RCBS lost their mind with price increases!!!!

[mikenbarb]

After finally admitting to myself that my two old Lymans are tired, I decided to order a couple new bottom pours today. After lots of research and great feedback from the members here I decided to take the plunge and order 2 new RCBS Pro-Melts from Midway. I just recieved their big book LAST WEEK and the advertised price in it is $256.99. I just called Midway 20 minutes ago to place an order and the sales person told me they went up in price to $339.99 and last weeks price of $256.99 is no longer good!! How in the world can RCBS justify a $82.00 increase on a Pro-Melt that was ONLY $256.99 LAST WEEK!!!!???? I dont know if they see an opportunity to make some fast cash like others are now doing in the reloading market but im not happy at all with this much of an increase. I could understand a 10 or even 20 dollar increase but not 82 bucks in a week or two making it almost a 35 percent increase over the old price!!:confused:
The real smack in the face was when I asked the sales person the current price of the Lymans expecting that they went up also and he told me they havnt gone up a dime and their still the same price of $259.99!:twisted:
So now im sitting here frustrated and mad and im going to wind up buying another Lyman if I cant find a RCBS furnace cheaper than what they jacked the prices up to now.:(

[high standard 40]

Wow! And one point to consider. Midway prices are less than retail. If Midway's price went up $83, then RCBS's retail went up more than that.:roll: Just wait. If the government keep printing money with nothing to back it up, inflation will get so bad that an $83 increase will seem small [smilie=b:

[shooterg]

Green ain't what it used to be. Wonder if the pots are made in China now ?

[Hardcast416taylor]

Hello again. Here are prices that I have catalogs for.
Graf & Sons: $303.19
Mid-South: $329.99
Natchez: $334.91

Kind of looks like a rock and a hard place as far as prices go. :( Robert

[MT Chambers]

RCBS has to charge more as chinese salaries are going up all the time! I paid almost $500 for my new RCBS melter up here in canada.

[skeet1]

At the price of the RCBS and even the Lyman, I think I would take a harder look at LEE. For the money you just can't beat them and their made in the USA.

Skeet1

[stubshaft]

At the price of the RCBS and even the Lyman, I think I would take a harder look at LEE. For the money you just can't beat them and their made in the USA.

Skeet1


I thought the same thing and bought 2 LEE's. At the prices I got them for I can rebuild them if they fail or just buy another couple of pots. The only difference that I could find was that the RCBS and Lyman were insulated. Oh, and of course the Lee does have that annoying drip.....

[Jon K]

I have found that Lee is lacking in the temperature control..........

I would ladle pour (Waage K-4757) everything before buying a Lee pot again. But til then my RCBS is working great.

Jon

[mikenbarb]

I spent the last couple hours looking around and its about the same prices everywhere and I just find it real hard to believe that they increased the price that much when its only around 20 bucks worth of tin they spend on making one. If I cant find a cheaper Pro-Melt I guess im gonna buy a couple new Lymans and take a good hard look at the Lee line but the drips dont turn me on at all and thats what im trying to avoid when I buy a new bottom pour.:(
I used to be a diehard RCBS person with new stuff I buy but im gradually getting away from them because theres way too many other companies out there with as good or better products for cheaper prices. They keep proving this to me time and time again with things they do like this in a real bad economy. You would think they would understand that but I guess they think about the all mighty dollar instead of the guys just trying to save a few bucks by casting.:confused:

[HeavyMetal]

If your gonna spend How much on a pair of electric pots???

Why not take a look at Magma's site, I uinderstand they have a 40 lb bottom pour which will be about what your spending on a pair of lymans or RCBS pots.

[anachronism]

I just sent my Lyman Mag-20 back to Lyman last month for an overhaul. They told me to expect $25.00 ea for a new element & thermostat, plus labor. They wouldn't sell me the parts for it anymore. I'm still waiting for them to call & confirm the original estimate, & get a credit card #.

[RugerSP101]

I have found that Lee is lacking in the temperature control..........

I would ladle pour (Waage K-4757) everything before buying a Lee pot again. But til then my RCBS is working great.

