RCBS Rockchucker Single Stage Press Kit Or Lee Turret Press Kit

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I would much rather have the RCBS single stage. I added the Hornady LNL adaptor my single stage and use the LNL system on all my dies. I only have to set up a die once and installation is instant from then on. I have not wanted a turret press after I went to this LNL system. I have not looked at what is in those kits. I own and use a lot of Lee stuff but I believe that across the board RCBS stuff is better. And the Lee stuff is cheap enough to buy individual items if you need them.
 
RockChucker!

Honestly, I don't get the appeal of turret presses.

Back before I went progressive, I loaded pistol in batches of at least 100 at a time, so I sized 100, then belled 100, then charge 100, then seated 100 changing dies between each step. I still load rifle ammo the same way (skipping the belling). To me the turret press only saves swapping dies. Using a Hornady kit mitigates even that to some extent.

Now IF I loaded 1 complete rd at a time, maybe the turret would make sense, but I even load small batches of ammo using the same method as above.

IMHO, IF time is that tight, save some money and skip the turret in favor of a progressive. Odds are you're going to end up there anyway at some point. I still have my RockChucker that I've been loading on since I started at age 15 in "75". A quality single stage still has multiple uses even with 3 progressives mounted to my bench.
 
If you decide to add the turret later, it's only $115 or so - you will already have everything else.
Starting on the single stage will give you a good idea of your level of interest in reloading and a good base to decide which way to go forward.
It's hard to know that without pulling the handle a few hundred times yourself.
 
I would say with the QTY of 9mm you want to load to get the Lee Turret.
I don't know if I would go with the kit or not however. (you do want the Autodrum powder measure)
I would be tempted to get the Lee Press, and pick the other bits and pieces myself.
Seems like a lot of people don't like the Lee scale, it works but some people don't seem to care for it.

The turret will be quite a bit faster than a single stage for loading 9mm.
Is Lee the best made equipment out there, no, does it work just fine, yes.
I have lost track but I have probably loaded 30000 rounds on my old Lee 3 hole "Deluxe" turret.
I load most of my pistol ammo on my LNL progressive but still use the Lee turret for small batches and some pistol calibers I don't shoot a lot of.
Over all the Lee LCT seems to get a thumbs up from everybody that has one.

If I was just doing rifle I would say go with the RCBS, but with the amount of 9mm you want to load I think the Lee would be a better choice.

Just to warn you if you are thinking to start right now because you can't get ammo you need to be aware that Small Pistol Primers (and all primers) are hard to come buy at the moment.
Powder is not to bad for 9mm (lots of powders will work) bullets are in short supply but available, but with out primers you are dead in the water.

Not trying to scare you off, I reload and enjoy it, I can make better 9mm ammo , tailor it to my needs, and make it cheaper than buying it (not counting my time)


When you go down the "reloading rabbit-hole" there will always be something else !!!!
Click to expand...

Yep! Bottomless pit:D

hotshot357
You need to be careful, putting a Lee press on the bench that close to those Dillons, could have caused the end of the world!
RED-BLUE = Matter-Antimatter;)
 
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Chuck R. said:
Honestly, I don't get the appeal of turret presses.
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Some folks don't ... or just haven't yet.

For decades I loaded on an RCBS JR3 that I acquired in the mid-'70s until about 4½ years ago when I bought myself an LCT (Lee Classic Turret) press for Christmas.

:what: WHOA!

I can now still choose to load on an individual station (as I do when working up loads) as I have long done on my JR3 or go into what I think of as Production Mode and crank out up to 300 pistol rds/hr (~200 w/o the InLineFabrication Case Ejector add-on ... note: YMWV). :)

BTW, I will never need to produce the volumes offered by a progressive press, so the Dillons that I have been eyeballing periodically since the mid-'80s are not for me ... otherwise ... ;)
 
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550...
Yes but by the time you add a powder measure, dies, shell plate, scale and other bits and pieces then you will be closer to $500 to get a 550 up and running.
Then if we are talking a progressive and $500 we open up the can of worms of Dillon vs Hornady vs some other progressive.
Nothing against Dillons, Dillon owners seem happy with their presses, but there are other answers to the press question than Dillon.

For example you can get a Hornady LNL with a powder measure and 500 free bullets for $499
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012997025?pid=679228
But then you still need dies, shell plate, a least 1 good manual (Lyman 50 is a good first choice), a scale etc, so the cost everything is about double the OPs initial cost.

While you could learn on a progressive I think the LCT or a single stage (pick you favorite color) is a better choice for a new reloader.

I would still say start the Lee LCT, then if you decide you like reloading you can always upgrade to a progressive later, and still have the LCT for small batches, or calibers you don't load as much of.
 
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Welcome and I'm a new reloader also. Some information can be found at the link below where I began with my setup. I've since built a bench that's modular and a mount from Inline Fabrication coming for my LCT (Highly recommend). Choose what you want and remember budget isn't really conducive to this hobby. I'm not all the way in for absolutely everything I need to build completed ammunition, but dang close at $1k (powder, primers, press, scale, etcetera). That's my introductory investment into this hobby and craft.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/new-to-reloading-getting-setup.866357/

KIMG0948.JPG
27632.jpeg
 
So a bit further into my research, I see that certain powder manufacturers' recipes call for specific bullets and primers. For example, this recipe calls for Speer bullets, and CCI primers: https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?type=1&powderid=3&cartridge=23

In the case of 9mm, the brand of bullet should not matter as long as it is the same weight and type (115gr FMJ RN) right?

Also, I see that different brands of small pistol primers have slightly different pressures, but should all be bullet agnostic if the weight/type is the same as well right?

This should also go for the brand of brass I would assume?

The powder seems to be the biggest dependency on the success/safety of the load correct?

