Rock Chuck Bullet Swage dies
founded in 1943
Oroville, California
leading manufacturer of ammunition reloading equipment
for rifles and pistols
- 1943 founded by Fred T. Huntington in Oroville, California
- made a die to swage .22 rimfire cartridge cases to form jackets for bullets
- in the back of a laundromat
- 1948 relocated to a small shop
- 1954 expanded into 7,500-square-foot factory
– grew to 50,000 square feet - 1976 acquired by Omark Industries
- 1985 purchased by Blount, Inc
- 2001 purchased by Alliant Techsystems (ATK)
- 2015 Vista Outdoor Inc. spun-off from ATK
(800) 533-5000
RCBS.com
About RCBS
RCBS is one of the best-known makers of ammunition reloading equipment for rifle and pistol cartridges. The company was founded in 1943 in Oroville, California, by Fred T. Huntington, and its initials stand for Rock Chuck Bullet Swage, a nod to the bullet swaging dies Huntington first made. From a single bullet die, RCBS grew into a full-line reloading brand whose presses, dies, shell holders, powder measures and priming tools are found on handloading benches across the country.
For handloaders who assemble their own ammunition for accuracy, economy or hard-to-find calibers, RCBS tools are a common starting point. The brand passed through several corporate owners over the decades and most recently belonged to Vista Outdoor, which was spun off from Alliant Techsystems in 2015, where RCBS was part of the Revelyst outdoor products segment. In May 2024 Revelyst sold RCBS to Hodgdon Powder Co. of Shawnee, Kansas, the propellant supplier behind the Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester powder lines, bringing a major reloading equipment brand under the same roof as a leading supplier of reloading powders.
Key Facts
- 1943: Founded in Oroville, California, by Fred T. Huntington.
- 2015: Vista Outdoor, RCBS’s later parent, is spun off from Alliant Techsystems.
- 2023: RCBS marks 80 years in business.
- May 2024: Revelyst, a Vista Outdoor segment, sells RCBS to Hodgdon Powder Co.
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Sources
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