Rockchucker Supreme Kit or Lyman Brass Smith Kit?

Status
Not open for further replies.
DustyGmt

DustyGmt

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
4,013
Location
Green Mountains
So I've been wanting to set myself up to reload for over a decade, but every time I have "disposable" income I buy a gun, ammo or fix my car, or my wife's car. I'm very seriously considering one of these two kits. They both come with all sorts of stuff, the Lyman is about $80 cheaper. I've heard that the RCBS is quality, haven't heard much of anything about Lyman except for their reloading manuals.

I'm almost completely ignorant when it comes to reloading, if I got one of these kits I would litterally need to youtube my way through it. It seems straightforward but I hear lil bits here and there from guys on here who've been reloading for decades and sometimes it actually doesn't seem all that straightforward.

Is one of these kits the way to go or should I do it piecemeal and buy different stuff over time? I'm not opposed to just picking up a press and getting the rest in dribs and drabs. Just want to know if I should one and done it and if the RCBS is quantifiably better product than the Lyman.

School me a lil bit please. I'm looking to reload for 9mm, 223, 45/70 primarily.......
 
I went with a rockchucker about 30 years ago. My Dad went with Lyman about 50 years ago. Both presses are running strong today with thousands of rounds assembled. Both are quality presses.

A single stage press is a labor of love and pride in finished product, one round at a time. You won’t go wrong in either choice. Which color do you like better? :)
 
Well, since I recently spent some money with Lyman on Mark 7 Revolutions, I feel obligated to plug their products...got to keep them in business, lol. But honestly, great though lyman may be...RCBS gets the nod here. You can't go wrong with a Rockchucker kit. No matter where this hobby takes you, there will always be a place on your bench for it. My Rockchucker is probably 35, 40 years old... and RCBS still supports it with their warranty.
 
I started with a rockchucker jr, now my son has it. I liked it enough, and I like quality, that I bought another rockchucker. I’m not dismissing Lyman, as I have a few of their products as well, I can only speak about the press I own.
The kits are nice as they provide all, maybe most of the tools you’ll need to crank out ammo. You may find over time that you want to swap a piece out for something better. I can’t help you with the “quantifiable” difference. I’ve found the adage “you get what you pay for” usually is true. Midsouth had an email recently that the supreme kit was about 450$, and it’s one I recommend to a friend a while ago - he was pleased with it and is cranking out ammunition.
Oh wait, that means you’ll be another one vying for all the components during this shortage??? Good luck!
 
RCBS, Lyman, Redding, Hornady all make quality presses and any of them will serve you well. Look for features that will be useful to you. I find most of the single stage on-press priming gadgets to be finicky and usually use the Lee Ram Prime. So built-in on-press priming isn’t important to me personally. Some kind of quick change die system is great on a single stage so you don’t have to adjust dies constantly. It’s much less important on a turret or progressive where you can just set up a different head for each caliber. I prefer the Hornady Lock N Load system, it’s much stronger than the Lee Breech Lock system. I’ve stripped several of the aluminum Lee bushings, the Hornady or Lee steel ones are better, but harder to tighten. You can get adapters to use the Hornady or Lee bushings in any press that has 1-1/4”x12 thread.
As a matter of opinion I think all reloading manufacturers make some equipment that is outstanding and some that is junk, so I prefer to mix and match. But then, I sometimes wonder if I’m a reloader or a tool collector!
Enjoy, and above all, be safe!
 
Last edited:
I don’t usually recommend Lee Precision except their dies but the Lee APP, for $79 on sale, is an awesome tool for decapping, flaring, bullet sizing etc a lot of quantity really fast. Might consider putting one on your (soon probably perpetual) Want List.
 
AJC1 said:
Get a lee loader for your 45-70 and use that to test the waters... it will give you a way to load that caliber forever and a way to load at deercamp.
Click to expand...
I also vote Lee Loader!!! $30 on Amazon
 
What's a good outfit to buy cast bullets from. Preferably 405's but anywhere with decent selection and prices. I'm not expecting it to be cheap but I'm certainly expecting it to be less expensive than buying cartridges off the shelf.....
 
I have nothing bad to say about Lyman, haven’t used many of their products.

A month ago I called RCBS because I needed the nut that holds the handle on my old Rockchucker (I misplaced it) and the spent primer catcher (which I lost years ago).

I told the lady I couldn’t find those parts online. She asked my address. Both parts showed up a week later.

They sent them free of charge even though I told them my needs were my own fault.

Because of their outstanding customer service, I’ll continue to buy their products.

I probably have 15 die sets that are RCBS and 1 Redding which I bought because it was the only thing available at the time.
 
GeoDudeFlorida said:
If I were to buy a new press it would probably be an RCBS Summit.
Click to expand...
I have and use a Rock Chucker 2, A Summit, a Pro 2000 and a Pro Chucker 7, oh, and I can't forget the latest, a little Lee APP. They all have their uses and I love them. But if I was in the market for a new single station press today, I probably would buy the new RCBS Rebel, and a bench primer to go with it. The Summit is neat and would be even neater if it had a Lee APP style case/bullet feeder (who would have guessed how handy such a feeder could be for a single station press), but for a heavy duty workout with large rifle calibers, you can't better a Rebel or the lighter weight RockChucker IV, IMO.

And IME of nearly 50 years dealing with RCBS products, you can't beat their service. Why else would I keep going back? ;)
 
Last edited:
When I got started (prior to internet) Lyman was slightly more expensive than RCBS. So I assumed they were better quality. Knowing what i know now I probably would go the other way. I have never had to use Lyman customer service,so no comment on that. But have heard nothing but raves about RCBS.YMMV.
 
johnjohn said:
When I got started (prior to internet) Lyman was slightly more expensive than RCBS. So I assumed they were better quality. Knowing what i know now I probably would go the other way. I have never had to use Lyman customer service,so no comment on that. But have heard nothing but raves about RCBS.YMMV.
Click to expand...
Get both and eventually we all do! I do, and they have different rolls

one is bbq roll
other is turkey roll
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Dirtdgger
  • Locked
Lyman Tmag Kit
Replies
6
Views
317
Dirtdgger
Dirtdgger
B
  • Locked
Lyman pro kit vs. Lee Challenger Breech Lock kit
Replies
16
Views
1K
cfullgraf
cfullgraf
dak0ta
  • Locked
Case Trimming Startup
Replies
10
Views
677
Hondo 60
Hondo 60
K
  • Locked
Lyman Acculine
Replies
0
Views
506
kentucky_smith
K
M
  • Locked
Rockchucker kit vs. Dillon RL 550B
Replies
14
Views
3K
rfwobbly
rfwobbly
Back
Top