I see RCBS Rock Chuckers for sale, and Rock Chucker IIs, and Rock Chucker Supremes. What are the differences among the three? Among the three, please rate them: best; better; good; . . . [to] boat anchor.

Well Naphtali, it would be kinda like wrestlin' with a pig, they're basically all stronger than need be, and all are very functional, and long-lived, the RC II's are a tad bit shorter in the "Throat" than the RC Supreme's, and the Supreme's have provision for the handle to be swapped from right to left to suit your personal needs...

Othern that, they're about the same....don't "Wrestle" it too much, just find one you can get a good deal on and go for it, you won't be dissapointed ...

P.S. far as I know RCBS don't make any boat anchors...My Uncle's old origional RockChucker is still going strong, and he bought it in about 1955 ......

IMO, unless you're into reloading with very long cases, e.g. .50 BMG, the Rock Chucker presses will be more than you will ever need. Believe the most noticeable difference between the RC and RCII is the handle with the ball. Would not rate any of them boat anchors. All three are big, strong presses comparable to the best of any found on the market backed up by and excellent service organization. If you're on a budget, get a used one on eBay, that's what I did.

I notice that some Rock Chucker variations have ambidextrous operating handle mount casting on ram's toggle. When did this become available? Do variations having this have a specific model name? Can any Rock Chucker be converted to ambidextrous by swapping out the handle mount casting?

And the most critical -- when did RCBS begin having their Rock Chuckers [and Lubri-Sizers] made in Red China? Or is there a marking somewhere on the device that it is NOT American made?

I think only the A-4 Big Max, and the new Supreme are ambidextrous... as far as being made in Red China, I don't know where they're made .....

I bought my Rock Chucker in the 1970's. If I lost it today I would be ordering another tomorrow. Abought 6 mos ago I bought one for my son in ID.

The supreme is ambidextrous and yes it is cast in China. I chose the Lee classic cast when i wanted a larger stronger o frame as it offers the most features and "cast in U.S.A" is cast into the rear beam! and it's still less expensive.

My RC II is okay but it's no better, in any way, than it's competitor's similar models; Lyman's Crusher, Redding's Boss, and Lee's Classic Cast. If I had to get a replacement press tomorrow it WOULD BE the Classic Cast!

The Classic Cast is both more massive and stronger, made of cast steel (railroad rails, actually) instead of cast iron from China. The spent primers drop through the larger diameter hollow ram into a bucket, not bounced all over the floor as the RC does. Lee's handle is fully adjustable for side, lenght and angle. It's very well made on modern CNC controlled machines. And it costs MUCH less, if money matters to anyone.

yep they cost much less....and money is tight everywhere....I've never personally used one, but from whats been reported here, I would be trying one next if I had the urge to buy another press .... I think they are a good option to Rcbs's high prices ....

I'm sure the RCBS is a fine unit but I don't see how you could go wrong with a made in USA Classic Cast Press ot better yet the ClassicTurret Press from Lee Precision. But I'm biased - I am a dedicated Lee Presicion user.

Even if it was cast in China, the metal came from the USA.

RCBS has been so good to me in customer service, I most likely won't buy any other press brand.

Even if it was cast in China, the metal came from the USA.


I don't know how this can be known. China mines all the raw materials they can, and they buy scrap from a number of nations.
Anyway, no matter where the scrap came from, if it wasn't cast here (in the USA), no matter what brand it is, some of our fellow
citizens are out of a foundry job, (here in the USA).

Far as I can tell, these presses of mine don't know where they were cast, they seem to work just fine......

I like Rcbs, I have had very good luck using their stuff

Which press would be better suited for loading .577/450 cases with compressed powder charges --- the Lee Classic Cast or the Turret Press , or the RCBS or RCBS II ?
I'm currently using a Lyman Turret press , but as I will start loading for the Martini Henry as well in the near future , think that I'd prefer something a little more robust .

The .577-450 dies usually have a larger thread than the standard 7/8-14 thread. They haven't got a standard oversized thread, so you'll have to get a press that can use your dies. Both RCBS and CH-4D have the tools, but they use different threads. Might be others.

RCBS - 1 1/4-12
CH-4D - 1-14

Bye
Jack

Dean-

I meant to say probably came from the US... There is no 'way' to know, but there is a chance.

Thanks Jack . I have a 2 - die , RCBS set of dies in 577/450 , and these are threaded 7/8 x 14 , they work in my Lyman turret press OK , but I feel that I would be more comfortable with a stronger press for this calibre .

Stan, you might also check this out....these are good presses, and have more leverage than the others, spendy, but very high quality... :

http://www.forsterproducts.com/Pages/press.htm

The Redding Big Boss II is another nice press to consider - DNR has them for about $127.00 plus shipping. Larger opening (similar to the RCBS RC Supreme) and cast in the USA by another company that gives great service.

My thks to Odessa , Oloutlaw and Jack Monteith for yr assistance . I'll start pricing your recommendations , and availability of the units , this week .

My first reloading experience involved the use of three diff makes and models of presses; Lee, Hornady; RCBS. All 3 were effective enough to do what was needed, but RCBS was worlds apart in quality and rigidity. The other 2 presses couldnt hold a candle to the RCBS.

Guess what RCBS stands for? Rock Chucker Bullet Swage. Originally Fred H got into the business making dies with which to make bullets from rimfire cases as jackets. (Swage sets.) This press was also long enough to reload all the popular calibers then. 50 Browning came along later, civilian use.

I got my Rockchucker back in the 70s and don't plan to let go of it soon. God knows. I don't. And the newer, longer versions... will reload the 50 Browning. Made in China. Awful lot is. Very little isn't. Your call.

The Rolls Royce presses are by the Corbins, Dave, corbins.com and Richard, rceco.com. Made to swage bullets. Plenty of "horsepower." But cost more. Others are competitive. Hornady (used to be Pacific, but got bought out. Texan? Bair? Hollywood.) LEE is very frank for reloading the cast is overkill, but if you insist... Redding. CH4d.com. Herter? Flip a coin.

For your use, any 7/8ths x 14 die will fit in standard presses and do your work. Compressing powder is not a big deal. Only the long and bigger around need larger diameter dies. Thus the insert. You take it out and can use 1 inch dies which were standard, long ago, for reloading shotgun shells. Slow but worked. Lachmiller did many such dies. Another piece of history. Luck.

Thks Biggun & IIRanger . I thought that this would be a fairly quick exercise --- looks like I was a bit too optimistic , doesn't it . I'll continue to plug away , with my criteria still being a strong press able to handle 577/450 loads , and spare parts for the press must be readily available in Australia .

If your objective is pure strength there is ONE answer; Redding's Ultra-Mag. It would be unlikely to ever need parts.