JonIm confused.
I just started casting and did ~3000 bullets and had very few bullets that werent perfect with my new Lee pot.
The lead poured perfect for the entire 6 hour stretch. So whats the deal ?

[mooman76]

RCBS has to make up for those lifetime garantees somehow!

[anachronism]

Im confused.
I just started casting and did ~3000 bullets and had very few bullets that werent perfect with my new Lee pot.
The lead poured perfect for the entire 6 hour stretch. So whats the deal ?


As strange as it may sound, you can get a variance in your as-cast bullet weights if you don't hold your alloy temps at a consistent level. This often isn't a real issue with a lot of casters because they just do light target shooting, or plinking, usually with handguns.

Rifle shooters are a different breed entirely. They need everything to be as consistent as possible, & usually weigh everything multiple times. Some casters follow the same protocol, whether they're shooting rifles or handguns. It's a pride in workmanship issue.

I'm currently limping along with a LEE Magnum Melter while my Mag-20 is in the shop, and there's a night & day difference between the two. I cannot for the life of me get the LEE to hold temps anywhere near as consistent as my Lyman. I'm experiencing nearly 100 degree temperature variations!. It's so bad that I'm not even casting rifle bullets anymore, until the Lyman pot returns. I weighed a few, shook my head & decided not to weigh them again. My weight variations are running over double my standard (.5%), and I'm ladle casting too!! To be as fair as I can to LEE, the pot I'm using only cost me $50.00 + shipping, and my Lyman was almost 4 times that.

[94Doug]

I think that the price that Midway had listed was probably wrong in the first place, not a case of RCBS raising the price that much. The price of those pots has been around $300. for some time.

[RugerSP101]

As strange as it may sound, you can get a variance in your as-cast bullet weights if you don't hold your alloy temps at a consistent level. This often isn't a real issue with a lot of casters because they just do light target shooting, or plinking, usually with handguns.

Rifle shooters are a different breed entirely. They need everything to be as consistent as possible, & usually weigh everything multiple times. Some casters follow the same protocol, whether they're shooting rifles or handguns. It's a pride in workmanship issue.

I'm currently limping along with a LEE Magnum Melter while my Mag-20 is in the shop, and there's a night & day difference between the two. I cannot for the life of me get the LEE to hold temps anywhere near as consistent as my Lyman. I'm experiencing nearly 100 degree temperature variations!. It's so bad that I'm not even casting rifle bullets anymore, until the Lyman pot returns. I weighed a few, shook my head & decided not to weigh them again. My weight variations are running over double my standard (5%), and I'm ladle casting too!! To be as fair as I can to LEE, the pot I'm using only cost me $50.00 + shipping, and my Lyman was almost 4 times that.
I guess if I were shooting competitively I could see it making a difference. :)
Seriously doubt Ill be reloading for rifles anyway, so probably doesnt make much of a difference on my end.
But, Im also using pure lead to cast with, so I definitely wont be pushing past very slow velocities anyway
Thanks for the info :)

[mikenbarb]

+1 Anochronism and thats exactly what its all about. Precision.
Doug, Its the real price because I just called them today and last week it was 80 bucks cheaper and I dont even see why there would be a 40 dollar increase in these times except for making a few extra fast bucks..

[BruceB]

Over a period of forty-plus years, I've found that if I mention some shooting-related item of whatever sort, there's a VERY good chance that my wife will arrange to have whatever-it-is for me as a gift in the near future. One such item was an RCBS Pro-Melt, after my Lyman/Saeco furnace finally gave up the ghost.

That was probably twenty years ago, and the Pro-Melt has worked FLAWLESSLY for many hours per year ever since (well into the thousands of hours now).

How long has it been since the price was increased the last time? The pain of paying an immediate price increase SHOULD be offset by the knowledge that the piece of equipment will endure for a long time.....if the price is up by $80 and the furnace lasts twenty years, the increase amounts to four bucks per year. I'd rather see the price go up rather than the quality go down.

