RCBS Lube-A-Matic 2

Well made, produces well sized bullets. Recommend using a warmer because the lube is fairly stiff and is difficult to flow if you have wrist problems. Suggest mounting the sizer using the RCBS mounting plate.

I have used an RCBS for over twenty five years and it STILL WORKS today. This is a company that may change owners through the years but I have found they always go the extra mile to back up what they make and sell. I am ordering a heater for mine after years of not having one. The heater is needed for the harder lubes as others have stated. The parts and dies for this model are extremely well made. Simple to adjust and change to different calibers. The only other Sizer/Luber I would recommend is a STAR brand if you can find one BUY IT FAST. I am fortunate to have my fathers since his casting retirement as a backup.

After casting bullets for many years using an old Lyman 450, I decided to switch lubes to the hard type which required heating. I bought a heater from Midway and found out real quick the old Lyman wouldn't work because of the open bottom. Lube leaked out and made a big mess. I ordered the RCBS and this is not a problem. Two things I have had to overcome in using it that may help others. First the two nuts on the top linkage kept coming loose. A lock nut stopped that. Second, the adjusting screw at the bottom won't go up far enough for short bullets. The bullet goes too far down in the die and lube gets on the top of the bullet. The fix is to move the adjusting screw lock nut from the bottom to the top of the bottom casting. This lets the adjustment screw go farther up and keeps the bullet from going so deep in the die. After fixing those little quirks it works fine. One other note: Lyman top punches sometimes are a little large and won't go up in the RCBS ram. Put the punch part in a drill and use medium or fine grit sand paper to turn the shank down while spinning with the drill. Doesn’t take much to get them to fit. I use hard Blue Angle lube. It works very well, non-sticky and doesn't end up in the loading dies. I get the solid kind and melt in a metal pan with a paint remover hot air gun. Just pour into the Lube a Matic 2 and let harden.

I have used the RCBS and the Lyman 450. Both are good products but I like the RCBS better. I like the lube system much better. It is built stronger and allows you to put a bit more pressure on the bullet lube which works much better with hard lubes. Use it with the Lyman heater block and you have a winning combination!

I have this and love it. and the service is without peer. I broke a weld on a handle, "my fault" so I called RCBS told them what part I broke he took my address. Two days later I had the part no questions, no charge just fantastic service.

This lube sizer works great when used with RCBS sizer dies and top punches. I had a problem when trying to use Lyman products. The top punch shaft has to be turned down to fit and the sizer dies would let lube unto the nose of the bullets. My advice would be to stick with RCBS products with this machine and you will have a fun time making your own bullets.

I have used this to lube and swag about 3000 rounds of .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Using the Lyman heater with Thompsons Blue Angel Bullet lube, the machine functions perfectly and produces good bullets. The only issue that I have ever had with this machine was that Lyman top-punches were about .001" too large. A little sanding on the shank of the top-punch with fine-grit sand-paper solved the problem.

Like all my RCBS equipment this is well made. I took the suggestions of others and bought more lube when I ordered it, definitely needed it. I was using the Lee liquid Alox and dealing with the mess it created. Very happy with the clean bullets this is producing. Using a heat gun to warm the press up and only have to re-heat every ten minutes or so. Don't see the need for the heater yet.

