Hey Moooose102,
If a Dillon progressive is too expensive for you at this time, I would think that would also be true of all of the other presses mentioned except for the Lee brand. The Hornady single stage press may also have a modern primer catch system and be within your price range.
You are absolutely correct about the RockChucker's primer catch system being lousy compared to modern ones that drop through a tube. However, you should consider that the RCBS RockChucker and Junior presses were designed nearly 50 years ago, and their priming and depriming systems were really an improvement over many of the presses that came before them.
In the early 1960s, I thought the RCBS priming system with its auto feed (used on the Junior and RockChucker presses) was a great improvement, and I used it for maybe 25 years until I tried a Lee hand primer tool and have used it ever since. I still have and still use an RCBS Junior and RockChucker for special reloading work, but I wouldn't think of using the primer system on them even though I thought they were great nearly 50 years ago.
The spent primer catch sytem used on those two RCBS presses was also considered a great improvement over many of the other presses that came before and had no catch system at all. Many earlier presses just let all the primers fall where they may. The RCBS presses had their aluminum catch pans that fit around the base of the press, and they did catch at least half of the primers. Of course, some of the spent primers bounce out and on the floor, and others get caught behind the primer seating arm if it is left in place.
To this day, my RCBS presses still have their primer seater arms and auto feed mechanisms in place even though I have not used them in about 25 years. I simply put up with the much less than perfect primer catch system and clean the ones up off the floor. As far as your RockChucker wearing out from "...all of the nasty debris right into the stroke of the ram, where it can work its way in between the ram and the press body, where it causes wear," don't worry about it. The RockChucker and the even older presses that came before it will still be working just fine in the next 50 years. Is it as convenient as a new modern press? No, but it will outlive you and I with a minimum of care. I have never taken my press apart. I simply wipe the dirt off that I can reach, and I keep it oiled - that's it.
I also have a Hornady L&L AP progressive press that I bought in 1997. It is far more modern and able to handle all the rifle and pistol calibers that the old RockChucker could. I have about nine or ten shell plates for the press, and they are used to load perhaps forty different calibers of die sets I use. In spite of its ability to load quality ammo quickly, I still spend more time using my old single stage presses than the progressive. I use the single stage presses for small batches of ammo and testing loads.
If you like simple stuff, your RockChucker cannot be beat. It is more labor intensive, but it is both simple and reliable. It may rust away if you let it, but you won't wear it out if you give it a minimum amount of care.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile
