even hint at. But I think it might interest you.

Good Luck.

Lost Sheep

p.s. By the way, loading for a friend carries the risk of losing that friend if anything should ever go wrong with the ammunition. Letting your friend use your press as you both learn to reload is a much better idea.
 
Last edited:
I agree with what Lost Sheep said completely. I would also pick a kit with a good set of beam scales for my first set.

I have Redding beam scales and the electronic Hornady scales which work really well but I would take beam scales every time for my first or only set.

The Lee classic cast Turret press would be my first choice over either of the two single stage presses you are looking at, I wish Lee offered it back when I started out. I would have bought it over my Rock Chucker.
 
+2 on the Lee CLASSIC 4 hole turret - a full kit is going for about $200 these days, which would leave $120 in your budget for a better scale and a die set or two?

It can run as a single staqe if you want and then switch over to 175 rounds per hour for pistol just by replacing the auto-indexing rod(about a 15 second task)

That said, the other two presses are GREAT single stage machines and will last a lifetime.
 
Don't buy a kit. Buy individual quality tools. Each manufacturer makes great tools and crap. Some make more crap than others. Kits contain stuff you don't need.

I would get a Redding press and go from there. Balance beam scales are too slow. I have two digitals, one that has been going strong for 14 years now. Digital scale technology is solid and reliable. Redding powder measures are superior to the others. Their micrometer controls and hopper designs are nicer. Lee trimmers are cheap but well made and soooooo much quicker to use in conjunction with a cordless drill or power station. Assembling your own kit will make you a happier reloader.
 
Well since both are listed as UNAVAILABLE you won’t be buying from them anytime soon. To bad because that is a great price.
If given the choice I would purchase the RCBS, but that is just my personal bias. The 5-0-5 scale is the standard by which others are judged.
 
So it sounds like the RCBS is a good one, but the lee turret style is the best. I'll do some more reading on turret style set ups, and see what other items I need to purchase with it. I was mainly just thinking a "kit" because I am new to this and didn't want to miss a piece of equipment when buying individually. Thanks for all the advice!
 
I am brand new to reloading and got most of my information from these threads. That being said I will give you the information on what I recieved. For Christmas I recieved the Lee Classic Turret Press with Auto Index Delux Kit (linked below). I also recieved the Lee 4 die kit for .38/.357 and .45ACP. Those three things(other than powder, brass, primers and lead) are all the reloading equipment I have at the moment and I feel like I am set up pretty well. I actually loaded my first 50 rounds this weekend. You can go as fast or as slow as you want and check the powder with the included scale. There is also a book that explains things well (although there is a lot of selling Lee products included) and has basic load data. In the future when I start with dirty brass I may add some sort of tumbler and a digital scale for quick checks but im not sure yet. That is my experience with reloading kits and I feel like it will last me a while.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785993/lee-4-hole-turret-press-with-auto-index-deluxe-kit
 
RCBS is no more a 'good one' than any other name brand single stage press from Hornady, Redding, Lee, Lyman or whoever(they all make one). It is just that most have that one so they vote for it. Rock chunkers have been around since 1960(Guessing) and it was the standard then and they haven't changed one bit. They are a premium priced average press.
I would look to a more recent design at the very least.

I know you didn't ask but I'll cheer for the Lee Classic Turret with the others(It stands alone, comparing any other brand turret to it is a joke.).

Whatever you get they last several life times so it is good to buy the one you are sure you want.
 
• Neither press is "complete". You'll still need a trimmer for bottle neck cases and a 6" caliper for physical measurements.

• Both manuals are limited since they only report loads for the bullets each manufacturer makes. In other words, if Speer doesn't make a bullet for a particular caliber, then there will be zero information about that caliber in the Speer book. They simply skip over it.

• Both presses are functionally equivalent. Both powder measures are wonderful.

• Given a choice between only these 2, then the much, much better scale in the RCBS kit puts it far, far, far ahead of the Hornady. When it comes to weighing powder you don't want to be fast, you want to be as accurate as you can possibly be. It's a safety issue of the first order.

Safety always comes first.
 
