Not real impressed with RCBS Pro 2000 Quality Assurance fresh out the box

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DaveInFloweryBranchGA

Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2005
Messages
1,542
Location
NE Georgia
Rant on:

I've had my RCBS Pro 2000 now for three weeks and haven't loaded a cartridge on it yet. Here's why:

First, opened the box three weeks ago and discovered most of the blued parts weren't oiled (The bullet tray had rust on the button and a nasty black powder from lack of oil all over it, the various other blued parts needed cleaning and oiling before they were decent to use. The lock ring for the powder measure is rusty. I've cleaned these items and they're useable, but the brown stains I know will rust if not kept constantly oiled is irritating, especially for what I paid for this press. My thought is I shouldn't have to see rusty spots.

Having to clean a new out of the box item because the manufacturer didn't take the time to put proper preservative oil and it's rusty or nasty isn't fun. I don't mind cleaning preservatives off, but rust, that's just not right.

Next, the spring for the rotational detente was incorrect, it was the "old" stiff, stronger one. Oddly enough, this kept the shell plates from over rotating as much as they might other wise. Why? Because the increased resistance held back the over rotation caused by the improper adjustment of the rotation cams at the factory. When they sent me a new spring, the over rotation due to incorrect cam adjustment was worse.

Third, the out of adjustment cams were adjusted in "TOO firmly," causing the cams to become damaged (peened over) and ruining them. I saw this when I finally got the alignment pins (an item that should come with this press in my opinion, but doesn't, you have to call RCBS for them).

4th, one of the shell plates, brand new, out of the bag, had machining flashing on one of the screw holes as well as rust on it. Another quality assurance issue.

RCBS customer service has been willing to "mail" me whatever I've asked, but waiting a week or so only to discover something else is wrong is getting ridiculous. I'm beginning to miss my LnL AP at this point and I was very tired of it when I sold it.

I really don't appreciate having to be the company's quality corrections department, especially at this price point. I'm debating sending the thing back.

Rant off.

Dave
 
Return it. I would not accept anything with that many issues unless it was free.
 
KNOW how you feel, I went through a host of issues with my AP LnL when I first got it. After about 5 weeks of calling and waiting for parts, I gave up,sent it back and got a PRO 2000, never a problem in over 9yrs.

When you get to a point where you just ain`t happy and won`t be, it is time to send it back for a credit. I think after reading your post I would. There isn`t a press out there I would trade my pro2000 for but I sure would send that one back, too much wrong. GOOD LUCK
 
I hope this is an isolated issue. Very frustrating when you drop that kind of $ and things are not perfect. I hope RCBS will make it right one way or the other for you.
 
The fact that you have a older model press and a rust issue indicates that you bought a press that had been setting unsold for a long time.
You might take issue with the dealer who sold you the press.
The rust issue reminds me of the many firearms such as Winchesters that were bought as a investment and kept new in the box for decades. They had rust.
 
"The fact that you have a older model press and a rust issue indicates that you bought a press that had been setting unsold for a long time.
You might take issue with the dealer who sold you the press.
The rust issue reminds me of the many firearms such as Winchesters that were bought as a investment and kept new in the box for decades. They had rust."

That's just it. The press was ordered for me and came directly from a distributor. It never sat on a retailer's shelf. The distributor it came from is a big one out of Pennsylvania and moves a lot of product. You're assuming it's an older model, but without a serial number, who knows? Personally, if something is packaged right out of the manufacturer, most times it shouldn't have problems, regardless. I recently bought several Lyman dies made in the eighties. They were new old stock, still in original box with original paperwork, including the old advertising inserts. They were coated in cosmoline and once cleaned off, were like new.
 
With all that rain last summer and the flooding that went with it, it wouldn't surprise me if the container for the new press was sitting in some flooded warehouse, maybe off the ground, but still, too much humidity to the point where it got into the box.

I would refuse that and tell the person you bought it from that it is all permanantly damaged. After all, would any of us buy a brand-new gun if it were all rusty?

I know of a gun shop that is in a basement and brand new guns have rust on them, even inside the barrels of some of them!
 
