I've been reading a lot of very positive reviews here about the Rockchucker kit. How does it compare to a progressive press? How time efficient is the Rockchucker compared to a turret model. I'm wondering if the extra money is worth it for me. I don't expect to be reloading more than 200 rounds a week.
Reloading Time (Progressive vs Single Stage)
- Thread starter Bam_Bam
- Start date
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
200 rounds a week is a lot for a single stage rockchucker. That's what I have. It was my grandpas and I have been reloading on it since I was a kid.
200 a week will probably take you 2.5-3 hours with practice. It's about a minute a shell until you get into a groove. It's less than that if you are on a mission and do the stages in large batches and it's more time if you do them in 50's, you have distractions or just take your time.
It's a great press and I don't mind doing rifle ammo on it but I don't even want to bother making 9mm on it.
It does a good job and makes nice ammunition. It's just not the fastest way to do it.
200 a week will probably take you 2.5-3 hours with practice. It's about a minute a shell until you get into a groove. It's less than that if you are on a mission and do the stages in large batches and it's more time if you do them in 50's, you have distractions or just take your time.
It's a great press and I don't mind doing rifle ammo on it but I don't even want to bother making 9mm on it.
It does a good job and makes nice ammunition. It's just not the fastest way to do it.
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
I do all my ammo single stage.
It takes me a couple nights to crank out 1000 rds of pistol ammo.
It takes me a couple nights to crank out 1000 rds of pistol ammo.
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
Single stage presses can make good ammo, but setting up the dies for each operation is a PITA. Takes too long and consistency is questionable.
Rather than a single stage, I'd suggest a Lee Turret, preferably the Classic Cast. Nothing wrong with the aluminum based cheaper version. You can buy a kit with this aluminum based press, priming tool, powder measure and powder scale for about $160 plus shipping, from one of our supporting advertisers, I think. Do a search in this subforum for the supplier.
A shooting buddy is using this Lee turret set-up, with the 4-hole turret, and it makes great ammo. Set up the dies once and forget them. Go for the 4 hole turret so you have the option of using a separate bullet seating die and crimping die. Gives better quality finished ammo, and easier to set up as well.
For your 200 round a week requirement (perhaps an hour of work once you get the hang), a turret press is ideal and the price is even less than a night out with the missus (show and dinner).
Rather than a single stage, I'd suggest a Lee Turret, preferably the Classic Cast. Nothing wrong with the aluminum based cheaper version. You can buy a kit with this aluminum based press, priming tool, powder measure and powder scale for about $160 plus shipping, from one of our supporting advertisers, I think. Do a search in this subforum for the supplier.
A shooting buddy is using this Lee turret set-up, with the 4-hole turret, and it makes great ammo. Set up the dies once and forget them. Go for the 4 hole turret so you have the option of using a separate bullet seating die and crimping die. Gives better quality finished ammo, and easier to set up as well.
For your 200 round a week requirement (perhaps an hour of work once you get the hang), a turret press is ideal and the price is even less than a night out with the missus (show and dinner).
The new (made in China) Rockchuckers are coming out with problems. Search the forum for details. Their warranty, however, remains excellent by all accounts, though you may now need to resort to it sooner than you'd like.
Reloading pistol, you're sooner or later gonna want a progressive. If you buy an inexpensive Lee single stage press now, and acquire good quality dies and tools to go with it you'll be off to a good start. Later, when you go to a progressive, the tools and dies (with the exception of certain models of Dillon) you bought will stay in service as will, no doubt, your low cost single stage press. Yep, an awful lot of Reloaders have both. You'll appreciate why as you get into it.
Reloading pistol, you're sooner or later gonna want a progressive. If you buy an inexpensive Lee single stage press now, and acquire good quality dies and tools to go with it you'll be off to a good start. Later, when you go to a progressive, the tools and dies (with the exception of certain models of Dillon) you bought will stay in service as will, no doubt, your low cost single stage press. Yep, an awful lot of Reloaders have both. You'll appreciate why as you get into it.
