New RCBS Tube Rifle Bullet Feeder: Got one! Not what I expected...MORE!

[GW Staar]

New RCBS Tube Rifle Bullet Feeder?
This product is for sale and in stock at Midway as I write. Says "New Arrival". Price $108. on sale. ($127 reg. price) But there's only a picture and a price......zero information. Anyone guess what the second die is for?......must be an "M" die style case expander. Comes in .223 and .308 at the moment......well .22 and .30 caliber groups in their words.



Don'tcha love RCBS marketing......boggles my mind. Saw it by accident while I was looking for something else. The RCBS engineer I've been talking to......coincidentally about using an "M" Die just before the powder die....on .308, didn't say ANYTHING about this! He's obviously good with company secrets.

 

[WestKentucky]

Can't see it doing well, and yes I'm being a party pooper. The reason I have doubts is that good rifle bullets for accuracy or hunting tend to have somewhat delicate tips. Even small whacks as the bullets feed may damage the tips. I hope I'm wrong, but I get the heeby jeebies on this one.

 

[GW Staar]

I don't usually buy just out of the gate products.......but I did tonight. So I will let you all know. I can always send it back. The talking to the engineer was about my new Pro Chucker 7 and how to take advantage of 7 stations loading...rifle:
1. size/deprime
2. new expander/ prime
3. powder charge
4. EMPTY so I can look inside as it pops through & above the die plate. I mounted it 42" high (no riser) so I can easily look into it. Of course I can add a powder cop here if I want and will at some point to test.
5. bullet feed
6. seat
7. crimp. (This is for an AR-10 clone and the bullets I am using are cannelured.)

 

[jmorris]

It does look like an expander but I thought RCBS rifle dies fed and seated the bullet at the same time.

I admit to have never owned one but I figured they used a version of their Gold Metal seat die and just make the device that takes a bullet from a tube and drops it into the window every stroke (that’s what I would have done).



FWIW most rifle dies have the expander built into the decap rod. That’s why their powder funnels are different that their pistol counterparts.

 

[GW Staar]

It does look like an expander but I thought RCBS rifle dies fed and seated the bullet at the same time.

I admit to have never owned one but I figured they used a version of their Gold Metal seat die and just make the device that takes a bullet from a tube and drops it into the window every stroke (that’s what I would have done).



FWIW most rifle dies have the expander built into the decap rod. That’s why their powder funnels are different that their pistol counterparts.

Further explanation is necessary, sorry.....I can be confusing at times.....

1. The Rifle bullet feeder made for the Pro 2000 used a die similar to Gold Medal Seater.....that is it had a window where the bullets are dropped into above the die plate. It had it's own collator, and also came in 22 and 30 caliber.....and it was/is expensive.

2. I'm using a Gold Medal Seater at the moment in .308 while testing the new press....but I manually drop the bullet into the dies just like he did in your video.

3. This new product I know very little about....however the engineer emailed me today and explained that the product was shown at the shot show this year. (I do remember Ken Sakamoto waving something long and silver while talking, but I don't remember him saying a word about it. Will have to look at the video again.)

This product does NOT come with the collator but is following RCBS's latest tendency to less expensive tube feeders. It does not use a Gold Medal-like seater......I don't have any idea how it works except that it is top fed and seats. I'm betting it does not crimp.....but I don't know yet. Obviously it DOES come with an expander.....sheeesh.....I hope it comes with directions.......

I've already screwed this up royally.......I mistakenly ordered the .22 rather than the .30 caliber one I wanted.......so I need to prep a bunch of .223 brass fast. I was expecting and am all ready with a bunch of LC 7.62! Midway sucks.....realized my mistake in 10 minutes....by the time I got back on Midway to where I could cancel and reorder.....too late. Those SOB's only give you 15 minutes to cancel an order. Unbelievable.

Yeah I know, I said I quit them.....but nobody else had the product.....Grafs does today....rats.......quit laughing.

jmorris said, "FWIW most rifle dies have the expander built into the decap rod. That’s why their powder funnels are different that their pistol counterparts."

Yup! I was wanting to test, using all seven stations, by taking out the expander, notorious for pulling necks of center, and using an M die from Lyman instead. The new expander die supposedly works the same way....we will see.

 

[GW Staar]

Got my new RCBS .22 caliber Rifle Bullet today. Been frantic trying to get .223 cases ready for it on my new Pro Chucker 7 press. I'm getting to old I guess....yes it's exciting to play with new stuff, no it's not as easy on this old man to do so. I use to build my own computers with a soldering iron....but I was young and hadn't had 2 heart operations. Now I get too excited with a new bullet feeder....geesh!

