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NVcurmudgeon
03-31-2005, 03:04 PM
About 15 years ago I wrote RCBS about the ram in my Junior press being a little wobbly. I was mentallly looking forward to RCBS telling me that my old Junior was worn out, so I could buy a Rockchucker. Instead, they sent me free a new Reloader Special press without even knowing for sure that I had a Junior! The old Junior is alive and well with a friend in Montana, and the Reloader Special has handled all single stage duties more than adequately. Still, there is that unscratched itch for a big press. I would appreciate hearing from y'all about your impressions of big presses you have. curmudgeon

carpetman
03-31-2005, 03:32 PM
NVCrumudgeon--I have the Rockchucker. Have owned 3 but only used the one(since 1967). Straight walled cases,I could see a Jr being ok but for bottle necks,wouldn't want less than the rock.

sundog
03-31-2005, 03:38 PM
Curmudg, my first press was a Junior, obtained from a garage sale from original owner in very early 70s. It's loaded MANY rounds, and I still have it and use it. Previous owner, if I remember correctly was loading 44 Mag with real boolits. Also got a Ly 450 at the same time. I've also come by, not one, but two Rock Chuckers (and an Ly Orange Crush) at most unbelievably low prices, again at garage sales, both coming with other stuff like scales, dies, dumps, etc. One of the RCs is now my primary, the Junior a backup and 'go to the range' press, but still fully functional. The RC is a pleasure to use, permanently mounted on the bench. The leverage is noticeable greater than the Jr., noticeably. It was missing the primer catcher, and I called RCBS. No problemo, got a new one in short order and NO CHARGE. And no, I don't care to part with any of them, as some or all will be passed to son, SIL, grand kids, etc. Not having to lay out a sum to start might encourage them, especially since they came so cheaply. Short of an odd item or two (and dies), I bet I could outfit four working reload benches right now. Sure wish I had a sugar daddy when I got started! sundog

carpetman
03-31-2005, 04:08 PM
Sundog--You mention the RCBS primer catcher. I call them every other catchers at best. I did line mine with leather and it cut down some on those that bounce out. Mine was old style metal--think they are plastic now. It was held on with a rubber band and that would slip off and ofcourse dump all those that had not bounced out to begin with. I epoxied a crossbar like a TEE onto the post that the rubber ban slipped on and that helped until the epoxy turned loose. I drilled a hole on one side and ran a piece of thong leather through and tied a knot so it wouldn't pull through(sorta like tying a knot in thread so it doesnt pull through when you start sewing). The other side of the holder I cut a slot. The other end of the thong leather I also tied a knot in it so that the knot pulls down through the slot and back up for removal.

waksupi
03-31-2005, 08:47 PM
Ray, that sounds like a good idea. I'm going to do that with mine. I have had the darn thing fall off with a zillion spent primers in it, more times than I care to remember.
I did cut out a little plastic thing, about the size of a half dollar, with a tail on it that I slip into the primer arm channel. I made it from old milk jug, so it is flexible to easily bend out of the way for putting cartriges into place in the shell holder. This helps catch a lot of the strays. Also, if the depriming pin is set so it just barely pushes the primer from the pocket, they fall more gently, and don't tend to bouce away nearly as frequently. If you will try this method, you will see you have fewer stray sheep, and they won't bounce away on you so frequently.

Scrounger
03-31-2005, 09:11 PM
I hate the way my Rockchucker throws primers all over the floor. I've threatened to buy a different one for years (I have even bought them then sold them; just too much trouble to reset everything). I figured out a simple modification that would catch all the primers in a jar. Even told RCBS about it. But they won't change it because it would eliminate that priming arm that nobody uses anyway. If I knew how to use a lathe I could fix it myself. Maybe in my next life...

carpetman
03-31-2005, 09:31 PM
Scrounger--I'd like to hear your idea for improving the primer catching ability of the Rockchucker. It gets a lot of errors as is. Waksupi--could you elaborate on your plastic thingy,I did a search of plastic thingies and it didnt sound like stuff you would have---well then again,maybe so.

Scrounger
03-31-2005, 09:45 PM
Scrounger--I'd like to hear your idea for improving the primer catching ability of the Rockchucker. It gets a lot of errors as is. Waksupi--could you elaborate on your plastic thingy,I did a search of plastic thingies and it didnt sound like stuff you would have---well then again,maybe so.
RCBS starts out with a nice big hole in the center of the ram but then they angle it to the outside to create the slot for the priming arm nobody uses. If someone continued the hole on down all the way through the ram, the spent primers would fall out the bottom and a jar could be attached to catch them. If someone with a lathe would be interested in trying this modification, I'd volunteer my ram for a test. (If it was a ewe, several of our members would be all over it. Not to name any names...)

carpetman
03-31-2005, 09:57 PM
Scrounger---If I understand your idea correctly,(idea of making the hole completely through ram of RCBS Rockchucker press so primers fall out bottom)I see problems. The compound leverage block would prevent attaching a jar or other catching device. Don't know but the primers might hit that same block and deflect all directions except into catcher???????? Buckshot might design something or the other??? Not sure where he'd put the hose clamps. Urr uhh stainless steel hose clamps,he does first rate work.

