RCE press has no equal

[AbitNutz]

After staring at every swaging and 50 BMG press there is; I can not move away from the conclusion the Richard Corbin's Walnut Hill press is about the best design there is.

The "H" design, chrome guide rods, location of the linkage rods at the top plate...all of it just seem to be the best way to do it.

I can't think of any feature that I would add or that another press has that would make it better.

If you can think of an improvement I'd like to hear about it.

It's such a damn pity I can't seem to buy one...argh!

[mrwhite]

I like mine,no idea if there are any better out there.Wouldn`t mind a hydraulic one though.

[Ickisrulz]

He certainly eliminates the impulse buyers....

[seppos]

I agree.. I was doing today some of my .338/32S&W bullets and my kids came to ask me to play with them.
"Daddy will come when he has finished this work first"
"Can we help?" asked my 7 years old son..
"Well shure.. But I doupt that you have enough muscle to point form these bullets"
"Can I try?"
" He he.. well shure"
And he did.. 40 bullets in no time..
"Daddy.. I want to do that also" said my 6 years old daughter..
"Let him do that.. you could form the lead tips"
And.. She did it without a sweat..
I might have to buy two more so that I have some peace to do my own things and they could swage they own bullets..
But.. That means more swaging die sets also, so that there will not be any fighting..
Huh.. Where do I get money to pay all of our family toys..

S

[AbitNutz]

Yep...the only fault is that you can't buy one....and ain't that a cryin' shame.

[bohica2xo]

Seppos:

Order today, they will likely be teenagers when you get the presses.

B.

[seppos]

Well.. I got my walnut hill and dies ready in two months from the order, so maybe I placed my order in right time..
I know that he make them in bigger patches, so it is understandable that it takes some time to get one if the time is not right..
One man shop is not easy to run..
I rather wait a bit longer than get something that is not made with time and precision..

S

[bohica2xo]

Seppos:

There are people on here going on two years with unfilled orders.

It is hit & miss with the Corbins.

[mrwhite]

Guess I got lucky too when I ordered from him.
Been a few years though.
Considering ordering some dies from him,but if people are having problems with getting their orders,I think I will find another way.

[Daywalker]

I thought about putting in order in with Richard, however, after talking with a friend from another site, and e-mailing Richard myself, not so good reviews with his customer service. I e-mailed him quite a few times with no response. My neighbor e-mails him once and gets a reply. My friend from another site, e-mailed, called....e-mailed, called, and never got a hold of the guy. Not very good customer service if you ask me. I won't deal with him no matter how good his stuff is. I will deal with somebody that appreciates customers and want their buisness...

[AbitNutz]

I don't know...I wonder what would happen if I showed up in person. Oregon isn't around the corner but I would do it if I thought it would help.

I'm of a mind to just order one on my credit card and wait. I understand he doesn't charge the card till he ships it...at least I hope so.

[7of7]

I don't know...I wonder what would happen if I showed up in person. Oregon isn't around the corner but I would do it if I thought it would help.

I'm of a mind to just order one on my credit card and wait. I understand he doesn't charge the card till he ships it...at least I hope so.

I know how his brother Dave responds to people stopping by... Very happy to help with any problems you may have.. and with questions too...

[Oyeboten]

How 'bout some images of these Swaging Presses?

[AbitNutz]

Thanks to ANeat for these pics. He has far better ones than RCE's sight.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...=76514&page=11

[seppos]

I dont argue about you guys..
I just know how much time a person working in one man company as special as his have to spend in phone and e-mail..
Thousands of calls and e-mails to reply and still.. One has to work with precision..
Maybe somebody close by him should offer a helping hand and give him the possibility to make those fine tools of the trade..

S

[Ickisrulz]

I've e-mailed Richard Corbin on a few occasions and he's always gotten back to me within a couple days. I ordered some supplies and a wire cutter a while back and he shipped them out very fast.

I am known for wanting to be treated fairly and getting my money's worth when I shop or buy anything. I don't take much **** off sales people and will not shop places that don't meet my expectations. So I understand where people are coming from when they complain about long delivery times.

However, the swaging supply game has very few players. The Corbins are competing against each other. CH4D makes some entry level stuff that seems readily available. Larry Blackmon has a line he offers as well (not sure about his delivery times).

Now I haven't seen Richard's stuff first hand, but it looks top rate and priced well below Dave's. So I suppose if I wanted "professional" stuff I'd place an order with Richard and then forget about it. If I really needed it NOW, I'd place an order with Dave and pay the premium price. His stuff looks excellent.

As it is, I don't really want to spend thousands of dollars on swaging and consider it something fun and unique to do. Therefore, I got some stuff from CH4D and am happy with it.

[seppos]

Well..
I think that it is like the bullet mould business.. In this forum I have seen that there is more and more good mould makers thanks to this group buy thing.
One or two individual sets are very costly to manifacture, but if there would be 20- 30 who are interested to have certain swage set.. Then I think that it becomes much easier to produce and the price would be cheaper..
Also.. That might rise up some new manufacturers..
As complicated as the swaging sets are.. they are just tools and dies.. So companys that produce tools and dies are atleast theoretically capable to produce them.
This could also release some of that pressure towards these few that are now making them.

S

[bohica2xo]

Seppos:

There is nothing in that press that could not be farmed out to production shops. That would free up the shop equipment & time for production of dies.

These are business decisions, and big businesses make them all the time.

The fact that a poster here managed to reverse engineer that press from photographs, and produce one in his garage says it all.

Tool & die work can also be outsourced, if you have a decent blueprint. I suspect that much of the issue here is a lack of modernization.

At one time Tool & Die shops used to be full of old guys studying parts an prints with a pipe in one corner of their mouth. Machines made in the 1930's were still being used in the 1970's. Hand polishing was the norm. Things took time. Parts were heat treated after rough machining, then ground or lapped to finish sizes afterward.

Now a successful Tool & Die shop is full of computers. A good CAD / CAM system is vital, machines now hold tolerances unheard of 20 years ago. EDM finishes are much better, and cutting tools have improved by an order of magnitude. CNC machining of already hardened steel is common now.

Take a look at some common injection moulded products from recent years, and compare them to the oldest stuff you own. Look for things like parting lines, surface finish & the like. Look at how the sprue was cut. Things have really improved over the past 20 years.

Really, the parts in a swage die are simple stuff, compared to a diesel fuel injector, or hydraulic valve lifter. Hardened steel parts within either of those fit with tighter tolerances than die sets - or they leak. Either product is produced in huge quantities.

The Corbin brothers do a fine job. They do it the same way they did in 1968. Nothing wrong with that if it makes them happy. It does not always make the customer happy.

B.

[Daywalker]

Heck, I know a friend that is using regular reloading dies to make his bullets with. I am going to try that with some .223's. Once I get the 22lr derimmed with my Lee push through size die, then I am going to use a 17 Rem FL sizing die to put the ogive and form the point on it. Hopefully I can get to that before December. My lathe will be here next month about the second week so I can make my push through ram for the die and start the work on it. Crossing fingers but its worth a try....

[AbitNutz]

I just wish Richard would do whatever it takes to make his product line available to those of us that would snap them up. He sells everything he makes so it's not like it would all sit on the shelf gathering dust and holding his capital hostage.

I'm concerned that I'll never get a Walnut Hill press or that he'll sell off what there is of his business to someone who will start making them in China out of pot metal reclaimed from old AMC pacer's. With the all precision that Harbor Freight is famous for.