Also , does anyone know for sure if RCBS Rock Chuckers are made in the USA anymore. I keep getting different answers. Cast in China but machined in the USA , just assembled in the USA , were making them in China but quit when customers noticed ? I'm pretty sure there was some kind of Chinese involvement and that just kills any desire to buy RCBS?
First reloading press suggestions
- Thread starter Takem406
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Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
I going to say it was around 1982 or 83. I think your press is what is known as a "B-3", but could be wrong there. A "B-2" was the one that did away with the conventional shell holder, but kept it on the priming device. My guess would be a build of around 1980 to 1982.
gary
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
Here's how you do it and how you confuse everybody to make your look better. You have a casting done in China or Korea (Japanese don't do much casting anymore). But it's a normal practice of have the casting "pre-machined" to all it to fit your fixtures. Everybody does this, and there's never much of an argument about it. But looking at the shape of the O frame press, one sees right away that the only part you could mount on a fixture is the base (roughly 40% of the machining). But you could just as easily have the bore done in the same fixture setup. Now you've got over 75% done by the foundry. To get around the ram not being made here, you out source the part (doesn't have to have made in China on it because it's simply a part and not a complete unit), and they have it done outside themselves. Then you can get all the parts machined and in crates waiting to be assembled. You do this, and then box them up for shipping and can now claim made in USA.
This practice was created by auto manufacturers, and they got very good at it. Others just learned from them. You walk thru there and see boxes that are constructed out of an odd looking card board, and that's the dead give away. Europeans cartons look a lot like U.S. and Canada, but still stick out. The Asians are so good at it, that they often double box with no label of content or origin on the inside boxes. Goes on everyday.
gary
boomtube
Well-Known Member
Chinese press castings are a tip of the iceberg.
Few manufactors willingly "take jobs" away. State and federal taxes and regulations make manufactoring prohibitively expensive for much of the potential market. That forces manufactors to either close shop or find another source of parts. Big labor unions don't help. I don't like it but I'd rather see Chinese/Mexican mafe devices I can afford than home stuff I can't afford.
Liberal greenie-weeinies can't grasp that there can and should be be a balance between no regulations and regulating things to death so they regulate to death. (And then they whine about businesses "exporting American jobs.") So, our manufactoring, mining, etc, are virtually gone, our food, fuel and electicity costs are out of sight and the people behind it all now stand between us and "affordable" health insurance.
Few manufactors willingly "take jobs" away. State and federal taxes and regulations make manufactoring prohibitively expensive for much of the potential market. That forces manufactors to either close shop or find another source of parts. Big labor unions don't help. I don't like it but I'd rather see Chinese/Mexican mafe devices I can afford than home stuff I can't afford.
Liberal greenie-weeinies can't grasp that there can and should be be a balance between no regulations and regulating things to death so they regulate to death. (And then they whine about businesses "exporting American jobs.") So, our manufactoring, mining, etc, are virtually gone, our food, fuel and electicity costs are out of sight and the people behind it all now stand between us and "affordable" health insurance.
sbhooper
Well-Known Member
Exactly.
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
1. can you name me one single union made reloading device?
2. I'll totally agree with you about the corporate tax structure in the USA
3. The EPA is the one serious culprit in this issue, and the other is the grand scheme to get a higher return on the dollar invested. In other words a higher profit margin. You can still get a steady supply of cast iron castings done in the USA and Canada today, but the over all cost is a littler higher due to the use better equipment. The difference is casting cost from one fifteen years ago and now would probably be about 50%, or about ten dollars (volume is the issue). In China they are getting them for about two dollars a piece unqualified. ( a qualified casting is pre machined and ready to mount in a fixture)
4. When we think of the Japanese we think of high industrialization, and technology. Japanese do little iron or aluminum castings these days, and farm that work out to Korea and Taiwan. They do not do critical work in China for several reasons besides intellectual property theft. On the otherhand their aircraft industry usually have their aircraft castings and forgings done in the United States for a reason. Quality! On the opposite side they do all their ball bearing work in Japan, and closely guard their processes. (not that they will ever be as good as a Barden or Fafnir)
5. now we call out RCBS for out sourcing work to Asia. But often look the otherway at Hornaday and Lyman. They're all guilty! And please don't tell me you can no longer buy castings in North America, because they're done daily in all sizes of foundries. And 95% of them are non union, and EPA certified. The real reason is the almighty dollar over 3.2 million folks looking for a job.
6. in a typical O frame press there is about a half hour of machine work in the frame, assuming that somebody out there is a good process engineer. There's actually more time in the ram! A decent machine center will spit the frames out every fifteen minutes max. After that you hone the bore to fit the ram, and that takes about fifteen minutes max. The ram uses most of it's machining time due to it's setups and material.
gary
Takem406
Well-Known Member
Seen a Hornady Lock N Load at Scheels today for $140. Seems nice to be able to not have to redo seat depth each time you swap dies out.
$170 for a Rock Chucker. Whats better for a $30 dollar difference?
$170 for a Rock Chucker. Whats better for a $30 dollar difference?
A Lee claasic cast press for $81.00 refurbished or $106 cosmetic second off the Lee Precision website. Or on sale from around the web. Thats the best value. If you want to spend more you can but you will not get any more performance with the two mentioned. Imo.
boomtube
Well-Known Member
Why would you have to do that? I don't; not that it would be much trouble anyway.
Neither you nor your ammo would ever know any difference. Ditto the Classic Cast.
Hunter2678
Well-Known Member
I love my Co-ax press. Its very well thought out and full of great features..the design, sheer amount of leverage it provides along with it being overbuilt is what sold me in the end. Plus they have great re-sale value as well.
