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A couple of days ago, I stumbled across someone selling a single stage press....just what I needed - another project.
He said it was a RCBS and told me I could have it and a Franklin Arsenal portable stand for $60.00. It looked OK in the pictures, so I said sure. I had asked him what model it was and I was told it had a A11 on the side. Not knowing much about these presses, I spend a while on the Internet and came to the conclusion that maybe what the seller meant was an A2 prress, an older RCBS model.
So I picked it up yesterday and low and behold it was not an A2 but a RC, otherwise known as an RC1, otherwise known as a "Rockchucker" - I have to admit that whoever was in charge of product branding at RCBS in the 1960's and 1970's must have been smoking something or just enjoyed regularly seeing confused looks on their customer's faces. (Note: if you want to take a wild ride down several bunny trails, look on the Internet for discussions of how to tell the various Rockchucker models apart, which do or don't have bushings of different sizes and threading, which have different paint color schemes; and which have different types of handles, etc, etc.)
This press was in great shape with very little wear and/or soiling. So, I was pretty happy, especially sense I think the RC1 can have Hornady or Lee conversion bushings added to quickly change dies, where apparently the A2 could not.
Today, I took it off the portable stand in preparation of re-mounting it to a work bench. I took it all apart, cleaned it and put it back together again. The only rust was on the metal of the "bicycle" handle and one spot at the bottom of the ram where it meets the linkage. As it turns out, it did have an A11 code stamped on the right side, which appears to be some sort of auxiliary production year code. Everything is all oiled up and its operation is very smooth. All I have yet to do is take off the existing bushing; for curiosity's sake look to see if there is a manufacture's year date under the bushing; mount it to my bench; and obtain and install the conversion dies.
Here is a good video on disassembly in case you need to do this as well:
Here are some before and during cleaning photos:
Being new to reloading beyond 9mm, I hope to be able to use this press to deprime and size .223 and 30 carbine off of/separately from my Dillon XL 650. Is this a realistic way to keep the lubing mess off the Dillon?
My plan is to clean brass - deprime/resize on the RC1 - trim and swage as needed - clean again and then - drop powder - seat and crimp on the Dillon. Does anyone else do it this way or any other recommendations for efficiency? Also, do you just keep your station 1 on the Dillon empty when actually loading?
I don't have the availability for long range precision rifle at the present, so I'm hoping just to make good range ammo to begin with and then see where things go from there.
Oh, one more question - do any of you actually prime brass on a Rockchucker press (as opposed to hand or bench reloading)? Normally, I will prime on the Dillon but was curious in case I wanted to do a small batch without having to go through the conversion take down and then re-setup on the Dillon.
Well, enough for today.... Tomorrow - new bunny trails to follow - getting a bigger crescent wrench to tackle the die bushing - I've never worked on a 1 1/2" scale before - and figuring out what mounting bolt lengths I need for the bench.
He said it was a RCBS and told me I could have it and a Franklin Arsenal portable stand for $60.00. It looked OK in the pictures, so I said sure. I had asked him what model it was and I was told it had a A11 on the side. Not knowing much about these presses, I spend a while on the Internet and came to the conclusion that maybe what the seller meant was an A2 prress, an older RCBS model.
So I picked it up yesterday and low and behold it was not an A2 but a RC, otherwise known as an RC1, otherwise known as a "Rockchucker" - I have to admit that whoever was in charge of product branding at RCBS in the 1960's and 1970's must have been smoking something or just enjoyed regularly seeing confused looks on their customer's faces. (Note: if you want to take a wild ride down several bunny trails, look on the Internet for discussions of how to tell the various Rockchucker models apart, which do or don't have bushings of different sizes and threading, which have different paint color schemes; and which have different types of handles, etc, etc.)
This press was in great shape with very little wear and/or soiling. So, I was pretty happy, especially sense I think the RC1 can have Hornady or Lee conversion bushings added to quickly change dies, where apparently the A2 could not.
Today, I took it off the portable stand in preparation of re-mounting it to a work bench. I took it all apart, cleaned it and put it back together again. The only rust was on the metal of the "bicycle" handle and one spot at the bottom of the ram where it meets the linkage. As it turns out, it did have an A11 code stamped on the right side, which appears to be some sort of auxiliary production year code. Everything is all oiled up and its operation is very smooth. All I have yet to do is take off the existing bushing; for curiosity's sake look to see if there is a manufacture's year date under the bushing; mount it to my bench; and obtain and install the conversion dies.
Here is a good video on disassembly in case you need to do this as well:
Here are some before and during cleaning photos:
Being new to reloading beyond 9mm, I hope to be able to use this press to deprime and size .223 and 30 carbine off of/separately from my Dillon XL 650. Is this a realistic way to keep the lubing mess off the Dillon?
My plan is to clean brass - deprime/resize on the RC1 - trim and swage as needed - clean again and then - drop powder - seat and crimp on the Dillon. Does anyone else do it this way or any other recommendations for efficiency? Also, do you just keep your station 1 on the Dillon empty when actually loading?
I don't have the availability for long range precision rifle at the present, so I'm hoping just to make good range ammo to begin with and then see where things go from there.
Oh, one more question - do any of you actually prime brass on a Rockchucker press (as opposed to hand or bench reloading)? Normally, I will prime on the Dillon but was curious in case I wanted to do a small batch without having to go through the conversion take down and then re-setup on the Dillon.
Well, enough for today.... Tomorrow - new bunny trails to follow - getting a bigger crescent wrench to tackle the die bushing - I've never worked on a 1 1/2" scale before - and figuring out what mounting bolt lengths I need for the bench.
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