Thoughts on rock chucker

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Potatohead

I plan on 600-800 rds per month of 380 and 9mm for now.
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Here is one way to look at it. The RC is a great press and I don't think anybody will deny that. What you are looking at is around 50 rounds per hour production. That will be around 12 to 16 hours to load what you want. The Lee classic turret will load around 200 per hour. Anybody that can't load faster on the classic turret is doing something wrong. That would be around 4 to 5 hours to load what you want. Think about how much free time you have and if you want to spend that much on a press that you might out grow in a few weeks. A classic turret press can also be used as a single stage press.
 
geez. lots of good info to digest guys. thanks. having never done it, its hard to know exactly what your gonna want ya know? thx for your help so far. just a bit conflicted now that Rusty mentioned the time involved with this particular press. i do like to fiddle around though, so who knows. u know :)
 
I swallowed the green kool-aid in 1990 and bought a Rockchucker 2, it's still in perfect condition. If I had to replace it next week I'd get a Lee Classic Cast, it's a better press.
 
That RCBS kit was the first press I bought when I started reloading. It's still bolted to my bench, I reload all of my rifle ammo on it.
I started out reloading pistol ammo with the RCBS as well, but it is S-L-O-W.
Now I'm using a Dillon 550 for pistol, and it rocks.
A really valid compromise would be a Lee Classic Cast Turret, I used one for years before getting a Dillon. It is lots faster than single stage for pistol, yet you can load rifle ammo with it, and take out the rod and use it as a single stage. The Lee is really a versatile press.
 
RustyFN said:
Here is one way to look at it. The RC is a great press and I don't think anybody will deny that. What you are looking at is around 50 rounds per hour production. That will be around 12 to 16 hours to load what you want. The Lee classic turret will load around 200 per hour. Anybody that can't load faster on the classic turret is doing something wrong. That would be around 4 to 5 hours to load what you want. Think about how much free time you have and if you want to spend that much on a press that you might out grow in a few weeks. A classic turret press can also be used as a single stage press.
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I just wanted to add that he will spend another couple hours a month sorting and cleaning brass. I shoot about as much as OP does and even putting 10hr a month is too much for me with little kids and other stuff. I'd like to shoot more and load less. At beginning it's fine when you learn and it's like another hobby that you spend your time on. But ultimate goal is to shoot. And ideally to shoot more :)
 
You will always have a use for the Rock Chucker even when you go to a progressive you won't have tool heads and all for every caliber. Everything else with that kit will be useful as well in fact I picked one up a month or so ago at a pawn shop for 180 with a set of dies.
I now have 2 RC's and 2 550 Dillons and a couple other SS presses I'm giving to my boys so they can start. Single stage is a great way to get started and you will always be able to use the press for something.
RCBS is a good as you can get and in my experience have bullet proof customer service.
 
I don't really like the RCBS reloading kits much. I think they need to expand the kits to include a case trimmer, maybe upgrade to a 5-10 or 10-10 scale even though the 505 is accurate, tumbler, dial caliper, one standard die set of choice with shell holder, a tumbler, and even a kinetic bullet puller. I know by adding these items to their kits would drive the price up, but it would enable someone to get started loading the right way right from the get go without having to search high and low trying to locate other necessary items. They could drop the lube pad and lube, and the hex key set, as those are really not something many reloaders care for. Since lube is something that is a personal preference thing I feel, and who doesn't own hex keys already. I think they should substitute those with something else of better useful value. Lets face it, when buying one of those kits, a person could not just sit down and start reloading even if they had a die set, without having to spend a good deal more on necessary items like a case trimmer for instance.

What I did, and suggest doing if trying to save a few bucks, is to search for some used items at shops or any other place where used can be found. Yard sales and pawn shops often have a few items and at very discounted prices. An inexpensive Lee trimming set up is very cost effective, and works excellent. And used Rock Chuckers are out there for much less than new. Just about everything RCBS makes carries their life time warranty, regardless of when they were made, and regardless if you are the original owner or not. Many of my dies were used, of which I acquired a competition die set for $25 in near new condition, Rock Chucker for $25, a 5-10 scale used for $5 or $10 in excellent condition as well, you get the idea.

GS
 
Buy the Rockchucker. Here’s why:

First, the best way to begin to reload is with a single-stage press. At the beginning you WANT slow. Second, the Rockchucker has been around for decades and has earned a reputation for being a solid machine. You will hand it down to your grandchildren. I doubt that you’d hand a Lee down to anyone. Third, if you later get a Dillon, you’ll find that you still have plenty of use for the Rockchucker.

