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From modest beginnings to the leading manufacturer of ammunition reloading equipment for rifles and pistols, RCBS offers precision reloading equipment throughout the world.
RCBS was founded in 1943 by Fred T. Huntington in Oroville, California. Huntington was a dedicated shooter, but found it difficult to obtain quality varmint bullets. However, after reading about making a die to swage .22 rimfire cartridge cases to form jackets for bullets, he began to craft his own dies in the back room of his father’s Oroville laundry and dry-cleaning business. Because the resulting bullets were used to shoot rock chucks – a varmint of Western North America – he named them Rock Chuck Bullet Swage dies, later shortened to RCBS.
RCBS soon outgrew this modest beginning in the back of a laundromat, and by 1948 Huntington relocated to a small shop. The business continued to grow rapidly, spilling into his garage and then a new building in 1954. By 1958, RCBS was expanding again, first to a 7,500-square-foot factory that quickly grew to 50,000 square feet. As the years passed, more expansions have occurred, but RCBS stayed near its roots. Today, Oroville is still RCBS’ home for state-of-the-art production.
RCBS was acquired by Omark Industries in July 1976 and became part of the Sporting Equipment Division. In 1985, Omark Industries was purchased by Blount, Inc. Alliant Techsystems (ATK) purchased Blount’s brands including RCBS in 2001. In 2015, RCBS became part of Vista Outdoor Inc. when Vista was spun-off from ATK as a leading provider of outdoor sports and recreation products. In May of 2024, RCBS returned to family ownership when it was acquired by Hodgdon Powder Company, based in Shawnee, Kansas. Hodgdon and RCBS share a long history in the handloading industry. RCBS founder Fred T. Huntington knew Hodgdon Powder Co. founder Bruce Hodgdon. Along with other industry pioneers, the two men traveled the United States together in the 1960’s hosting reloading workshops to teach handloaders about their shared pursuit.
Hodgdon is committed to continuing the RCBS legacy of success by focusing on innovation, quality, and delivering the exceptional reloading tools and customer service that shooters and reloaders deserve. While RCBS no longer manufactures bullet-swaging dies, we are the leading manufacturer of ammunition reloading equipment for rifles and pistols, offering reloading equipment throughout the world.
RCBS has been manufacturing premium reloading tools in Oroville, California for over 80 yearssince the early 1940’s. While the neighborhood and manufacturing technology have changed, the American pride we take in making your reloading gear has not.
All of our products are designed here in the U.S., and over 97% of them are made in the United States. This includes all of ours dies, presses, mechanical powder throwers, shell holders, bushings, and more. Have a question about RCBS products? Our customer service in Oroville, California or Shawnee, Kansas will be happy to assist you.
