Press upgrade. Rebel, rock chucker, or coax

[M-61]

The Lee Classic Cast is a good one.

Regards
Rick

I have a lot of presses. Though they have little to do with finished product I like tools. ( addicted?)
I just bought the Lee Classic Cast because it was on sale at a great price. After I got it I was shocked at what a solid press this is.
The links are massive. Their ‘breech lock’ system is a great idea and I converted a couple of RCBS presses to that system. I’m never is a rush but this system is really handy. That Lee press though is really way beyond what I thought it would be.

 

[Ned Ludd]

How many rocks could a rock chucker chuck, if a rock chucker could chuck rocks?

The following review of fourteen different presses may be of interest:

Fourteen Reloading Presses Compared: Single-Stage Shootout – Ultimate Reloader

ultimatereloader.com

As shown in the Conclusion Section, the Rockchucker performed quite well in terms of total indicated runout (TIR) and the consistency of brass and loaded rounds it produced. Those are things that really matter in the reloading process.


Image taken from: https://ultimatereloader.com/2019/0...ng-presses-compared-single-stage-shootout/15/

 

[danny]

The Lee will not take the heavy swedging and heavy use the Rockchuker will. Least wise not for life. I'd spend the money for the stronger press myself.

Lee is a great starter, but the Rockchuker is the upgrade of the two.

The Lee Classic Cast has a lot more metal and sheer size, if I am not wrong. It is cast of some kind of Iron or Steel, I believe. I thought that the new version of the Rockchucker is now some kind of Aluminum or other cheaper, lighter metal.

Danny

 

[Dimner]

The Lee Classic Cast has a lot more metal and sheer size, if I am not wrong. It is cast of some kind of Iron or Steel, I believe. I thought that the new version of the Rockchucker is now some kind of Aluminum or other cheaper, lighter metal.

Danny

I bought a brand new rockchucker this past summer. I can confirm it is not aluminum or some sort of cheap metal. It upped my reloading consistency.

I have never used the classic cast, so I do not know how they compare, but the rockchucker (after owning 3 lee presses) leaves nothing to be desired.

My lee classic turret is right next to my rockchucker. I use it for decapping, crimping hunting rounds, sizing cast bullets, and expanding brass for cast bullets. I wouldn't ever sell the classic turret, but if I only could have one press it would be the rockchucker. With that, I'll add, my first press, the lee breechlock, was excellent too. But it was not adequate enough when I started using advanced handloading methods, like consistent shoulder bump.

 

[danny]

I bought a brand new rockchucker this past summer. I can confirm it is not aluminum or some sort of cheap metal. It upped my reloading consistency.

I have never used the classic cast, so I do not know how they compare, but the rockchucker (after owning 3 lee presses) leaves nothing to be desired.

My lee classic turret is right next to my rockchucker. I use it for decapping, crimping hunting rounds, sizing cast bullets, and expanding brass for cast bullets. I wouldn't ever sell the classic turret, but if I only could have one press it would be the rockchucker. With that, I'll add, my first press, the lee breechlock, was excellent too. But it was not adequate enough when I started using advanced handloading methods, like consistent shoulder bump.

Ok,
I went to the Ultimate Reloader press video. For the Rock Chucker Supreme, I was going by some complaints lodged either here or on another site that the casting changed from Cast Iron to some kind of cheaper material, maybe aluminum and cast in the PRC. My memory could even be off on that. Ultimate Reloader lists both the Rockchucker Supreme and the Classic Cast as being cast iron. That is great. Surprisingly, the Rockchucker Supreme is listed as 17.92 lbs., and the Classic Cast 11.23 lbs. The size of even the Classic Cast is nothing to sneeze at. I have only seen a standard Rockchucker in person, and I think that the Classic Cast may be bigger and heavier, but it is only a guess for now. With that having been said, there is no question that I would take a brand new Classic Cast over any used standard Rockchucker. Comparing the Classic Cast with the Rockchucker Supreme, I don't know what I would take now after having seen the two weights compared. I would have to see a Rockchucker Supreme in person to decide.

