Rock Chucker II owners who Wet Tumble need a REAL Fix for Primer containment .

[GW Staar]

For whatever reason, when I bought my Thumlers Tumbler, I didn’t think about a sudden need for depriming all my brass first. So now the spilling primers on the floor feature of the Rock Chucker had to be fixed for good.

Yes the McDonalds straw trick works fairly good, but that stupid flat spot in front of the ram still bounces primers where you don’t want them all too often. In the thread on this subject a few months ago I suggested I didn't need perfection, when RCModel suggested it wasn't a 100% fix...and he was right.

So when I bought my wet tumber a few months ago, that changed. So I came up with a 100% solution…….cheap! Click the first picture for the video: (sorry my paw is in the way so often, but I haven't invented an automatic case feeder/ejector for it yet, and that view provides a clear view about what happens to the primers!)


This is what the epoxy putty looks like...yup, just your typical kindergarten rolled worm. Be sure you use vasoline over all press parts so the putty won't stick to it.


The right side is folded down over the tray. I shaped it with a knife. When it dried I filed it smooth with a course file.


The left side was pressed under the tray...on mine there's a wider hole on that side. Notice the ramp was shaped wider on top. I got it close...then used a 3 sided file to shape it and smooth it. The top of the ramp is close to where the ram slot ends. Yup, that's a McDonalds straw in the slot.


Another view of the ramp. Notice the sides of the ramp are quite high....that's necessary I discovered to keep primers from jumping sideways. I later painted this part with Auto Trim Black Spray paint.

This lower ramp was made just by pressing epoxy putty in the vasolined slot, and pushed around the vasolined pin. I painted the part of the ramp that showed black also.


Another view of the ramp where it shows the slot filled below. That made a good handle and guide to make it easier to align the pin. Even if I do forget like I did in the video to use it. The crook pressed up and back with your thumb and the top of the ramp pressed against the ram with the other hand puts it where the pin slides right in.

The rest is in post 7......

 

[jim243]

Neat idea, thank you.

Jim

 

[kelbro]

The closeups are nice but can you take a couple of shots from farther back so we can see the finished product?

Thanks

Sorry, questions answered by watching the video.

 

[ranger335v]

A little Lee "Reloader" press and a universal decapper die fixed the spent primer agrivation with my RC II. IF Lee had made the Classic Cast when I got my green press it would be red.

 

[GW Staar]

Yup that's one way to take care of it. A tad more expensive and if its a second press you use up more bench space...but yeah that's certainly an option. Maybe it wasn't clear enough from the video, I'm also using Lee's nifty universal deprimer.

If I were a betting man I'd wager most Rock Chucker owners are pretty proud of their Rock Chuckers in spite of the spent primer control problem. There's nothing smoother. Since I keep to my personal prime directive of keeping my mods clean....there's no permanent changes to the casting. I think it's obvious that you can get back to stock in a few seconds if one was set in their ways enough to want to still use the press's primer system. I'm old and pretty set, but I either prime on the Pro 2000 or on the APS hand primer, so I will leave mine set up for spent primer control.

 

[cfullgraf]

Nice idea.

I plan to adapt it to my old RCBS Reloader Special that pretty much only does depriming duties thee days.

 

[GW Staar]

One heads up: On the picture below I added a red arrow. (4th picture in the first post) It's pointing to an edge on the press that wasn't covered first mold, and could bounce a primer. All I had to do was add a little more epoxy to the part, to build it up a tad higher and flush any edges that wasn't totally covered. It sticks to itself really well and smooths & blends with a wet finger. Anyway that's a necessity for 100% primer control and simple to do on both sides.


Notice the finished part below has both sides high, even with the press casting.


The stock RCBS primer catcher was drilled out, a 357 case was drilled out and epoxied together. Epoxy inside the primer catcher was tapered such that all spent primers go down the "drain". Clear flex sends them to a can on the floor back against the wall under the press.

The following thumbnails demonstrate:

The next picture also shows the cutouts for a sister "Primer Kicker" project to finish the perfect R.C.
Eventually painted black.
N

 

[mstreddy]

Very nice... Great details, this is one mod I'll be adding to my RC. Thanks for taking the time document the mods.

 

[ranger335v]

"If I were a betting man I'd wager most Rock Chucker owners are pretty proud of their Rock Chuckers in spite of the spent primer control problem. There's nothing smoother."

I'll sure agree no others I've tried are any smoother. But -- I have a 47 year old Lyman Spar-T and an equally old Herter's Mod 3 that are just as smooth as my RC. And I've used other's presses that matched just as well. ??

 

[GW Staar]

Neat idea, thank you.

Jim

Nice idea.

I plan to adapt it to my old RCBS Reloader Special that pretty much only does depriming duties thee days.

Very nice... Great details, this is one mod I'll be adding to my RC. Thanks for taking the time document the mods.

You are welcome and thanks for the positive comments. This has been a burr on an otherwise great press design. The "nice" thing is that the fix turned out to be effective, easy, and cheap.