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
Doesn't take long at all, really. The trick is not to mess with the outer nut and the die body itself too much when switching over. Lyman dies use a set screw (the only feature I like about the lymans) and Lee uses a rubber O ring on the underside to keep things good and snug. One of these days I'll get really ambitious and add a set screw to my Lee dies to make things even easier. My consistency for handgun ammo is just fine (my tolerances are +/- 1/10gr charge, +/- .002" on OAL, YMMV) checked every 25 rounds (scaled charge, back in the case, seated & crimped, then checked with my calipers.)
I handload handgun just for cost savings alone. My rifles are handloaded for accuracy, so every round gets inspected. I do it all single stage with a hand press because I don't have the space in my apartment for a progressive press to do my pistol and revolver ammo on (otherwise I'd have an SDB for each caliber!) or even my bench mount single stage.
But your mileage may vary, of course.
Single Stage: 30-50 rounds per hour.
Turret Press: 50-100 rounds per hour
Cheap Progressive (Lee 1000): 200-300 rounds per hour
High end Progressive (Dillon 650): 400-800 rounds per hour
Now you can add in case feeders/bullet feeders and then the only hangup is primer loading. Pretty much every progressive is limited to 100 primers at a time. Even the Low end volume reloading (3K-5K/hour still have 100 primer feeder tubes).
Turret Press: 50-100 rounds per hour
Cheap Progressive (Lee 1000): 200-300 rounds per hour
High end Progressive (Dillon 650): 400-800 rounds per hour
Now you can add in case feeders/bullet feeders and then the only hangup is primer loading. Pretty much every progressive is limited to 100 primers at a time. Even the Low end volume reloading (3K-5K/hour still have 100 primer feeder tubes).
Ayup. I did my first 1000 rounds of .40 on my RBCS Chucker. Took me a couple days (roughly 16 hours if I recall correctly). I decided after that to get a Progressive
.
That's what the Auto Primer filler is for...you can't crank a fully tricked out 650 (or even a 1050) faster than the primer filler does its' job. ...so refilling the 100 primers only takes about 10 seconds (fill up the primer feed...put another 100 in the primer filler...away you go
For precision I go with RCBC RCh or Wilson Press, depends which dies I am using.
For volume, I have cheap Dillon Square Deal.
After I load primers, I can turn 100 rounds in 8min 35sec, that is my new record, but more realistically it can be easily done 400-500/1 hr with loading primers.
For volume, I have cheap Dillon Square Deal.
After I load primers, I can turn 100 rounds in 8min 35sec, that is my new record, but more realistically it can be easily done 400-500/1 hr with loading primers.
Yep, a few extra $15.00 tubes is certainly a worthwhile investment considering what they do for the performance of an expensive progressive setup.
Actually...I'm referring to the Dillon RF-100. It doesn't fill up the standard primers tubes (I was under the same assumption before I bought it) It's a stand alone machine that fills the primers into a single tube that comes with the machine.
I have seen the hand held machines that fill the regular tubes...they seem to work pretty well.
The advantage of the RF-100...it really doesn't take you away from the press...just about 10 seconds for every 100 primers (it does its' work while you work the press)...but it's not cheap.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
I would recommend a Lee Turret. It fits between the single stage and a progressive. With all the right gadgets (safety prim + auto disk powder measure) you can load up to 250 and hour. Personally I take my time and usually works out to about 200 an hour. Also if you are reloading more than 1 caliber you can buy a second turret and just swap the entire turret to change calibers. I have this setup for 9mm and .45 and it works very well.
I to would recommend the lee turret press with the Autodisk powder measure and powder drop die. I have a dillon which I use for cranking out pistol rounds and it is great, but I use the turret press for everything else. Sizing bullets, rifle, and pistol calibers that I do not shoot as much. I can make a couple hundred rounds in an evening with it.
Get the $160 Lee Turret kit, you can easily crank 150-200 rounds per hour with it and there's a 4th hole for factory crimping. I pay about $90.00 per month for 1000 rounds of 9mm and it takes me one Saturday morning to make it all on my turret press. I've probably made 10,000 rounds so far, so that thing has paid for itself like 5 times already.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
Go with the LEE turret.