Scrounger
03-31-2005, 11:37 PM
Scrounger---If I understand your idea correctly,(idea of making the hole completely through ram of RCBS Rockchucker press so primers fall out bottom)I see problems. The compound leverage block would prevent attaching a jar or other catching device. Don't know but the primers might hit that same block and deflect all directions except into catcher???????? Buckshot might design something or the other??? Not sure where he'd put the hose clamps. Urr uhh stainless steel hose clamps,he does first rate work.
I think I know what you mean. There are other ways to attach the block to the ram without running that pin all the way through it. You could also put a shallow angle on the tunnel just above that pin, and have the primer exit the front or rear of the ram.

C1PNR
04-01-2005, 04:31 AM
I'm really interested in the solution to THIS issue. Man, I hate to step on a stray primer in my stocking feet (so I don't spark when I pick up the powder can). :shock:

SWMBO is even more interested (actually, it's my interest in keeping her mollified) as a lot of this activity (at least until the Garage/Shop is built) occurs in the house right next to the kitchen. :wink:

NVcurmudgeon
04-01-2005, 02:02 PM
A few years ago I had to have my wire-haired terrier x-rayed. The vet had to ask me what one odd shape that turned up in the picture was. I instantly identified it as a small primer, anvil side up. Nelson had apparently picked up a dropped piece of kibble from the garage floor and slurped up the primer, too. He was not the brightest dog in the world, but very high on the nice dog list. The primer seemed to have found its way out without harm, but I still hate primers on the floor. curmudgeon

StarMetal
04-01-2005, 08:34 PM
Modifying the RC to catch primers would be alot of work. Art mentioned the pin that attaches the block to the ram doesn't have to go all the way through the ram and it doesn't. Thing is that nose on the block rides up into that slot on the bottom of the ram and that to would have to be modified, which is alot of work. Far as the slot on the top of the ram, you could close that with a strip of steel and mig weld tack it in and smooth up the weld with a file. We're not talking about having to weld the entire strip so not enough heat to effect the ram. Then as Art said drill the hole all the way through the ram. I have long drill bits and can accomplish drilling the hole through the ram, but modifying that bottom end is the problem. That ram almost goes entirely up inside the presse body too. One though would be to measure the ram where it stops entirely on it's upward movement and then from either the front or rear drill an angled hole through the press body and ram to meet the hole through the center of the ram. Then a tube or hose if you will is attached to the hole and a bottle or container. Art what do you think about that? Let me know, maybe I'll I'll buy a spare ram from RCBS, notice I said buy, not say mine broke, and I'll give it a shot let you all know if it will work. Comments please on this avenue of mods.

Joe

Scrounger
04-01-2005, 09:58 PM
Modifying the RC to catch primers would be alot of work. Art mentioned the pin that attaches the block to the ram doesn't have to go all the way through the ram and it doesn't. Thing is that nose on the block rides up into that slot on the bottom of the ram and that to would have to be modified, which is alot of work. Far as the slot on the top of the ram, you could close that with a strip of steel and mig weld tack it in and smooth up the weld with a file. We're not talking about having to weld the entire strip so not enough heat to effect the ram. Then as Art said drill the hole all the way through the ram. I have long drill bits and can accomplish drilling the hole through the ram, but modifying that bottom end is the problem. That ram almost goes entirely up inside the presse body too. One though would be to measure the ram where it stops entirely on it's upward movement and then from either the front or rear drill an angled hole through the press body and ram to meet the hole through the center of the ram. Then a tube or hose if you will is attached to the hole and a bottle or container. Art what do you think about that? Let me know, maybe I'll I'll buy a spare ram from RCBS, notice I said buy, not say mine broke, and I'll give it a shot let you all know if it will work. Comments please on this avenue of mods.

Sounds workable to me. I mentioned that drilling an angled hole to let the primers flow out of the ram..