I have a Rockchucker, an XL650, and a Harrell turret press. The XL650 is fast, and the Harrell is good for very precise loads, but I still use the Rockchucker, a lot.

Buying a kit can be a good way to get started, but of course you have to accept what’s in the kit. If you decide to purchase the items separately, you might want to consider a premium powder measure (such as a Harrell’s) instead of the RCBS. It’s more expensive, but you’ll never need (or want) to replace it, and you’ll find that the settings on a Culver-style measure are more consistent and more repeatable than on other powder measures.

Post #24 said “The Hornady LNL with bushings, like the Lee Breach Lock is faster to change. I do not know if the RCBS has the bushing system.”

The answer is, yes it does. I converted my Rockchucker to the Hornady Lock-N-Load system. You just remove the RCBS press bushing and replace it with the Hornady Lock-N-Load press conversion bushing (a one-time operation that takes all of 45 seconds) and then attach a Lock-N-Load die bushing to each die that you want to use with the system.
 
Potatohead said:
geez. lots of good info to digest guys. thanks. having never done it, its hard to know exactly what your gonna want ya know? thx for your help so far. just a bit conflicted now that Rusty mentioned the time involved with this particular press. i do like to fiddle around though, so who knows. u know :)
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I believe you should heed what Rusty added. Most people buy a press based on their needs. Personally I load mostly rifle and get somewhat OCD about it. I hand prime and weigh each charge as well as make sure my brass is uniform. However, for someone loading hundreds of handgun like 9mm or .40 that will be taken to a range and shot for the better part at 21 feet (paper targets) then I would consider a good progressive flavor like the Lee for working in a budget. My old Lee progressive sees little use anymore for my applications.

Ron
 
I loaded 1100 rounds of .45 on a Rock Crusher as my introduction to reloading. I immediately recognized I needed a Dillon. That said, I'm now thinking about getting an RCBS to supplement my Dillon for various single stage tasks, or not wanting to spend the money for conversions kits to occasionally load 100 .30-30, .303 or .380s.

Since you said you'd love to get a Dillon, but they're out of reach price wise, you might want to consider the BL550. It's a stripped down 550B without the powder & primer systems, and sells for about $250. You can add those components later and end up with the press you'll eventually want anyway. Btw, Sheel's has the 550B is stock with free shipping for $389 (without a caliber conversion kit) as of yesterday.

Lee stuff is popular because it's cheap. I can't think of anything they offer that would be my first choice if price wasn't an issue.
 
The RockChucker is about as solid a press as can be had. If you buy it you most likely will keep it a lifetime and pass it on to your kids, grandkids. I bought one a while back and I never intend on getting rid of it.

I have a new Hornady LNL AP I use for the most part. The RockChucker performs many jobs that require a single stage press, like sizing bullets and all of my rifle reloads. I could reload rifle on the LNL, its just that I choose not to.

Buy the RockChucker, when you decide to move to a progressive I'd be willing to bet you wont give it up.
 
thanks

Thanks very much folks! It sounds like the theme here is i cant go wrong with a Chucker, but i will most likely want to go faster pretty soon. The only curveball here is the Lee turret. It sounds tempting but i just see so many "mods" you have to make to get them going, or maybe thats just the 1000? Like BDS' thread about solutions to your Lee problems, when i read it, it sounded like it just as well couldve been called "how to make your sucky press work". No offense to the Lee guys-i probably shouldnt of wrote that! I can probably "afford" the Dillon technically, but where does that much money fall on the priority list with a 2yr old , a 4 yr old, and a 12yr old you know..? Thx for your posts, its allowed me to form a plan of action: Plan A) scour the area pawn shops/yard sales and see whats around (good idea GS), this may make my choice easy if i see a deal out there. Plan B) Back to the drawing board, decide between the Lee turret and the Chucker,Thanks guys
 
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I've had a Rock Chucker for years and still use it all the time even though I have a Dillon 650. :D You can't go wrong with one!

Cheers,

George
 
Classic Turret is NOT Lee progressive, this is what people have problems with. There is very little to "play with", it works pretty much out of the box. I like it for simplicity.

People who says RCBS is top notch correct. But really, what can be not top notch about 3-part single press? It's just bunch of metal. As long as it doesn't rust and looks good.

Same people who say you want to learn on SS don't realize that LCT IS single stage if you take rod off (takes about 10 seconds). This is exactly how I set it up and adjust. I loaded first 10-20 rounds SS and it was enough for me to be ready for turret operation.

