Turning sour on RCBS.

[S.R.Custom]

So yesterday I had planned to cast bullets all day long... So I get out my RCBS 44/250/KT --which I've had a while but never used-- and promptly put myself in a very black mood in less than 50 boolits...

The chunks are coming out *very* undersized at .428 inches and the finish of the cavities is so bad I have to whack on the mould 5 or 6 times to get the bullets to drop. And then I bent the sprue plate because the damned thing isn't even 1/8" thick and it won't even take the normal whack to cut a sprue... bloody hell!

Is this what RCBS is coming to these days?

I was so mad I had to cast almost 1,500 delightful Saeco 352s before I had my cheerful demeanor back...

[Nardoo]

Geez Super, don't buy a Lee then.

Nardoo

[SharpsShooter]

If you are hitting it hard enough to bend a sprue plate...............try cutting them a little sooner. I do not beat any mould's sprue plate. Use a gloved hand to swing the sprue plate and pre heat the mould a bit longer. I have several RCBS moulds and they are really nice to work with. Check the cavities for burrs. That may be the cause of your hang-ups.

SS

[XBT]

I have had good service from the same mold. The RCBS molds are among my favorites.

Both SharpsShooter and Nardoo are offering very good advice.

[Shuz]

Super Mag--I've had good luck with RCBS moulds in general, and one time when I had a .25 cal 120g that was casting noses that were sub .250, I called them and they told me that they'd replace it, and they did! Check your mould for obvious problems, and if it still casts at .428, give 'em a call. You may be surprised.

[S.R.Custom]

I've been whack-cutting sprues for years, and this has never happened; at only .115" thick, I don't honestly expect to see how this sprue plate could even resist heat warping... (And the catalogue lists this mould as having a 3/16" sprue plate.) And the quality of the cavity cut notwithstanding, a .428" chunk from a .44 mould is not acceptable.

As for burrs and other anomalies... yep, this one's got it in spades. I'd post a scan of the bullet, but the scanner doesn't want to come on this morning... :roll: ...but trust me, I can carve better bullets with a knife. This one is going back to RCBS.

[NVcurmudgeon]

SuperMag, RCBS has been accomodating to the point of self-destruction for me on warranty matters. Give them a call or E-mail. They can't address your problem if they don't know about it.

[carpetman]

This may well be a first---RCBS getting bad publicity. I'm sure the rest of the story will turn out well. Rest of the story being how RCBS fixes the problem.

[Pilgrim]

Your mould is an older one. RCBS began using thick sprue plates quite a number of years ago. At least 10 years ago I'd guess. All you have to do if you have one of the old moulds is ask them and they will send you the newer thicker sprue plates, nuts, screws, belvelle washers and all. I had quite a number of the older moulds with the thin plates and RCBS replaced every last one of them, no questions asked, with a simple phone call. The diameter is another issue altogether. That mould will either have to be lapped out or replaced in its entirety. I'd guess RCBS will replace it. On the other hand, you might check around as a number of folks have "Italian" Colts and Winchesters that have .426 groove diameters, and they might be more than willing to swap you some other mould for that one. That would be a win-win for everybody. I'd post it on our Swap/Sell board or on one of the Cowboy boards and see what develops before you get too riled up. FWIW...Pilgrim

[walltube]

that RCBS mould is only a thing.



Give RCBS a jingle only after you've settled down and give the C.S. Rep time to absorb yer story. As is mentioned here, RCBS will almost bend over backward to make right a problem with their products. How any defective RCBS mould escaped Quality Control scrutiny are, IME, unheard of. But it can happen.

I could bore you and the members reading this post to tears with accounts ( mine and others) of how accomodating RCBS has been replacing tools subjected to two months or more soaking in Katrina's briny mud.

RCBS customer service is Sterling.

Y.T.,

Wt.

[buck1]

DIDO,......... they will make it right.............I bet ya!!

[S.R.Custom]

I called RCBS this morning, and yes, they're having me send in the mold. I expected no less, and you guys told me as much, so that's not an issue.

I don't want this to turn into a Lee vs. RCBS vs. Saeco pissing match, but the reason I got so aggravated and posted was because lately (in the past few years) I've had quite a bit of RCBS' stuff that I've had to send back to the attention of their wonderful customer service department; more so than the other MFR's. Just curious as to whether anyone else has been having a similar experience, or am I just special?

[357maximum]

Supermag....you must just be special...RCBS is one of the last of the greats....this is the first PO"ed post I have ever seen in fact......they have always made great products with spectacular customer service... I have had one problem with a rotor on a uniflow, fixed it so fast my head spun.....and they have always fixed my screw ups, with astounding speed. Go pick another dog to beat...you won't recieve much help on this one...there is no problem they will not kill themselves to fix, they are truly special to me....if they make what I need for a reloading tool....the green one is the one that is purchased...they have always done me more than right.....

Michael

[Nardoo]

I purchased an old RCBS mold from a shop cheaply, and although the shop said it was old new stock it clearly looked used to me. On casting it threw boolits 8 thou out of round. I sent it back to RCBS requesting a quote for repair or replacement.
Within a week they sent me a brand new mold - no charge. And I live half way around the world!

I now buy RCBS everything.

Nardoo

[Boomer Mikey]

I won't even consider anything for the loading bench that doesn't come in a green box anymore. Both Redding and RCBS believe in customer service above the rest.

My Saeco 352 was my mold from hell until Redding heard about it and didn't even want it back, they just sent me another one... Overnight Express!

Good people with good products.

Green is good,

Boomer :Fire:

[dromia]

I've got to back the RCBS support, dropped my scale panwhilst tripping over the cat and stood on it flattening it completely, the scale pan that is not the cat. One email and a new one arrived in the post 5 days later and I'm in the UK.

RCBS doesn't have the presence it should over here due to the crap agent RCBS have, still its cheaper to buy direct from the US now anyway.

Rate Redding also. I have an Ultramag and a T7 turret, love them both especially the Ultramag. I've never needed to use their customer service so cannot comment there.

[carpetman]

dromia---As I was reading your post about dropping the scale pan because you tripped over the cat. I was thinking my kind of guy that you flattened it---before you clarified you flattened the pan not the cat. Flattening the cat would have made a better story.

[Scrounger]

Flat cat? Never seen one of them but I did see a flat dog the other day; another dog was pumping it up...

[Scrounger]

GEORGE CARLIN'S NEW RULES FOR 2007:

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com!
There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't
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football team is doing these days -- mowing my lawn.

New Rule: Don 't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless
you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found
in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Lobster?

New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde
teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids:
"Lucky ********."

New Rule: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you're
a dope. If you're a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols.
If you're a grown man, they're pictures of men.

New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much
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but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some
scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

New Rule: Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a
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If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande, half-soy, half-low fat,
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entering my PIN number, pressing "Enter," verifying the amount, deciding, no, I
don't want cash back, and pressing "Enter" again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.



New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't
make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates
to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual.
You're just high.

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sins. ESPN recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because
watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting? Oh wait. They're already doing that. It's called "The Howard Stern Show."

New Rule: I don't need a bigger mega M&Ms. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms,
I'll go nuts and eat two.

New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old
television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason
something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn't good
enough to be a movie.

New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white people version of looting.

New Rule: And this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants.
After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex
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some freak with a fetish. I don't want to be on your web cam, dude. I just
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really care in the first place.

New Rule: If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that
pays better than minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around
saying, "Do you want fries with that?"

[Nardoo]

Oh Scrounger, how right you are.

Nardoo

[357maximum]

Thanks scrounger...I needed that