Diesel Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 A friend of mine is willing to give me a RCBS Rock Chucker press. I am new to reloading and a monthly IPSC shooter. I want to get started but I hate to invest (even in a free one) in a reloader that I won't be satisfied with later. If you think this one is acceptable, what else will I need to get going with .45 and 9mm reloading? Powder measurer, scales, calipers, dies, de-burring tools, tumblers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogmaDog Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 The rock chucker is a single stage press, so it will be a lot of effort to crank out the number of rounds a typical IPSC shooter needs. That said, most of what you will need to buy will be compatible with a Dillon when you get one. You'll need a scale, dies, calipers, and case cleaning equipment. I've never used or seen a need for deburring any of my pistol cases. I'm not sure how powder dispensing works on a single stage, as I started with a Dillon 550. But you will need some kind of powder measure. Ultimately, you will wind up with a Dillon (SDB, 550 or 650), and be happy with it. DD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
short_round Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 The Rock Chucker is a solid press. The problem is, if you are going to be shooting the type of volume that you will need for IPSC you will want a progressive. You can get the RCBS Piggyback (read about it here) kit to make the Rock Chucker progressive. The kit basically turns the ROck Chucker into an RCBS 2000 (I think you will also need to get the Powder Measure though.) Eventually you will end up taking the route DogmaDog outlined. I did. I sold my Rock Chucker with Piggyback after getting a Dillon 650. However, it would have been nice to keep the Rock Chucker for load development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 However, it would have been nice to keep the Rock Chucker for load development. I still regret selling my single stage for that exact reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Diesel, Take the Rock Chucker and thank him very much, then get on the horn to Brian (877-219-5598 toll free) and get a Dillon progressive press. You can get into a Square Deal progressive press for not much more than the accessories you need to make the Rock Chucker work will cost. After you are set with a nice progressive re-loader you can use the Rock Chucker for rifle and pistol loading in calibers where you don't need large volume (44 magnum, .308 etc). The Rock Chucker is a great single stage press, but you will find it more than tedious to volume load on it. I tried to use one for IPSC pistol loading back when I first started and gave it up after just 3 weeks and bought a Dillon 550. I was basically spending 3-4 evenings to load 300 rounds of 9mm on the Rock Chucker. After getting a 550, I was loading 300 rounds in under an hour. Huge difference. BTW, do not waste the money to upgrade the Rock Chucker into a crappy progressive, it blows in comparison to any of the real progressive presses from Dillon. -- Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 You'll love the Dillon. And they're right about the time/volume equation. Give yourself a break. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigg_jon Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 If I were you, I'd take the rock chucker. After all, free is free! I have one that I use to load rifle rounds for hunting. It is a very nice single stage press. As the others have mentioned, when funds are available I would upgrade to a dillon for your pistol cartridges. But for now, you could get some dillon dies and use the rock chucker to press out a few rounds an hour. Then when you get a dillon press, you will have the dies and just need to set up the machine. Also, as has been said, it will be nice for load development and if you want to load just a few round of some obscure caliber. As for other equipment, I would get safety glasses, a few reloading manuals, a decent set of calipers, and a scale. That should get you a good start on equipment for whatever press you decide to stick with. Anyway, this is just my opinion...take it for what it's worth...not a whole lot Hope this helps, jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAW Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Take the Rock Chucker. And then buy a Dillion. I use the Rock Chucker to load my match 223 and 308 rounds and use the Dillion 550 and 650 to load my 45, 40S&W and 9mm rounds. I keep all three busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 You will find the Rock Chucker extremely handy as a permanent mounting fixture for the Dillon Power Case trimmer you will buy later. If someone offered me a free RockChucker, I'd do exactly that with it. Also, it would be extremely handy for prepping match rifle brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasag93 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 THe Rock Chucker is the standard by which all other single stage presses are judged by. It is a very solid press. I load my hunting rounds on mine. It sits on my table