Alright, I think I am ready to try out a progressive press

GW Staar said:
I like my 7 station press, and I guess if you use military brass that needs to be swaged, 8 could be handy. What am I missing? Just trying to understand why 2 more would be handy. Dillon sells a trimmer to go on one, but that thing is so loud you really do need earmuffs to go along with your eye protection, even if kabooms are rarer than hens teeth on the 750's and 1050, 1100s...finally.

What's the method on the Apex. station by station? Curious to be sure. Priming has it's own station? I admit if a person was into wildcatting, such as turning .243 into a .22 wildcat, or some such, an extra sizing station would be handy....sizing to .243 then sizing to .22-243M. I could like that.... BTW, I love your new vibrating primer feeder. Lee 's new "super" primer needs a vibrator....then up goes the price .... Priming has ALWAYS been the troublesome bottleneck;)
Click to expand...
Oh, I’m sure someone out there will be happy to lect… tell us all about how fast, easy and trouble free priming is on a progressive. It’s like the 30-seconds needed to prepare brass before it goes in the case feeder and the 45-seconds needed to swap calibers. Somebody always has the magic which evades everyone else. 😁
 
GeoDudeFlorida said:
Oh, I’m sure someone out there will be happy to lect… tell us all about how fast, easy and trouble free priming is on a progressive. It’s like the 30-seconds needed to prepare brass before it goes in the case feeder and the 45-seconds needed to swap calibers. Somebody always has the magic which evades everyone else. 😁
Click to expand...

You beat us to the punch...in your response time on how worthless progressive presses are...;)
 
GW Staar said:
I like my 7 station press, and I guess if you use military brass that needs to be swaged, 8 could be handy. What am I missing? Just trying to understand why 2 more would be handy. Dillon sells a trimmer to go on one, but that thing is so loud you really do need earmuffs to go along with your eye protection, even if kabooms are rarer than hens teeth on the 750's and 1050, 1100s...finally.

What's the method on the Apex. station by station? Curious to be sure. Priming has it's own station? I admit if a person was into wildcatting, such as turning .243 into a .22 wildcat, or some such, an extra sizing station would be handy....sizing to .243 then sizing to .22-243M. I could like that.... BTW, I love your new vibrating primer feeder. Lee 's new "super" primer needs a vibrator....then up goes the price .... Priming has ALWAYS been the troublesome bottleneck;)
Click to expand...
The Apex has 10 stations. Typical set up is
1st station case feed
2nd decap (run a universal decap die)
3rd swaging (press comes with a universal hold down die)
4th size & priming. We found priming over the size die made for most reliable priming. Couple with proper swaging above really helps.
5th case flare
6th powder drop
7th powder check
8th bullet drop
9th bullet seat
10th crimp & ejects

We have two (3rd counting Genesys when it launches) automated priming systems- the primer xpress for the Apex and the automated priming system for the Revolution/Evolution.
 
Kookla said:
The Apex has 10 stations. Typical set up is
1st station case feed
2nd decap (run a universal decap die)
3rd swaging (press comes with a universal hold down die)
4th size & priming. We found priming over the size die made for most reliable priming. Couple with proper swaging above really helps.
5th case flare
6th powder drop
7th powder check
8th bullet drop
9th bullet seat
10th crimp & ejects

We have two (3rd counting Genesys when it launches) automated priming systems- the primer xpress for the Apex and the automated priming system for the Revolution/Evolution.
Click to expand...
That is the way I have mine set up. Now that I finally got a primer pocket gauge, I should reset my swaging at Station 3. I should likely check my primer depth again at Station 4 also

I'm using a Lee universal decapping die, Lee Inline Bullet Feeder, and a RCBS Powder Cop...with the rest being my Redding set from my LNL. A couple of my buddies are using the Jack Bolt and FW Dynamic Hold Down dies at Station 3 and 4, but I'm not that OCD...I'm not going automated either
 
GeoDudeFlorida said:
Oh, I’m sure someone out there will be happy to lect… tell us all about how fast, easy and trouble free priming is on a progressive. It’s like the 30-seconds needed to prepare brass before it goes in the case feeder and the 45-seconds needed to swap calibers. Somebody always has the magic which evades everyone else. 😁
Click to expand...
Priming is the most difficult part of the process. The automated priming system on the Evolution/Revolution is pretty bomb proof once dialed in. A lot of our commercial customers are loading 10k plus a day through our machines. They have to be reliable.

Caliber change times vary on what caliber you're going from and what you're changing to. If you're going from say 9mm to 38spl, then all that's really involved is swapping out the shell plate, case feed ram and case feed adapter. This takes maybe 20 minutes the first time you do it, less as you get more used to it. It takes more time if you're changing out priming and swaging components, bullet feeder changes, setting dies, ect.
 
Just wanted to say that I work for Mark 7 Reloading's consumer side, and also Lyman Products. I wear a lot of hats. If folks have questions, I'll do my best to answer them. If I don't know the answer (and there's a lot I don't know) I can find out from those that do.
 
