Thread: RCBS Summit - anyone with experience of using one?

Originally Posted by johnd

@Jhon we do expect a review at some stage aye.

Here ya go. Some disclaimers first: I'm a practical reloader for average distance hunting. And pistol shooting. I don't have any expertise in the real fancy stuff like shoulder bumping, chasing the lands ( or not), concentricity etc. I love it when I can put 4 bullets into touching holes on the range but I'm ok if I can circle my thumb and finger around them. I have a basic understanding of the finer things but the only one I have come close to experimenting with that is not bog standard is seating depth. And I'm just getting started on that.

Out of the box the only assembly is to screw the handle in on your preferred side and and insert the two little screws that hold the primer catcher. I have the handle installed for left hand because of my recent right shoulder surgery.

With one exception it presents as a well made, attractive piece of kit. It is heavy and compact taking up very little space. That Ram is huge! And Smooth! I had no concerns really about the die coming to the shell rather than the other way around. The strange bit, contrary to everything I have read, is the lack of feel when bullet seating, but at the end of the stroke rather than the seating itself. That is a heavy piece the die head, easy to control with the handle and precise. When it comes down the die engages the projectile in seating and it does much of the business of it's own weight. Yes, you have exquisite feel as the pill enters the brass and maybe that is what is important. The strange bit is at the end of the stroke when the linkage cams over. To give a different example, when I use a Lee FCD in my Lee Classic, I can both see how much closure I'm getting in the collet as well as continuously feel the amount of pressure I'm getting to achieve that closure. The Summit achieves the same thing but the cam over gives a totally different sense of feel to me so will have to get used to that. Its like once you have shot a bolt home on chambering a cartridge there is no feel. It's home. If the case won't chamber, the bolt will not go home and you can continue to feel the pressure of trying to close it. That's the exact diff with the cam-over action. It left me wondering at the end of the stoke, after cam-over, did the bullet actually seat fully? The first ones I looked at very suspiciously.

The exception to build quality is the dinky little plastic primer catcher. Yuk! I will be making something up a lot more practical and nicer in brass sheet as soon as I can. It works as intended, whether over the edge of the table or flat on top as I have it. But plastic?

I have the short handle coming but yet to arrive. I have mounted the press to a relatively light table. Just two front bolts seems not enough. Nipped up tho I can tell you that press ain't going nowhere. It sits like a squatting troll! Immovable.

My first task was FL sizing some 6.5x55 PPU brass once fired. The table was a bit rocky but expected. No issue with the press. Difference to say my normal Lee Classic SS is that for the Lee Classic I sit on a stool for all press actions. With the Summit, I find myself standing to resize. Standing there was no issue with leverage - tho 6.5x55 brass is hardly challenging. I struggle to see how the linkage pins would flex, or break as I read online somewhere. If FL sizing big magnum brass I guess its possible. Maybe just not the right press for that job. My largest brass will be 303B. I don't expect an issue but will probably do resizing on the Lee so I can also prime at the same time. The Summit you are unable to prime on. That would be a separate off-press process.

The first bullets to be reseated on the press are some of Rob Walker's @shooternz cast 143gn GC FP at .266 dia. I don't have a case mouth expander option at hand at the moment so this was an interesting exercise where feel was essential. At first I continued with my habit when using a conventional press of guiding the bullet into the mouth of the die with my left hand as I raise the Ram with my right. I soon realised the beauty of the Summit is I can simply sit the bullet square on the case mouth and lower the die over it. I stuffed one up before I figured this out, being the slow learner that I am. I had to trash the projectile but I rescued the case because the feel was such I could stop in time. The bullet had toppled on entry, my fault not the Press or Die, and the case mouth had cut into the shank, dislodging the gas check. I had to dismount the die to retrieve the bullet, then resize the case to cure the slightly distorted case mouth. With primer reseated, a powder recharge and a new bullet and the bullet seated on the case mouth, spare hand out of the way, no prob. The feel allowed me to ease the oversize gas check into the neck and continue seating the bullet with no shaving of the lead. This is a tribute both to the press and the bullet caster. All that was picked up was an occasional scrape of lube. Another couple of thou on bullet dia may have been a diff story. And yes, I'm sure I could have managed just as well with my conventional Lee. This just seemed to be more of a sure thing and it was easy to get into that cherished reloader's rythm.

I didn't feel the Press was under-gunned on the leverage for FL sizing. With it on top of the table it was natural however to stand for the operation. Seating bullets it was just as natural to be sitting. I did not really notice the long handle as an issue. What I did realise is that I will likely leave the handle mounted for my left hand. In the photo you will see I have the Press mounted on the table away from the edge but with enough clearance for the handle to drop down below the edge until the linkage cams over. I have it at a catty-corner angle and I can tell you this is a wonderful orientation for a right hander. My right hand does all the delicate work of dropping and weighing powder, setting the bullet etc. My left hand is on auto operating the press. I am not crossing over myself for any operation which I am always doing with the Lee. My knees don't get in the way so from time to time I can move to relieve my sitting position. With the uncluttered large space around the stationary shell you can see everything. From time to time, on the Lee, I have managed to knock or fumble a charged case off the shell holder with powder going everywhere. I don't see that happening in this set-up at all.

So I hope that is of interest. I am not going to be the likely person to stress test the press to bending or breaking point. The linkage nuts are all nylock on mine so I don't see them loosening but who knows. With a few miles on it I may have a different view. Right now it is a keeper and I'm glad I took the plunge. I will be quitting some older presses next year and am happy to have this instead. I will still have my Lee Classic Cast on hand as well as my Dillon 550B. The Summit, for me, scratches a different itch.