Danny

 

[Murray Brook]

Both are great presses. I believe it comes down to the features you may be personally looking for in a press, such as hand space, ram size, primer catcher, cam over or solid stop etc.

 

[Shooter13]

You should get a lifetime use out of your new press. RCBS has one of the best lifetime warranties out there.
If it has the plug where the die screws in you can Unscrew it and screw in the adapter to switch it over to the Hornady Lock n Load bushing system.

Exactly what I did

 

[Dimner]

Ok,
I went to the Ultimate Reloader press video. For the Rock Chucker Supreme, I was going by some complaints lodged either here or on another site that the casting changed from Cast Iron to some kind of cheaper material, maybe aluminum and cast in the PRC. My memory could even be off on that. Ultimate Reloader lists both the Rockchucker Supreme and the Classic Cast as being cast iron. That is great. Surprisingly, the Rockchucker Supreme is listed as 17.92 lbs., and the Classic Cast 11.23 lbs. The size of even the Classic Cast is nothing to sneeze at. I have only seen a standard Rockchucker in person, and I think that the Classic Cast may be bigger and heavier, but it is only a guess for now. With that having been said, there is no question that I would take a brand new Classic Cast over any used standard Rockchucker. Comparing the Classic Cast with the Rockchucker Supreme, I don't know what I would take now after having seen the two weights compared. I would have to see a Rockchucker Supreme in person to decide.

Danny

Per a comparison thread.... the Rockchucker supreme and the rockchucker 2 should be comparable in weight.

Rockchuker Press versions?

How many different versions over the years are there of the rockchuker press, and what are the differences? Thanks

forum.accurateshooter.com

Rock Chucker Supreme
The Rock Chucker Supreme has the same features as the Rock Chucker 2, and adds ambidextrous handle attachment points so the user may place the operating handle on the left or right. The Supreme also has a larger frame opening than previous Rock Chuckers, to better accommodate long rifle cartridges, such as the .50 caliber military cartridges. This Rock Chucker replaces all previous versions of the press.

Given that, I would not pass up a good deal on an older rockchucker. They should be just as sturdy as the supreme.

 

[danny]

Per a comparison thread.... the Rockchucker supreme and the rockchucker 2 should be comparable in weight.

Rockchuker Press versions?

How many different versions over the years are there of the rockchuker press, and what are the differences? Thanks

forum.accurateshooter.com

Given that, I would not pass up a good deal on an older rockchucker. They should be just as sturdy as the supreme.

I would pass on a used standard Rock Chucker in favor of a Classic Cast, though, because it is used, and the prices on those used Rock Chuckers are too unrealistically high.

Danny

 

[danny]

Per a comparison thread.... the Rockchucker supreme and the rockchucker 2 should be comparable in weight.

Rockchuker Press versions?

How many different versions over the years are there of the rockchuker press, and what are the differences? Thanks

forum.accurateshooter.com

Given that, I would not pass up a good deal on an older rockchucker. They should be just as sturdy as the supreme.

I am surprised that the Rockchucker Supreme weighs about the same as the original, because I thought they lengthened it to make the press opening bigger.

Danny

 

[danny]

Per a comparison thread.... the Rockchucker supreme and the rockchucker 2 should be comparable in weight.

Rockchuker Press versions?

How many different versions over the years are there of the rockchuker press, and what are the differences? Thanks

forum.accurateshooter.com

Given that, I would not pass up a good deal on an older rockchucker. They should be just as sturdy as the supreme.

Thanks for that link. It was very informative and interesting reading.

Danny

 

[Phys86]

I am loving this new rebel press. After getting my cases fully formed and shooting one load, my shoulder bump ES is 0.001, but the vast majority of cases seem to be within 0.0005. it's a huge difference from a Lee hand press!

 

[JMAN80]

I’ve owned them all and just sold my Coax. I size on a Rebel and seat on a K&M Arbor press for bench guns. T-7’s won’t seat consistently unless modified. I’ve owned a few of them and turret presses are the worst! That being said Redding big Boss 2 is best in frame made.