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  #1  
Old 01-01-2012, 10:21 PM
ltrosson ltrosson is offline
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Default RCBS vs Hornady

I am new to the forum and am starting back to reloading after about 20 years. I had RCBS but now I see Hornday has one. Are there any pro's or con's of one or the other or is a loader a loader. I am going back with single stage.

My wife does not know yet, but she is getting me a 329 pd for my birthday in two weeks. Factory ammo is out the roof, so does anyone have good recipes for 180 grain light loads. Thanks for the help.
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Old 01-01-2012, 10:28 PM
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Welcome to the forum. I use an old Hornady 00-7 single stage press. I'm sure an RCBS would do about the same thing.
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Old 01-02-2012, 10:10 AM
Steve in Vermont Steve in Vermont is offline
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I have a Hornady Classic (single stage) and like it very much. One thing you can do is go to both Midway and Cabelas and check the reviews for both RCBS and Hornady presses. If you pick the Rockchucker I would suggest you consider installing Hornadys quick change bushings (they come standard with Hornadys classic). They have a conversion kit for this. It takes about 2 seconds to swap dies. I wouldn't have a single stage press w/o this feature.
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Old 01-02-2012, 10:26 AM
mkk41 mkk41 is offline
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My 'Hornady' single-stage press is actually a Pacific 007 , and I've had it for close to 30yrs. It's lighter than an RCBS being made from aluminum alloy , and the angled frame is nice. It's done hundreds of thousands of rounds.

Truth be told , ya can't go wrong with either.
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Old 01-02-2012, 10:35 AM
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I have a number of presses my favorite is an old Rockchucker as suggested I use the quick change bushing and another oldie a case ejector. The press is very smooth solid as a rock.

I have equipment by RCBS, Hornady, Forester, Redding, Dillon all perform well. Recent customer service with both RCBS and Redding was exceptional. Buy good equipment and it will last you a lifetime.
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Old 01-02-2012, 12:22 PM
BobR1 BobR1 is offline
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I am using an old Rock Chucker I have had for probably 35 years. I upgraded from a JR that a buddy is still using.

I picked up a cheap Lee aluminum single stage to mount my Dillon Power Case Trimmer on, and just leave it set up all the time. My brother always feels he needs to one up me, so he picked up a Lee Cast Iron Classic on sale for his power case trimmer that ended up getting stolen from his storage building. The Lee was at my place when his stuff was stolen.

We ended up mounting his Lee Cast Iron Classic on my loading bench, and started using it to reload with some. It works just fine. It has a large window. Primers are ejected out the bottom of the ram through a tube for much less mess. The tube is meant to have a cap on the bottom to retain the primers, then be removed to dump the spent primers. We just keep the 5 gallon junk brass bucket under it to catch the primers.
Priming: The Lee comes with a set up to prime with, however I have never used it, as I have both an RCBS Bench Mounted Priming tool and an RCBS hand held unit. I am sure it will work well enough to get you started.

I normally do not recommend many of Lee's reloading products, however the Cast Iron Classic is a pretty fair single stage press. And normally a bargain compaired to other brands. I like the Lee Shell Holders also for the price and have several of them. If I were to buy a new Single Stage Press today, it would probably be the Cast Iron Classic.

I would probably go with RCBS carbide dies. Infact I have a spare set of RCBS 44 Magnum dies on hand. I picked up a Dillon 44 Magnum die set the other day for my 550B. I am slowly changing my 550B over to all Dillon Handgun Dies.

For a powder scale I am not sure what you would want to spend on one. I started out with an old Lyman/Ohaus in 1971, about the same as a modern RCBS 1010 scale. I had the stick on scale decal come off after 30 some years. I ended up replacing it with an RCBS 505 as I did not need to weigh things over 500 grains anyway. I am totally happy with the 505. I would probably not go cheaper than a 505 myself.

You can later upgrade to a Uniflow powder measure to speed up your operation.

And you will need a powder funnel.

You will really like your 329. I am guessing it is the Night Guard version? I have a 310 Night Guard, and love it. I am going to check out a trade on a 340 M&P later today. Smith & Wesson has some nice guns out in the 300 series.

Bob
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Old 01-02-2012, 12:35 PM
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Either brand will work fine. If you feel you need to pay extra to save 30 secs swapping dies, go with the Hornady quick-change. Otherwise save the $ and spend 30 secs swapping dies. Just make sure the press accepts standard-thread dies.
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Old 01-02-2012, 01:28 PM
Steve in Vermont Steve in Vermont is offline
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Just a couple of comments, for loading trays I like the Frankford ones as they are built for specific cartridges, unlike the others that are more a one-size fits most. I also like the Lyman powder funnel, RCBS (carbide) dies, and the 505 scale. And yes, buy good quality equipment. There are many sites with reviews that will help.
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Old 01-02-2012, 01:51 PM
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I have an RCBS Rockchucker, which replaced a no-name aluminum C press I had for 40 years. The RCBS is built to last - I could use it to press wheel bearings. The Hornady Lock-and-Load (LNL) die holders seem like a good idea, but the locking collar on RCBS dies is just as easy to use, has less end play, and holds its setting until you change it.

If you decide to load for a pistol - something that you shoot a lot - think about a progressive press. I bought a Dillon 550b after a year with the Rockchucker. It's nice to have a press that can load faster than I shoot. Time is still a precious commodity to a retiree.
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Old 01-04-2012, 03:04 PM
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I have a Hornady progressive and think it is the best. Several years ago I bought an old RCBS Rock Chucker from a friend for $25. He wanted a Hornady single stage to match his progressive. I use it for rifle loading. I do not remember who made it but found a insert for the Rock Chucker that allows me to use the Hornady LNL dies. I mean to set up my 30-06 dies with the Hornady quick change but haven't yet. For single stage presses either one is really good. IMHO
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340, 44 magnum, cabelas, ejector, hornady, lock, rcbs

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