I have the same trouble understanding the attitude of some folks regarding primer prices: " I may not have any primers, and I can't shoot without them, but BY GUM I didn't spend that extra ten or twenty bucks for a thousand of 'em. Guess I showed THEM guys..." but, they're still not shooting because of the lousy penny or two PER ROUND. Sorry, it doesn't make sense.

RCBS has been backing-up their equipment with ZERO-COST support for decades. This has cost an immense amount of money over those years. Do you REALLY think that RCBS has suddenly smelled the coffee and decided to rip-off all us consumers????

I don't think so.

[hotwheelz]

After finally admitting to myself that my two old Lymans are tired, I decided to order a couple new bottom pours today. After lots of research and great feedback from the members here I decided to take the plunge and order 2 new RCBS Pro-Melts from Midway. I just recieved their big book LAST WEEK and the advertised price in it is $256.99. I just called Midway 20 minutes ago to place an order and the sales person told me they went up in price to $339.99 and last weeks price of $256.99 is no longer good!! How in the world can RCBS justify a $82.00 increase on a Pro-Melt that was ONLY $256.99 LAST WEEK!!!!???? I dont know if they see an opportunity to make some fast cash like others are now doing in the reloading market but im not happy at all with this much of an increase. I could understand a 10 or even 20 dollar increase but not 82 bucks in a week or two making it almost a 35 percent increase over the old price!!:confused:
The real smack in the face was when I asked the sales person the current price of the Lymans expecting that they went up also and he told me they havnt gone up a dime and their still the same price of $259.99!:twisted:
So now im sitting here frustrated and mad and im going to wind up buying another Lyman if I cant find a RCBS furnace cheaper than what they jacked the prices up to now.:(

Was it some kind of sale ??? I bought mine around Christmas time and it was $299 on sale regular price was $329 . If they were only $256 I would think about another 1

[happy7]

Just for the record the Pro Melt does not have a life time guarantee. I believe it is two years. Only non electric items have the lifetime warrenty.

Also, not all of them are problem free. Mine drips more often than not and the temp on mine varies by at least 50 degrees and I have had to replace the thermostat once (@ about $40 from RCBS). Two things I really like over the Lee is that it is makes no noise at all when heating and the pot is stainless.

[MtGun44]

Get used to this.

Zero-bama's TRILLIONS of bucks down the sewer will cause price inflation like you youngsters
have never imagined and us oldsters have seen before and hated then and will hate it again.
They are effectively devaluing the dollar. The furnace didn't go up, your money went down.

Welcome to Jimma Cahta #2. We had 18% inflation in those days. I got a 12% pay "raise"
one year, but that was actually a 6% pay CUT. I love it when the Demos are in charge.

Bill

[mikenbarb]

Bruce, Nope, I just think its a unjustified price increase at this time for that much. Like I stated earlier I wouldnt mind a 20 dollar one but 80+ bucks just sounds wayyy too high for a one shot deal on something in that price range. The warranty isnt lifetime on the Pro-Melts either and its about the same as the others made and im quite sure all the parts are made in China like most are except Lee. I Liked what I heard about them from lots of members here so I decided RCBS over the Lyman I was thinking about but now in definatly considering the Lyman again for 100 bucks less. You can buy alot of spare parts to stock for 100 bucks.
PS- Its not my fault it costs them lots of money for their lifetime parts replacement policy. If they made stuff better they wouldnt have that much of a problem, Would they? How can Lee make and sell a set of great quality dies for 22 bucks and the same set from RCBS is 40-50 dollars or more?? Thats how they can offer a lifetime replacement policy, Because your paying double and that broken part only costs them about 5 dollars to make so their well ahead of the game or they would have been out of business a long time ago.

[Nora]

Im confused.
I just started casting and did ~3000 bullets and had very few bullets that werent perfect with my new Lee pot.
The lead poured perfect for the entire 6 hour stretch. So whats the deal ?

If you are casting great boolits that meet your standards then keep casting and don't worry about it. I just finished a run of 1k (took 3 days) 312-185's with my IV-10 bottom drip. I don't have a thermostat but have learned to listen to the pot, lead and mold. Not including the rounds that were culled for physical imperfections I only lost 57 to be recast later due to weight issues. I won't keep any thing that doesn't fall between 178.2-179.5gr. The large majority of those will fall into the 178.5-178.8 range.

