Rockchucker or JR?

I started reloading on a used JR in 1977, and now use a Rockchucker.

Mine gets a lot of use. I lube mine about every 6 months to keep the movement smooth. I use Breakfree.

Just a FYI, but you can drill and tap the lee locking rings for a side allen bolt set-screw.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Making-Lee-die-rings-into-lock-rings/42-359040/

Lead shot mod covered in thread. This is good in any die that the set screw tightens on the threads. (RCBS)

FYI, if you have not pulled the press down to clean and re-grease it, you don't have a clue what smooth as butter is.

To pull the press down, start with removing a C clip on the Side of the cam block pin, slide the pin out, and drop the ram out the bottom of the press.

Next, remove a side C clip on the cam block pin, slide that pin out, and remove the cam block and its Wave washers.

To remove the upper arms, use a long punch through the hollow side pin to drive the solid pin on the right hand side out to drop that lever out, then via a wider punch, drive the hollow pin out of the left hand arm to remove that arm.

Now clean all the parts up with WD-40.

When you go to reinstall the parts, use a very heavy bearing grease for the reinstall of the parts.

So grease on the left lever arm pin and  upper arm channel and install the solid upper pin on the right hand side, then do the same for the left hand hollow pin and arm next.

On the cam block and its pin, pack the cam block channel for the pin solid with grease to begin with, the pin and lower arm channels and the Wave washer with grease and reinstall the cam block with pin.  The grease that comes out of the cam block when you install the pin, just put is back in the grease container.
Note, here, when you have the cam block and cam block pin cleaned up, dry fit the cam block pin to the channel.  If you find that you have more than say .010" of channel wear to the pin, get RCBS on the phone for a free replacement cam block.  Hence as the cam block pin channel wears very over size, this allow more sideways movement on the lever to allow more variances in ram height if you don't work the lever up in the  center of it sideways movement.  As for ram to press channel, keep the ram and it channel clean of debris, and it will not be a problem for generation on the machine.  I have had RCBS replace a worn out press (body channel for ram), but it took over 30year of use on the press maintained to over wear the press ram channel to the point that a clean up and rebuild of the other parts where not going to solve the problem.

On the ram and the press channel for it, just thin layer of grease on these to start with.  The lower ram channel for the pin, and the pin, grease on the heaver side.  Now that you have the press back together, handle all the way down, and use a light lube like Hoppes gun oil (orange bottle) on the entire sides of the ram, then work the handle a few times to migrate the oil from the ram to press channel.
Once you have levered the handle a few times to migrate all the grease and lube, then do a wipe off of the excess grease from the outer surfaces.

As for the  reason that we want to use a light oil on the ram with just a hint of grease, is the ram will get debris through use of the press, and we will be pulling just the ram to clean it and the ram channel in the press as needed.  As needed for me since the ram is so easy to pull alone, it about once a month of normal use, or after a bout with a lot of de-priming debris that has fouling build up on the ram and in the channel that should be cleaned out before it starts to cause abnormal wear.

If you need a long punch set to punch  the upper arm pins out, HF has you covered for under $10.
https://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-long-drive-pin-punch-set-93111.html

Also, if the press is very, very old with the handle bar grip on the top of the  lever, the handle can be end threaded to install the OEM plastic ball, or you can just by a new lever with plastic ball instead.





I bring up the end ball, since with the end of press lever threaded, you can install a even larger ball to give you move leverage on the press lever (think pool ball shifter knob that widens out the ball to palm to give the lever even more pressure without palm disconfort).