RCBS SUCKS!!!

[swerv512]

RCBS sent me a new scale for one that was malfunctioning in less than 1 week... sure it cost me $35, but hey, i got a new scale out of it since mine was out of warranty...

[Faust]

I would not say "RCBS sucks" but I confess, their decaping / sizing dies are(at least the ones I had) pretty underwhelming.

[Jromulo]

Lee carbide dies FTW!!!!!!!

[CEDaytonaRydr]

I will say that I"ve had issues with my RCBS .223 dies as well.

All my other RCBS dies are rock-solid but my .223 dies have had issues.

[pepsi2451]

I'm surprised to see all the bad experiences with RCBS. I have only been reloading about a year but most of my stuff is RCBS and I have only have one problem that was my fault. I broke the priming mechanism on my press. It was completely my fault, I hit the primer safety tube with a ratchet when I was changing the turret head. I emailed RCBS to see if I could by a new one and they sent one out for free, I had it within a couple days. I have decaped and resized thousands of pieces of .223 LC brass without a problem.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

I'm surprised to see all the bad experiences with RCBS. I have only been reloading about a year but most of my stuff is RCBS and I have only have one problem that was my fault. I broke the priming mechanism on my press. It was completely my fault, I hit the primer safety tube with a ratchet when I was changing the turret head. I emailed RCBS to see if I could by a new one and they sent one out for free, I had it within a couple days. I have decaped and resized thousands of pieces of .223 LC brass without a problem.

Yeah, it's weird. I've had nothing but good luck on all of my other RCBS stuff but the .223 dies get a lot of stuck cases, bent/broken decapping pins and I even snapped 1/2 the slot for the screw driver bit on the top of the decapping unit (freeing a stuck case). It hasn't gone well...

[Blue]

I some how managed to lose the decapping pin and the little threaded shroud thing that holds it on while the dies were installed on the press, and I called up RCBS to order replacements, and they refused to take payment for those little pieces. I told them that it was my fault, nothing was broken and they told me no problem they'd rather have happy customers. I like them.

[CSACANNONEER]

Are you decapping military crimped primers? Did you get a Berdan primed case?

yes, I understand the pins can break but the whole assembly?

Yes! The whole decapping assembly can be ruined quickly by trying to decap Berdan primers or even crimped primmers. I found that out using Dillon dies but, it can happen with any dies.

IMO RCBS is not what is used to be. Used to be topnotch equipment and service. Now, not so much. I bought a kinetic bullet puller (one of the polycarbonate mallets). Used it six times (always against a piece of wood as directed). On the sixth time, the entire BACK of the mallet (where the collet holds the case) broke off. I was able to collect the collet assembly, took pictures and contacted RCBS. I sent pictures of it to RCBS and they said that I would have to send it back (on my dime) so they could look at it and then they would send a replacement.

This is not a high dollar item and it was pretty obvious from the pictures it was a manufacturing defect. I was hoping they would see the pictures and just send out a replacement, but they didn't. Right then and there, RCBS lost me as a customer. I'm not going to spend $8 in shipping to return a $15 item to possibly get a replacement.

Uh, you should be able to send it USPS for a couple of dollars. The worst case would be using a priority box which would cost you just under $5. FWIW, I prefer the FA kinetic bullet pullers over the RCBS ones.

[PoofNoEyebrows]

I've had great experience with Lee's dies, especially the carbide pistol dies. Only one I have had to replace in 6 years is a .223 de-capper and that was cause I ran it through a berdan primed case.