Does anyone prefer a single stage press

I only use a single stage. I loaded on a friend's progressive once & I didn't like it. For the amount of shooting you do, I wouldn't bother with the extra set-up time & hassles of a progressive. I don't do all the operations on the same day. I keep several hundred cases in my favorite calibers primed & belled. From there, I charge the case, glance at the powder level, then seat & crimp (two operations). When I plan on shooting, I can have 200 rounds loaded in less than an hour. And, (unlike a progressive) very little room for error.

joneb said:

I do. And I type text messages with one finger

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Me too, but I use Swype. Once you wrap your brain around it it's faster than any other method. I'm writing all of this with Swype.

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Single stage is all I have ever used. I am too old to change.

If you shoot to reload rather than reload to shoot and if you don't need to reload large volumes of ammo, nothing beats a single stage press.

It really doesn't matter what press you use. Whatever works to make the ammo to enjoy shooting is all I care about. I use a Rockchucker and a LNL and both
do what I need them to do.

I've done most of my reloading on Lee turret presses but almost always as a single stage. It is convenient to have preset dies in a turret for easy caliber changes. Reloading is relaxing and therapy for me; I'm in no hurry. Much of my gear is 20 to 30 years old, still works great and does what I need. (Heck, if I'm just neck sizing rifle cases, I can get by fine with an old whack-a-mole Lee Loader kit. But that's another thread.) Also, I load BP cartridges in 45 Colt and 45-70, which is strictly single stage work.

I do have a Lee Classic Cast single stage press in case I need to resize a Studebaker or something.

Jeff

All I have is a single stage - RCBS - but just ordered a lee classic turret.

I batch most everything.
I do one caliber at a time and only have one powder on the bench at a time

Batch:
Tumble (done in advance, usually when I get home from the range)
Deprime and resize in one step
Expand if pistol
Prime

I could probably expand and prime in one step, or expand and add powder in one step. but I don't usually

combined step:
Double weigh powder on GEM and Franklin Arsenal digital scales
1. Scoop powder into pan on gem scale
2. Put primed brass on a separate digital scale, Tare to zero
3. powder in brass, brass on second scale to verify weight
add and seat the bullet

Last batch:
factory crimp the round and put in the ammo box

I am buying the turret primarily to combine the last two steps with a twist of the turret instead of a full batch cycle to crimp (remove the auto index rod) and just rotate by hand.

I don't like putting powder in and not immediately seating a bullet, don't want open cases with powder in them in the tray.

I think it might be convenient, not really looking for speed, to set up a caliber, and have all the dies on the turret, load the caliber, and once done, I can take them all off and put them away, or I can buy multiple turrets, I reload 7 calibers now, and like I said, I only do one at a time, so no big deal setting up each time.

Does anyone else do this (single stage load) with a turret?

d

I use a LNL and a Rock Chucker love them both....

Thewelshm

I used a Lee a Classic Turret in single stage mode for rifle and in self-indexing mode for pistol. Since moving to a Redding T-7 everything is loaded single stage by batching which is what I prefer. It gives me the ultimate control over my reloading and if done properly makes mistakes very difficult. Of course if your ammo needs are a lot greater than mine, single stage batching probably isn't very practical.

I am using my LCT press for rifle now. I too batch them and basically I have the same process as when reloading rifle using my Rockchucker.

I am NOT loading for speed. Honestly I like the feel of the Rockchucker a little better than the LCT. If I was resizing big brass or case-forming I would be using the Rockchucker.

As far as plinking ammo in 9mm or .40 Slow and Wobbly ( learned all the nicknames here on THR...... You guys are crazy to run that on a single stage. I use my Dillon 550b for that. Nowhere near the fast rates described by some folks, but 100-200 rounds in a session.

I like all my presses. But I hate hate hate rifle brass prep using all my lame hand tools. I have got to make an upgrade to my system.

Swanee

I have always loaded with an RCBS single stage press. I load only rifle rounds and buy all my pistol ammo new. My loads are very accurate and fun.

