Reloading is a great addition to the shooting sports hobby. It really makes you aware of everything involved in producing ammunition that matches—or even outperforms—factory ammo. You can reload to save some money, but more importantly to create a cartridge that performs better than what typically comes out of the factory. In short… everyone has their own reason for reloading, and nothing is right or wrong as long as it is done safely. But what if you shoot a lot of 9mm and go through quite a few rounds in an evening? Then you want a press that can keep up with that demand. This time we get to review the progressive press from RCBS: the RCBS Pro Chucker 7.
It has come up before in another blog article on this site. I personally started reloading with a Lee Challenger Anniversary Kit sometime around 2006. At that time I had only recently become active in the shooting sports, I was still a student, and my main reason for reloading was simply to reduce costs. Achieving greater precision was, for the time being, a solid second priority. Still, the cost savings worked very well, especially when reloading 45 ACP, which made quite a difference.
However, this was all done on a single-stage press, meaning every operation had to be performed separately. That works perfectly fine if you only shoot a few rounds occasionally, but it becomes nearly impossible if you go through four boxes every week. At least… I wouldn’t know where to find the time to reload that much with a single-stage press, week after week.
After the single-stage press, I switched to a turret press for 9×19mm Parabellum. That already saves a lot of time, as you can bring a spent case to a finished cartridge step by step within a single cycle. When I bought my Colt Python, I came into contact with a progressive press for the first time. In hindsight, I should have made that switch much earlier. I can now produce ammunition for my Colt Python and CZ Shadow 2 much faster than I ever could with a turret press—let alone a single-stage press.
Even within the market for progressive presses, there are various brands and levels of quality. RCBS has been known for years for producing solid presses. For example, I have long known the RCBS Rock Chucker as a single-stage press that will easily last a lifetime. But how does their progressive press compare?
About the Pro Chucker 7
As mentioned earlier, the RCBS Pro Chucker 7 is a progressive press. This means that with each pull of the handle you perform multiple operations at the same time. To reload progressively, you need at least three stations where dies can be installed. For example, at the first station you can resize the case and remove the spent primer. At the second station, during the downward stroke, a new primer is seated, and during the upward stroke the case is flared and charged with powder. At the third and final station, the case is fitted with a projectile and optionally crimped.
This setup works well, but it leaves no room for additional checks during the process.
The RCBS Pro Chucker 7 has seven stations, allowing you to add extra stations according to your needs. For example, you could add a powder check between the powder charging step and the bullet seating step to verify that the case actually contains powder. You could also add a separate crimp die as a final step after the bullet has been seated. Note that these dies are not included with the Pro Chucker and are available separately.
Besides the large number of stations, the press also has several nice features. Like other presses from RCBS, the Pro Chucker uses tubes to feed primers. These pickup tubes are emptied into a steel primer tube, which also provides protection should a primer ever detonate inside the press. Personally, I have never experienced that happening—and I hope it stays that way.
The press also features a convenient lubrication port for the ram located right in the center of the press.
Another great feature is the powder measure, which is easy to adjust and has a large capacity, allowing you to keep reloading for longer without constantly needing to refill it.
Finally, the wide layout of the press is worth mentioning. It gives you a clear view of the cases on the shell plate and provides plenty of space to place a case on the shell plate or a bullet on top of the case.
Unboxing
BAM! A package weighing no less than 12–13 kilos landed on the doormat. I quickly removed the packaging material and then took a look inside the box.
As you might expect, the press is not ready to use right away and will need to be assembled first.
Below you can see all the parts after taking everything out of the box.
But wait, there’s more! In the green container you’ll also find some additional parts, including the insert for the powder measure in the yellow bag.
Altogether it’s quite a lot of parts, but it is very complete. You can configure the press as desired for use with small or large primers.
Assembly
Mounting the press itself is of course done quickly. Drill three holes where the press will be placed and bolt it down. After that the real fun begins, but none of it is particularly difficult. For assembling and setting up the press I used the video below, which calmly and clearly explains which steps to take, where, and how.
Let’s be honest—after watching the video above, I really couldn’t have explained it any better or more clearly myself! That’s why I won’t go into further detail about it in this review. What I can say is that I found the assembly and setup perfectly manageable, even for someone who isn’t exactly the most handy person. All in all, I think it took me about an hour, including a cup of coffee and a bit of time spent looking for the right tools.
Now that the press is fully set up for reloading 9mm cartridges, it’s time to really put it to the test!
If you’d prefer to assemble the press using a manual, one is included as standard. If you’d rather have the manual in digital form, you can get it by clicking the link below. One advantage is that the photos are in color, which sometimes makes things a bit easier to see.
RCBS Pro Chucker 7 Handleiding
A small tip: keep the primer tubes and the spent primer drain tube well separated! I almost accidentally installed the small primer tube as the spent primer drain. It fits perfectly but is just a bit too long. After tightening everything down, I noticed two tubes next to me that I thought were primer tubes but weren’t the same length. That’s when I realized I had grabbed the wrong one. Luckily, I noticed it before even moving the press handle once, so I swapped them right away.
Praktijk
So as mentioned, I unpacked the box and assembled the press using the video above. Before we continue, here’s a quick picture of the whole setup:
Alright, the press is neatly in place and I’ve already run the cases through the tumbler earlier, so let’s see how the press performs. But before we can begin, I first need to set up the dies.