I started about 25 years ago with the following:
RCBS rock chucker
RCBS 1010 beam scale
Forester trimmer
Reading powder measure
Lee hand primer
RCBS pocket tools
Starrett (sp?) calipers (I already had it)
Midway case tumbler
RCBS trickler



Everything listed above is still in use and are my primary tools for loading all of my center fire rifle rounds. I have added recently a RCBS charge master 1500 and a Dillon 650. The charge master has become my primary powder dispenser if I'm not in a rush and right now the 650 is set up for 45 only. I hope to put together another head for it for 9mm soon. If the idiots running this country get things calmed down I hope to add at least one more Dillon for 223 and possibly another for 9mm.

What I did back then is I sat down with a good friend that was an avid reloaded and gunsmith and asked him if he were to be starting out like I was what would he buy. (back then there wasn't the internet nor a place like THR to get info. I'm very glad I followed his advice
 
I did some reading on the turret style press, (watched YouTube videos too). The automatic powder loading mechanism confuses me. What I don't understand is how the upper portion operates...it's set just like the single stage style? But then revolves around?

Also I don't get the crimping feature it has for the rifle rounds....with metal jacket bullets is it required? The single one just presses the bullet in the cartridge, or did I miss something?

I'm starting to like that turret style!
 
Yes, the powder dispenser turns with the turret when the press is set in auto index mode.

You don't have to use that type powder measure. I charge all my cases manually. I rigged this up for 45-70 but have since migrated to the Lee Powder Through Expander with the Lee Funnel and Lee Dipper Cups. I charge manually for the 40 S&W too.

FunnelforClassicPress.jpg

Just to show you I'm not 100% Lee, here's a pic of my main bench. I like Redding too.

MainReloadingBench.jpg
 
I have the Hornady and absolutely love it. Main reason I went with Hornady was well at the time it was priced at $249 or $269. Can't remember exactly which, but it was back in March of this year.

The Hornady scale is perfectly fine. I use it and for me, it works perfectly for what I need it for.
 
The Lee powder measure on the turret is "case activated".
When you run the case up the PM it pushes on a part that allows the powder to fall in the case.

But then revolves around?
Click to expand...
Yes, the turret revolves so each die is accessible.
 
Hi there...

As someone who's considering the same choices, I thought I'd chime in. Universally, I hear people praise the virtues of the Rockcrusher. I honestly haven't heard anyone who has one speak negatively about it. On the contrary, its owners are almost evangelistic in their fervor to recommend it... I've heard very positive things about RCBS's customer service, as well.

The people I've talked to who have Hornady presses love them, too - though most of them I've encountered haven't really compared to a lot of other brands. I've encountered several people who have moved from Hornady to RCBS, but none the other direction (though many use the Hornady bushings). The most glowing reports I've heard re: Hornady have been for their progressive presses.

With that in mind, I voted for the RCBS in your poll.

Having said all that, I've somewhere between choosing a Rockcrusher or a Lee Turret. My main concern is possible throughput down the line and startup cost. I participated in this thread, which might be helpful to you: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=684854
 
You need to factor in RCBS shifted their castings to China. That really sucks and the China suck factor outweighs prior reputation 10 to 1.
 
DirtyDiesel said:
I did some reading on the turret style press, (watched YouTube videos too). The automatic powder loading mechanism confuses me. What I don't understand is how the upper portion operates...it's set just like the single stage style? But then revolves around?
Click to expand...
I am not sure about your question. The upper part of the die does not rotate. It moves up and down.

The upper part of the press in which the 4 dies are mounted rotates so that each die lines up (one at a time) with the ram (which holds the cartridge case which runs up into each die in turn).

I recommend you see a turret press in operation in continuous mode. (The other mode, batch mode, operates in every respect as a single stage press.)

If you search on "Lee Turret Press" you will find any number of videos. Some are better than others. Here's a couple. The first one has no narrative, but clearly shows the powder measure's movement.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...2C9EFF88DBDE64BC24322C&view=detail&FORM=VIRE5

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...3B7B238E019F8676CD963B&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1

Lost Sheep
 
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