RCBS Rebel Press - Initial Impressions

[Glaciers]

P&P that’s good to hear. I really expected nothing less from RCBS anyway. Good company.

Well I don’t have a Rebel because I picked up a Redding Big Boss to go with my old Rockchucker. When I got the deal for $100 on a new in the box Rockchucker Supreme kit, I slid the old Rockchucker in the for sale pile. Well then I ran across a Redding Boss for sale which I picked up. I really like the offset of the Redding, easy access for a right handed person. So the new Rockchucker Supreme went into the for sale pile as well. The Boss is smaller then the Big Boss but the offset and everything else is the same.
I already had the Big Boss long before the Rebel came, But I’ve always liked RCBS products, I probably would have gone with the Rebel when looking for a new press.

But, I like the Redding press a lot, so when they become available again I’m going to pick up another Big Boss. I want 3 of a like presses lined up. Unnecessary but there is that space open on the bench.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I was looking at the Redding Boss and Big Boss when I purchased the Rebel. I don't think you can go wrong with Redding equipment and had RCBS not introduced the Rebel, when they did, in all likelyhood I would have ended up with a Redding press.

 

[Glaciers]

The reverse is true for me as well if the Rebel had been on the market.

 

[seagiant]

Hi,
Don't forget the CH Champion, another cast STEEL Press!

 

[fiver]

that's a solid press.
the toggles look a lot like the black Lyman I have, only it's more open and a lot heavier at the back.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

To me the old RC is good enough. I have done bullet swedging, case forming and all sorts of ordinary stuff on a RC since day one. The new presses with larger window are certainly more convenient loading longer cases with long bullets.

I do have my old Co-Ax mounted. This the original Bonanza. Nice press. I use it for a hat rack. For heavy I got a vintage Hollywood standard press. However, around this household RCBS rules. I am interested in the new RCBS Supreme press. Since I'm keen on buying second hand it will be sometime in the future. When were we teaching reloading class one basic suggestion was to have a good quality single stage press.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

............ When were we teaching reloading class one basic suggestion was to have a good quality single stage press.

Good advice.

A good, solid, single stage press is the cornerstone of any reloader's gear.

 

[Rockydoc]

CWlongshot, if you're building new benches I can HIGHLY recommend attaching those benches to the wall. I made my benches mate with a ledger board attached to the wall and the bench attaches to the ledger board with carriage bolts inserted from the wall side of the board. That allows the bench to be secured with nuts and washers but it can be removed if needed.

I would love to see a picture of that method of attaching the bench to the wall.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I can't easily get a picture but here's an explanation.

Take a board that is long enough to match the bench.

Drill holes in that board and insert carriage bolts so that the threaded section protrudes through the board with the heads on the wall side and the threaded section pointing towards the bench. The bolts should be spaced so that they land in the sections between the wall studs.

Drill corresponding holes in a board attached to the bench (this is generally a portion of the frame directly under the bench top).

Secure the ledger board to the wall studs with screws Push the bench against the ledger board so that the threaded portion of the bolts align with the holes in the bench frame and attach with nuts and washers.

The end result is a bench securely fastened to the wall but still relatively easy to remove if needed.

Here's a picture (upside down) from a section. The board against the wall is the ledger board. The board closer to the nut is part of the benchtop frame. I could have used a shorter carriage bolt but that's what I had and I didn't see a need to cut it.

 

[Glaciers]

Well to add to my post above I just ordered a 2nd Redding Big Boss press to be next to my first one. Been selling lot of stuff out of my reloading room, so I order one up from Midsouth. Actually I’m adding 8 new to me molds, a S& W 4” 625 and a H&R single shot Hornet. Plus couple thousand in the snowbirding fund. Amazing what you find when you route through the drawers in the shop.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

You can never go wrong with Redding gear.

 

[Rockydoc]

Here is a very interesting and comprehensive comparison of 14 single stage reloading presses.

My take on this is that the winner for my money is the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme.

I meant to add a link to a YouTube video but it somehow didn’t work. Look up Gavin Toobe review of 14 single stage reloading presses On YouTube.

