What to keep: RCBS Rockchucker or Forster Coax

[pugjunga123]

I'm in the process of doing a long-overdue spring cleaning. I find myself wanting to whittle down my reloading setup. I have an RCBS Rockchucker, I use this the most since it is mounted, and 2 Forster Coax. Never really tried the Coax, but I want to make sure I don't get rid of them and then figure out I should have kept them since there are advantages to the Coax over the RCBS that I was not aware of.

[Shawlerbrook]

Been using a Rockchucker for almost 40 years so that’s my choice.

[Harter66]

Depends on your shooting goals really .

Now this is coming from the guy with a Big Max , 2 RCs , a Partner and looking for a reason to hang the Pacific casting Hornady 008 , so take that into consideration .

I'd run a batch of prep and or full loads through the CoAx and maybe some forming . I understand that the CoAx shines for cartridge alignment , but nobody talks about it as a full service press . As far as a utility full service press it's pretty hard to say any of the RC line is bad at it . It was after all conceived as a 22 cal swage press . The life of an RC and CS is almost Mythical status on the other hand I've never read "well I had to retire the old CoAx it just wouldn't hold the .005 run out anymore " .

I'd love to have a CoAx but I don't think at my level with a stable of 2" rifles and 1"/10yd workhorse pistols that it's a justifiable purchase .

[shell70634]

What to keep: BOTH

[farmbif]

both are great presses, I would have hard time parting with either. its not like your trying to choose between an original rockchuker and a lee hand press

[sharps4590]

If you do a lot of case forming, keep the RC. What the heck, keep them both. They don't eat anything, you don't have to put shoes on them and you don't have to pay taxes on them.

[414gates]

Keep them both.

If you need an excuse, use the Forster for bullet seating, and the RC for everything else.

[georgerkahn]

I'm in the process of doing a long-overdue spring cleaning. I find myself wanting to whittle down my reloading setup. I have an RCBS Rockchucker, I use this the most since it is mounted, and 2 Forster Coax. Never really tried the Coax, but I want to make sure I don't get rid of them and then figure out I should have kept them since there are advantages to the Coax over the RCBS that I was not aware of.
Some persons pour powder in a primed case, seat a bullet, and have a ball at the range; the woods; everywhere. Sadly (?) I have gotten quite OCD with MY reloading, and a knee/mobility challenge has changed the bulk of my shooting to be at paper. Add a Remington XP100 in .221 Fireball to this... and... bench rest with my OCD loading -- wet-pin-tumbled clean Lapua cases each trimmed; primers seated with a Holland modified bench seater; bullets each weighed with an anomaly culled; and, a dedicated Forster super-seater.
My performance at range was disappointing, to say the least. A fellow whom I do not generally care for -- but is usually correct in his comments (figure?) suggested I check concentricity/run out. Hey -- I was using a Redding Boss press. *BUT* -- after getting a concentricity gauge -- wowsers! -- all over the place.
From Buffalo Arms I ordered and got me a CoAx. Same brass, dies, powder, and bullets -- my concentricity went down .005" overall! On most loaded cases, it became negligible.
I wish I could day my groups shrunk as much, too, but I'd be loose with the truth. Yes -- I went from 6" - 8" down to 2" - 3" -- imho significant -- but nowhere near the one-hole groups folks put on, say, YouTube :(.
Since I got the CoAx, that's all I use for precision rifle loading. The Boss (analogous to your RC?) for "regular" reloading (rifle); and the Dillon 550 for most pistol rounds.
geo

[jsizemore]

I set my dies to shoulder bump, and size the neck. Prime, charge with powder, slip the sizer out and and slip the seating die in. I can do that at home or at the range. That would be what the Co-ax was designed to do.

When I need to do grunt work, the Rock Chucker excels. And it'll load good ammo too. Just not as good as the Co-ax.

I don't know how I'd get along without both. They're about 21" apart on their own bench away from those progressive upstarts.

[pertnear]

Accuracy bugs go all ga-ga over the Coax so it should bring the most cash & be easy to sell. Keep the RCBS - it will load just as accurate ammo. Concentric rounds are a function of the dies & set-up & rarely due to the press itself.

[PhilC]

You can't have too many presses, I have 3 single stage presses, the RC2 I started with in '86, a mint original RC, and a vintage Echo. All my presses, including a Dillon XL750 and RCBS LAM 2, are set up with Inline Fab's flush mount system and can swap any one of them in minutes.

[1hole]

Concentric rounds are a function of the dies & set-up & rarely due to the press itself.

Roger that.

Ammo is made inside the dies. All any press can do is push the cases into the dies and pull them back out.

IF there was any consistent difference in "accuracy" from any press the makers would happily say that in their advertisements. None of them make that claim because they would be sued for false advertising.