Joe

floodgate
04-01-2005, 11:03 PM
Carpetman, etc.:

I have one of the Rockchuckers I bought around 1980 - it still has the old green "crackle" finish - that came with the plastic version of the primer catcher, held in place with a little plastic strap that latches across the press frame behind the ram. It looks a bit cheesy, but it works fine; I've never had a primer bounce out or drop on the floor, though once in a while one will land on the frame alongside the ram, and I just flick it into the cup. I don't reload in bulk - usually only a box or two at a time (20 - 100 cases), and empty it after they're done. Midway item #145-927 at $10.69, and worth it, to me at least. Years ago, I had an old Herter's press with a slotted ram; I wedged a strip of brass at an angle into the slot, cut a notch in an old 1-lb. metal powder can to fit around and under the frame behind the ram, and the strip deflected the primers out and into the can. Again, crude, but it worked!

floodgate

BD
04-02-2005, 01:17 PM
I have the same model RC as Floodgate, and I do get spent primers all over the floor which is a PITA. I really like the set up on my old Pro-Jector where the spent primers go down a brass tube on the back side of the ram. It came with a little film canister type comtainer to catch the primers, but that only holds 100 or so so I just hung a large yogurt container below the tube and that catches most all of them, and holds thousands. I think a hole down the ram which angled out the back into a tube would do the trick. The plastic thing which came with the press is a joke IMHO. BD

StarMetal
04-02-2005, 01:26 PM
Bill

I had an RCBS JR press that I bought in the 60's. I loaded probably millions of rounds on it. When I was young I was obsessed with guns, reloading, and shooting. Well about in the 80's the ram was as loose as a goose. I called RCBS and they wanted the press back. So I mailed it in and they sent me one of their newer presses like the other poster here mentioned. To me it wasn't as good as the Jr so I sold it and bought a Rockchucker. Back to the story, RCBS had told me they never seen a Jr worn out that bad and asked if I had an idea of how many rounds reloaded using it. You know you have to figure how many strokes that ram makes when you concider that you resize, expand, and seat, maybe sometimes even more operations. So say you loaded 1000 rounds, that ram had to make 3000 strokes in the case of same pistol ammo reloading.

Joe

carpetman
04-02-2005, 01:49 PM
Starmetal--Loaded probably millions of rounds on it. Now that's hyperbole,well ok it's modesty,we all know it was billions.

StarMetal
04-02-2005, 02:06 PM
Oh hell, it was an exaggeration :lol:

Joe

carpetman
04-02-2005, 02:11 PM
I just wrote RCBS an email and asked why they don't design a primer catcher vs the every other one they now have? I did mention that possibly a hole vs the slot they currently have. This might eliminate priming with the press--which would be good for them,they'd sell more of their priming devices. I told them I have read several others mention this problem in online forums. If others of you that have this complaint would also write them,might get some attention? Scrounger has already done so to deaf ears,so it might take a flood of letters.

StarMetal
04-02-2005, 02:21 PM
Ray that's a good idea. RCBS has other presses like you mentioned that do have a primer catcher system. Being that their Rockchucker is a ver popular press you think they would update it to have this feature, especially since it's been copied pretty close by other press makers. I quit using the priming system on their presses years ago when I got one of their hand primers. I'll never go back to the press. Hey, that reminds me, that's an extra stroke for priming that I made on the JR that I wore out.

Joe

BruceB
04-02-2005, 10:03 PM
My Lyman All-American turret press has absolutely NO method, perfect or otherwise, for catching spent primers. It simply drops them out the bottom of the shellholder to find their own way in the world.

As a result, I have a thirty-year-old habit of simply catching the old primer in my hand under the shellholder platform, and dropping it into the trashcan immediately in front of me, under the bench. Mine is a BIG trashcan....'bout the size of a 55-gallon drum.

Because of this long apprenticeship in primer-catching (graduated magna cum laude) I find it's easy to postion a finger or thumb at the bottom of my Rockchucker's ram slot to partly impede the falling primer, which (a) slows the primer so it doesn't leap over the edge with gay abandon, and (b) actually directs the primer to the area of the catcher where I want it to repose until dumping-time arrives.

To hold the damned catcher in place, I just use a yard ot two of that stretchy plastic electrical type...in RCBS GREEN, of course. It's cheap and very secure.

The RC is a dandy press, and I guess RCBS thought so too, because after the RC's arrival they dropped their REAL "Big Press".....the A-2. It's much bigger and heavier than the Rockchucker, and if I ever find one available, I'll buy it like a shot just to own it. VERY nice! I don't know if it would handle the .50 BMG, but I bet it would be pretty close. It's rare indeed to see one for sale, and I don't remember the last one I saw.

Char-Gar
04-04-2005, 07:31 AM
I have been handloading for 45 years on a single stage press. I started with an old upstroke Pacific Super C and went to an RCBS RC about 25 years ago. I now use an RCBS A2.

The A2 is not only bigger than the RC, but is made from cast STEEL and not cast iron as is the RC. The difference in performance between the A2 and the RC is vast. Not only is the A2 much smoother but when you FL size 30-06 cases, it feels like a 38 Special case on the RC.

The A2 has a hollow ram and the spent primer goes into the ram and out a chute in the back. There is no need for a primer catcher, you just put a waste basket under the press and have at it.

When your can find one, a good A2 will go for about $200.00 these days. For what you get, that is very, very cheap, as RCBS could not make and sell these presses these day for several times that price.

