http://i11.photobucket.com/alb...y_1/RCBSPress008.jpg

I was wondering whether anybody knew whether this press was a Rockchucker and how old is it?
Thanks in advance

Looks like a rockchucker jr.

I had not seen the jr. mark before and I wondered what size is it can I fls 375 H&H with it?

Bob,

That's an RCBS Junior, kind of a little brother to the Rockchucker. It lacks the compound leverage of the RC, but will resize your 375 H&H cases with a bit more effort than the RC. The problem, as I see it, with this press is the small frame opening, it makes it hard to get the case and bullet into the seating die when your loading long cases like the 375 H&H. Even the regular RC suffers from the same small frame opening.

I bought that model press in January of '71. Still works fine. BTW, you can tell the old ones from the newer by the spent primer catcher...older are cast aluminum, newer are plastic.



Yes, sizing 375 H&H length cartridges is no problem. But bullet seating takes a bit of dexterity. You need to place the bullet on the case neck, grab both at the same time with your thumb and fore finger, then shove the bullet up into the seating die while you slip the case head into the shell holder...all because the frame opening isn't generous enough for those magnum length rounds. But, where there's a will, there's a way.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob from down under:
http://i11.photobucket.com/alb...y_1/RCBSPress008.jpg

I was wondering whether anybody knew whether this press was a Rockchucker and how old is it?
Thanks in advance

It’s a Junior press, a little older than the one I own, not a Chucker and it’s worth owning.

As the others have posted, this is an RCBS "JR" which followed the "A-2" and the "B" . The only problem with it was the cost - $31.50 complete with two primer tubes and shell catcher. If first came out around 1959 and I finally saved up enough scratch to buy one in 1964. Up until then I was using a Lyman Comet which was a very good unit. The main reason I switched to the JR was the ease of changing shellholders. The JR was an early "O" press as opposed to the "C" press which was the standard configuration at the time.

Unless you are into reforming .460 Weatherby cases into a .17 Squirrel, The JR will do everything the Chucker will do except perhaps handle some of the extrememly long cases. The compound leverage of the Rockchucker is of no particular value in reloading unless you are swaging bullets. Swaging was RCBS's big thing when it started out in reloading equipment and is why the products are called RCBS - for "Rockchucker Bullet Swage" .

Buy the JR, you'll never regret it. Me? I use a Hollywood Gun Shop Senior press unless my back is hurting too much to bend over to pick up spent primers, then I switch to, you guessed it, my RCBS JR.

I collect old metallic presses and have 37 but it will be a toss-up as to which press I sell last when the time comes to sell all of my equipment, the "Senior" or the "Junior".

I've loaded 375H&H on a JR. no big deal. I used a JR to form a lot of brass over the years. I would still have mine except for the fact I found a RockChucker for next to nothing.

Thank you for all the information.