RCBS Question

[Char-Gar]

Does anybody know when RCBS went from paper boxes to plastic boxes for their reloading dies?

[barkerwc4362]

It was a long time ago. When I bought my first RCBS dies in 1980 they came in plastic boxes.

Bill

[Walt]

I have a 44 Special SWC set (cardboard) with paperwork/price sheet dated 1/1/1960. My oldest set in a plastic box (38 ACP carbide) does not have a date on the paperwork anywhere, I'm guessing mid 80s from the logos. That's as good as I can do for you right now.

[454PB]

It had to be pre-1970. That's when I bought my first RCBS dies, and they were in a plastic box.

[Mk42gunner]

We're getting closer. I just checked my set of .375 H&H dies-- cardboard box, dies are dated 66.

Robert

[Bent Ramrod]

I found an as-new set of RCBS .35 WCF dies in the cardboard box which are marked "67."

[mold maker]

My first .38 dies came in a plastic box of a slightly different color and had a latch to hold the lid closed. They were bought in late 62 or early 63.

That was the biggest seller at the time and probably the freshest inventory.

[geargnasher]

I have a set from 64-65, one of those was the last year of the alphabetic dates, still in the original cardboard and oilpaper. I have some from the '70s and early '80s in the smooth Omark boxes with the rounded corners, you know, the design that didn't WARP like all the newer square, crinkle-finish boxes do.

Gear

[Char-Gar]

Gear, I have some of those "letter" dies. Do you know how to read those to date the dies?

[geargnasher]

Char-Gar, I did for a short time, just long enough to determine what I had and then forget it!

I'll see if I can come up with it again, I found the list on the internet from a forum post made by a gentleman who did machine work for RCBS during that time period and left the company shortly after the end of the alphabet numbering.

Gear

[edit] ok here's the one I was thinking about http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/122692-date-stamp-rcbs-dies.html. It so happens that the dies I was checking on were P and N date codes, same as discussed on that thread, so I guess I quit looking at that point and never did find a "list". Should get you an idea, though.

[Ickisrulz]

I'm confused now.

I have some RCBS dies stamped with an actual date , ranging from 1974-1991.

I have some dies I bought in the late 80's to late 90's that just have letters--no date.

I don't have any RCBS dies that are post 1998 so I don't know what they are doing now.

I wonder what the scheme is/was since there seems to be an overlap...at least in my collection.

[TCFAN]

I bought my first 2 sets of RCBS die in 1960 or 61 while I was still in high school. One set was for the 222Rem and the other was 6.5x55.Both came in plastic boxes...........Terry

[Longwood]

My RCBS dies all came in plastic until I paid the premium price, for a Cowboy set.
They came in cardboard.

[Alan in Vermont]

It had to be pre-1970. That's when I bought my first RCBS dies, and they were in a plastic box.

Same here.

[Char-Gar]

As near as I can figure RCBS letter dates their dies about the letter "P" about 65 give or take a year or two. From there on the dies were stamped with the date and that was also about the time they went from cardboard to plastic.

I just bought a nice set of RCBS dies (38 Special) with the date letter "L". It comes in a cardboard box and has the instructions which are dated 1960. My best guess is there dies are from 1963 give or take.

[Huntducks]

I have RCBS stamped 66 and a set stamped 68 that came in cardboard.

[hornetman]

I have a set of 270 Weatherby Magnum dies in a paper box stamped N. I bought these in early '66. Also have a set of 222 mag dies in a paper box stamped 68 . I bought these in '69

[EDG]

The old style plastic boxes had a two number date code stamped on the bottom right hand side of the label.
I say date code because the code was the last two numbers of the date but they are reversed.

[Walt]

The old style plastic boxes had a two number date code stamped on the bottom right hand side of the label.
I say date code because the code was the last two numbers of the date but they are reversed.

If this is the case then the 38ACP dies in the plastic box (from earlier post) I thought were from the eighties are dated 1969. :confused: