Does anyone prefer a single stage press
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Paddy
member
For that many rounds for sure a SS is the way to go.
Lots of good choices but for me, and $ no object I prefer the lee classic cast SS
Lots of good choices but for me, and $ no object I prefer the lee classic cast SS
nettlle
Contributing Member
For 200 to 300 rounds a month a single stage is perfect.
conrad427
Member
Mom and Dad bought me a RCBS Partner press reloading kit for Christmas when I turned 10. Been using it ever since. Might get a turret someday, but I will never be rid of the old Partner.
One of my jobs when I worked for a gunsmith was to pull the lever on a Dillon progressive. It was boring.
Anymore, I like to sit down and load 25 or 50 rounds in an evening. Nice and relaxing.
One of my jobs when I worked for a gunsmith was to pull the lever on a Dillon progressive. It was boring.
Anymore, I like to sit down and load 25 or 50 rounds in an evening. Nice and relaxing.
Single stage has lots of advantages
Been using my Rock Chucker for close to 30 years and for good reason. I LOVE reloading and find it a wonderful extension of the shooting sports.
One of the largest advantages I see in a Single Stage is that I can feel every round being sized, flared and seated. After you have used a press for a while, you learn to feel the occasional cracked case, during sizing and even in flaring. I rarely have to inspect straight wall pistol cases as I can pretty much feel a defective case and that feeling is borne out when I visually inspect it. Same is true of the other ops too, you feel a problem immediately.
I stage every operation and its surprising how fast you can reload on a single stage by staging and completing the operation on several hundred cases at a time.
yes i have tried multi stage presses and find them too time consuming to set up. I load and shoot 9 different calibers, and can change the press over to another caliber in less than a minute.
Yes, I realize that it is a matter or preference and I am definitely for the single stage press, the consistency is another factor for me too. when I Chrono my loads they are extremely close in performance and the Mean standard and Extreme Spread verify this.
I usually load and shoot several thousand rounds a month and all done on the trusty Rock Chucker.
So to each his own but me? I am quite happy with the single stage
Been using my Rock Chucker for close to 30 years and for good reason. I LOVE reloading and find it a wonderful extension of the shooting sports.
One of the largest advantages I see in a Single Stage is that I can feel every round being sized, flared and seated. After you have used a press for a while, you learn to feel the occasional cracked case, during sizing and even in flaring. I rarely have to inspect straight wall pistol cases as I can pretty much feel a defective case and that feeling is borne out when I visually inspect it. Same is true of the other ops too, you feel a problem immediately.
I stage every operation and its surprising how fast you can reload on a single stage by staging and completing the operation on several hundred cases at a time.
yes i have tried multi stage presses and find them too time consuming to set up. I load and shoot 9 different calibers, and can change the press over to another caliber in less than a minute.
Yes, I realize that it is a matter or preference and I am definitely for the single stage press, the consistency is another factor for me too. when I Chrono my loads they are extremely close in performance and the Mean standard and Extreme Spread verify this.
I usually load and shoot several thousand rounds a month and all done on the trusty Rock Chucker.
So to each his own but me? I am quite happy with the single stage
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Don't own a progressive press for my rifles and pistols, most of my rifle ammo is for bolt actions and I use a turret for my pistol ammo.
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Hardtarget
Member
I got a RCBS Rock Chucker in mid '70's...used. Never loaded on anything else. I've thought about other type of press, but, at my age(66) I just don't think I'll be loading/shooting enough to bother. I like single stage. I like the pace and getting to look things over a bit as I go through the steps. I also like the feel of the brass going into the dies. I am OK with single stage. Don't want to change.
Mark
Mark
Good to hear I am not alone I have a redding big boss and a lee classic turret but I enjoy the single stage much better, by batch prepping my brass I feel they are
inspected better and I just enjoy the single stage process if I was short on time
or shooting 1k a month my opinion may change.
inspected better and I just enjoy the single stage process if I was short on time
or shooting 1k a month my opinion may change.
Until last week I have used a couple of Rockchuckers for all my rifle reloads and a Dillon 550B for pistol. After 20+ years of using the Rockchuckers I have switched my rifle reloading to a Redding T-7 Turret press and can't believe I waited so long. I kept one of the Rockchuckers for resizing 30.06 to 25.06 and for pulling bullets but other than that it doen't get much use.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Yes, I do.
I have used a single stage press most of my life.
You can crank out all the rounds you need by processing brass in large batches.
I much prefer the single stage for the quality control & safety checks it allows me during each operation.
rc
I have used a single stage press most of my life.
You can crank out all the rounds you need by processing brass in large batches.
I much prefer the single stage for the quality control & safety checks it allows me during each operation.
rc
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I use a single stage RCBS press for my rifle ammo except for .223 loading. My handgun and .223ammo is made on a Lee Classic Cast Turret press. During shooting season I build more than 300 rounds a month on the Rockchucker. I load 30-30, .303 British, 30-06, 45-70 and a few others. For your volume of loading a single stage press is perfect IMO, like said more than once above.
I'm curious about something. I've been considering the Redding Turret. Do you take each round through all the steps, turning the turret to complete each round or do you do one operation to many cases?
farmershooter
Member
I have had a couple progressives. I found that they took a lot of the enjoyment out of the soothing, relaxing and satisfying pleasure or handloading. Meticulously working up a batch of cases one step at a time is for me. I traded them off and went back to the old Rockchucker I have had for nearly fifty years for sizing, my Texan Turret set up with six Lee Auto Disc powder through the expander dies for charging all my handgun calibers, and an RCBS Partner that I cut the front support out of twenty five years ago for seating. They work for me.
farmershooter
Member
Shag, I have had Lyman, Hollywood, Redding, Ponsness-Warren and Texan turrets in the past. I tried both ways, but unless I was making up just a small handfull of ladder loads, processing the cases in batches was by far the best. That way, the main advantage of the turret is your dies are all set up and adjusted.
stubbicatt
Member
For the rifle cartridges I load, at most 100 per month each chambering, the single stage Lee is just fine. I use the CC turret press for my pistol calibers, which I tend to shoot more.