Now, issues I had in 1000+ rounds I did so far:

1. Primer arm "catches" after 100 rounds from build-up. I cleaned it but cleaning every 20 minutes was tiring and I installed "zip tie mod"

2. Parts rust easily. See picture

3. Scale in a kit looks junk. I bought RCBS 5-0-5 but now I think I should have spent more on electronic scale. Saves lot of time.

4. Small primer dispenser had some plastic shavings from mold. 1 minute with razor knife fixed it.

You see how my current setup looks. I keep ready cartridge bin behind press. On left I keep bullets and brass. I installed mirror to check powder. And smll ziptie to activate primer arm.
 

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Potatohead said:
Thanks very much folks! It sounds like the theme here is i cant go wrong with a Chucker, but i will most likely want to go faster pretty soon. The only curveball here is the Lee turret. It sounds tempting but i just see so many "mods" you have to make to get them going, or maybe thats just the 1000? Like BDS' thread about solutions to your Lee problems, when i read it, it sounded like it just as well couldve been called "how to make your sucky press work". No offense to the Lee guys-i probably shouldnt of wrote that! I can probably "afford" the Dillon technically, but where does that much money fall on the priority list with a 2yr old , a 4 yr old, and a 12yr old you know..? Thx for your posts, its allowed me to form a plan of action: Plan A) scour the area pawn shops/yard sales and see whats around (good idea GS), this may make my choice easy if i see a deal out there. Plan B) Back to the drawing board, decide between the Lee turret and the Chucker,Thanks guys
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The LCT doesn't need mods. I have seen issues with the 1000 but not the LCT.

I recommend the LCT because of versatility. I have turrets set up for case prep, 9mm, 380, 223 and 308.

The case prep turret has a Lee universal decapping die and a RCBS pocket swaging die. This makes case prep much faster and easier than the single stage I was using for case prep before tumbling.

If you wanna go slow and don't mind spending twice when you want to speed up, the Chucker is a fine piece of equipment. You never wanna speed up, only you know your personality.
 
For a new reloader, and I am one as well, a single stage press is the best to learn the process on. I have a RCBS RC and I am very happy with it. Yes it is slow and yes you do handle the brass multiple times but that is much safer and far less error prone. Almost all the SS style presses are solid beefy machines that can handle both rifle and pistol rounds. Of course the challenge will be the dies, they are just now coming back on the market and very, very slowly at best.
 
Katitmail said:
1. Primer arm "catches" after 100 rounds from build-up. I cleaned it but cleaning every 20 minutes was tiring and I installed "zip tie mod"

And smll ziptie to activate primer arm.
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What is this ZIP TIE Mod you speak of??

I have been using the LCT press for years and never modified anything?? If the primer arm sticks you have a burr, it is dirty (turret) or the cup is bent.

For the OP this is the best review I have found and posted it many times for those who consider the LCT.

From what you have said and for the price of all the extra add on's I suggest the LCT kit, toss the scale (I did) and buy a better one and 4 manuals Lyman, Speer Hornady and the ABC's of reloading. You will still be about the same money.

http://www.realguns.com/archives/122.htm
 
What is this ZIP TIE Mod you speak of??
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Mod is a very fancy word for piece of zip tie :) But it works. Found it here on THR

I have been using the LCT press for years and never modified anything?? If the primer arm sticks you have a burr, it is dirty (turret) or the cup is bent.
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100% correct. I polished, removed all burrs and all functions great for 50-100 rounds. Than you get tiny piece of brass shaving inside primer cup, it goes slightly sideway sand bum - catches to shell-holder. All works, but you have to clean it every 20 minutes. I didn't have any issues when I was doing load development but when I started cranking out loads - this became annoying. This piece of tie just helps operate primer arm and prolongs "dirty" operation. Thats is. I can now load full primer tray without worrying about this.
 

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Rule3 said:
What is this ZIP TIE Mod you speak of??

I have been using the LCT press for years and never modified anything?? If the primer arm sticks you have a burr, it is dirty (turret) or the cup is bent.

For the OP this is the best review I have found and posted it many times for those who consider the LCT.

From what you have said and for the price of all the extra add on's I suggest the LCT kit, toss the scale (I did) and buy a better one and 4 manuals Lyman, Speer Hornady and the ABC's of reloading. You will still be about the same money.

http://www.realguns.com/archives/122.htm
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very valuable info. thx
 
will i be able to find dies, just out of curiosity? i notice on the Nachez site they are out of 9mm
 
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