We place the first case in the press and then adjust the die at each station the way we want it. I configured the dies at the following stations as shown below:
Station
- Sizer die
- Expander die
- Powder measure
- Powder checker die
- Seater die
- Empty
- Empty
What I eventually want to move towards is:
Station
- Sizer die
- Expander die
- Powder measure
- Powder checker
- Bullet die
- Seater die
- Factory crimp die
I’ll explain later in this article why I want to move to this setup. For now, we’ll start with the configuration as I currently have it.
We place the first case in the first station. We push the press handle down and the first case is resized and the spent primer is removed. At the same time, the primer slide moves backward and picks up a new primer. When we move the press handle back up, the primer slide moves forward again and positions the new primer while, during the last part of the movement, the shellplate rotates slightly and moves the case under the second station. We push the press a bit further and feel the new primer being seated.
Tip: During the step above, the spent primer is pushed out of the case. It falls through the shellplate and is guided downward through a small tube. It’s handy to place a small container underneath so they don’t end up scattered all over the floor.
Next, we place a new case under station 1 so it can go through the same process. We push the press handle down and the front case now receives a flare. The rear case is resized and has its primer removed. When we raise the handle again and push it slightly further, the rear case receives a fresh primer.
Once again, we place a new case under station 1 so that there are now three cases on the shellplate. We push the press handle down and the two rear cases receive the previously mentioned operations. The front case is now charged with powder by the powder measure. This powder measure dispenses a pre-set charge. The convenient part is that it only dispenses powder when a case is present under the station. Without that feature, the first two strokes of the press would create quite a mess, with powder being dispensed without an empty case to catch it.
After raising the handle and seating a primer in the rearmost case, we place another new case in the shellplate. There are now four cases on the shellplate. The next step we perform isn’t really an operation but more of a control step. With the powder checker die, you can easily verify whether the case has been filled with a powder charge. Without powder, you would of course run into malfunctions while shooting, in the best-case scenario. We push the press handle down; the three rear cases receive the previously mentioned operations, while the front case activates the powder checker so it can do its job.
On the left is the image before the case enters the powder checker die; on the right is the moment when it is inside the die and indicates that a powder charge is present.
Before we can give the case its final operation, we move the press handle down again and seat a fresh primer in the rearmost case. Once again, we place a new case under station 1. There are now five cases on the shellplate. The final step for producing the first complete cartridge is seating the bullet. We place the bullet on the case so it can be seated. We push the press handle down: the four rear cases receive the previously mentioned operations and the bullet is seated on the front case.
When we now move the press handle back up, the first complete cartridge has been made. Before it is ejected from the press, it still has to pass through two (empty) stations. We simply continue the same process as before: placing a new case at station 1 each time and placing a bullet on the case at station 5. From this point on, every up-and-down movement of the press handle produces a new live cartridge.
In the future, I want to fill the currently empty stations with a bullet die and a factory crimp die. The first will make the reloading process a bit easier, as I would then only need to place a new case in the press while the die automatically places the bullet on the case. The factory crimp die is something I personally find very useful to apply a small final crimp.
Conclusion
Of course, I didn’t just make the five cartridges described above with the press. By now I’ve produced quite a few rounds with it in order to get a good impression of the press and how it performs.
Overall, the press feels very sturdy and solid, which is something you would expect from RCBS. It does take a little getting used to the feel of the press when seating primers. I’m comparing it here to the progressive Lee press that I previously had on my bench, which felt a bit more fragile. With the Pro Chucker, the primers are fed neatly and consistently positioned directly under the case. That was not always the case with the Lee.
The die plate also sits very firmly in the press. With the Lee press I previously used, you could sometimes see it move slightly when the cases entered the dies.
In short, the advantages
- 7 stations for multiple operations and/or control steps
- Extremely solid press
- Solid primer feed system
- Die plate and shellplate are easy to change but remain firmly secured during use
- Frame is wide enough to easily place your hand inside, for example to place a bullet on a case
- Large powder measure reservoir
- Easy-to-adjust powder measure
- Convenient lubrication point in the middle of the press ram
- Handy tray for catching completed cartridges when they are ejected
- For shooters with children, the press can be locked by inserting a pin into the ram
One thing to keep in mind—though I wouldn’t call it a downside, since this applies to almost every press—is that the primers can run out without it being immediately obvious. The primer tube is made of steel, so you can’t see how many are left inside. While reloading, keeping an eye on the primer slide helps prevent loading a case without a primer. Of course, you can also simply load the exact number of primers that matches the number of cases you plan to reload. Personally, I found it convenient to already fill a primer pickup tube so I could immediately place it back into the press once I finished a batch of cartridges.
The press is delivered including a powder measure, a large and small primer tube, primer slider and primer seater, a die plate, and a cartridge catch tray. What is not included are the dies and the shellplate. These are caliber-specific and need to be purchased separately.
According to RCBS, the press can produce 600 rounds per hour. Personally, I don’t consider these kinds of numbers the most important factor. What matters more to me is that a press allows me to produce cartridges as consistently as possible. Speed is a nice bonus. Because the press can be configured to provide maximum control over the reloading process with additional checking steps, I believe I’ll be able to enjoy using this press for many years.
It would be a great addition if RCBS (as a standard option) produced a case feeder that fits this press. That would make the reloading process even easier. At the moment, I can’t seem to easily find one available in the various shops.
YouTube
As I mentioned in an earlier blog article, I now want to create a YouTube video for every article as well. For the RCBS Pro Chucker 7, I’ve managed to do that! If you’d like to watch the review again in video form, simply click the YouTube video below. Enjoy watching! For now it is the dutch version, I have to record it again but will do this in the near future.
With sincere thanks to RCBS and Mikx B.V. for making the Pro Chucker 7 available!
Kind regards,
Sports Shooter
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