Although this is the only model of pot that I've ever cast from. So that's not to say that if I were to use a big dollar pot that I wouldn't cry big gator tears at the thought of going back.

[madsenshooter]

I recently purchased a heating element for a Lee, guess where they are made, Taiwan. Lee's might be US assembled, but aren't US made. You can find the exact same furnace if you search for metal casting, and I don't think these people are buying from Lee.

[RugerSP101]

I have the same trouble understanding the attitude of some folks regarding primer prices: " I may not have any primers, and I can't shoot without them, but BY GUM I didn't spend that extra ten or twenty bucks for a thousand of 'em. Guess I showed THEM guys..." but, they're still not shooting because of the lousy penny or two PER ROUND. Sorry, it doesn't make sense.Definitely agree.
Id pay $70 for a thousand if I could find them here in town or someone I can trust. Its more expensive than Id like, but it still works out to be a lot cheaper than $20/50 rounds.
I havent ever used Gunbroker, so Im not willing to risk it unless I can use a credit card in case the seller tries to screw me...at least id have some recourse other than just giving a bad feedback.

[RugerSP101]

If you are casting great boolits that meet your standards then keep casting and don't worry about it. I just finished a run of 1k (took 3 days) 312-185's with my IV-10 bottom drip. I don't have a thermostat but have learned to listen to the pot, lead and mold. Not including the rounds that were culled for physical imperfections I only lost 57 to be recast later due to weight issues. I won't keep any thing that doesn't fall between 178.2-179.5gr. The large majority of those will fall into the 178.5-178.8 range.

Although this is the only model of pot that I've ever cast from. So that's not to say that if I were to use a big dollar pot that I wouldn't cry big gator tears at the thought of going back.
I dont bother weighing the bullets. Theyre just for shooting so my wife can get used to the Ruger we bought...nothing that has to be too great, though the loads we're doing seem to be very accurate for whatever reason.

I love the Lee Production Pot IV that I bought for $60 at GM. It' should last for a few decades seeing that we'll only end up firing it up probably once a year for a day or two to cast 50 lbs worth of bullets for the season.

[beanflip]

I have a 2009 RCBS product catalog and the Pro-melt Furnace is $439.95 for the 110 volt and $453.95 for the 240 volt.

OUCH!!!![smilie=b:

[Recluse]

Not sure, but I think I paid close to $300 for my Pro-Melt three/four years ago. Paid about $60 a year and a half ago for the Lee Pro-4-20. Can I tell a difference? Yep. The RCBS is heavier and I like the bottom-pour lever setup better.

Temperature consistence? I keep the furnace at least half-full all the time. Don't have wild fluctuations with either pot--but I also generally cast hot and it seems to be easier to keep both pots at a consistent, precise temp when running hotter. Oh, and that Lee pot will get a lot hotter than the RCBS pot.

Drip? Both of them drip. Bottom pour pots drip from time to time. It's a fact. Funny thing is, just about every picture I see of someone's RCBS Pro-Melt, there's an ingot mould underneath the spout. If they don't drip, then why the drip mould underneath there? Repeat: Bottom pour funaces are going to drip from time to time. My Lee doesn't drip anymore than the Pro-Melt did (now boxed up and in storage to be used at a new location in the near future).

How are they with ladle pouring? I used to hate ladle pouring, but now I'm actually enjoying it a bit. With my longer boolits, it's the ONLY way for me to go when using aluminum moulds. Gives me my best and most consistent boolits. Can't tell any real difference between the two in that respect.

If I didn't pay any attention to money or how much things cost, I'd probably go with the RCBS based on reputation alone. But is it better--namely almost FIVE TIMES better (based upon how much more--almost five times--it costs over the Lee) than the Lee Pro-4-20 furnace. No way.

I like RCBS and I like Lee. I also like Dillon and I like Hornady. I used to like Lyman, and in all fairness, they have some things I still like. But as much as I like and appreciate Quality, I also equally appreciate Value.