 

[richhodg66]

I have way more single stage presses than I'll ever use, I kind of like old vintage stuff.

I am intrigued by the MEC Marksman, and there is one for a good price brand new in a local shop.

Truth be told, my Rockchucker I've had since 1991 still does most of my loading tasks. I set up a Forster Co-ax about six months ago and really can't seem to warm up to it. Good tool, just when you're so used to a conventional single stage, it's hard to get used to.

 

[richhodg66]

I have heard somewhere that RCBS had outsourced their presses which are now made in China, I hope that isn't true. I'm not the die-hard "buy only American" that some guys are, but for gun and reloading stuff, it needs to be made in the USA.

My Rockchucker way pre-dates any of that, but I may have to mount up one of the old Herters or the Lachmiller to make me feel better.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I would love to see a picture of that method of attaching the bench to the wall.

Yes absolutely! I build them HD and stand alone. But once into position they get long thin lag bolts made for logs or ties in land scaping. I discovered these long ago and will never be without them. But when my legs dont correspond with studs a ledger board is utilized.
Speaking to these lags today a plethora of such lags is available!! Big fat washer heads that bold solid and nut drive spline drive smooth "button" heads anything ya might need to a foot long.
On the new bench I used some 3" "washer head" spline drives to attach the LEE quick change plates as they aligned with studs in frame work. On back bolts was simple
As a scrap 2" 2x4 under the dbl 3/4" ply top and you could hoist that 100# + bench to your house from here with zero worry of it pulling apart.

I have installed more then a dozen decks ledger boards using such studs. Pass code and remains solid as well is able to be tightened if needed.
CW

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I have heard somewhere that RCBS had outsourced their presses which are now made in China, I hope that isn't true. I'm not the die-hard "buy only American" that some guys are, but for gun and reloading stuff, it needs to be made in the USA.

My Rockchucker way pre-dates any of that, but I may have to mount up one of the old Herters or the Lachmiller to make me feel better

Repeating post #3 of this thread, "The box (RCBS Rebel) reads, "Engineered, Machined and Assembled in the USA from Foreign and Domestic Components".

That tells us that at least some of the components are outsourced. It's not a deal breaker for me but everyone must make their own decisions.
I seriously doubt that same press could be made entirely in the U.S.A. and hit the same price point, so part of the decision is, "what are you willing to pay"?

I'm just speculating here, but RCBS may be considering discontinuing the Rock Chucker. I say this because the Rebel appears to be a functional twin of the RC. When a company introduces a product that is very similar to one of their existing products, it is often the beginning of a soft phase out of an old line.
Now I could be wrong about that. Another possibility is RCBS is attempting to expand their offerings and wishes to produce both the Rebel and the RC. I really don’t know.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

I got one of the old Lyman All American turret press. It's the tiny little orange turret press plus my old RC press. Got all my dies plus a cigar box full of 310 dies. That old Hollywood press may be even older. Maybe, it would be an interesting contest to see who could up with the oldest reloading gear to stay away from the Chinese made stuff. .

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I got one of the old Lyman All American turret press. It's the tiny little orange turret press plus my old RC press. Got all my dies plus a cigar box full of 310 dies. That old Hollywood press may be even older. Maybe, it would be an interesting contest to see who could up with the oldest reloading gear to stay away from the Chinese made stuff. .

Well.... we could go back to muzzle loaders and show a ramrod as an example of old All-American reloading gear.
But if we go too far back in time we will end up in China where gunpowder was INVENTED.

 

[RBHarter]

We could all be thrashing hemp for wicks and lighting matchlocks out of a tender box too . I mean it fixes all that silly flint knapping and a touch hole is pretty fast to clear if it fouls . A little sheep tallow and winter wasp nests and you're good to go . Let's not exclude brown powder and that low smoke low sulphur French powder .

On my list of things I could but have no desire to do even as a hobby thing .....

 

[KeithB]

Not uncommon at all to buy raw castings from sources outside the USA and finish the machining and assembling here.