The RC press looks like the A2 in some regards and is indeed a good press, but it is not near the quality and utility of the A2. RCBS brought out the RC to keep competitive in the cost area as fewer and fewer people were willing to pay the increasinglyh higher cost for the A2.

However, Nobody I know that has an A2 will sell it and folks who do have them would gladly pay the exra to replace it if necessary.

The A2 press is just a whole new level of reloading presses.

Buckshot
04-04-2005, 11:01 AM
............Charger, I know the author Dean Grennell lusted after and RCBS A2 for awile and then finally scrounged one up. In a photo I have he has a little shelf built under it with a 1LB coffee can sitting there just filled with primers.

Actually cast iron (good cast iron) is an excellent material for reloading presses as the carbon or graphite normally occuring in it makes for some natural lubricity and cast iron is very rigid and also resists plastic deformation extremely well. Doesn't have the untimate tensile strength of some steels though.

I have a RC now and was very happy with it. Bought it used for $20 some 20 years ago and the ram will actualluy clunk from side to side. And I am an oiler like no tomorrow! Now I have a Forster with the automatic shellholder and central primer drop. Takes a bit to get used to feeding it from the front vs the side though.

I'd thought long and hard about the Lyman Orange Crusher but it didn't have the removeable thread adaptor the RC has.

...................Buckshot

StarMetal
04-04-2005, 11:32 AM
I have a RC press and I don't think it's any effort to size a 30-06 at all. One thing is to make sure you have the cases lubed right. Cast iron is an excellent cheap material. Look at all the years they've used it for automotive engines and such. What does everyone think about Lee's new cast iron press? Anyone have one of these yet?

Joe

omgb
04-05-2005, 10:45 PM
I have two presses. a RC and a Redding T7. The RockChucker is modified with something called a case kicker. I bought it maybe 20 years ago in Oregon. It replaces the primer catcher with a metal chute. On the right side of the press, a large metal flat finger is attached to one of the mounting bolts. The finger extends over the shell holder. In use, the ram is lifted ever so slightly to clear the kicker finger. A case is inserted. The ram cycled and as it returns to battery, the finger kicks the case out, down the metal chute and into a plastic box that is secured to the bench to the left of the press. This really speeds up pistol case reloading and works fairly well for rifle cases too. The T7 catches primers in a bottle at the end of a long clear plastic tube. Primers are ejected out of the case, through the shell holder and into the tube. The T7 is a much handier press, but the RC seems a great deal stronger.

carpetman
04-06-2005, 12:08 AM
Got a "lip service" response from RCBS. They have a newly designed Rockchucker Supreme that does a better job of catching primers. I told them that was well and good,but how about a fix for the one that folks have already bought that doesn't work. They came back that it could not be modified. They did say it works better if catcher is full of primers.. By the time you fill it you will have primers all over the place.

Swagerman
04-17-2005, 10:14 PM
Here is my home made solution to a primer catcher for the Lyman All American press. It is completely primer contained, your dog never has to slurp one up unless you spill them when emptying out the catcher.

Made from brass shim and plastic pill bottle cut off to length, knurled knob holds unit in place around shellholder.

Swagerman




http://www.hunt101.com/img/267196.jpg (http://www.hunt101.com/?p=267196&c=500&z=1)

Buckshot
04-17-2005, 11:48 PM
...............Cool mod! What a handy and inventive bunch!

............Buckshot

Swagerman
04-18-2005, 03:15 PM
The Lyman AA primer catcher was an original idea.

But the device on the C&H 4-die primer system was kind of a stolen idea from Dillon, but it works a bit different than the Dillon.

Up stroke on the ram to die raises the catcher upward where it closes its trap and deprimes the primer in the catcher assembly, (see attached pictures) down stroke on the ram lower it back down to where it meets a camming action on the press roller linkage, thus camming it open to drop primers into little cup.

On the back of the primer catcher there is a little adjustable round head bolt/screw that one can adjust to gently fit the roller cam.

I told Dave, at C&H he could have this idea to use if he wanted it, but guess he figured the old method was OK.

Swagerman

RugerFan
04-21-2005, 02:36 AM
I have used a Hornady Interlock press for years and love it. You have to invest a little in extra bushings if you want to experience the full convience advantage of this system, but I find the setup to be quite handy. Its quite a sturdy O-frame as well.

kenjuudo
04-21-2005, 09:32 AM
I have a RC press and I don't think it's any effort to size a 30-06 at all. One thing is to make sure you have the cases lubed right. Cast iron is an excellent cheap material. Look at all the years they've used it for automotive engines and such. What does everyone think about Lee's new cast iron press? Anyone have one of these yet?