And as far as the RCBS "price hike?" I believe Midway can share some blame there as well. I've been burned a few times in past years with "too good to be true" advertised prices for which the merchandise was not available and was NOT going to be available for quite some time.

I've been seeing price increases from all the manufacturers, though, not just RCBS. And while I personally don't like it, I have to admit it's a smart move with our present government and media being the way it is. . . .

:coffee:

[Bret4207]

Hmmmm, my $7.99 hot plate or $5.00 Coleman stove and $9.00 stainless pot are looking better and better.

[high standard 40]

I have a Lee 20lb bottom pour and have had NO problems with "The Drip". Maybe I'm just lucky. Temp control may not be as good but I've been able to maintain long casting sessions with no problems with mold fill out and very low rejection rates.

[skeet1]

The way "High standard 40" describes it the small inequities that the Lee 20lb has compared to the RCBS and Lyman are more than off set by the 4 times higher price of the later.

Skeet1

[Geraldo]

I shopped around last summer for a Pro Melt and paid over $300. I didn't buy from Midway because their price was not the best at that time (although I didn't save all that much buying it elsewhere). So either they lowered the price for 2009 then jacked it up on you, or there is a mistake somewhere.

Midway has them in stock for $339, Midsouth has them on order for $329. You can be casting with one in a few days or posting on this thread, which would you rather be doing?

[BABore]

Hmmmm, my $7.99 hot plate or $5.00 Coleman stove and $9.00 stainless pot are looking better and better.

Ooooh! Your really slummin now. I was feeling real sorry for these guys when I was thinking about my $25 turkey fryer burner, free 40 lb stainless pot, $30 Rowell ladle, and $25 RCBS thermometer.:groner:

[Springfield]

I have 2 Lee's, an RCBS and Magma. The 20 lb LEE's only hold 16 lbs. The RCBS holds 22. It makes a difference if you are doing any kind of volume. The RCBS temp control is on the pot. The LEE temp control is in the little tower next to the pot. So the LEE is much slower to react to adding lead. If you are casting with a 200 gran or so 2 cavity mould, both can keep up fine. If you are using a large mould, or a LEE 6 cavity of most any size, they might not, especially the LEE. I like to cast at least 1000 at a time, so I used to use a LEE to keep the RCBS full of melted lead, and it worked OK most of the time. Now with the extra volume(40 lbs) and added wattage(1500) of the Magma I have absolutely no problems. When I had only the RCBS and the LEE I thought the RCBS was the best thing going. The other day I took it out to cast with 'cause I was using a 1 cavity mould and the Magma had the 2 hole pour spout on. Dang, I have been spoiled. Next time I will just switch to the 1 hole spout and use the Magma. It only takes a minute anyway. FYI, my 2008 Grafs catalog list the RCBS at 303.00. They haven't been 289.00 for a while now. I got mine used(in 220v) for 100.00 3 years ago, and they were 259.00 new then.

[mtgrs737]

I got mine for $175 slightly used off of evil bay. I don't think it was used more than once by the look of the inside of the pot. I felt lucky to get it.

[mstarling]

WOW ... things are getting more expensive. I chickened out on a new RCBS pot 5 years or so ago and bought a used one on eBay for $125 shipped. About the same time, an old friend who had given up the shooting sports GAVE me another. Need less to say, I was pleased to have both of them for the investment I made.

I don't plan on buying another at the new prices. I'll go back to pot and ladle casting before I do that!

[Russel Nash]

Here is a thread I started a while back with pictures of the inside of the RCBS Pro Melt:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=41055&highlight=innards

Like I wrote in that thread, I am thinking that if you are a handy guy, you could make your own pot for a fraction of the MSRP on a new one.

[Jon K]

There was an RCBS Pro Melt NIB on Ebay,sold 2 hours ago $290.

There are others with new price listed $350 "Buy It Now".

