what are the best presses on the market today?

Kevguy...why don't you tell us how you feel? Jury is still out on the new Rockchuckers, alot of folks on other sites say that just the small/cheap RCBS ones are Chinese made, and not the Rockchucker.......I have a 10 year old Rockchucker and a 50 year old one, and both are top notch, neither has ever skipped a beat, and I used them for some pretty dumb things. I use them for some chores still, can't imagine either ever breaking.
 
ben hunchak said:
Kevguy...why don't you tell us how you feel? Jury is still out on the new Rockchuckers, alot of folks on other sites say that just the small/cheap RCBS ones are Chinese made, and not the Rockchucker.......I have a 10 year old Rockchucker and a 50 year old one, and both are top notch, neither has ever skipped a beat, and I used them for some pretty dumb things. I use them for some chores still, can't imagine either ever breaking.
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So what you are saying then is that everybody else's Rockchucker is junk except for yours? Typical.....
 
I have a 25-30 year old Lee turret (4 hole), and a Dillon 650xl. I like em both.

I have been loading on the turret for 25 years or so, and made some pretty good ammo using my"Bonanza" bench rest dies for 22-250, as well as lee, hornaday, rcbs, for .308, .270, .30-30, and .303. All were acceptable, but I have never used Lee rifle dies.. except my .308 which needs proper testing still :) Lee seems to be good value dies for pistol though for sure.

Dillon was big $$ (for me anyway..) but it is a Cadillac, with great customer service and warranty. Very sturdy machine, smooth, and powerful stroke.Their powder thrower is very good. Good for making LOTS of each caliber. I have not tried their dies though... I ran out of money.
 
ben hunchak said:
Kevguy...why don't you tell us how you feel? Jury is still out on the new Rockchuckers, alot of folks on other sites say that just the small/cheap RCBS ones are Chinese made, and not the Rockchucker.......I have a 10 year old Rockchucker and a 50 year old one, and both are top notch, neither has ever skipped a beat, and I used them for some pretty dumb things. I use them for some chores still, can't imagine either ever breaking.
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I read the same thing about all the rcbs press's,but I also heard for the first time that lyman has gone the same way.
 
Ben, do you remember the old RCBS A-2 ?
Going from one of those old boys to a Rockchucker was kinda like going from a Model T to a Lincoln, but they were a good, tough press and still used by many. My first Rockchucker had the rough pale green finish just like the old A-2....
Sorry for the hi-jack fellas... :)
 
I won't defile anyone else s product but I use Redding equipment.It was recommended to me many years ago and it has proven to be very dependable. It was more expensive then than more common brands.
I imagine it is like everything else; you can get good or bad in anything. You lay down your money and hope for the best.
John
 
kevguy said:
So what you are saying then is that everybody else's Rockchucker is junk except for yours? Typical.....
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Not at all, but if it is made in China,that puts it outside of my buying parameters. You will notice that I have been reading about this "issue" on other sites and most feel that the Rockchucker is indeed made in the US.
Also, don't be so touchy, on such subjects, you seem angry, and "bad words make for bad feelings".
 
I started out on a LEE Breach Lock and it was a good press. I wanted to go to a turret style and I bought a Lyman T-Mag II and really like it.
 
Kevan said:
Ben, do you remember the old RCBS A-2 ?
Going from one of those old boys to a Rockchucker was kinda like going from a Model T to a Lincoln, but they were a good, tough press and still used by many. My first Rockchucker had the rough pale green finish just like the old A-2....
Sorry for the hi-jack fellas... :)
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Kevan; I remember the press, it was used by many to swage bullets, I wish that I had one now!!
 
kombayotch said:
The new Rockchuckers are junk, sorry. They're now made in China and half of the ones I have seen have terrible play in the ram. Here are some videos I took of one:


That's find if your goal is just to make a round that goes "bang!", but the press in those videos is useless for any kind of precision work. Follow Ben's advice and get the CO-AX if you want the best.
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kevguy said:
my Rockchucker is just over 2 years old and doesn't do that.
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Then you got lucky in the coin toss and got a good one...
 
Taylor-Made said:
OK, what is an acceptable amount of play in the ram?
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Ideally none...

Play in and of itself doesn't hurt anything if nothing is influencing the ram to tilt. If the force being applied to it is only straight up, then it will align itself with the die. The problem with some of these new rockchuckers is that in addition to the play, there is a force that is perpendicular to the ram being create when the toggle cams over at the bottom of the stroke and force is applied to the handle. This cause the ram o tilt due to the sloppy fit. It kills runouts in precision rounds. But, if you're only loading pistol rounds and hunting/plinking ammo, it isn't going to hurt anything.
 
I'm considering a Coax at the moment. I e-mailed them to find out if the shellholder would accept the 450/400ne brass, it will not apparently, and they say the die is too long for the yoke. No big deal on that, I can use the Rockchucker for the 450/400. Looks like if I can find someone in the US with stock on one, I can land it here for around 325.00.
 
ben hunchak said:
Not at all, but if it is made in China,that puts it outside of my buying parameters. You will notice that I have been reading about this "issue" on other sites and most feel that the Rockchucker is indeed made in the US.
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They are cast in China and finished machined in the US. And yes, a couple years ago they had a major problem with their machining. I saw one at a Cabellas in the US on display that wasn't aligned right...... There used to be Youtube videos of the problems.


I have a Classic Cast and there feels like zero lash in the ram. It is primarily used for 50 BMG. Other presses on my bench are an ancient Pacific (now Hornady) and a Forster Co-Ax is on the way.
 
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Lee, everyone fav reloading company people love to hate lol

Personally I own two of the and both have done there respected job perfectly. Now my LoadMaster can be a bit finiky at time as some of the plastic parts in the priming system do get bent from a problem (ie primer going in wrong...) but i view that as a blessing and a curse. When it bends it saves the primer from going off but then you have to take through shell plate out and change the part. The easiest fix for this press is to keep it clean and everything will be ok.. My other press is a Lee breach loader with zero issues.

One thing to keep in mind about Lee is, just because there cheap to buy doesn't mean there cheap products. It does the same as ALL the other presses, it just does it cheaper :)
 
One thing to keep in mind about Lee is, just because there cheap to buy doesn't mean there cheap products. It does the same as ALL the other presses, it just does it cheaper :)[/QUOTE]

If I wasn't happy with mine, it would be gone.
I play no favors regardless of brand...
 
We all have different needs and goals. Lee fulfills those for many people and doesn't for many others. I can't really find a way to draw an analogy without offending either party other than by saying that if you are one to enjoy the journey more than the destination, buy something else. If the destination is all that matters, then Lee is a good choice.

Except for their scale - that thing is a true POS.

If someone had offered this advice to me when I was looking for reloading equipment, then I would have known exactly what to do. I hope it can do that for someone else.
 
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