A genuine surprise:

All the parts minus the really fancy graphite bullet tube. Real quality machining....RCBS has had a little experience with dies....it shows. Curious why they chose an opaque graphite tube over cheaper clear plastic. The clear plastic transition piece is heavy and thick....has a hole through the side for a stack release pin (they don't supply the paper clip or what have you)

So what's the surprise? On the left what amounts to be an "M" die ..... yes! and it has a stepped expander!....close up below. On the right, what's that you see?.....not your daddy's RCBS rifle bullet feeder....a Mister Bullet Feeder style feeder, ball bearings and all.....and yes it works similarly! No seater here....you seat at the next station, unlike the old rifle feeder/seater. Some with 5 station presses will complain. Others will complain because RCBS made this. Think I will like this.

Both in one kit.....the expander is made to do just what I had in mind, precede the P.M. No double duty PTX under the P.M. Notice the light ring.....that's the step.

Wish me luck figuring out RCBS's instructions on this thing......I went to Mr. Bullet Feeder's site and watched the set up video again. M.B.F. furnishes an expander to be used under Dillon's powder measure to replace Dillons....it has a step also, unlike dillon's.

Mr. Bullet feeder uses 3 balls in one level, balls are 120 degrees around. The RCBS one uses 2 balls 180 degrees, in two levels.....a start level and a stop level.....so it's a little different. No stack between.

RCBS uses a required "M" style expander, I think to make a tall bullet stack weight between the incoming and outgoing as on M.B.F. unnecessary.......it is more compact to be sure.......but whether it works as well remains to be seen.

The RCBS feeder is designed to drop only into a stepped case. The expander, to give me that, requires sized and trimmed brass.

Normally I size rifle and then trim. So a progressive uses two passes. I'm wondering if RCBS intends for trimming to take place first so you can load rifle in one pass????

Anyone ever try that? I think using the loud Dillon press-mounted trimmer remedies that for some.....but I can't remember whether they size or trim first. I just assumed they size first.

I'm going to be busy this this weekend.

 

[GW Staar]

Just a little test on a little pip squeak flat-base 53gr. bullet.....no stack....just one bullet fed into a step expanded case.


Notice, zero flare......and it stays put!


Sorry for the camera shake in a place or two....didn't take time to stabilize it.
Just might work!

 

[jmorris]

Normally I size rifle and then trim. So a progressive uses two passes. I'm wondering if RCBS intends for trimming to take place first so you can load rifle in one pass????

You do it correctly. You can’t expect to trim first and have the same length after sizing. There are lots of cases that have acceptable OAL’s until they are sized, so trimming first would do no good at all.

As far as rifle bullet feeders go I have only used the old KISS unit and the newer MBF one.

The KISS is very simple and works as good as any at setting bullets into cases. The longer the column the better they tamp into the case. I also never flare/bell rifle cases if I am seating jacketed bullets and most times not even with cast.

This was my first KISS rifle (.223] feeder.

 

[GW Staar]

Well, that's the way things are done, rifle loading-wise as far as I was ever aware. Just thought I'd put it out there and ask if anyone knew something ....... ah ..... new.
The expander tip I photographed does have a little fillet at its base, which could, in theory, be used.....but I did not adjust it that far.....no need. The case was trimmed with my Forster 3-way contraption, and so has a minimal inside chamfer, and that's all it needs to keep from marring the bullet.

Understand about the M.B.F. column.....but this system won't be using it. It uses a pair of bearings to drop and another pair to hold. All the holes in the part allow for a lot of adjustment for different bullets. If a single light bullet sticks that well......probably doesn't need a column.

 

[jmorris]

The current MBF uses the bearings as well, I actually prefer the older design because it’s simple and works. That said I have only used their dropper for rifle bullets. So, I don’t know if one works better for pistol bullets vs the other.

 

[GW Staar]

Interesting, jmorris. I always thought Rick's "KISS" used the ball bearings too.....didn't know about any previous, simpler method on that version. Care to throw any more light on the old one? How it dropped bullets and kept the stack behind it? I thought his bearings was pretty darned simple.

Do you know what ever happened with his old estranged partner? He obviously never did "bullet feeders" on his own.

I wasn't able to do much on the RCBS equipment today....man has to do yard work once in a while. Don't feel like much after......

I'm really liking the "M" style die. Talk about simple and effective. I never like it when I have to bell a case either......however I understand it has to be done sometimes when loading lead. Maybe that's where the fillet on the expander come in.....just glad one isn't forced to use it when it's not needed. I don't load un-jacketed lead....never have. The closest I come is pistol plated bullets.