[buffdriver]

As I have an RCBS Pro 2000, I would be happy to help answer some of these questions.

It seems to have the combined features of the Hornady LNL and Dillon 650, plus a few new features I haven't seen on another press:
5 stations
Removable die plate
Auto indexing
Micrometer adjustments
APS primer strips
Cast iron

5 stations, but the Pro 2000 does not bell the case mouth and drop the powder in one step. One of the 5 stations is dedicated to the powder measure. In fact, the measure isn't fixed to the die plate, but stays on the machine all the time. I personally like that--you don't have to move the powder measure to change calibers, and changing the powder charge is quick because of the micrometer.

Auto-indexing is a new feature. I saw it in action at the SHOT show and it looks very solid. It's a bit more than $50 to upgrade a non-autoindexing press. MidwayUSA has it listed for $72.99, not in stock yet as of this posting. Count on $80 to $85, after shipping is added, to upgrade one. By the way, it's not a trivial upgrade. The entire lower portion of the shell plate rotational assembly gets replaced. I say this because I don't think they are gouging us on the upgrade cost, but I don't know how complex or difficult the procedure will be.

You highlighted three of my favorite features: micrometer adjustments, aps primer strips, and cast iron. The press is just very solid and a joy to use. The powder measure is spot on every time. I keep a record of my settings and can return to them any time I want. Being just a bit anal retentive , I also graph the settings that I use and can predict within +/- five on the micrometer of where a new powder load needs to be set. APS priming is, in my opinion, safer and faster than using primer tubes. It's easy to see when you are out, and the Pro2000 comes with the strip loader. I bought 3000 primers already on strips and now I have enough large primer strips to last a lifetime.

Price is really high $690 retail ($520 online).
I also didn't see a case feeder addon (maybe in the future?).

I agree, the Pro 2000 does carry a premium pricetag, as do many RCBS products these days. I bought mine 2 years ago for $400 shipped from Grafs. I made the decision after problems with a Lee Loadmaster, and after a careful comparison with the Dillon 550B. The 650 was, at that time, a whole other level of expense higher. Haven't really done the math lately. If I had known more about the Hornady Lock-N-Load at the time, I would have seriously considered it. I'm sure that the free bullet deal is pushing many folks that way--it's just a hard deal to pass up.

There is NO case feeder addon, and as far as I know, none planned. I spoke with Allan Jernigan at the SHOT show. He feels that the placment of the initial case on the shell plate would put a case feeder right in the users face. Instead, he said that they are pursuing a possible bullet feeder. I guess that the idea is that if you are reducing the number of items fed by one, it doesn't really matter which item you feed manually, case or bullet.

Right now I have a few concerns. I watched a video on the Dillon press and notice the removable die plate has some give and slight movement to it when seating. I personally like tight tolerance like that of the Hornady LNL, but not sure about the RCBS removable die plate. I also hope the cast iron has some sort of lasting protection so it won't rust.

The RCBS removable die plate also has some play. It certainly is not a surgical fit, but I haven't considered the play objectionable. I haven't had any problem at all with rust. The machine is well coated with the standard RCBS powder coat finish.

Other items of note: Caliber changes are fairly cheap, and very quick. If your dies are already adjusted, changing die plates takes about 5 seconds. Changing from large to small primers or vice versa is a 1 minute change. Shell plate takes about 2 minutes to change. Powder dispenser may need a turn or two up or down, and you may need to change powder funnels if moving from rifle to pistol. Not all changes are required every time. I can go from 45ACP to 30-06 or 308 without a shellplate or primer change. Just change the die plate, adjust the powder measure, and you're good to go. I forgot to add, it's very easy to empty the powder measure. It removes with a single thumbscrew--you don't need to dismount the measure base from the press or disturb any settings.

Overall, it's a solid machine that has several improvements over the older Dillon design, especially in the area of priming. The lack of a case feeder is now its achilles heel, as that will limit the maximum speed that the Pro 2000 can attain. It certainly loads quickly enough for me as it is now, though.

Hope this helps. I would be glad to answer any additional questions that you might have. I don't have any connection to RCBS, but I really like this press and don't feel that its features are widely enough known.

Cheers,

BuffDriver