Sorry, I have a manual on order, but want to snatch up components as soon as I see them, as they aren't gonna be around long based on what I am seeing.

Thanks!
 
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In the case of 9mm, the brand of bullet should not matter as long as it is the same weight and type (115gr FMJ RN) right?
Click to expand...

Well yes and no, the brand of bullet matters but not a lot. (lead vs jacketed do matter quite a bit) Primer type matters but not a lot, brass matters but not a lot.
Key concerns are the type and amount of powder and the OAL of the round and OAL matters because it must fit and the more of the bullet that is in the case,
the less case volume there is. Less case volume with the same powder charge = higher pressure

How much the not a lot matter depend on how close you load is to maximum pressure to begin with.
As an example with a midrange load, changing primers should be no problem, very small difference, different brass very small difference, different bullet makes more but not a lot assuming case vol (amount of bullet in the case is the same)
OAL (amount of bullet in the case) can make a major difference in pressure.

Sort of think about it as "wiggle room". If you are at start charges or midrange you have more wiggle room, the closer you get to MAX charges the less wiggle room you have.

With a MAX load everything is more critical because you are running at close to MAX/at MAX pressure already.

Get whatever Small pistol primers you can find, whatever ever bullets you can find.
Most powder still seems to be available so I would say pick something in the middle of the burn speed range for 9mm.
HP38/W231, Universal, BE86, VVN330 or N340, AA#5, WSF etc. (others as well, just listed a few)

Primers are going to be the hard thing at the moment I am afraid/ If you have to order them (when there are some) I would pick a powder that the same place has in stock to cut hazmat fees unless you are getting the powder locally.

Most of the 9mm I shoot is midrange loads and I use mixed range brass with no issues,. (watch for the cases with the internal ledge-toss those turkeys)

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/montana-gold-9mm-fmj-rn-115-gr-bullets.873327/

BTW this link might be helpful if they don't plunk
https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/reloading-tips-the-plunk-test/99389
 
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I agree,
edwardware said:
This says Lee Turret.
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peeplwtchr said:
I will be reloading alot of 9mm (2-300 per week):
Click to expand...



This says Rock Chucker.
peeplwtchr said:
For this reason I want to validate her support of my habit, by using the press that she's picked, forever. I
Click to expand...

I have both and use the Rock Chucker for rifle rounds and processing brass, and the Lee turret for handgun rounds. You've got to really really really want to validate your wife's selection if you're loading 300 rounds per week!;)
 
sparkyv said:
I agree,

I have both and use the Rock Chucker for rifle rounds and processing brass, and the Lee turret for handgun rounds. You've got to really really really want to validate your wife's selection if you're loading 300 rounds per week!;)
Click to expand...

As others as well have said, maybe in awhile I will add a lee turret, and use the RCBS for .223. Hmmmm, christmas is coming. I think she actually bought the RCBS as a Christmas present. However I told her yesterday that I am going to buy a press soon due to the ammo shortage, prices, Biden etc., so I think I may get it in, hmmmmmm, Tuesday? That's when it will be delivered. This seems to be working out well so far. :)

Thanks!
 
When you remove the index rod (easy) from the LCT, you have a single stage press the difference being that you don’t have to change dies every time you perform a different process. You just manually turn the turret to the next die and get to work. No adjustment is necessary.

The only drawback I found to the LCT is when I started reloading some of the larger rifle calibers (eg 7.5x55 Swiss), the press wasn’t easily able to resize the brass. For pistol, .223 and 300 BLK, I don’t think you can beat it, especially for the price. I now have both presses.
 
I have both a Rockchucker and a LCT, I think shooting 300rnds a week the turret would be the better choice, I reload some rifle rounds and do some case prep on a single stage, the biggest advantage I see to a Rockchucker is better leverage and more open than a LCT, the advantages of the LCT are speed, easy caliber change, better spent primer retainment and I'm sure there are more differences that I missed. All that being said I like having both a single stage AND a turret.
 
I normally don't like to do this because you said Lee Classic Turret vs Rock Chucker, but for the 9mms and other pistol rounds did you consider the Lee ABLP progressive press? I costs the same as the LCT kit , look for the Pro 4000 which is the kit form of it.
Since you already have the Rock Chucker for rifle and small batches, this would be another consideration for pistol rounds.
This press you can grow into as your pistol shooting increases.
It is one stroke per round instead of 4, uses the same priming system as the LCT, and works very well and it's a 4 station press. No timing issues either.
Just one more thing to add for you to research.
 
Thank your wife and learn on the RCBS. You always need a single stage for something. Later after you are very comfortable loading , look for a Dillon 550. Just skip the turret. You will always wonder how much faster the Blue press would have been.
The LCT is good, but it never got used after I got a Dillon. Sold it off a couple weeks ago.
David
 
I have to go along with a couple of the other posters and suggest, "Do not disrespect the wife". Accept her gift and enjoy it, cherish it as she is showing her support in your interests. Not a lot of wives do that!

My interpretation is that you are loading a combination of both bottleneck file and pistol rounds. While they can both be finished on the same type of press pistols just scream for something faster than a single stage press just because of the volume that is usually acquainted with pistol shooting.

My sincere suggestion is to again accept the present and then look at adding either one of these, https://www.titanreloading.com/lee-...et-press/lee-4-hole-turret-press-w-auto-index at a cost of only $86.00 plush shipping or one of these, https://www.titanreloading.com/lee-precision-reloading-equipment/lee-presses/lee-breech-lock-pro at a cost of only $108.00 plus shipping. Either one will drastically speed up your pistol reloading and will not set you back a ton of money. Besides you will already have most everything you need from the RCBS kit.

This way the wife still feels appreciated and helpful and you have inexpensively solved your problem to speed up your pistol needs.
 
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