I had never bothered to look at it before but I think my press is worn out! It is an old RCBS RS2 that I got second hand. I was necking some 308 brass down to 243 and I noticed that on a half done case, the ring where the neck has gone from big to small was uneven.I then cheched where the uneveness could have come from ( case fully into the holder, holder fully into the press arbour, ect ) and it all checked out. Then I noticed that there was a lot of slop in the press arbour but only front to rear.side to side was minimal( couldn't feel any) Front to rear I have between 1/8"to 3/16".
Anyone else ever wear out a press??

Goatlips,
Have had my RCBS for about 20 years and it's still tight. Granted, not as much use as I wish it had durjng that time. But I guess anything mechanical can wear out, especially if used a lot and/or not well maintained. The repeated movement of the shaft could wear down the bushing, especially if the shaft it not kept clean and a lot of abbrasive grime in attached. I bet RCBS can supply a new shaft bushing to bring things back to spec, or maybe it's time to upgrade to a progessive unit. (lot less up and down strokes per shell on those babies :) )
I'd be careful if you have that much slop, as forcing the case into the die at an angle could bogger up the rims at best, or maybe even cause some chambering problems with the re-loaded rounds.

I've noticed it on some 22 hornet that I've done since the 243's. They are neck sized only and they are all sized to one side. The cases still seem to load into the chamber OK on both rifles and I had no trouble seating bullets with it but this wear is definatley there.I looked a lot worse than it is though, I measured it at2.8mm which is just under 1/8".
There isn't any bush in this press though,Its only made of aluminumn alloy(crushed up soda cans) and the bulk of the wear seems to be on the shaft.
Thanks for your reply!!

Got me at a geographical disadvantage right now as I'm about 4 thousand miles away from my loading bench and will be for another couple months. I can almost swear than my RCBS unit has a bushing where the shaft comes up through the base of the press, but I could be wrong as never had to mess with it and may be hallucinating. If there's no bushing to replace, then one could have it milled out true and a custom bushing made, but you could pick up another new press for about the same cost. Looks like it's time for a new one. Have you noticed any affects on accuracy with your handloads??
I'll be sure to check mine when I get home.

I'm actually getting excellent accuracy from both the rifles I load for.
Howa 243 sporter, .75moa ave with 75gn
Ruger 7722 hornet heavy barrel/laminate .8 to 1 moa
I'm using Aussie made powders and cheap( non premium) Aussie made projectiles( Tiapans)
I might check out prices on a new press and weigh it up.

Wow, if you're getting accuarcy that good with off-centered re-sizing, it kind of blows the idea of having to turn case necks, bullet run-out and details like that out of the water. Maybe you don't need a new press afterall. Will check mine when I get home and maybe grind down the shaft and see if I can get sub MOA groups. :p
If you do get a new press, would be interesting to see if it makes any difference in your groups. Post your results if it does.

I saw a great many second-hand presses come through my shop. A lot of them had been ruined by rust. More than a few of them (all brands) had been worn out due to lack of lubrication. I use a little moly-grease on all my presses on the ram and linkage and have seen no appreciable wear.

Toss it. E-bay is full of good used presses.

I'd guess that the abrasive grit from primer pockets wore it out. The RCBS design lets that sort of crud fall down around the ram.

If it's not totally beyond use, get a universal decapping die, and keep the press around just to decap fired primers. That will keep your new press running clean. I found a $10 press and that's what it's set up for in the garage.

The 243 wouldn't be as affected by the misalignment as the hornet due to it being a much stouter case.
That accuracy hasn't been easy to find, the 243 took near on a year and about 30 different loads to find and the hornet similar but I am still looking.
Both rifles have been bedded and the barrels floated and triggers worked.
As an idea of the work the press has done though, I've loaded around
1400 --243
1200 --22hornet
3500 --357mag
750 --6.5x55
400 --7mm rem mag
...... and I got it off a bloke who used it for 11 years competitive shooting 357 pistols.
The only lube I've ever done to it is to spray someCRC/WD40 on the shaft when it gets tight.

The 243 wouldn't be as affected by the misalignment as the hornet due to it being a much stouter case.
That accuracy hasn't been easy to find, the 243 took near on a year and about 30 different loads to find and the hornet similar but I am still looking.
Both rifles have been bedded and the barrels floated and triggers worked.
As an idea of the work the press has done though, I've loaded around
1400 --243
1200 --22hornet
3500 --357mag
750 --6.5x55
400 --7mm rem mag
...... and I got it off a bloke who used it for 11 years competitive shooting 357 pistols.
The only lube I've ever done to it is to spray someCRC/WD40 on the shaft when it gets tight.
If you determine that it is worn out......send it to me...I will pay the shipping. I know if you call RCBS and tell them you have one of their presses and it is worn out they will either replace it or give you a sweet deal on a new one.
I just sold a press to a friend on another forum for $20 that had many thousands of rounds loaded on it (RCBS RC jr) and I can't imagine it ever wearing to the point of loading crooked ammo.