If No Warranty on Presses which one would you buy?

[LatheRunner]

Redding boss, Rcbs rockchucker. A good cast iron press will last a life time. I don't use a progressive press but I think the Dillon would be the way to go.

[1hole]

"Not true. RCBS stands for "Rock Chuck Bullet Swager""

Yeah, that's what RCBS means, or rather that's what it once meant. Well, "Swage" anyway, not swager; it wasn't the press. The label was originally applied to Fred Huntington's (the founder) .22/.24 varmint bullet swaging dies but I'm not sure what you mean with that statement now. I can assure you that what the product it was originally put on was dropped from the line fairly soon after WWII but the brand was established and all it has meant since then is 'RCBS'. They've designed a LOT of presses but nothing I know of they have made since I started in '65 was expected to swage bullets and they weren't advertised as such.

[helice]

Not everybody that casts his boolits is going to want or need a Redding or a co-ax. I thoroughly enjoy reloading. I started on a Herter's C press, got a Rock Chucker then gave it away. Got a Lee C press and gave it away. Got a Dillon 450 and gave it away. Got a Lee O press and gave it away. Got a basic Lee Turret and (you guessed it) I gave it away. Got an RCBS Junior and a Spartan which I still use with the Dillon 550B. I gave all those presses to men I got started reloading. Sure the RockChucker is great but I loaded a lot more ctgs on the Lees. None of them have ever "broken" or wore out so warrantee doesn't matter much to me.

[KohlerK91]

I'd go with a Dillon. They have a no time limit no BS warranty. I have a used one and when something breaks (not that often at all and it's usually my fault) you call Dillon and the new part/parts are on the way that day. Dillon is the way to go

No....... the question is, if there was NO warrantyon the press of your choice, what would you buy? Meaning you would have to pay for all those little pieces you use to get for free. And there is no such thng as a free rebuild.

What would you buy then?

Still the Same choice?


I know myself I buy the Craftsman tools because of the Warranty. It's Pretty good. I can pretty much take any of my mechanic handtools in and get a FREE replacemt. Even if they arent broke. (If I wanted to.) If there was no Warranty anymore my choice would different.


I mean does the warranty make the tool better just because they will replace it when it breaks, even if it is 10 times?

I dont think so.

[jmorris]

Got a Dillon 450 and gave it away. Got a Lee O press and gave it away. Got a basic Lee Turret and (you guessed it) I gave it away.

I would have taken them all without a warranty.

No....... the question is, if there was NO warrantyon the press of your choice, what would you buy? Meaning you would have to pay for all those little pieces you use to get for free. And there is no such thng as a free rebuild.

What would you buy then?

Still the Same choice?

I know myself I buy the Craftsman tools because of the Warranty. It's Pretty good. I can pretty much take any of my mechanic handtools in and get a FREE replacemt. Even if they arent broke. (If I wanted to.) If there was no Warranty anymore my choice would different.

As a few of us have pointed out the best Dillon loader (1050) really has no warranty (one year, but what Dillon or anyother press can't make it that long), but if you want the most solid progressive it doesn't matter.

I have some cheap China made tools (HF has life time warranty too) that I scatter around handy but the tools in my truck, that are where I am, whenever I need them the most are Snap on.
Kind of like my left handed drill bits, keep them in the truck because you don't always need them but when you do, you REALLY need them.

[r1kk1]

Back in the 50's RCBS A series of presses had a hollow ram and the spent primers go into it and from thence to a bucket on the floor. So Lee didn't invent the primers going out of the bottom of the ram.

Char,

I know it's been close to 30 years since, but if I remember right, it was a solid ram with a primer disposal drilled through. I know on RCBS site, you can order a solid ram (don't know if its drilled for primer disposal), for bullet swaging duties. It felt like the ram weighed a ton! I know the Champion is solid and drilled through.

I know you have a few presses just wanted to ask. Those A's were a beast!

r1kk1

[Char-Gar]

The RCBS A2 has a two piece ram. The top/smaller part has a slot for the primer arm like you would expect, but the spent primers fall into the second larger ram and out a hole in the back of this larger ram. Just put a bucket under the press and the spent primers fall into it.

Oil and stuff can clog up the hole in the back of the ram and a little cleaning from time to time is in order.

The RCBS A2 was made from cast steel and was indeed intended for bullet swaging as well as reloading. A number of small production custom bullet shops used these presses to produce their bullets. Ralph Sisk in Iowa Park Texas was one such bullet maker that used these presses.

My press is one of the A2s that came out of Sisk's shop. It was made in the 60's, but seems to be as good as new and none-the-worse for it's prior use. As far as I can tell, it is all original with no replacement parts.

I have a friend who is a gun writer, that asked RCBS a couple of years back if they could produce the A2 again. RCBS said they could, but they would have to sell for $700.00 to make it pay, and there was not enough demand for a single stage press of that price.

A few years before its demise, the A2 was made in cast iron and not steel. IIRC the iron A3 and Rockchucker were made at the same time for a year or two and then the A3 went by by. Anybody looking to buy a A2 should look for one with the bushing in the die hole, those are cast steel. The presses without the bushing are the later cast iron A3 version.

I am sorely tempted to buy ever A2 I run accross, but that would just be hoarding as these things never wear out and I don't see how they could be broken.

[EDG]

I would just find a like new in about this order
1. RCBS A2
2. Rockchucker
3. Big Max
4. One of the heavy Pacific or Reding presses

[quasi]

The RCBS A4 or Big Max used a Hollow ram (heavy wall tubing) and Lee copied that system.

[r1kk1]

Thanks quasi and char. It seems that there isn't anything truly genuine or innovative. Just recycled themes of days gone by. That's ok. I wished pressman and a few of the guys wrote an article on the evolution of the reloading press. I seen a posting a few months back of a lnl style bushing that was dated 1970.

Take care

r1kk1