Joe

Joe; I've got a Lee cast iron press and am impressed with the machine work, very tight and smooth. Plenty of paw room, I have it set up for the Hornady bushings. Great for jumping back and forth between calibers, very strong press.

jim

nevada duke
04-22-2005, 01:30 AM
Well, this is a Bigun. If all of you DASs would learn to use all of the fingers that the Big guy gave you, you would learn to LEAVE your thumb down there at the bottom of where the so called defective slot ends. Then, when the primer comes down the so-called defective slot, it would hit your gnarly old thumb and be softly deflected into the primer catcher. I gar-un-tee that 95% of your spent primers will end up in the catcher, and the others were meant to end up on your floors for another purpose not to be questioned by the lowly. Ifun this don't work for you, it is because your thumb is not properly broke in yet, so get a job and get some callouses on that there thumb.

Thas all I go to say on that subject, good night from Nevada duke.

BruceB
04-22-2005, 01:44 AM
Good evenin', duke (I hope this ketches you afore you heads for your beauty sleep).

Now, I haveta tell you that SOME of us older gents have arrived at our advanced years with rather ...refined....thumbs 'n fingers, and no gnarlies need apply. The more-streamlined ones (like mine, f'r instance) can actually CATCH primers in mid-air underneath an All-American, and are also quite adroit at directing the dead primers in a Rockchucker, just like you "gnarly" fellers can. Did you see my post earler on this here thread?

It's really not much of a problem, just as you say. Besides, my ol' loading shed may be crummy and dusty, but by gum she's MINE and a few primers underfoot don't seem to bother me overly-much.

Hope you can make the Shoot next month???

nevada duke
04-24-2005, 01:50 AM
Well Bruce, I must concede that I did not read all of the posts above word for word, and you were first as to the proper positioning of the thumb on the RC. Now I have seen your hands at work at the casting bench, and at the shooting range, and they may not be gnarly, but they ain't no girly-mans hands either. Hundreds of boolits per hour from a two-cavity mold is good work, and some of us have seen it done.

I will be honored to attend the 2005 NCBS, Curmudgeon and I are collaborating.

Best regards from Nevada duke.

Buckshot
04-25-2005, 02:36 AM
.............So far as I'm concerned the main problem with not having the spent primers exit down through a hollow ram has to do with abrasive crud. This stuff is exposed to the machined bore the ram slides up and down in, in the press frame.

Now I know that even so these press lasts a long time, so is it built in obsolesence? IE, designed to wear out? I guess not in RCBS's case as it seems they'll replace it. The Lee aluminum 'O' frame press does have a passage drilled at least part way down the ram before exiting out the side, but you still have the abrasive exposed to the ram's bore.

What would I like to see? A hollow ram tube with primers ejected out the bottom just above the toggle link in a part of the ram that does not enter the body casting. The ram would be hard chromed like the strut rods on McPherson struts. The ram would be 1.5" od 4140 steel DOM seamless tube. The press body would be cast nodular iron. On the top and bottom entry of the ram into the body, there would be circular felt wipers under plastic retaining covers.

The other rotating pins and links would be hard chromed and carry Gitts ball oilers, and sealed by Delrin rings. It would be expensive to make and buy, but it would never wear out in a person's life time. Heck, it'd probably put the manufacturer out of business, because no one would ever need to buy another.

.................Buckshot

LAH
04-30-2005, 04:40 PM
My first press was a Lyman All American. Still have it and use it some. Like Bruce B. I catch the primers in my hand. A primer catcher wouldn't work for me as I prime with the press.

I've used a RCBS Chucker for 30 years or so. Never had stray spent primer syndrome (SSPS). Mine fall in the standard RCBS plastic catcher, no problem. Guess I'm really different than most but I also prime with this press.

Swagerman
04-30-2005, 05:14 PM
This wouldn't work on your All American??? How hard is it to twist a knob and remove the primer tray.

Swagerman

BruceB
04-30-2005, 05:37 PM
My A-A is truly USED as a "turret" press.

I place a case in the shellholder, and it doesn't leave the shellholder until it's completely loaded (unless I have to install dacron, or check the charge etc.).

The case is sized, de- and re-primed (I do NOT clean primer pockets), and the turret is rotated to bring up the expanding station where the case-mouth is flared. The turret is clicked around again to bring the powder measure up, and the case is charged. Another click and the seating die is ready for use. Take the loaded round out, wipe it, and into the cartridge box with it.

As noted, I catch the spent primer in my hand, and also place the new primers individually in the priming post because I really distrust the flimsy tubes of the original push-button primer feed. The feed worked well when correctly adjusted, but it offers zero protection to the operator if a detonation should occur. IF the primer tray is conveniently located, there's very little time lost.

I never have half-"processed" brass laying around. It's either empty or loaded. I find that my method of loading with this press (now well-refined over the -Good Lord- almost FORTY years I've owned it) works extremely well, and quite rapidly in the bargain. Nice press....I wish they still made it, maybe with the single addition of a five-station turret, as there's sure plenty of room on that casting for five or even six holes. Too many holes just makes it awkward due to the necessary rotation past the empty ones when loading the way I do. Five would be just right, I think, but the four-station setup has worked exceedingly well for me..