Plus I have grown to really like how I can size cast bullets and install gas checks on the single stage press. It is a useful tool.
Plus I have grown to really like how I can size cast bullets and install gas checks on the single stage press. It is a useful tool.
GBExpat
Member
When I originally got my LCT ~1½ years ago I thought that I would be often using my 1974 RCBS JR3 press for loads development.
While I still do loads development in "single-stage/loading-block mode", I have found it easier for me to just use the LCT for that, also. Having ALL of the dies mounted, adjusted and instantly available is very handy.
I may end-up breaking out the old JR3 when I get back into reloading some of the larger rifle calibers (I use the LCT for .223/5.56).
That said ...
Even when using the LCT in its version of rock'n'roll mode (~200rd/hr), I still find it to be both very relaxing & satisfying.
While I still do loads development in "single-stage/loading-block mode", I have found it easier for me to just use the LCT for that, also. Having ALL of the dies mounted, adjusted and instantly available is very handy.
I may end-up breaking out the old JR3 when I get back into reloading some of the larger rifle calibers (I use the LCT for .223/5.56).
That said ...
Even when using the LCT in its version of rock'n'roll mode (~200rd/hr), I still find it to be both very relaxing & satisfying.
grandpawj
Member
Rock Chucker for all my rifle stuff. Pro2000 auto for handgun.
I have used a single stage press for many years (over 30). That being said, I also own two progressive presses (Dillon 550s).
I use different presses for different things.
I shoot a LOT more than 200-300 rounds a month, especially with handguns. I load most of my handgun ammo on progressive presses because I am looking for volume. I typically load 1000 or more at a time.
That being said, I use my single stage press a lot. I typically load all my rifle ammo on a single stage press. Sometimes I am too lazy to change calibers on my progressive loaders, so I will use my single stage press. Sometimes I want to play around with a load where I am only loading a few rounds and I use a single stage press.
So, no, I don't prefer a single stage press but I see this as have a variety of tools available and choosing the right tool for the job.
If you are trying to decide on what to buy and you are loading a few hundred rounds a month, then a single stage press is fine. Like some others have mentioned, I often just find loading to be relaxing and something productive to do, so I am not always in a big hurry.
I use different presses for different things.
I shoot a LOT more than 200-300 rounds a month, especially with handguns. I load most of my handgun ammo on progressive presses because I am looking for volume. I typically load 1000 or more at a time.
That being said, I use my single stage press a lot. I typically load all my rifle ammo on a single stage press. Sometimes I am too lazy to change calibers on my progressive loaders, so I will use my single stage press. Sometimes I want to play around with a load where I am only loading a few rounds and I use a single stage press.
So, no, I don't prefer a single stage press but I see this as have a variety of tools available and choosing the right tool for the job.
If you are trying to decide on what to buy and you are loading a few hundred rounds a month, then a single stage press is fine. Like some others have mentioned, I often just find loading to be relaxing and something productive to do, so I am not always in a big hurry.
TimSr
Member
That's what I started with 30 years ago. Upgraded to a Hornady 007 press for the added leverage for rifle rounds. Still use the Partner for holding the powder charger and sometimes ram prime die.
300 rounds a month, especially if its 4-6 different calibers, I'll skip the progressive. Batch loading, and visual inspection for powder level has prevented double charges on more than on occasion over the years. I think a progressive might be nice for loading large quantities of the same pistol round, with the same load and bullet.
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jgh4445
Member
I shoot a lot of 45 acp and 45 Colt. For these two I use a Square Deal. Everything else gets made on my Forster COAX. I even work up loads for the 45 colt in the coax. I shoot AR but not tons of it. I enjoy hand decapping and tumbling one evening, trimming and hand priming the next, powder from the chargemaster and a bullet in the COAX the next. Makes for really consistent ammo and a relaxing time reloading.
LeonCarr
Member
I own a Dillon Square Deal B and a Dillon RL550B, and I do most of my loading on a Redding T-7 Turret Press.
Heavy Duty Construction, Made In America By Americans On American Made Machinery, and is easily the best combination of speed and precision.
If I was starting all over again from scratch, I would pick a turret press over a single stage like the RCBS Rock Chucker I started on in 1989.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Heavy Duty Construction, Made In America By Americans On American Made Machinery, and is easily the best combination of speed and precision.
If I was starting all over again from scratch, I would pick a turret press over a single stage like the RCBS Rock Chucker I started on in 1989.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Reloadron
Contributing Member
I have a few progressive presses which I haven't used in decades. I load everything pretty much on my old RCBS Rock Chucker. That would average about 400 to 800 rounds a month of rifle and maybe a few hundred handgun. However, that changes by the season. I load what I liked the previous summer and fall during the winter. During the winters the loading increases while during the summers I enjoy rifle and outdoors. Being retired, something I have is time.
I would probably be happy using single stage equipment for that level of reloading. In addition to a single stage, I currently use a Lee Classic Turret with the auto indexing components removed. Over the course of a year I might load over a dozen different calibers, so a single stage and the Lee Turret work great for quickly changing calibers. I’ve purchased a few extra turrets for the Lee to reduce die changes and adjustments for the calibers I load most frequently.
But I can see where someone with a family working full time and loading a total of 200 or 300 rounds a month for only one or two calibers might prefer a progressive.
But I can see where someone with a family working full time and loading a total of 200 or 300 rounds a month for only one or two calibers might prefer a progressive.
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