THR Reloading Gear Review Thread

I was gifted an RCBS Bench Mounted primer a couple of Christmas' ago. I use it from time to time, but haven't totally warmed up to it yet when compared to my hand primer, also RCBS.

My recollection is that one size primer, either small or large, works flawlessly. The other has a fair amount of stoppages, popping out etc., can't remember which. Do you other guys see the same thing or is it just me?
I got one of them gifted to me for Christmas about 8 years ago I just never warmed up to it at all , I just hated filling those primer tubes one primer at a time and I hate adding more steps to the loading process it is why I do everything on my Lee Turret presses.
 
Different animal. The older Lee tried to feed bullets and seat them at the same station

The new Lee Inline bullet feeder works very well but it takes up an extra station on the progressive.
I am going to get the new inline bullet feeder to use on 44 magnum on my LCT for 44 magnum I only use 3 dies on a 4 hole turret I have heard a lot of good things about it.
 
I am going to get the new inline bullet feeder to use on 44 magnum on my LCT for 44 magnum I only use 3 dies on a 4 hole turret I have heard a lot of good things about it.
Be aware that the retaining bearings can be adjusted for bullet length...it's in the instructions

Be careful when disassembling the die to not lose the bearings
 
I have bought stuff I wish I hadn’t like these NOE powder thru expanders my issue with them has been flake powder bridging in them and not dropping into the case. Of the two in the picture one is for 9mm and the 38 special one is for WC/LHBWC ( Long Expander Showing) the biggest issue with that one is it getting stuck in the case , when I was told to lube the expander with case lube I lost it on the phone which I usually don’t do. I have stopped using them and updated all my Lee PTX dies with the new stepped expander insert and they work just fine.

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While not perfect, these tools do an excellent job for the intended tasks. Any downsides are listed. While I use many more reloading tools, these are the only ones that I recommend without some reservations. In no particular order:

Forster Rifle Dies – I have two of these dies, and unlike the several other die brands I've tried, I see no significant down-side to these.

Forster Trimmer – When used correctly, it can trim relatively quickly to within a thousandth or two.

LE Wilson Trimmer – Extremely smooth and accurate trimming tool. Somewhat costly.

Lyman Cyclone Rotary Tumber – A wet tumbler that does an excellent job.

RCBS, Lyman, and SAECO Bullet Moulds –Take your pick. They generally work great if you care for them.

Hornady LNL Powder Measure – Throws about as well as any drum measure and features the great quick-change metering insert system. While I've used a few other brands, I recommend this one over the others. It's only negative is a tendency for the drums to corrode. Keep them clean and dry.

Sinclair or 21st Century Innovation Mandrel die – These are simple but work very well for expanding rifle necks. The window on the 21st is a nice feature.

Redding Competition Seating Die – Expensive but does a nice job seating rifle bullets.

Inline Fabrication Quick Change Ultramount system - Provides a nice solid mounting system for presses and other tools.

RCBS Primer Flipper – One of the few flippers large enough to easily accommodate Federal Primer packaging. Low cost and works great.

Not a tool, but I'll also mention Starline handgun brass. Quality is excellent and they last a longtime. Haven't found any better.
 
So...just ordered a RCBS bullet puller die with collets. I'll be reviewing that as soon as it comes in. Online reviews look good.
When I bought mine I also bought all of the collets. I sometimes pull bullets from cartridges that I don't load such as other peoples junk ammo or duds that I find at the range. It was a pretty big chunk of change!

It works well on rifle bullets or on longer pistol bullets. But it won't grip shorter pistol bullets and it also doesn't work very well on lead bullets. This is not a slight against RCBS as I doubt that any of the other brands with a similar design will work any better.
 
When I bought mine I also bought all of the collets. I sometimes pull bullets from cartridges that I don't load such as other peoples junk ammo or duds that I find at the range. It was a pretty big chunk of change!

It works well on rifle bullets or on longer pistol bullets. But it won't grip shorter pistol bullets and it also doesn't work very well on lead bullets. This is not a slight against RCBS as I doubt that any of the other brands with a similar design will work any better.
When I was looking for a bullet puller, I looked at the RCBS and C&H as them seemed like the industry default. I settled on the Hornady Cam-Loc base on the repeatability and speed of operation.

The Hornady only has to be set once, for case length and grip on bullet shank, when doing different cartridges. Afterwards it is just a matter of inserting the cartridge, raising the ram and lowering the lever before puling the bullet. You can easily pull a
hundred in 30 mins.

If there isn't enough shank to gain purchase on a seated bullet, you can put the cartridge in an inertial puller and give it a quick tap to expose more shank. Then you can use your collet puller to extract the bullet and save all the powder
 
Another + on the Hornady Cam Lock bullet puller. I have a Forster collet bullet bullet bought many years ago. It is similar to the RCBS collet puller. I wasn't satisfied with it and bought a Hornady Cam Lock puller several years ago. Very satisfied with the Hornady. It sets up easily and is faster and more ergonomic than the twist type collet pullers.
 
