How many presses do I need?

[Griz44]

Donttellthewife - I am insanely jealous. Maybe we could do the wife swap thing one of these weekends, swap your wife for ME. I bet our old ladies would have a lot of interesting notes to compare, and I could have a ball in your loading room....

 

[mmorris]

I've got 9 or 10 and was looking at another just the other day. Sell all of your centerfire arms right away and get a 22lr and you won't need any.

This all started with a rimfire (well, two), which lead to 20,000+ .22LR rounds in a file cabinet drawer. I was working on getting them to hit the same place every once in a while when I picked up the reloading scent during a gunstore conversation. Now I'm 100 hours into internet & book research on reloading, still waiting for equipment to arrive, and making a reloading space (finished basement with A/C). I think that I'd better start planning the foundry so I can use that little Lee single-stage to size and lube all those shinny lead bullets I could make. :banghead:

Thanks for the try jmorris, but rimfire or centerfire, methadone or heroin, an addict is still an addict (and it's way too late for me... save the children if you can )
Mike

 

[jmorris]

Just remember when your wife tells you that you have too many, to ask how many pairs of shoes she has...

 

[mallc]

Well it depends

One of each would be the politically correct decision.

I probably ought to a Hormady and a Forster Co-Axe...just to be fair.

Scott

 

[Old Grump]

I have 3 would like one more

2 single stage, one for rifle, one for pistol and a turret press for whatever I am going to be shooting a lot of, mostly 308 and 45ACP

 

[donttellthewife]

Donttellthewife - I am insanely jealous. Maybe we could do the wife swap thing one of these weekends, swap your wife for ME

Send picture and beer, then I'll consider it.










I hate to admit it, but the other side of my reloading building is shelving 2' deep 10' high and 16' long packed to the gills with yarn and fleece. The little woman has the same mentality as me, when it comes to hobbies, more is better. She now refers to the room as the " yarmo room ".

I started with the RCBS partner press given to me, all the rest came from garage sales and craigslist.

 

[VegasOPM]

I have a Lee single stage for rifle and prototype work and a Dillon 550 for pumping out rounds that I like. I also have a MEC shotgun press, since I can't seem to find the 12 ga dies for my Lee.

 

[Mike Kerr]

I have three mounted now and a fourth being slowly rebuilt (ancient Herter's c frame). I find that once you get the press set up the work ususally expands to fill up the shell holder or shell plate etc.

It's fun but it is a disease for which the only two cure's are to abstain from reloading altogether or always figure what your next project should be.

Regards,

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

If I owned a Lee Classic Turret (and I do), I would probably put a Lee Classic Cast single stage beside it (and I have). That combination will take care of most reloading tasks out there for most shooters for their lifetime.

If you shoot more than most, then you'll find yourself buying a progressive soon enough (and I have one) and the other two presses will still be useful (and I find myself using them as much or more than the progressive). But for most shooters, this will be all the presses they will ever need (and as I've gotten older, most progressive reloading I do is for my son, as I really don't shoot enough to justify it any more).

Some thoughts for you to think about.

Regards,

Dave

 

[jmorris]

Well it depends

One of each would be the politically correct decision.

If it’s a progressive you’ll want two of each as swapping out the primer system can take some time.

 

[SSN Vet]

I considered a single stage press to augment my LCT for unniversal depriming die, case belling die and bullet sizing die.

Instead, I baught a spare turret ($9) ans set it up as a "utility" turret.

swapping turrets is so quick and easy it was silly to consider filling up precious bench space with a second press.

 

[JackCrow]

I have two right now, a 550B and Lee Challenger. I want to add the Lee reloading manual to my bookshelf so I will buy a copy that comes with the Reloader press and set it up as a de-capper.

My friend, whom I reload with, has the Lee handpress.

We are both new to reloading so with the two of us combining resources I'm sure the equipment, books and componets are set to expand exponentially!

Cheers!

 

[qajaq59]

How many do you need? Just one.
How many do half of us want? Oh, a whole bunch.

 

[Bitswap]

You can reload everything you need with an ammomaster and 550. But let's talk reality here.

It's okay to have multiple presses with limited space. The key here is how much hassle it is to swap them out. The best system I've seen (from thr) is to mount the base of the press on a solid 3/4" hardboard, or plywood, base with a built-up frame (pocket) on the bench that can be inserted and removed easily, with or without bolts.

The frame on the bench has three sides and the base slides into it from the front. This system makes it fast and easy to swap presses that can be stored using that same base on a shelf unit. This system is as good as bolting the press onto the bench. If using the press for non-precissionn work, no need for bolts, otherwise clamp it down with two bolts in the front and/or back. When using bolts, make sure they go through the base.

Probably one of the bestest ideas I've gotten from THR.

 

[dalepres]

Now I'm 100 hours into internet & book research on reloading, still waiting for equipment to arrive

Remember when shopping only took a few hours for a trip to town and to a couple stores? Now we have that great time saver, the Internet. Now we can spend dozens or even hundreds of hours analyzing the most minute differences between products and saving a dollar on a three-hundred dollar purchase.

 

[ReloaderFred]

dalepres,

You aren't talking about way back when are you? When people actually talked to each other, read books and experimented on their own? When they talked to people they knew who had the same interests, rather than anonymous strangers on a screen?

Ahh yes, I remember those days well, and often yearn for them again, but I have to admit that I've met some nice people on the internet that I wouldn't have met otherwise. I've also been able to help some people get through some problems they had with certain aspects of reloading and shooting, and I've felt good about it.

I've also met some real jerks, but the delete key takes care of them....

There's good and bad in everything, I guess.

Fred