Jon

[mtnman31]

I originally purchased a Lee 10lb pot when I was first getting into casting. Last year I got a lucky find on Craigslist, a Pro-Melt in like new condition for 50 bucks. The Lee is fine and I guess I am fortunate that it hasn't dripped anymore than the RCBS. The only real drawbacks to the Lee are its smaller capacity and I don't like its pour lever/valve system. I personally think that if you use clean lead ingots in your pots, you'll be doing yourself a big favor in preventing drips from starting in the first place - with any brand of pot. I tend to agree with some others in that I think RCBS products are way over priced. For the most part, I find myself buying RCBS products second hand as I can't bring myself to pay their retail costs for new stuff.

[Boondocker]

Over a period of forty-plus years, I've found that if I mention some shooting-related item of whatever sort, there's a VERY good chance that my wife will arrange to have whatever-it-is for me as a gift in the near future.


I do the exact same thing,works like a charm Bruce. I got my 550 Dillon by leaving the Blue Press opened up all over the house on that page. Now I leave the PC tuned into something often and she gets the picture. Kinda like my daughter or granddaughter letting me know what Nanna really likes. Saves the oh thats nice (barf) reply and serves to get something you really appreciate. That said I have been using Lee pots for 12 to 15 yrs nowand learn how to tinker them to not drip as often. My welding bench is 3/8 inch steel so I just pick up the drips and throw them in the pot anyways. For that RCBS price I would build a custom pot myself. :castmine:

[wdr2]

I use a Waage melting pot. These hold a very constant temperature (+-10F) and are very reliable. Dipper only.

[Lloyd Smale]

look at the price jump the magma pots took last year. the rcbs is still a bargin

[captainkirk]

I don't have near the experience or knowledge most of you guys do, but my old (20+) Lee has done well for me. You can actually "lap" the spout and rod together to help eliminate the drip. A little JB bore paste made mine work great. Clean alloy (as mentioned before) is the other trick.

captainkirk

[RugerSP101]

One thing I do like about Lee is that warranty where they refurbish an item for half the retail cost if its still in production. That seems like a really cool concept if it actually works.

[mikenbarb]

Yaaaa Hoooo!!! I just found a brand new one for $329.99 so I ordered it and should be here in a few days. Im a happy man now!!!:-D:-D I gotta cast alot of boolits to pay for this now and I hope its realll goosd to me and lasts for a long long time.

[klcarroll]

Well, ...I hate to be a "wet blanket", ...but I have to point out that if one took a Lee Production Pot, ...and hooked it up to one of the PID Controllers that have been written about here, .....you would still have spent less than $330, …..and you would have a setup that would probably be more accurate than an RCBS pot by an order of magnitude!

Right now, a stock Lee pot works fine for me: .....But if I ever get super-serious about temperature control, .....I will solder up a PID controller for my plain, old, rebuildable Lee!

Kent

[Springfield]

But the LEE would still hold 17 lbs and the RCBS hold 22. Can make a difference. And where exactly do you put the thermocouple in the LEE pot? Maybe I should upgrade my Magma too.

[JesterGrin_1]

Yaaaa Hoooo!!! I just found a brand new one for $329.99 so I ordered it and should be here in a few days. Im a happy man now!!!:-D:-D I gotta cast alot of boolits to pay for this now and I hope its realll goosd to me and lasts for a long long time.

I know they are expensive but I will say I like my RCBS Pro Melt. And being me lol. I have to admit I got very lucky as I walked into a shooting range and low and behold they had a used one on a shelf that has seen some use so I asked about it and the person said it works great and it should it is an RCBS lol. So with a bit of worry I asked how much for the Green Heat Mister and he said hmmmmmm give me $50.oo for it so I did and ran out of the store sounding like Renfield he he he he lol. I have been usiing it now going on almost 2 years without a hitch. :):castmine:

I had the smaller Lee 10 pound pot with bottom pour and to be nice it got tossed in the garbage can lol. That was long before I found this site though lol. If I knew then what I know now I would have kept it and made a perch for it over the RCBS pot and ran both at the same time so any Drips from the Lee would just go in the RCBS pot and use the Lee to keep the RCBS pot full. Oh well