I get flash rust all over my pro2000 as well. I dose it with 3in1 oil every other use. The handle near the knob is the worst (or any part you touch with your skin). The dies rust just as easily. The blueing is ineffective. Surprisingly, the green frame and hinge pins remain rust free. The rest of the parts rust like a cast iron frying pan.

oil it and rub it down... Works well enuf for me.

edfardos
 
Did you buy it directly from RCBS or from someone else? if from someone else, how do you know they didn't have it in some lousy humid warehouse for months?

If it wasn't from RCBS, that issue is not necessarily theirs.

If parts are not correct, RCBS will replace everything and anything on the press forever
 
Having rust out of the box just isn't acceptable in my mind. If it had been oiled down, that might have been different. But it wasn't. The blued parts didn't have any oil on them.

Flash rust isn't a problem in this area. I blue guns here all the time and oil them up after the process. If I do my due diligence, rust is never an issue. In this case, lots of rusty stuff out of the box due to lack of preservative or environment simply isn't acceptable to me. Maybe I'm being a demanding rear end, but with what I paid for this thing, I feel like it oughta be better out of the box than this.

And lack of preservatives/oil before packing is an RCBS quality control issue, regardless of environment. My Hornady LnL came from the same warehouse. Never had a problem with it. The new Hornady bullet feed dies I bought came from the same warehouse. No rust issues with them. No issues with the Lee dies I bought in the same order. In fact, the only thing in the order that was rusty was from RCBS - the shell plates and the press.

I can understand one problem or even two. But multiple problems, that's just poor quality control.

BTW, just double checked the box the press was packed in. No signs of exterior or interior moisture any where in the cardboard, period. Have to say this one is on RCBS.
 
Last edited:
I agree with others. Send it back and get a new one. You didn't mention the distributor.....I think your problem could be them.

Reminds me of a really expensive Delta scroll saw I bought a ten years ago. Ordered it from Amazon (the company, not an independent using them) and it came rusted, broken, the crating looked like somebody dropped it 5' off of a Semi. The taste in my mouth was bad. I sent it back. A week later I traveled to Albuquerque three hours away and bought one from a local dealer, fresh, brand new in the box............no problems, great product, happy as a clam......POINT?...in my case it wasn't Delta, it was the distributor.

BTW, my Pro 2000 came from Grafs. New....brand spanking....New! Best price I could find as well.
 
Last edited:
My Pro 2000 is enroute from Grafs and due for delivery tomorrow. This is NOT the kind of post I wanted to see! I'm really surprised at all the issues. Up until now, I couldn't find a bad word about the Pro anywhere on the net. Sounds like RCBS is willing to make it right part by part, but I'm with the other guys; the retailer should exchange it for you.
 
Wow sorry to hear that Dave. If it was me I would call them and have them swap out the whole thing or get a refund. I wouldn't expect anything to come in that condition no mater what the price.
 
Again, there is NO proof it is RCBS and not the jobber, distributor, or retailer fault

If it has been sitting a long time, then oil does migrate, it could have been a demo, or any number of reasons. If it had come that way directly from RCBS, then the blame would lay squarely on their shoulders
 
How long the press at somewhere or whose fault it is should not be Dave's problem. He has a reasonable expectation of receiving the press in pristine working condition. It is the manufactuer's responsibility (not Dave's) to insure that its products arrive to the customer in good condition.

Dave's position should be NO EXCUSES!
 
First: Send the whole thing back, plain and simple.

Second: Wait a minute--why does a reloading press have blued parts? It's not a Les Baer; it's a reloading press.
 
I've got several years and 63k rounds through my Pro2000. No regrets at all. Cast iron and steel rust, fact of life. Oil it. But I must admit I am more concerned with function than aesthetics.
 
Chuck Perry said:
My Pro 2000 is enroute from Grafs and due for delivery tomorrow. This is NOT the kind of post I wanted to see! I'm really surprised at all the issues. Up until now, I couldn't find a bad word about the Pro anywhere on the net. Sounds like RCBS is willing to make it right part by part, but I'm with the other guys; the retailer should exchange it for you.
Click to expand...

