600 rounds in an hour is it possible????

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If a sub-machine gun is rated at 800 rounds per minute, does that mean that you'll be able to shoot 800 rounds in a minute? Only if you have a 800 round magazine so you don't have to reload.
 
600 an hour seems doable with some big caveats.
#1 you have a helper to keep powder hopper from running empty, case feeder running, bullet feeder running, primer tubes ready....
#2 you are physically capable of running at that pace for that long.
#3 you have your machinery set up properly and nothing acts up on you.

The important part is safety. I'm of the school of visual inspection. There's absolutely no way I can check primer depth on every case, check powder volume one every case, stop periodically and weigh check a powder drop, and still run the press pulling the lever every 6 seconds. To me making sure I don't make squib rounds or double charges or high primers is much more important than a blistering "literally" pace. No way I would ever try it. Some folks do.
 
Rule3 said:
I could watch her for hours loading! Oh, this is RCBS my mistake.:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oPVfUea70s&feature=youtu.be
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Is it just me or in the video do they flare the case a lot more than is needed? Video is kinda grainy on my phone but from what I see looks like those necks would be stretched very badly, probably to a point where it wouldn't want to feed very well into the crimp die. It may just be my phone, or maybe they did bell the case a bit more just to emphasize that particular point of operation.
 
600 an hour seems doable with some big caveats.
#1 you have a helper to keep powder hopper from running empty, case feeder running, bullet feeder running, primer tubes ready....
#2 you are physically capable of running at that pace for that long.
#3 you have your machinery set up properly and nothing acts up on you.

The important part is safety. I'm of the school of visual inspection. There's absolutely no way I can check primer depth on every case, check powder volume one every case, stop periodically and weigh check a powder drop, and still run the press pulling the lever every 6 seconds.
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Proof is in the first 2 videos of post #16, it's not a question of "is it doable", rather "what does it take".

With the powder check die you can have both audio and visual confirmation of powder charges, no need to weigh that often when they are used. With the 1050 primer depth is set with an Allen wrench, you don't even have to have any "feel" to make them consistent.

I suppose with the RCBS presses the op is talking about, it would be more difficult than with other presses and there are some presses that simply could never make it.
 
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This thread is pretty amusing. RCBS has been saying the same thing for years, but about the Pro 2000, least ways since they started selling their pistol bullet feeder. I only find it amusing because I can't believe somebody didn't raise this question 3 years ago, when Pro 2000 bashing was in vogue.;)

Of the replies I like 9mmepiphany's best.....and IMO it's worth rereading. The first and last lines.....
9mmepiphany said:
The real limiting factor is primer supply...because most primer tubes are sized to only hold 100 primers.....

....But I don't think that that is really the point of the RCBS statement. The point is to give you a reference of comparison to other progressive presses. What they are really saying is that you can load 100 rounds, common primer capacity, in 10 minutes
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10 minutes is my max ...... then I have to rest.:D On the pro 2000 100 primers isn't the limiting factor (adding strips endlessly does lose you 1 second per 25 though) powder hopper is.

On the new RCBS progressives you can buy hoppers up to 2 lbs in capacity though.......still the real limiting factor is the human.

jmorris said:
...... With the 1050 primer depth is set with an Allen wrench, you don't even have to have any "feel" to make them consistent.
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Hate to break it to you, but the Pro 2000 and the new Pro Chuckers do the same thing. You just raise the ram, and adjust the depth bolt.

I'm mostly curious at the moment about whether the new presses have a better mouse trap in the case feeding arena coming......or just the samo.... Not exactly holding my breath.
 
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Hate to break it to you, but the Pro 2000 and the new Pro Chuckers do the same thing. You just raise the ram, and adjust the depth bolt.

I'm mostly curious at the moment about whether the new presses have a better mouse trap in the case feeding arena coming......or just the samo.... Not exactly holding my breath.
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Well, the Lee load master also has adjustable primer seat depth but I don't have any experience loading 1000/hr with them either. As you have said, without case feed , it is not going to be as easy with the RCBS.
 
It's all BS!

Don't know about RCBS, but I have several presses, one being a Dillon 550b. Their claim is BS too.

What these companies do I line up maybe 6 or 10 rounds of brand new pristine brass, load them as fast as possible, then extrapolate the numbers to rounds per hour. No way anyone is going to hit those numbers they advertise. It's not safe, primers need to be reloaded, they occasionally seat crooked, there's a multitude of issues. I can't even imagine trying this with long grain powder as opposed to ball. Take all their hype with a grain of salt.

Get a press, find a comfortable speed where you can be safe, and just enjoy the experience. Don't rush it and you'll live longer with all your digits to enjoy reloading well into the future.
 
West Kentucky post 29.

Holy cow, the bell is crazy over done. Guess my attention was not solely on the press when I saw that video for the first time a while back.

I kind of knew where this thread was going. I have a Dillon 550b, I have never measured my production rate. Not important to me.

High production rate doesn't necessarily translate into mistakes or poor quality ammunition, but it certainly does not help.

Lot's of good press options out there. I suggest everyone should own several. I have two for shotgun, a Rock Chucker single stage for rifle and the 550b for pistol.

To the op original post, why would you want to try and load 600 rounds per hour?
 
jmorris said:
Well, the Lee load master also has adjustable primer seat depth but I don't have any experience loading 1000/hr with them either. As you have said, without case feed , it is not going to be as easy with the RCBS.
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Yeah, especially if you can't get one to test. The Lee Load Master is one of the fastest loaders out there, faster than the 650......for a few minutes...until something goes wrong.:) That one is impossible, out of the box, to keep going for an hour at a quick pace without a stoppage.