Kookla said:
Just wanted to say that I work for Mark 7 Reloading's consumer side, and also Lyman Products. I wear a lot of hats. If folks have questions, I'll do my best to answer them. If I don't know the answer (and there's a lot I don't know) I can find out from those that do.
Click to expand...
Thank you for responding to my PM and appreciate your participation on THR. You are in good company:


Jay Phillips (Now Justin Taylor, Marketing and Sales Manager), Berry's Manufacturing - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?members/berrys-mfg.125358/​

Paul - Employee of Alliant Powders/Vista Outdoor - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?members/alliant-reloading.154994/​

Matt Dardas, owner of Dardas Cast Bullets (Retired) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?members/dardascastbullets.76985/​

Brad & Jo Ann Alpert (RIP) - Founding owners of MBC - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?members/missouribullet.80576/​

Massad Ayoob - Famed gun writer/instructor - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?members/massad-ayoob.22921/​
 
9mmepiphany said:
That is the way I have mine set up. Now that I finally got a primer pocket gauge, I should reset my swaging at Station 3. I should likely check my primer depth again at Station 4 also

I'm using a Lee universal decapping die, Lee Inline Bullet Feeder, and a RCBS Powder Cop...with the rest being my Redding set from my LNL. A couple of my buddies are using the Jack Bolt and FW Dynamic Hold Down dies at Station 3 and 4, but I'm not that OCD...I'm not going automated either
Click to expand...
Interesting stuff! My ProChucker, with 7 stations, starts by doing nothing in the first stroke except feeding the first case, then stroke 2, in station 1, sizes and deprimes on the downstroke, and feeds the next one on the upstroke when the plate hits bottom. :) Station 2 is the "M" expander and then primes on the upstroke. 3 powder, 4 powder check, 5 bullet feeder, 6 seater and 7 crimper. So it is really the swager station and the decapper which gets it own station that is extra.....but does the swager really do much on normal non military brass? Insurance, maybe? I know that when I do miltary LC 7.63, I swage and then touch a reamer on the edge for insurance....of course that has to be done off press for me......but that's only LC brass.

One more thing....with Lee's APP on the bench I no longer deprime anything on any progressive. I'm addicted to bling! So lickity split, I deprime using a case collator feeding the APP, and tumble wet before my progressives even see any brass. And I love it that way.....so I'm afraid that gives me less of a reason to buy a fancy 10 hole press!

I like the Pro Chucker, but RCBS quit too soon. Their case feeder wasn't fully developed....so I had to finish it myself......works to perfection now.......I also had to supply my own collator, which was better really, as I saved a lot of money ......and ditto with bullet collator. I think I spent $1700 on the 3 progressives and $300 on the rest, not counting the 3D printer of course. ;) But that tool just keeps on giving me new capabilties for six presses.
 
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One of the nice things about of progressive presses is you can break up the process ti fit your needs.

I like to tumble cases between resizing and reloading. I resize and case mouth expand on the progressive. The progressive eliminates some case handling making the resizing process more efficient.

After tumbling the cases I set them aside for a future reloading session.

I find the primer system on progressives are a weak link. Many folks seem to get the deficiencies worked out, I do not find the primer system reliable to my expectations. Hence, I prime off the press then reload on the press.

By breaking up the process, there are parts of the process you can speed through which gives you time to focus on parts of the process at another time that need extra attention.

Generally, I resize and clean cases shortly after shooting. Inset them aside for a future reloading session. When I need to reload, I do not add additional distractions to the process and I can concentrate on the reloading.

The point I’m trying to make, think outside the box and determine a process that works for you. Don’t get caught up in “If I don’t do it as the instructions say I’m not doing it right”.
 
CoalCrackerAl said:
But one less thing to watch would be nice.
Click to expand...
I'm of a slightly different mind. I like to have a process where I am seeing everything that I need to see. A Powder Cop will lockup your press if/when it detects something beyond the tolerances you've set...until it doesn't.

What I watch is the bullet going into the Seating die and then shift my eyes to the indicator of the RCBS Powder Check raising to the level I've set on the other rod. That tells me that the sensing rod is working and that I have an indication of where the powder level is in relation to where I want it. I went to the RCBS Powder Check from the Hornady because it allows me to compare the dynamic rod to the static one level I've set as oppose to the height of a dynamic rod against the top of the die...it also uses contrasting colors
 
Another "different" mind.....always the tinkerer with my 3d printer, I've made lights and video for all my progressives now. They don't detect perfect powder, but do detect dbl charges or no charges. You do have to set a video monitor where you aren't able to "not look"! ;)

Below is the one I made for the oldest, the Pro 2000:

 
9mmepiphany said:
I'm of a slightly different mind. I like to have a process where I am seeing everything that I need to see. A Powder Cop will lockup your press if/when it detects something beyond the tolerances you've set...until it doesn't.
Click to expand...

I have seen a number of "kaboomed" firearms and way too many squibs over the years and have never heard the owner blame it on the use of a powder checking device.

All factory rounds loaded are also using equipment that confirms the charge without adding in the "human element" variable.

If you've ever made a mistake or think you might in the future, they are cheap insurance.
 
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