Another + on the Hornady Cam Lock bullet puller. I have a Forster collet bullet bullet bought many years ago. It is similar to the RCBS collet puller. I wasn't satisfied with it and bought a Hornady Cam Lock puller several years ago. Very satisfied with the Hornady. It sets up easily and is faster and more ergonomic than the twist type collet pullers.
Now they tell me...😏
 
The thing about the RCBS and the others that tighten the collet by tightning the screw is that once you pull the first bullet all thats needed is to loosen the screw about 90º and it releases the bullet. Then you only need to tighten it 90º to grip the next bullet. Multiple turns are not necessary.

If I wasn't already heavily invested in the RCBS tool I would look hard at the Hornady tool.
 
If I wasn't already heavily invested in the RCBS tool I would look hard at the Hornady tool.
Too late; the damage is done!

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Two recent updates to my single stage RCBS press are the following:
  • Inline Fabrication Case Ejection System
  • The primer collection system was 3D printed/bought off of ebay specifically for the inline fab system
  • Mighty Armor Universal decapping die (works much like my Dillon resizing dies where it kicks the primer down/out of the case)
These have increased my case preparation/loading process tremendously ;)

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OK, so you just finished wet tumbling your very first round of cases in your brand new wet tumbler, and you are proud as punch because they look, literally, brand new! And as you begin dumping off the dirty water into your laundry sink, suddenly panic begins to well up in you as the millions of tiny pins begin escaping from whatever makeshift deelie-bob you thought up to work to catch the pins ("This should be PERFECT!") and head pell-mell towards your laundry sink drain. Yeah, those expensive pins. Umm...no.
What you need is a media separator that will allow all the pins to fall through the larger grids in an upper tub, into a screen-lined lower tub with screening small enough to catch every single pin.
I can hear the gears in your brain right now screeching as you try to fathom up some Rube Goldberg design.
Relax, my friend. Lyman has done all the work for you.


Does it work? Does a bear defecate in the woodlands? Despite those ridiculous Charmin commercials?
You bet it does! (in both cases, I might add). Not only can you capture every single one of those tiny prisoners hell-bent on getting off the Rock, but you can do it quickly and with ease. Since I bought this contraption I've not lost a single pin down the drain. And it allows you a pretty rapid recovery time as well. You'll thank me later.

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Ok. So...I had purchased a RCBS turret press with the idea of turning it into a 'manual-progressive' press. One of the first things I purchased with this in mind was an auto-bullet feeder. Being a RCBS fan, I naturally purchased the RCBS bullet feeder kit. Now, I'll be the first to say that being a Big Green guy, I always check out RCBS gear first, and this was the case here as well. I was rather disappointed to learn that RCBS only makes these kits in .380/9mm/.38, and .45 ACP. I was also disappointed to find out the kits were separate, when all they needed to do was include another tube and ferrule, along with cheesy Nylon collet. And yet again when I discovered that it was a single tube feed. Upon setting up the die per instructions, I was upset yet again when I discovered the bullet release was a nylon collet with a rubber band around it. Really? Bet that will last a lifetime...not.
I thought perhaps I could purchase the .45ACP kit to use on my .45LC loads so I called RCBS Customer Service to ask. I got through immediately as usual, and got my answer just as quickly: No. .45ACP only. And jacketed bullets only as well. Would it feed .44 magnum bullets, being close to the same size? Again, no. Do you have any plans to make this for other calibers in the future? Ditto....No.
And the design is rather hokey as well. First time I stoked up the tube and inserted it into the die, it spit the entire tube contents onto the floor through the die body. Yeah, this is going well. Not.
After playing around a bit, I got it to feed 'somewhat' reliably, but overall was rather disappointed, especially given the price. Can I recommend it? I'm not bending over backwards on this one.
Surprisingly, I can't find it listed on Midway's site, or RCBS's. Wonder why?🤔
 
So, given the above post, I was forced to look elsewhere. Normally I'm not a big Lee fan, but their bullet feeder(s) caught my eye for a couple reasons:
1) they consist of a four tube cluster, each holding a bunch of bullets.
2) 44 and 45 cal kits are available, among others.
3) the die is operated by a ball bearing release rather than a cheesy nylon collet held together with a rubber band
4) relatively inexpensive comparitively speaking.
5) die body lock ring uses a pinch-type allen screw (think Hornady).
6) the lock rings are anodized different colors, so you can tell at a glance which caliber die is in your press.
7) last, but not least...the damn thing just works! It works with jacketed bullets. It works with lead bullets. It feeds reliably. And it doesn't dump bullets all over the floor. Good enough in my book for a thumbs-up.

 
I fell for the same with RCBS bullet feeders. Very disappointing. When I saw the plastic collet with the rubber band, I knew it would be trouble. I've been looking at the Double Alpha but I'm in no hurry.
 
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