But even the 650 is capable of sudden interruptions....I've seen a few personally...lots of moving parts to keep clean and synced. The Pro 2000 is much simpler, but it too can get dirty and stop....but I've never reached that stage since I give out first!:rolleyes:....I won't be much of a tester.:)

The 1050 is designed for commercial use so it's designed to keep going longer.....but you pay for that in dollars. I know the new RCBS Pro Chuckers aren't designed for the same market.....so I doubt they will keep going without a reset any longer than other home presses.

I'm not sure why the O.P. even started with the new RCBS presses......they are not done yet......advertising BS truly is BS if they don't even have the whole product to sell and review....you know....complete with both feeders.

Yes, people are having a hard time being patient with them.....me included. Why did they market-hype the product not yet ready for mass production! Who knows!

I've always said RCBS marketing is lousy....they have done nothing lately to change my mind....quite the opposite. The only thing you can buy for sure right now, pretty much everywhere, are the stupid shell plates! Who's going to buy them before they can even buy the presses, which are available for a week then out of stock for 3 weeks. I don't get it.

The case feeder was supposed to be available this summer.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: They are running out of time.
 
i clocked 607 on my lee load master with case feeder and auto case feeder loader. that was a good pace, but not overdoing it. i would not continue for hours like that but i could see 1200 rounds every 2 hours. the lee primer system is easy and fast to fill. I think a good comfortable "hobby" speed is around 450 rounds an hour but 600 is possible for an hour or 2 without a doubt. i have over 12k on my new lee load master without problems, it all comes down to tuning and case prep. the machine is sound, unlike people make it seem. I would guess the cheap price has most of the new re-loaders going to it and giving it a bad name when in fact they are just new re-loaders that make the mistakes themselves.
 
BigBore45 said:
i clocked 607 on my lee load master with case feeder and auto case feeder loader. that was a good pace, but not overdoing it. i would not continue for hours like that but i could see 1200 rounds every 2 hours. the lee primer system is easy and fast to fill. I think a good comfortable "hobby" speed is around 450 rounds an hour but 600 is possible for an hour or 2 without a doubt. i have over 12k on my new lee load master without problems, it all comes down to tuning and case prep. the machine is sound, unlike people make it seem. I would guess the cheap price has most of the new re-loaders going to it and giving it a bad name when in fact they are just new re-loaders that make the mistakes themselves.
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Your last sentence is the key right there. My lee progressive is fantastic.

I always offer to buy those nonexistent lee presses that people claim are sitting in the closet because they are junk. In the end they never have the press and probably never did.
 
Nice reloading turret. I still do not think fast reloading is a real need if you want to make really good ammo. I still do not believe in such perfection. The tourret looks very nice, and I eould like to try one.
 
I do 300 a hour without any problems. Nice pace for me without rushing.
 
They even seem to have all of their fingers, pretty cool. One scoop of whatever the guy mixed up and go...
 
I did 50 rounds in a little less than 4 minutes on my Hornady. I wasn't even pulling the handle that fast, but I was doing it at a good pace which included looking into each case for powder level and watching to make sure the case was pushed into the shell plate properly by my case feeder. Said case feeder still misfeeds several every 50. I could not have kept that pace up for too long though. I like to stop every 50 rounds (one tube of bullets) to gauge them and fill my ammo box.

I think we can all agree that most progressive presses can go faster than any of us want to or need to go. Also that the advertised rates are typical marketing hype, i.e., they are true, but you must consider what they are really measuring.
 
I have some friends, and sometimes we get 800 rounds a minute. hehe
 
With the 550b, and my lack of loading on it due to heat. I would say I could get 150 to 200 rounds done per hour safely without any stoppage other than reload the primer tube. If something goes kaput then I don't get that many per hour.
Buying a new building tomorrow to run electricity to out in the backyard..A 10x16, and it will be nice, have two windows for looking out enjoying the outside, and an A/C and Heater so I can load all year round. FINALLY!!! Loading all year round without using my hand press. :) Although I still will.

I say 600 rounds / hour is unsafe unless you have a bullet feeder, case feeder, and just like to move your arm up and down up and down as fast as you can. To much room for error in trying to reach that goal IMPO.
 
Coop45 said:
Reloading is too relaxing to ruin trying to set a speed record.
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Yep, while I can run faster, a leisurely consistent pace is fine and still gets a lot loaded in a short period of time.

As posted, just because we can do a certain pace for a few minutes, doesn't mean we can, or need to, or even want to, keep it up for an hour, or more.
 
Jim Watson said:
If you have to have a helper to keep the components coming, does that mean your actual production rate is 300/hr. 300 per MAN hour for sure.
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I used to work for a consumer products company that made thousands of units per day. In terms of production, what was important was the amount of units made at the end of the day, week or month. Cost to produce those units was also important. Extra operators was one of those cost of production.

The instantaneous rate of the machine, in other words machine speed, was only important in being able to make the desired production while offsetting production upsets, in other words, inefficiencies. Upsets might include resupplying the machine, clearing jams, maintenance, and so forth.

Additional operators or newer, fancier equipment affect the costs of production in their own way. Increased instantaneous speed and/or an improvement in efficiencies are some of the benefits of adding operators or new hardware.

Somewhat simplistic remarks expanding on Jim's post and definitely not the entire story. Most larger corporations have armies of bean counters to make sense of it all.

I have no doubt that the press manufacturer's rate claims for their equipment is obtainable for short periods of times or with extra effort but it would be difficult to sustain those production levels over the long period.
 
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