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Hi Guys. Sorry I've been off line for a while...life happens. Still shooting, still reloading, just not wearing a uniform any more.
Having some issues with my reloading. I use Redding Type S (titanium for pistol) dies, and an OLD (given to me 10+years ago, other guy had it for 20+ years) RCBS Rock Chucker press.
Issues - for last couple of years I've had a hard time getting constant OAL - as much as .0025 variation in a batch - especially noticeable in my VLD loads. Thought this was just me not being consistent on my actions. This issues is across all calibers I reload (6.5G, 5.56, 30 Carbine, 9mm. and .45ACP)
Today, ran a big batch of 6.5G brass (all Hornady, all clean) and in putting them in my Little Crow trimmer, was not having some of the cases trimmed even though they were long. Put cases in a L.E. Wilson gage and found the cases not engaging in the trimmer were long in the gage. Figure I am now getting inconstant shoulder set back.
I have trouble shot my dies repeatedly, as well as my procedures. Only thing I can come up with is the press is bad - but I thought the Rock Chuckers never went bad.
Does anyone else have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Michael
I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it.
- Voltaire
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Is the linkage all snug on it?
Steve........
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There's a little shimmy in the handle, but the ram seems solid. It has been moved and remounted countless times. Previous owner was active duty military as was I.
I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it.
- Voltaire
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How are you measuring? Base to tip or base to ogive? Tipped bullets are inconsistent.
Could it be your caliper?
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Base to ogive on rifle rounds. Base to tip on pistol/carbine. Caliper is good, RCBS Dial, repeatable on same measurement.
I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it.
- Voltaire
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If you are measuring base to tip and getting +/- .0025, you are doing great. CBTO is what you want.
Trick with old RCBS presses is they develop slop in the linkage. Mine has been in service since 1975, so in order to get whatever shoulder setback I want, I use the Redding shell holder sets and make sure the shell holder is contacting the bottom of the die firmly.
The Redding shell holder sets have slightly different heights by .002 and will give very good consistency when re-sizing as long as the shell holder comes into firm contact with the die. I don't care about the slop in the ram, lets it self center a little.
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Do you have friend close by who has the rock chucker? (preferably a newer one)... if so can you take your pieces/parts over and try them on his... might show if your old one is wearing out. All mechanical stuff wears out eventually, even a soldier who has 30 yrs in, gets to retire! Enough of the various tolerances may have worn so as to stack up into your issue, maybe.
"Down the floor, out the door, Go Brandon Go!!!!!"
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08-08-2018, 02:07 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-08-2018, 01:12 PM by se3388.)
Michael
I had a Rock Chucker made in 1974 I drug around with me for 22 years in the Air Force, still worked great when I sold it three or four years ago. Are you up around Rolla or FLW?
Steve.........
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On the sizing of your cases are you taking all the slop out of your press by screwing your size die down to the shell holder and then backing off the ram and giving the size die another 1/4 turn down so that when you raise the ram it cams over? As for the COAL even to the base to ogive measurement check your bullets to see if they all have the same base to ogive measurement. I have run into some very inconsistent measurements between bullets out of the same box. Also some of the VLD bullets just have a too long nose to fit the seating stem of some dies. The tip of the bullet hits in the top of the stem before the ogive is contacted and with base to tip measurement of the bullets being very inconsistent your get inconsistent seating. Also make sure that your dies are tight in the press. I have had them loosen up a little especially with long run batches. Just some things that I have faced in loading over the past 40 years.
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Just reading this and it reads like this is a new issue or the OP has had it for a while but didn't measure it. Had a discussion not long ago on another forum about a very similar problem. His was solved with a new press with the old press now setup as a dedicated depcapping press. AIIRC he went from RCBS partner to a Forester Co-Ax press. The Forester is expensive but is a dang good press
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The Mec Marksman is a really good press for the money. At least the one I have is.
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Michael...... I am another Military Mike from Mid MO. 
Send me a PM, let me know where you are maybe we can meet up.
My Rockchucker from 1986 is still working great and made it thru half a dozen PCS moves.... I am not sure if your press is to fault just yet.
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. ― George Orwell
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Pistol reloading may require a seating plug change, which IIRC there is usually an extra one in pistol die set for different bullet shapes. And as stated above, if you’re loading vld rifle pills, you will need to either replace current stem with a vld, or be your current stem with epoxy to fit your chosen bullet. Having said that, I had a friend actually buy a seating stem for his Hornady dies to fit the long .224 amax bullets and it was no better than the standard. I had to bed my stem in Hornady dies to seat eld match bullets in my .224 Grendel. Works great now. Just some thoughts
Member since 2011, data lost in last hack attack
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All - thanks for responses and suggestions. Spent some time at Graf and Sons today talking to a couple of their tech folks who reload and tried a couple of things. Came to conclusion probably need to replace bushings in press or get a new press.
Thanks,
Michael
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08-09-2018, 01:07 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-08-2019, 03:37 PM by Drind1982.)
Thanks Michael for asking the right questions on this site... i mean, i was having pretty much same thing and was wondering the answers. thanks everyone else for answers, of course and then again thanks Michael for conclusion. please update in telling us what actually worked! can i ask you questions in future if you don't mind? i'm a newcomer
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Bullet seating does not take much force so any lightweight press will work.
I bought a Lee hand press to load at the range but now I use it to seat all bullets. It is convenient to have different presses for different operations.
Your Rockchuker should work fine for resizing even with the worn pivot pins and holes.
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"Your Rockchuker should work fine for resizing even with the worn pivot pins and holes. "
I agree Completely!
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Sorry for late follow up on this post. Got in touch with RCBS and explained problem to them, requested replacement linkage and pins. They sent them to me, installed the new stuff and problem went away. Loads are all now +/- a thou.
I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it.
- Voltaire
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Just my view. I shoot some brass three times. Then I mic it out with head space gauge and slowly adjust my die till I am 1-2 thou bump on shoulder.Load em up and run em thru gun,and eject them out.You can felt pen around shoulder to see if your crush fitting the brass.You should be good right there. On my Grendel I use a Wilson neck deprime die,Redding body bump die set to take shoulder back 1-2 thou. Wilson seating die. The Hornady full size deprime die works very well also. I will be doing a write up on my Howa mini in another couple weeks . Am getting 3/8" 5 shot groups at 100 yds on A couple loads.more later,hope it helps you...I use A 30 year old Rock Chucker for the body die.
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