I'm thinking about getting a auto indexing progressive press and it is very clear that everyone likes Dillon and then Hornady LNL behind that as far as what I see on all the forums. I have been reloading with RCBS Rockchucker for years now and am leaning towards getting the Pro 2000 press from RCBS, but I don't see many posts or comments about that particular press. Why is that? Is it a bad press or just because Dillion is light years better?
RCBS Pro2000 Press
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higgite
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Grab a cuppa coffee and click on http://www.thehighroad.org/search.php?searchid=11171036
Edit: Huh. The link worked after I posted it, but no longer. Anyway, you can go to advanced search and search for key word "pro#2000" (without quote marks, but with the # sign). Set it to "search titles only" and set it to search "any date" "and older" under search options. There are a ton of threads about the Pro 2000.
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I own an rcbs2000 and love it. I've used dillon's too - also great! I don't think anyone makes a bad progressive press and all warranties are generous.
the big diff is that rcbs doesn't use a primer tube, but rather, plastic Aps strips. They're safer, but require a speedloader if you buy loose primers (15 bucks). I can load the strips faster than I can fill a tube. Rcbs also requires the powder dump to be recalibrated with a caliber change. Dillon expects you to buy multiple dumps.
go progressive!
edfardos
the big diff is that rcbs doesn't use a primer tube, but rather, plastic Aps strips. They're safer, but require a speedloader if you buy loose primers (15 bucks). I can load the strips faster than I can fill a tube. Rcbs also requires the powder dump to be recalibrated with a caliber change. Dillon expects you to buy multiple dumps.
go progressive!
edfardos
Add me to the list of happy Pro 2000 owners (not that there are many of us).
Wanna change calibers? Might take a couple minutes. If you get the RCBS die plates, it might take 10 seconds or so.
Wanna change primer sizes back and forth? I dunno...a couple minutes.
I really don't know why the Pro 2000's aren't wildly popular. If for nothing else, ease of use. I load a bunch of different calibers and the Dillons seemed so labor intensive and complicated in that respect.
Wanna change calibers? Might take a couple minutes. If you get the RCBS die plates, it might take 10 seconds or so.
Wanna change primer sizes back and forth? I dunno...a couple minutes.
I really don't know why the Pro 2000's aren't wildly popular. If for nothing else, ease of use. I load a bunch of different calibers and the Dillons seemed so labor intensive and complicated in that respect.
GW Staar
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There are a lot more of us than you may think. I seem to be an anomaly, being addicted to helping other Pro 2000 owners on 3 gun forums. When I started reloading 40 plus years ago, there was only loading manuals and Reloader Magazine to teach you anything, so I mostly learned myself using the school of hard knocks.
Today with this internet miracle, help is easy to find in some excellent reloading forums. For Pro 2000 mentors it does get lonely at times.....since there is so little to do. Pro 2000's work and work well. Users with problems to solve are far and in between, so they are reloading not playing on forums looking for answers to make their presses work. When they are here their quests for knowledge are mostly about loads and reloading techniques.
The Pro 2000 is the simplest progressive on the market, with the fewest moving parts (less to go wrong) and the safest and fastest primer system. That being the case it is also easy to learn, easy to add to, easy to customize , and easy to love.
Peter Eick wrote a piece on Handloads.com 13 years ago, entitled, "RCBS Pro 2000 at 150,000 Rounds, a Detailed Report" (he's one of our members here) After reading that article, I was convinced that this particular press fit what I wanted to do reloading-wise, best....better than the Dillon 650 I had tried out just weeks before. So I bought one four years ago. I even customized it to make it fit me even better, and now I have no desire to use anything else out there.....well.....so far. Who know what cool stuff will be available next year.
What niche does The Pro 2000 fit best? And what's so great about it? Well you can look at my threads and posts doing a search, but in a nut shell, this press is for folks who want to load lots of different calibers rifle and pistol, even 3 an evening once in a while if you want. You can change calibers including a primer size switch, in the time it takes a 650 owner just to make a primer size switch. Granted, if you are shooting IDPS or IPSC, then a Dillon set up for the caliber you shoot is pretty damned unbeatable.....but if that fits your style then you are not going to (or even want to) change calibers that often....at least not until you load several thousand. I can do that on my press too, but that's not what I do. I load for a weekend fun shoot with friends or Grand Kids, and I may need a 100 or two of several calibers loaded by Saturday first light. I don't stock up thousands of anything...not my style.