EDG
05-03-2005, 08:17 PM
I started loading with a Bair C press in 1969. I have used a Lee decapping punch to remove primers since some time in 1969. I didn't like the primer grit gettting into the ram bore so when I bought a Rockchucker in 1972 I never installed the primer arm or the primer catcher. The ram in my RC is still pretty clean and though no longer tight it is not sloppy either.
I have used the RC to form many cases. I once cracked a steel .44 Mag sizer die using it to form .444 Marlin cases heads down to use in a .303 Lee-Enfield.

Bent Ramrod
05-04-2005, 02:16 AM
I started with a Pacific Super but abandoned it when I got a Corbin set to make swaged .22 bullets out of .22 shells and cast lead cores. The compound leverage of the Rockchucker helped that process enormously, and it is also the workhorse for heavy case forming and any other x-treme operations on brass or lead.

The most elegant solution to the spent primer problem is in the Bonanza (now Forster) Co-Ax, which runs primer and residue down a tube and into a jar for later emptying and removal. It's the perfect press for someone who reloads and maybe does light case forming and has to do all this in their living space, rather than a garage or shop. No mess, no fuss! And it's a fascinating piece of mechanism, too; lots of entertainment value watching it work while you pull the lever. It does take getting used to, if you're accustomed to a "sit down" operation with a C or O press. Pulling that big lever over and down feels better standing up, at least to me.

However, if you want a "BIG" press, the one to get is that O-frame that Dangerous Dave (The Old Western Scrounger) sells. It will load a 20MM round, and it looks like you can put your head between shell-holder and die.

Willbird
05-04-2005, 06:47 AM
On a JR I did turn the ram around backwards, this helped somewhat, but I just gave up and hid the catcher somewhere, the primers go on the floor, I vacuam tham up now and then. Life is so much simpler when you are given the serenity to accept things you cannot change and the wisdom to know that :-)

Bill

locutus
05-22-2005, 11:40 PM
Redding makes a press that has a hole all the way through and catches the primers in a jar. IIRC, the Forster-Bonanza does the same thing.

45Dave
05-29-2005, 11:57 AM
I have many of the presses mentioned. I recently bought the Lee Cast Iron press that has the hollow ram and nipple onto which is affixed a large clear plastic tube that directs the primers into the trash can, coffee can, or use the plug and empty it later. The press is compound leverage and has the threaded insert on top that can be removed and replaced by the Hornady LNL unit.

I use SS presses only for very low volume reloading such as for the .45-70 and .38 WCF, using the Lee and the Bonanza. I load my .45 acp on the Dillon Square Deal, approx 300 per week, letting the primers fall into a 3 pound coffee can on the floor since I broke the mounting stem for the plastic primer catcher. Other volume reloading is on the Dillon 550B.

I tend to set up a press for one caliber and leave it that way.

tracker
05-30-2005, 09:39 AM
On my RC, I put a movie ticket receipt in front of the primmer catcher and frame and that worked great. The primers now just hit the ticket and drop into the primmer catcher. A small piece of tag board would work as well. It’s a cheep low tech trick that has worked for me.

Tracker

cjvdm
11-16-2010, 02:35 AM
NVcurmudgeon

I've recently obtained a 1975 vintage Rock Chucker . It is my second RCBS press. I also have a few LEE presses. The RC is 'n very strong piece of equipment and well made, but I find the window to be a little small. If you want to load tall cartridges like 300 WinMag and taller, the pleasure of reloading vanishes. So I got the itch to buy a bigger press since my Lee Challenger is becoming a bit long in the tooth. The window of the Lee Challenger is a little larger than that of the Rock Chucker and thus makes reloading a little easier, despite the fact that the leverage is not as powerful than that of the RC .
Eventually I decided on the LEE Classic Cast press. (Reason being, that I've been using a LEE Challenger 2001 press since they appeared on the market and I've loaded thousands of 30-06 cartidges with it and it is still in use)
When the LEE Classic Cast press arrived I was very excited, but the excitement vanished quickly. With the first 30-06 case resized, I destroyed the case. The shell holder groove was milled too large and the shell holder retainer clip pushed the shell holder off center and I destroyed a new case. I was very annoyed . Took the press back to the be replaced. Got the second LEE Classic Cast press a few days later. The second one was a lot better. Every thing ran true. BUT, the links , supposed to be plated was done extremely bad. Some pit holes appeared and a white waxy film "grew" on the surface of the links. When wiping it off the "plating" or what was left of it, came off too. By now there is virtually no plating left. Disgusting to say the least ....!

OK, so far so good (bad..). Looking passed the finish of this press, it is a real pleasure to use. The window is HUGE and the ease of changing shells is a delightful operation, especially for guys with big hands.