I would refer any potential buyer to the excellent assessment (above) submitted by John Hubbs of Orlando, FL - - John is right-on-the-money. I just bought an RCBS Lube-A-Matic-2 from MidwayUSA within the past week, and John's points are all very well taken. His first comment about the two 1/4-20UNC hex retainer nuts on the end of the shaft (working loose) has apparently been addressed already by RCBS because both of the nuts have been staked on every other flat to prevent this (although that will probably make any required disassembly a little more difficult). I am lube/sizing 500-Grain SAECO-1881 Bullets (which have an overall length of 1.295")for loading my .45-70 Trapdoor rifle rounds, so the RCBS recommendation of setting the gap at 0.50" was right-on for my application, and relocating the Adjusting Screw Locknut from the bottom to the top of the base casting (to prevent the bullets from being seated too far down in the Sizing Die) was not necessary. I too am using the LYMAN Top Punches (#190 for the 405-Grain and #374 for the 500-Grain Bullets), and at John's suggestion I did buff the shanks just a tad with fine emery cloth, but they fit into the RCBS Ram very nicely. I did, however (as Spence Wolf's 3rd Edition recommends), buff the inside of both top punches with very fine emery cloth to keep them from scoring the round-nose bullets (20:1 Alloy). Once I had the Adjusting Screw properly set to position the bullet correctly in the lube chamber with the handle all the way down (and once I had installed a second stick of SPG Lube to make up for all of the empty volume in the lube reservoir and had learned how to set the pressure-control adjustment handle), the machine functioned just like clockwork. It filled all three lube grooves perfectly and uniformly with no spill-over onto the round-nosed portion. I have a number of other pieces of RCBS equipment and have been very impressed with the caliber of the folks at their Technical Services Customer HotLine (1-800-533-5000). To say that I have thus far been VERY pleased with my Lube-A-Matic-2 is a gross understatement. It was very well-engineered with great attention to detail, and, as with all of my other RCBS equipment, the instructions are packaging are first-class. I would recommend the Lube-A-Matic-2 to anyone, and from the other reviews I see here, it would appear that a number of other owners agree with me.

I would recommend this to any one, new or an old timer. This replaced my old Lyman. It's much easier to set-up and use. Get the heater and extra lube sticks right away.

Overall, I am very happy with the Lube-a-matic that I purchased from Midway. They have about the best price I could find and you know RCBS is always great if there is ever a problem. That's why I went with this rather than the Lyman 450 that has a limited warranty. The thing that bugs me the most about this machine and the only reason I didn't give five stars is because the T-handle is a pain in the butt. I think the Lyman ratchet system is probably a bit more convenient to use. Also, the RCBS press comes with all kinds of crud in it from the machining process and should be cleaned and dried before you add bullet lube. It's not a big deal. Soap and hot water will do the job then use a blow dryer to remove moisture and oil the external parts, add your sizing die, top punch and lube and you are in business. The RCBS pistol lube that came with the press works just fine without a heater base and the bullets look very professional when they are lubed and sized this way. I have gotten no leading in .32 mag using wheel weights. I started sizing and lubing my bullets with a lee kit and I always got a quick build up of Lee Alox on the Seater plug and Alex all over my load boxes, pants pockets etc. I couldn't stand using my own bullets back then because I felt the finished rounds were substandard (i.e. sticky and messy). This system is the way to go if you want a professional looking no mess bullet with lube that stays in the lube grooves and doesn't get all over your stuff or clog up your seater die. You will want more lube right away because some is needed to fill the chamber around the lube die. Order at least two or three extra sticks and they will last a long time. You may also have to place a spacer under the depth adjustment because some of the used Lyman sizer dies I bought at auction allowed the bullets to be pushed in too deep with the adjustment all the way up. This allowed bullet lube to get on the nose of my bullets. Using the RCBS Mould, sizing die and top punch purchased at the same time from Midway, there were no compatibility problems. If you are at all interested in making your own bullets, a lube sizer in my opinion is a must have. A heater base is not needed especially if you stick with the softer lubes and the RCBS pistol lube works just fine without heat. In fact, if you heat the RCBS lube in the sizer it will not flow properly and makes a mess. If you want a harder lube like Lyman Orange Magic you will have to get the heater base and won't be able to switch back and fourth between low and high temp lubes without completely cleaning out the lube/sizer. You may therefore need different lube sizers for different lubes but should be able to get by with just one lube for most applications.

I can't comment on the performance of this product because I didn't use it. However, the quality of manufacture on the one I rec'd and returned was terrible. New out of the box the lube-a-matic displayed these defects: 1. The bore was way off center in relation to the cast housing. 2. A poor quality casting. 3. A poor quality finish. This is not the quality I have come to expect from RCBS. However, in recent years this seems to be the quality RCBS expects me to accept. No longer will I. I returned and opted for the SAECO.