Well I take that back.....I do stock up on components. I have a friend who bought a Dillon 650 (the one I tried out for a few days) and he proceeded to buy components and load five thousand 9mm pistol rounds in one week. Then he was done.....I mean done. He has his stash for a rainy day and his press has set silent for 4 years.....I think its for sale. I asked him why he didn't set it up to load .223 or other rifle rounds.....he said he had enough of them, and besides, he didn't want the trouble of changing calibers, buying more case feeder parts....etc. etc. I know, to a lot of us he's weird.
You can find tons of info on Dillons on this and other forums, and if you are looking to buy a new progressive, by all means look. But keep an open mind, because there's lots of Dillon shouting everywhere, and Dillon may fit the shouters perfect. But they may not fit you. Look carefully at Hornady's and RCBS's offering too....you will be surprised to find that all these progressives are equally good products....but best at different things.
If RCBS's press perks your interest after reading Peter Eick's article, then you may like to read my post, post #2 on this Firing Line thread. Good luck with your press search. If you pick RCBS then holler back at us....lots of willing help around here!
Today with this internet miracle, help is easy to find in some excellent reloading forums. For Pro 2000 mentors it does get lonely at times.....since there is so little to do. Pro 2000's work and work well. Users with problems to solve are far and in between, so they are reloading not playing on forums looking for answers to make their presses work. When they are here their quests for knowledge are mostly about loads and reloading techniques.
The Pro 2000 is the simplest progressive on the market, with the fewest moving parts (less to go wrong) and the safest and fastest primer system. That being the case it is also easy to learn, easy to add to, easy to customize , and easy to love.
Peter Eick wrote a piece on Handloads.com 13 years ago, entitled, "RCBS Pro 2000 at 150,000 Rounds, a Detailed Report" (he's one of our members here) After reading that article, I was convinced that this particular press fit what I wanted to do reloading-wise, best....better than the Dillon 650 I had tried out just weeks before. So I bought one four years ago. I even customized it to make it fit me even better, and now I have no desire to use anything else out there.....well.....so far. Who know what cool stuff will be available next year.
What niche does The Pro 2000 fit best? And what's so great about it? Well you can look at my threads and posts doing a search, but in a nut shell, this press is for folks who want to load lots of different calibers rifle and pistol, even 3 an evening once in a while if you want. You can change calibers including a primer size switch, in the time it takes a 650 owner just to make a primer size switch. Granted, if you are shooting IDPS or IPSC, then a Dillon set up for the caliber you shoot is pretty damned unbeatable.....but if that fits your style then you are not going to (or even want to) change calibers that often....at least not until you load several thousand. I can do that on my press too, but that's not what I do. I load for a weekend fun shoot with friends or Grand Kids, and I may need a 100 or two of several calibers loaded by Saturday first light. I don't stock up thousands of anything...not my style.
Well I take that back.....I do stock up on components. I have a friend who bought a Dillon 650 (the one I tried out for a few days) and he proceeded to buy components and load five thousand 9mm pistol rounds in one week. Then he was done.....I mean done. He has his stash for a rainy day and his press has set silent for 4 years.....I think its for sale.
I asked him why he didn't set it up to load .223 or other rifle rounds.....he said he had enough of them, and besides, he didn't want the trouble of changing calibers, buying more case feeder parts....etc. etc. I know, to a lot of us he's weird. You can find tons of info on Dillons on this and other forums, and if you are looking to buy a new progressive, by all means look. But keep an open mind, because there's lots of Dillon shouting everywhere, and Dillon may fit the shouters perfect. But they may not fit you. Look carefully at Hornady's and RCBS's offering too....you will be surprised to find that all these progressives are equally good products....but best at different things.
If RCBS's press perks your interest after reading Peter Eick's article, then you may like to read my post, post #2 on this Firing Line thread. Good luck with your press search. If you pick RCBS then holler back at us....lots of willing help around here!
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GW Staar
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I'd be really surprised if you are ever disappointed. BTW, Pete (Eick) surpassed 300,000 rounds loaded a few months ago. I expect to see a new in-depth article by him one of these days....if he can stay in the country long enough. He buys preloaded CCI primer strips by the pallet....hoarder? Nope. A years worth of primers for him and a local shooting buddy. Yes, I'm jealous as hell. That much for me would last 5 years or more.
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