Chuck, I wouldn't lose any sleep, my experience with Grafs has been super. I bought 2 new 3-way cutters from them last year for my old Forster Original Trimmer. One of them, I think the .223 version wouldn't fit over the trimmer's shaft. Way too small. I emailed Grafs to see what the deal was. They emailed that they were contacting Forster, and that either they or Forster would replace it overnight. A couple of hours later I got an email from Forster, saying, "we wondered where that 'special' 3-way disappeared too, and that a new one and a prepaid return box would be in my office in the morning. And would I mind returning the other one back in the prepaid box. (they explained that the special 3-way was private project belonging to Forster's owner.) :D

Dave, why did you wait three weeks? I'd have a new press by now. I'd still like to know which distributor it was who sold you damaged goods. Oh, and by the way, I have NEVER received a new RCBS product that wasn't smothered in preservative grease and oil. That's a big clue that what you got was probably a previous return to the distributer, and indeed, was probably stored a long time dry.....the first thing RCBS tells you in their documentation, is degrease everything that touches powder.
 
Last edited:
When I got my green turret two years ago there wasn't oil or grease on anything. I have to assume it was packaged during the shortage. I put a lot of time and effort into getting my press working, dealing with numerous manufacturing issues. I should have returned it, but wasn't assured that a replacement would be any better. My assumption would be that your press was packaged while RCBS was trying to deal with the backlog and spent just long enough for bare or blued steel to rust. Since the shortage is past, I would want them to make it right. Send it back for rework, if they still do that, and you should get a tuned and polished press.
 
"Dave, why did you wait three weeks? I'd have a new press by now. I'd still like to know which distributor it was who sold you damaged goods. Oh, and by the way, I have NEVER received a new RCBS product that wasn't smothered in preservative grease and oil. That's a big clue that what you got was probably a previous return to the distributer, and indeed, was probably stored a long time dry.....the first thing RCBS tells you in their documentation, is degrease everything that touches powder."

I waited three weeks because I was waiting for parts and I'm a patient man. But I'm afraid my patience has run out. There are just too many issues with this press for me to put up with it.

The distributor was Jerry's Sports Center and was ordered by my best friend for me, so he did not store it. The box the press came in looked like new and the packaging was intact and looked original. It was not a "repackage/return." It had all the interior plastic bags, etc. The rusty bullet tray had obviously never seen any oil from the day it was removed from the blueing tanks. Like I've said repeatedly, this isn't a dealer or a distributor problem. I'm telling you, it's an RCBS quality control problem.

I've bought almost all my reloading equipment through my best friend over the years and everything previous to this came looking like it had just rolled off the factory floor. The list includes every press and reloading tool I've owned except for Dillon products.

I'm calling today for a return authorization. I'm tired of dealing with this thing. I hope this is just an isolated incident and I won't see another one as bad off as this one is. If it is, it's going back for refund and I'm getting another brand.
 
Last edited:
Called RCBS and I'm going to return the press. I told them I didn't want this press back and I'm requesting replacement or refund. I'll post how they handle it.
 
I've used RCBS since around 1980 when I first started reloading. I have NEVER oiled anything but the pivot-points on the press and I have NEVER oiled any of the dies, the press, the dies, and everything else still look like brand-spanking NEW.

I realize I keep it in my basement which is a pretty controlled environment, very little moisture.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

P
  • Locked
RCBS Pro 2000 adjustment question
Replies
16
Views
2K
Peter M. Eick
P
D
  • Locked
Setup and die adjustment on the RCBS Pro 2000 question
Replies
21
Views
2K
Peter M. Eick
P
S
  • Locked
RCBS Pro 2000 tweak
Replies
8
Views
1K
cfullgraf
cfullgraf
G
  • Locked
Any RCBS Pro-2000 users here?
Replies
12
Views
1K
Paul Tummers
P
D
  • Locked
RCBS Pro 2000 guys, need some help, round 2 - long
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
Peter M. Eick
P
Back
Top