Gents,



I wonder if anybody can tell me the name/model of the RCBS press in the picture below and how old its likely to be?







I bought it secondhand about 8 or 10 years ago and did not realise how small it is untill I compared it to the new Rock Chucker! The press has worked ok on .223Rem and .308Win, but as I am about to start loading for a 9.3x62mm I am worried it may not be big enough...



If I decide to replace it, I will go for either a new Rock Chucker or the new Lee Classic...



The only trouble is that if I go for a larger press I will probably have to upgrade my bench too...



Regards,



Pete

Model is the "Jr." press -sort of a baby rockchucker - been out of production for quite a while, but is still a good press. Only lacks compound leverage.

You only need to measure the opening to determine if its big enough for whatever cartridge you load for.

It is a RCBS Jr.



I have had mine for better than 20 years and I bought it used so that should give you a rough idea of the age.



They are very solid cast iron presses that performs well for most routine reloading.



It will be more than adequate for your 9.3x62mm and in fact unless someone is doing major case reforming or loading for a very long cartridge it is really all you need.

This is just a guess, but it looks a lot like an
RCBS "Junior" to me. If so, it may have been very near new when you bought it. I don't remember when they came on the market, but I bought mine used about 10-12 years ago IIRC.

I have about 10 presses at the moment, and the RCBS Junior works pretty much as well as any of them. Some are more convenient, and some have a bit more leverage or are stronger, but for the average factory cartridge up through all the mid-length (standard action) magnums, the Jr. is at least adequate. It will handle the 9.3x62 easily...or at least mine does.

AC

Gents,

Thanks for that; I knew I would get a quick answer here! I suspect compound leverage would make resizing a bit easier on larger cases and it is another reason I m thinking of upgrading.

Everybody says that a second press is "handy" to have but as I will only be relaoding for three calibers, i am not sure i really need to keep the Jr if i buy a Rock Chucker..

Regards,

Pete

As everyone else has said it is a JR. I have had one for 25years. I didn't switch until I started shooting the loooong carts. It is fine for your 9.3x62. If you start loading .375H&H length carts. you'll enjoy the bigger window of the new RC. Enjoy your new 9.3, got to get one of those someday.

Keep it! With two presses, you can do resizing with one and seating with the other and never have to change dies (unless changing calibers).

SONOFAGUN IS RIGHT ABOUT 2 PRESSES... MY LOADING BENCH HAS 2 PRESSES TO DO JUST AS HE SAID..THE SETUP WORKS GREAT, JUST DOUBLE UP ON YOUR DIE BODIES AND DO 2 STEPS WITHOUT RESETTING YOUR DIES.MY PRIMARY PRESS IS A HEAVY CAST C PRESS MADE BY BAIR CO. IN LINCOLN NEB. AN MY SECONDARY PRESS IS A LEE RELOADER PRESS FOR THE LESS TAXING WORK OF MOUTH EXPANDING AND PRIMER PUNCHING, AND BULLET SEATING..

Its a great press, but if your going to get another make the big jump and get a RCBS single station A2 press and you will never need another..It will handle everything from a 22 hornet to a 50 Cal. Browning Machine Gun case with plenty of room to work....

I have two presses and the other is an old Hollywood monster but only for up to 375 length cartridges....

I gave my old RCBS Jr. to my son, it was and is a great press....

Alas, the A presses are no longer produced. (1949-1988)

The new Rockchucker Supreme has a larger window for longer cases, as does the new Lee Classic, by the way.

The .50 Browning is 5.45" long loaded.

The Ammomaster has a 5" window and will load .50 BMG just fine with its a-dapt kit.

The grand old A presses A, A2, 2A, A3(never have seen one), and A4 Big Max were stout, as was the seldom seen B.

The Rockchucker is a worthy heir to the old ones.

Cheers from the outskirts of Timbucktoo, California,

Ross

Ross,

Have you seen that new Lee Clasic in the flesh? If so how does it compare to the Rock Chucker especially in regards to size?

If I get a new press, i don't think I will ever need anything bigger than a Rockchucker as the biggest caliber I am likely to load for is a .404 or a .416Rigby and only then if i get those winning lottery numbers!

Thanks to all for the suggestions,

Regards,

Pete

The A2 is an excellent press but hard to find today. I looked at a large Rockchucker and it's bigger than the A2 and costs only about $105 at Midway.



http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/513567

Just ordered the Lee Classic from Midway.
$69.00 with shipping and NRA round up. I think it will be fine for my 450/400. I'll let ya know!

I have a Lee Classic and I don't think you'll be disappointed. The only thing you might need that it doesn't provide is the ability to say "I'm using a <insert expensive brand here>"

shoot safe,
Ian

Pete,
I have not yet seen the new Lee Classic, but Ian's comment is like all the reports on the web. There is a big difference in price from the new RCBS Rockchucker Supreme. I expect to acquire both in the near future. I'm a little short of presses now and I would like to try out the long stroke and large window to see what the altered leverage scheme is like.
The warranty on the RCBS is legendary, and must be experienced to be believed.
Regards from Darkest California,
Ross