To conclude, all the RCBS presses that I have, were made in the times when Uncle Fred Huntington kept a personal eye on things. They are well designed an well made, but they don't work as nicely with large cartidges. By that I mean , they can do the job but it is bit more tricky and then the operation feels more like work than pleasure. The LEE Classic Cast Press is a huge thing and well priced. I believe it is well designed too. The spent primers don't fall on the floor since they go down a hole right through the ram from top to bottom and accumulate in a plastic tube on the bottom end of the ram. If I have to choose again I'll opt for the Classic Cast press again. If you plan to buy one, check it out thoroughly . Make sure that it doesn't show simptoms of Friday-afternoon or Monday-morning-manufacturing disease. If you can find a LEE Classic Cast press that was properly made, I believe that it will provide you with a life time of pleasure. Just look after it well. Clean and lubricate it regularly.

Regards
Callie

1hole
11-16-2010, 12:23 PM
Anyone looking for a massive press needs a Redding Ultramag, no other common press is in the same catagory.

I so hated the way my RC did primers that I bought two Lee "Reloader" presses, put a Lee Autoprime II on one and a Lee Universal Decapper on the other. They don't take a lot of bench space and makes priming a pleasure rather than an agrivation.

Ickisrulz
11-16-2010, 01:07 PM
Anyone looking for a massive press needs a Redding Ultramag, no other common press is in the same catagory.

I so hated the way my RC did primers that I bought two Lee "Reloader" presses, put a Lee Autoprime II on one and a Lee Universal Decapper on the other. They don't take a lot of bench space and makes priming a pleasure rather than an agrivation.

The CH4d Champion press is really massive too and made for swaging. I don't know if the opening is as large as the Ultramag, but others here have said the linkage is superior. Just something to consider if swaging might be in the future. It costs about the same as the Ultramag too.

Kevin Rohrer
11-16-2010, 01:47 PM
I read this thread and am waiting for someone to actually talk about any "BIG Presses" (except for the Champion, which is fairly big).

:kidding:

autofix4u
11-16-2010, 02:06 PM
I have a RCBS A, Is that big enough?
Dont use it much any more, nothing wrong with it just have other presses.

Char-Gar
11-16-2010, 02:09 PM
Big is one of those relative terms. It means different things to different people. I used a Rockchucker for years with no issues. I sold it when I bought a 50s vintage RCBS A2. The A2 is a little big bigger in size, but way bigger in strength, being made from cast steel as opposed to cast iron.

My A2 shows no mechanical wear in spite of it age and use. It uses a larger ram, that has a hole in it and the spent primers fall out the bottom into a bucket on the floor. I am not looking for anything bigger or stronger.

UNIQUEDOT
11-16-2010, 02:49 PM
I read this thread and am waiting for someone to actually talk about any "BIG Presses" (except for the Champion, which is fairly big).

:kidding:

Yep, but while you were reading, did you happen to notice the date?

1hole
11-16-2010, 06:32 PM
"I have a RCBS A, Is that big enough? "

It is indeed. You know where we can order one today and what the current list price is?

jaguarxk120
11-16-2010, 09:20 PM
Big press? I guess I have one of the big presses. Setting next to my RCBS A2 is a Hollywood Universal 12 Station Turret is that big enough?

GLShooter
11-16-2010, 09:53 PM
I have an RCBS Big Max out in the garage it is HUGE!!

Greg

Catshooter
11-17-2010, 12:25 AM
Just FYI, the RCBS Rockcucker Supreme has a four inch opening.

I don't load any 300 magnums, but a .45-70 with a 457125 is also a tight fit. I just picked up a Supreme just for that reason. I don't know if I like the priming system that comes with it yet. We'll see.

Sure can't fault RCBS's customer service though, that's fer dang sure. Really stands out in this day and age.


Cat

Kevin Rohrer
11-17-2010, 12:39 AM
Big press? I guess I have one of the big presses. Setting next to my RCBS A2 is a Hollywood Universal 12 Station Turret is that big enough?

Yup. That's what I mean by a BIG press. I have one, too.

http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv29/KevinRohrer/Reloading/IMG_0382-1.jpg

And the one behind it (a Senior Turret) is no slouch, either.

Kevin Rohrer
11-17-2010, 12:44 AM
"I have a RCBS A, Is that big enough? "

It is indeed. You know where we can order one today and what the current list price is?

The "As" and "A2s" showup on Ebay regularly. They go for anywhere from $75-150.

Bob Maerdian
11-17-2010, 02:38 AM
My first press was a Pacific Super back in 1957, a nice "C" press I still use. Next came the RCBS A-2, now there is a press with some real beef to it. Primer catcher...nope, a coffee can on the floor under it solved the spent primer problem. Some how an old Lyman "Comet" found its way to my cluttered bench. I use them all.