right next to 2 550b's. I would not go the piggyback route for the Rock Chucker. I had one. Kinda a pain. If you have never used a progressive then it would be the shjt. BUt once you use a 550 or 650 you would be looking to dump it on someone else. Keep the Rock Chucker for what ever reasons. It will come in handy for something. I loaded on mine for awhile. I just got tired of hours of reloading for a few pistol rounds. Take it and be happy. I wish I had friends who just gave me press like that. TXAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 The Rock Chucker is a good solid press. I like EricW's idea about mounting the case trimmer to it (finally validation to buy it! ). My father loaded my ammo for 2 years on a Rock Chucker and would knock 'em out at a pace of 200 rounds per hour. Yeah...he loves me...A LOT! In any case, work with it until you're comfortable with the basics of reloading. Then, decide if you want to go with a "semi-progressive" (i.e. a Square Deal or 550) or 'fully-progressive' (650 or 1050). Oh, and Dillon IS the only way to go. I love my 650 and my 1050, but still have a Rock Chucker (Pops has a Rock Chucker and an Orange Crusher. Old School! ) Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gun Geek Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 One of the few times I see pretty good agreement - must be good advice - take the chucker and run. I also agree. There is a 650 on one end of my bench and a rock chucker on the other. There are a couple of other factors that you should consider when choosing the next press. The SquareDeal uses non-standard dies (which means you can't interchange dies between the SDB and the rockchucker). You can not develop loads on the chucker then switch over to the SDB unless you buy 2 sets of dies in each caliber. You also can't use other manufacturers dies (i.e the Lee FCD or Redding seating dies, etc). You also can not load rifle cartridges on the SDB, so if you want to do 223 for 3-gun, you're SOL. If you consider the 550 and the 650, the die problem goes away - they take take standard dies. The 550 requires you to manually index the shell plate and does not have a provision for an auto case feeder. I actually think the manual indexing is a potential saftey problem. This makes it easy to over charge or zero charge a case. So, since I'm spending your money when you're ready for a progressive, get a 650. If you get it fairly stripped down, you can gorw into it. my 2 cents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 The 550 requires you to manually index the shell plate and does not have a provision for an auto case feeder. Actually, there is or was an aftermarket case feeder for the 550. I saw one the other evening at a friend's house. I don't know the cost or any other details other than he got it out of the "Front Sight" Magazine. It also makes it obvious that you didn't index the press as it tries to place a second case on the shell plate. Vince Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 One more vote to take the RCBS press. Even at the slower pace, it's cheaper than buying factory or reloads. You will soon see the benefits of the progressive press and get a Dillion. In the mean time, you will learn alot about reloading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Posted May 26, 2004 Author Share Posted May 26, 2004 Wow, thanks everyone. I'll have the guy send it to me so I can start learning. If things go well and I think it makes sense, I'll move up to a Dillon. You guys are great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 (edited) Well... I just posted a reply and noticed that I'd just given advice to somebody who asked the question a year and a half ago! Jeez... don't they have a delete function on this site? Ah, well. HI EVERYBODY! Edited October 11, 2005 by jkrispies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfFox Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 A friend of mine is willing to give me a RCBS Rock Chucker press. I am new to reloading and a monthly IPSC shooter. I want to get started but I hate to invest (even in a free one) in a reloader that I won't be satisfied with later.If you think this one is acceptable, what else will I need to get going with .45 and 9mm reloading? Powder measurer, scales, calipers, dies, de-burring tools, tumblers? I bought the Dillon 550 and then bought the RCBS Rock Chucker. I will be using both! The RCBS is an excellent press from what I've read. Still haven't used either one yet, but I have everthing either bought or on its way. Will be building my bench next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico567 Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I have had my Rock Chucker around 30 years, and I can't even imagine getting along without it, even though most of my rounds are loaded on my XL650. I've decapped & swaged military primers on it, done case forming, pulled bullets, extracted stuck cases from dies, etc. And, as has been mentioned, for the small amounts of ammo dealt with in load development, any progressive would be distinctly UN-handy. Free Rock Chucker? Jump on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now