No dies and no press can make straighter (accurate) ammo than their case necks permit. Most cases have poor necks. And few loaders have the skills to actually develop an accurate reload.

[JimB..]

I have a co-ax and not a rock chucker, you may make a different decision.

[JimKirk]

I had a Rock Chucker ....sold it for my coax ... I have had six or seven other presses also .....I no longer have any except the CoAx...

[oley55]

I'd keep both. The Coax is known for a lot of things but can't do everything. One of the lesser bragged about Coax things is punching out a lot of primers quickly with virtually zero mess.

[Sasquatch-1]

Let the kids decide after you are gone.

[dverna]

I have both, use both, and intend to keep both. I use the In-Line system so there is no issue withe bench space.

I would rather have the RC sitting there for initial sizing of military brass (some from machine guns) than have $100 or so from selling it. I do the rest of my reloading of rifle rounds on the Co-Ax.

If I had to get rid one, it would be the RC after sizing the 4-5k military cases I have left.

[John Guedry]

I wouldn't get rid of either of them.

[Scrounge]

If you do a lot of case forming, keep the RC. What the heck, keep them both. They don't eat anything, you don't have to put shoes on them and you don't have to pay taxes on them.

They won't gripe about you using the other one, either. ;) You can have one setup just the way you want it for a specific cartridge, bullet, and all the finicky details, and another for your 2nd favorite, or just everything else, too.

Bill

[Three44s]

Is there a law on the books limiting reloading press ownership?

If there was ...... I would hide one and run one, irregardless .... keep both!

I do not own a Coax but I swear, if I ever get rich and famous, I plan on getting one.

My daily driver is a Redding Boss and I have loaded much over a RCBS Jr. since 1975. I do think that the brand of press aside, the dies you use and your technique bear scrutiny.

I find that seating a bullet in one push is very detrimental to bullet to case runout.

My concentricity measurements tell me that you want to just barely start a bullet then back the ram enough to rotate the case one third of a revolution ....... just kiss the bullet again with only seating it a slight bit more, rotate again, seat a bit more or Finnish it.

The number of times you rotate and do what I call “mini-pushes” while seating the bullet is entirely up to you.

The most important thing I have found with this technique is that the rotations must be accomplished when the bullet is just barely seated and to straighten its entry into the case mouth, you need to seat it ever so little more each pass.

When I first started this regiment I made the error of seating bullets too deeply before rotating the case each time.


Three44s

[Preacher Jim]

Keep them both you will use them equally and miss either one. Buy one back is expensive what you have costs nothing like replacement would

[Lefty Red]

I would keep the Rock Chucker. New RC IVs are going for $150 on sale. The CoAx goes for twice that and always out of stock. You can get much more out if the CoAx if you sell or trade. Then get another RC and some jungle in your pocket. Win win!

[Tazman1602]

Been using my rockchucker for over 40 years, wife bought me a Forster for Christmas 6 or 7 years ago and no WAY would I “chuck” either one. I’d keep both but that’s me….

Art

[mdi]

I reloaded on a single stage for quite a few years, worked for me. I then switched to a turret. Disabled the auto index and worked a little better for me. Bought a Forster Co-Ax. For me and my reloading style the Co-Ax is by far the best press I've owned. I can do just about everything on it I did with my other presses.

[Kosh75287]

I'D keep the Rockchucker since I'M more familiar with mine than the Forster Co-Ax (which I do not own). The Forster looks like a neat deal, though.
If someone owns and uses one extensively, I'd like to know more about it.

[dverna]

I'D keep the Rockchucker since I'M more familiar with mine than the Forster Co-Ax (which I do not own). The Forster looks like a neat deal, though.
If someone owns and uses one extensively, I'd like to know more about it.

The Co-Ax was my first press almost 50 years ago. There are two things I do not like. It is easy to lose the springs for the shell holder...unless you have a few in stock...lol. I do not like priming on it. Your hand is over the case. But I prime off the press so not an issue for me.

I like the ‘almost universal’ shell holder, how the dies are held, and the 100% capture of spent primers when decapping.

[Taterhead]

If you need to do operations that require bulky gear on the top of the press (bullet sizing, pass through sizing, bullet pullin, etc), the RC is more suitable.

[Iowa Fox]

Let the kids decide after you are gone.

That's what I'm planning to do.

[jmorris]

I never got rid of either but I use my co-ax a lot more than my RC.

Doesn’t really matter to anyone but you. What one do you like the most?

If you are never going to use the Co-ax, I suppose, by definition, it’s useless.

[GWS]

Both presses are worth more than the paper money you'll get for them. Keep them, neither take a lot of room. Someday, even if you don't use it, it's like hidden gold, along as you don't let it rust away, a wise investment if you ask me.