A single stage press is invaluable even if you have an automatic press. I load pistol rounds I shoot lots of on the auto press like 9mm, .45 acp, .38 spl but the tooling setup for a caliber change is quite expensive and/or time consuming. My single stage is used for calibers that I load a few boxes at time, pistol ammo like .32 S&W Long, .41 mag, .357 mag and rifle calibers 30-30, .308 Win, .303 Brit, 8x57 Mauser. Other calibers I shoot small amounts of I just buy the ammo.

I've used my Lyman Orange Crusher since mid eighties when I bought it. I have loaded as many as 300 pistol rounds in one session but usually only load 100-150 rounds at a time. I reload because I enjoy it and I'm not in any hurry.

Been reloading since the 70's, Rock Chuckers have 2 of them, like someone else said I used to load in batches, clean, size, swage if necessary, trim, prime, charge, seat. One setup one to size, the other to seat, sorta my version of progressive. Still use em alot swaging bullets, load development and the bigger rounds. Got Pro 7's, Dillon 550/650, LNL and Redding single stage.. It all boils down to your needs and in some "wants" example.. I want a Camdex...do I need it..no..do I shoot enuff to justify a Dillon 1050...no...When you reload for a lot of different rounds, 22 Hornet, 17 Remington out to 50 BMG... Just a thought

Snoopz

Well, my Fathers day gift is in router Lee Classic Turret press, should be here next Wednesday or Thursday.

Give me a couple weeks and I will be able to say which I prefer

d

Both

I use a Forster Co-Ax and a Redding Big Boss II for rifle. Dillon RL5550B for hand gun. All are “easy”, enjoyable, and efficient for what they are intended for with enough experience. I shoot a lot.

My 30 year old USA made Rock Chucker is going to my son. I load for 7mm Rem Mag, 308 Win, 270 Win, 5.56 NATO, 300 BLK, 9mm, 40S&W, 45 ACP, and 38/357 Mag.

I use my single stage has been semi-retired an used mainly for depriming duties. I do all my reloading (.380, 9mm, 45, and .223) on a simple RCBS turret. Yes, they are slow but I really enjoy the hands-on-every-step experience a single stage and turret press offer.

One advantage to using a single stage press and batch filling that I've found in my case is that I feel comfortable having the radio or a baseball game on TV in the background while I'm working. Because every process is so slow (especially true in my case) and very deliberate, having something on doesn't distract me. I'd have to do something really stupid to make an error, especially with all of my double and triple checks. Even when I used the LCT in self-indexing mode, I didn't want anything on to distract me. I can't imagine what I'd have to do if I used a progressive.
This may not be true for everybody but it works for me.

tcoz said:

... Even when I used the LCT in self-indexing mode, I didn't want anything on to distract me. I can't imagine what I'd have to do if I used a progressive.
This may not be true for everybody but it works for me.

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Having music on is perfect for me, it helps me to stay in The Zone ... but TV would not work due to the distraction issue you have mentioned.

Having anyone around precludes my trying to reload at_all as it will reduce my Focus.

No because of how much I shoot. I have more money than free time and the less time spent at the reloading bench the better.


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ABSOLUTELY YES. I would not be happy without having my Rock Chucker available on my bench at all times. There are many things that I greatly prefer to do on the single stage.

My bench has three presses mounted permanently - the RCBS Rock Chucker, a Lee Pro 1000, and a Lee Classic Turret. I use the two Lee presses to load a variety of pistol and revolver calibers, but just about all magnum loads and absolutely all rifle loads I prefer to do with the old Rock Chucker.

The only question worth my asking is do YOU like single stage reloading? If so? Giddy-up!

I tried it for a few months, still have the press on the bench, but upgraded over 6 years ago to the LCT which pretty perfectly matches MY realistic ammo needs and budget. I still use the SS press for brass prep in .223 but then load the processed cases on the turret.

The terrific thing about this great hobby is that there IS a way to fully enjoy it at all budget levels from the $30 Lee whack-a-mole to the thousand of dollars + investment in a Dillon 1050. Or even a $30K Camdex plant.

For your very low volume either the SS or a LCT would seem to me to be perfect.

200-300 rounds a month if that is the only rounds I do? A SS is ok. A turret like this Ponsness-Warren is better:



Friends don't let friends buy pot metal presses.

I've never seen one of those either. If a press can be considered beautiful, that one qualifies. It's definitely worthy of being displayed on the table in the middle of our living room