Bob 11B50

noylj
11-17-2010, 03:15 PM
If you want to upgrade to a "better" single stage press, the Forster Co-Ax is the only way to go.
Got rid of my RC back in the late '70s for a Co-Ax and NEVER regretted it.
However, you will not be getting "better" reloads, just a press that is more convenient to work with and catches every primer in a bottle.

flashhole
11-17-2010, 07:16 PM
A few years ago I had to have my wire-haired terrier x-rayed. The vet had to ask me what one odd shape that turned up in the picture was. I instantly identified it as a small primer, anvil side up. Nelson had apparently picked up a dropped piece of kibble from the garage floor and slurped up the primer, too. He was not the brightest dog in the world, but very high on the nice dog list. The primer seemed to have found its way out without harm, but I still hate primers on the floor. curmudgeon

Not that it has anything to do with this thread but years ago our neighbor took their dog to the vet for some ailment. The dog had to be X-rayed and they saw 17 metal objects in different parts of the dogs body. They turned out to be lead pellets from a pellet gun. The dog was doing his business in another neighbors yard and the neighbor kept shooting it. The dog died about a month later when the owner backed over it with his car in the driveway.

Ozark Howler
11-17-2010, 08:59 PM
For your viewing pleasure.....some big presses

Kevin Rohrer
11-18-2010, 12:00 AM
Not sure of the definition of "BIG", but if it means non-aluminum and strong, here's a pair of Dunbars for you.

http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv29/KevinRohrer/Reloading/IMG_0357-1.jpg

jaguarxk120
11-18-2010, 06:37 PM
Kevin a real nice set of Dunbar presses, I see from your loading bench you recycle the black trays from Costco. I use them all the time for all kinds of small parts.

Catshooter
11-18-2010, 07:57 PM
Howler,

I see you have two 2As. I think the one on the right-hand end needs to come live with me, you already got one.

Please? :)


Cat

lcclower
11-18-2010, 11:39 PM
Rock Chucker, 1971, with the aluminum primer trampoline. I put a rag in the primer catcher and only drop a few.

a.squibload
11-19-2010, 03:28 AM
RC, bought new in the '70s. Not wore out yet.

Classic Cast, new this year. Like the adjustable handle.
Bought for swaging BT-style, modified ram to add homemade auto-boolit-ejector.
First time I ever primed on a press, usually use the Lee auto-prime.

Never thought of these as "big" presses!

Here's what I want, maybe someday:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=76514&highlight=build+press

Kevin Rohrer
11-19-2010, 04:15 AM
...I see from your loading bench you recycle the black trays from Costco...

Actually, those are the plastic trays from TV dinners. I believe the smaller ones were Stouffer's TV dinners, while the big one originally held lasagna. They are made from thick plastic and are very rigid--and cost effective. :veryconfu

Char-Gar
11-19-2010, 11:18 AM
I have never given much thought to the spent primer issue. Whatever system you employ, there will be a few primers that hit the floor. For years, I used a broom and dust pan to clean them up, but today I have gone high tec and use a shop vac.

RCBS made a neat aluminum primer catcher for the RC, but got cheap and went to plastic. Huntington's continued to carry the metal ones. I don't know if they still have them or not.

I place this primer angst with other issues that seem to plague the newer generation of shooters, such as dirty burning powder and smoky bullet lube. For loaders of my generation, we swept up the primers, cleaned the firearms and washed our hands. A little smoke from bullet lube never bothered me or anybody else. Seems like a simple solutions to the issues to me.

I have noted that this new generation looks to science and technology to give them a perfect world and solve all of their problems. They want progressive presses that will crank out buckets of ammo at one setting. They dont seem to want to expend a little energy to shoot or live life. "Time Marches On". If you understand that quote, all of the above will make sense to you.

GP100man
11-19-2010, 01:56 PM
Fellers I`m purty shore I saw this on here somewhere ,it`s easy & cheap !!!

A McDonald`s straw cut & slipped in the primerarm slot !!

& it WORKS , I don`t prime on my Orange crusher , just size & form .

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0442.jpg

Char-Gar
11-19-2010, 05:32 PM
Buckshot... Sometimes tinsel strength is important. The Prewar Pacific C press looked like a "C" on a base with no reinforcing metal at the bottom of the C. It was possible to snap the C off of the base when bullet swaging or doing some really stupid case forming. I had a friend who snapped on of these when trying to resize a GI 30-06 case into a .243 case in one fell swoop.

After WWII, Pacific beefed up the base of the C and it became the Super C. You could not snap these, but you could stretch them a hair when trying to swage jacketed bullets. Pacific began to provide a steel bar that attached to the automatic primer arm boss and priming arm boss. In effect it became an O press.

When RCBS came out with the A series with the O frame and much improved leverage, they became the real darlings and the think to have on your bench if you were a serious reloader. I always wanted one, but they were beyond my economic range. It was years later when I could pay for one.